Gareth Farr
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Gareth Vincent Farr (born 29 February 1968) is a New Zealand composer and percussionist. He has released a number of classical CDs and composed a number of works performed by the
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington, New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the New Zealand Government, per the New Zealand Symphony ...
(NZSO) and
Royal New Zealand Ballet The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a ballet company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was originally known as The New Zealand Ballet Company. History New Zealand Ballet was established in 1953 as an independent charitable trust by Royal Danis ...
. He has also performed in drag under the name Lilith LaCroix in a show called ''Drumdrag'' and has also released a CD under that name.


Early life and education

Farr was born 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 ...
in 1968. He began his studies 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 ...
in
composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...
,
orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...
and
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
. While studying there, he performed as a member of the
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra The Auckland Philharmonia (formerly Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, APO) is a symphony orchestra based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its principal concert venue is the Auckland Town Hall, and it is also the accompanying ensemble for Auckland stage ...
(APO) and the Karlheinz Company. Farr was always available as a performer to play new works by other composers. Returning to Wellington in 1988 for further study at
Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...
, he gained note for his compositions, at this time becoming increasingly excited with exploring the Indonesian
gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...
. He played percussion frequently with the NZSO before going to the
Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...
in
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
for advanced study.


Career

Farr became the composer in residence with Chamber Music New Zealand at 25, the youngest person to hold that post. In 1994, he had four works commissioned for the 1994 International Festival of the Arts including ''Lilith's Dream of Ecstasy'' and works for flautist
Alexa Still Alexa Still (born 1962) is a New Zealand-born flutist based in Oberlin, Ohio, where she is Professor of Flute at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Still studied in the US with Samuel Baron at SUNY Stony Brook (MM, DMA) and with Thomas Nyfenger ...
and pianist
Michael Houstoun Michael James Houstoun (born 20 October 1952) is a concert pianist from New Zealand. He has twice in his life performed the complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas and in between these achievements, he overcame focal hand dystonia. Early life Ho ...
as well as a ballet. In 1996, he signed to music publisher Promethean Editions becoming a founding house composer. His work ''From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs'' was specially commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the NZSO. It was one of his works that has been influenced by gamelan. He has used gamelan instruments or composed for non-gamelan instruments to be played in a gamelan-like way in other compositions such as ''Siteran'' (1990) for Javanese gamelan and harp, ''Kebyar Moncar'' (1993) for Victoria's gamelan, ''Tabuh Pacific'' (1995) for Balinese gamelan and orchestra, and piano pieces such as ''Sepuluh Jari'' (1996) and ''Jangan Lupa'' (2003), written for the Indonesian pianist
Ananda Sukarlan Ananda Sukarlan (born in Jakarta, 10 June 1968) is an Indonesian-Spanish classical composer and pianist. Early life and career Ananda is the son of Sukarlan and Poppy Kumudastuti. He started his music lessons at the age of 5 from his older sist ...
. Farr's piece for percussion ensemble ''Volume Pig'' (1992) was recorded by the group
Strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...
in 2002. Farr also wrote an orchestral piece ''Te Papa'' for the opening of
Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa (Māori language, Māori for 'Waka huia, the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the Nation ...
, the National Museum of New Zealand, in 1998. In 2000, the NZSO performed his percussion concerto ''Hikoi'' with
Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland. The i ...
at the
Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
. He has released four CDs of his work on the ''Trust'' label with the fifth, ''Ruaumoko'' released in early 2006. Farr furthered New Zealand gamelan in 2003 purchasing a Balinese Gong Kebyar that is housed at the New Zealand School of Music. In 2005, he provided the music for ''Vula'' staged during the Christchurch Arts Festival prior to the world debut of his ''Triple Concerto'' performed by the New Zealand Trio and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. During 2006, New Zealand premieres of Farr's music included ''Funambulistic Strains'' for orchestra and trombone, performed by David Bremner and the NZSO, ''The Wedding'' for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and ''TROY the Musical'' with librettist Paul Jenden. In December 2005 Farr visited Antarctica as part of
Antarctica New Zealand Antarctica New Zealand is an agency set up by the Government of New Zealand to manage its interests in Antarctica and the Ross Sea. As well as providing logistics support to a large scientific programme, it also runs bases such as Scott Base. ...
's artist programme, Artists to Antarctica. The result of the two-week residency was ''Terra Incognita'', a piece for baritone singer and orchestra inspired by the ill-fated last expedition of
Robert Falcon Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott (6 June 1868 – ) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova Expedition ...
. The work was performed in 2008 by London-based New Zealand singer Paul Whelan and the NZSO. In 2008, Gareth was appointed Composer in Residence of the APO. Farr composed a memorial piece for the
Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the Canterbury Region in the South Island, centred south-east of the centr ...
, ''Nor'West Arch'', first performed on 25 September 2011. The title makes reference to a particular Christchurch weather pattern, but is also that part of the
ChristChurch Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral, also called ChristChurch Cathedral and (rarely) Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecration, deconsecrated Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 ...
that received most damage in the earthquake. Dean Peter Beck was part of the performance, reading out an introduction and a reflection. The concert was one of the highlights of the 2011 Christchurch Arts Festival. In 2015, ''Relict Furies'' by Farr and Paul Horan had its premiere at the
Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...
. Described as "a masterful portrayal of grief and desolation and one of the most moving tributes to those who lived through World War I", it also played as part of the New Zealand Festival in March 2016. In 2017, ''The Bone Feeder'' played as part of the Auckland Festival from 23 to 26 March. A new opera, it was scored by Farr and written by poet and playwright
Renee Liang Renee Wen-Wei Liang (born 1973) is a New Zealand paediatrician, poet, essayist, short story writer, playwright, Libretto, librettist, theatre producer and medical researcher. She has been the recipient of several awards for her services to arts ...
, and explored the mysteries, traumas and gifts of migration, home and belonging. Directed by Sara Brodie and conducted by Peter Scholes, the opera takes Farr's unique combination of Western, Māori and Chinese instruments to create sweeping beautiful and playful music sung in English, Māori and Cantonese. Also in 2017, Farr worked on another NZSO commission, a substantial cello concerto titled ''Chemin des Dames'', with a personal World War I connection. "All three of my great-grandmother's elder brothers, beautiful young boys, were killed within a year in separate battles in northern France and Belgium". The concerto premiered in New Zealand and France by cellist Sébastien Hurtaud, recognising a shared wartime history. Alongside
Jack Body John Stanley Body (7 October 1944 – 10 May 2015) was a New Zealand composer, ethnomusicologist, photographer, teacher, and arts producer. As a composer, his work comprised concert music, music theatre, electronic music, music for film and d ...
,
Gillian Whitehead Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead (born 23 April 1941) is a New Zealand composer. She is of Māori Ngāi Te Rangi descent. Her Māori heritage has been an important influence on her composing. Early life Whitehead was born in Hamilton in 1941 ...
and
John Psathas John Psathas, (born Ioannis Psathas, ; 1966) is a New Zealand Greek composer. He has works in the repertoire of such high-profile musicians as Evelyn Glennie, Michael Houstoun, Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman and the New Juilliard Ensemble, a ...
, Farr is one of the noted New Zealand composers.


