Dorothy Ker (born 1965) is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

-born composer of instrumental and vocal music who has lived in the UK since 1992. She is known for her inter-disciplinary collaborations and experimentation with live electronic music performances.

Early life

Ker was born in Carterton, in the North Island of New Zealand in 1965.

Education

Ker completed B.Mus and M.Mus degrees at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, where she studied composition and electronic music with John Rimmer. She emigrated to the UK in 1992, and completed a Ph.D in composition at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

in 1998.

Career

Following her graduation, Ker took up a position at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

. She later moved to the position of Research Fellow at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

, before becoming a lecturer in Composition there, and most recently, a Senior Lecturer in Music. In 2008, a collaboration with the mathematician

Marcus du Sautoy Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy (; born 26 August 1965) is a British mathematician, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, Fellow of New College, Oxford and author of popular mathematics and popula ...

resulted in the creation and performance of a piece of experimental music, ''The 19th Step.'' The research with du Sautoy was later the basis for a mixed-media theatre piece produced in collaboration with the sculptor Kate Allen in 2010. In July 2013, Ker began a year-long position in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, New Zealand, as a Research Teaching Associate at the New Zealand School of Music. In 2015, Ker received the 2015

Composers Association of New Zealand The Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ), established in 1974, after an initial meeting of composers was organised by David Farquhar. Farquhar was the association's first president. It is a body that lobbies for the interests of New Zealand ...

Trust Fund Award for her contribution to music composition. Ker's music has been heard at international festivals in Auckland, Belfast, Darmstadt, Huddersfield, Perth, Taipei, Seoul, at the

International Society for Contemporary Music The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is a music organization that promotes contemporary classical music. The organization was established in Salzburg in 1922 as Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM) following the ...

, in London and on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

and

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...

Works

* ''Movement for String Orchestra'' * ''The Structure of Memory'' (mixed chamber ensemble of 10 players) * ''diffracted terrains: duo i'' (bass clarinet and double bass) * ''diffracted terrains: duo ii'' (vioin, French horn and piano) * ''diffracted terrains: quintet'' (alto/bass flute, clarinet in A/bass clarinet, violin, viola and cello) * ''solo for cello'' * ''water mountain'' (violin, B flat clarinet and cello) * '' ..and...1' (clarinet) * '' ..and...11' (for 12 players) * ''Clepsydra'' (oboe) * ''On the Bridge'' (solo soprano) * ''Le kaleidoscope de l’obscurite'' (clarinet, bass clarinet, cello, double bass) * ''The Third Dream'' (orchestra) * ''Rare Earth'' (cello) * ''face'' (flute) * ''fantasia'' (solo flute and orchestra) * ''the history of rock'' (piano) * ''Sonatine'' (violin and piano) * ''a gentle infinity'' (orchestra) * ''The Rock, Whatipu'' (solo soprano) * ''Close-Up of a Daisy'' (a cappella choir) * ''Arise, Shine!'' (choir and organ) * ''If all the world were paper'' * ''Koru'' (choir and piano) * ''City'' (female voices and piano) * ''Darkness and Light'' (orchestra) * ''from States of Zero'' (solo violin) * ''Dances After the Haiku'' (soprano, viola, clarinet, cello and piano) * ''these children singing in stone a'' (a cappella choir) * ''Behind the Apple Cases at Mapua'' (a cappella choir and solo soprano) * ''Dreams from Stone Landscapes'' (soprano with flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet) * ''Winter Dusk'' (unaccompanied choir) * ''and the rain ...'' (choir) * ''six pieces locating the body'' (B flat clarinet and bass clarinet) * ''The Truth of Fire'' (vocal ensemble (12 voices) and unseen narrator)

Recordings

* ''The Structure of Memory'' on New Zealand Women Composers (2003) * Diffracted Terrains - Chamber Music of Dorothy Ker (2008) * '' ..and...1' on A Place in the Sky * ''Clepsydra'' on New Music for a New Oboe Volume 2

References

External links

Institutional page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ker, Dorothy 1965 births 20th-century New Zealand people New Zealand classical composers New Zealand women classical composers People from Carterton, New Zealand Living people University of Auckland alumni Alumni of the University of York British music educators British women music educators New Zealand women music educators New Zealand music educators Academics of the University of Sheffield 20th-century New Zealand women composers 20th-century New Zealand composers 21st-century New Zealand women composers 21st-century British women educators 21st-century British educators