Lilith LaCroix

Gareth Farr also performs in drag as Lilith LaCroix in cabaret shows. Since 1997, the cabaret ''Drumdrag'' features Lilith playing the drums and Farr has recorded a CD released under her name. LaCroix also made a music video to promote the album. Advertisers have also asked LaCroix to appear in advertisements. Farr promotes himself as an entertainer as well as a composer:
I would, perhaps, be criticised for being too entertaining by some composers, but I don't know what's wrong with that because that is why I write music—I'm an entertainer. That's a dirty word in the classical department, but I don't care. I've even got it on my business card – composer/entertainer – because, hey, let's face it, that's what I do.


Honours

In the
2006 Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2006 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 17 June 2006, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2006.Saint Lucia list: Antigua & Barbuda list: The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before th ...
, Farr was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...
, for services to music and entertainment. In 2021 German malacologists named a newly-described species of tiny freshwater snail ''Obtusopyrgus farri,'' after Farr.


Selected works

* ''Lilith's Dream of Ecstasy'' (1995) * ''From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs'' (1996) * ''Te Papa'' (1998) * ''Hikoi'' (1999) * ''Jangan Lupa'' (2004 for piano solo, written for the Indonesian pianist and composer
Ananda Sukarlan Ananda Sukarlan (born in Jakarta, 10 June 1968) is an Indonesian-Spanish classical composer and pianist. Early life and career Ananda is the son of Sukarlan and Poppy Kumudastuti. He started his music lessons at the age of 5 from his older sist ...
) * ''Vula Canon'' (2004) * Triple Concerto (2005) * ''Funambulistic Strains'' (2006) * ''Terra Incognita'' (2008) * ''The Nor'west Arch'' (2011) * ''Relict Furies'' (2008) * ''The Bone Feeder'' (2017) * Concerto for Cello and Orchestra ''Chemin des Dames'' (2017) * ''Ngā Hihi o Matariki'' (2021)


References


External links


Gareth Farr webpage

Sounz entry

2016 video of 'Relict Furies'
with
Margaret Medlyn Margaret Medlyn (born 7 October 1955) is a New Zealand opera singer and voice teacher. In 2012, Medlyn was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to opera. Early life and education Medlyn was born in Falmouth, Co ...

Promethean Editions composer page
* Allmusic.com Classical Music Profile of Farr
Blog entry on premiere of Terra Incognita
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farr, Gareth 1968 births Drag performers from Wellington City Eastman School of Music alumni Gay composers LGBTQ classical composers Living people New Zealand classical composers New Zealand drag queens New Zealand expatriates in the United States New Zealand gay musicians New Zealand LGBTQ composers New Zealand male classical composers New Zealand opera composers New Zealand percussionists New Zealand Symphony Orchestra people Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit People associated with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa University of Auckland alumni Victoria University of Wellington alumni