Nigel Keay (born 1955) is a New Zealand composer. He has been a freelance musician since 1983 working as a composer, violist, and violin teacher. Nigel Keay has held the following composer residencies: Mozart Fellowship,

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

1986 and 1987, Nelson School of Music 1988 and 89,

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 ...

1995. Keay was born in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

. Between 1983 and 1995, he received several grants from the Arts Council of New Zealand for various commissions, one of them being a one-act opera '' At the Hawk’s Well'
1
His music, which ranges from solo and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

combinations to full

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

, has sometimes been driven by literary and philosophical ideas. Throughout his career he has wherever possible played in or directed his own works. He became an Associate-Violist with the

in 1994. Nigel Keay moved to France in 1998 and lives now in Paris where he continues to work as a freelance composer and violist. In 2001, his Viola Concertobr>2
was performed at the 29th International Viola Congress 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 ...

by the Chamber Orchestra of 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 ...

conducted by Marc Taddei with Franck Chevalier as

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

soloist. In 2002 he was commissioned by

Radio France Radio France () is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist media, generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed wi ...

to compose a work for multiple broadcasts on its France Musiques and France Culture stations (Tango Suit
3
. The pianist Jeffrey Grice performed his work for solo piano, ''the dancer leads the procession
4
at the Salle Gaveau, Paris in February 2007. Between 2003 and 2005 he gave multiple performances of his String Quartet No.2 in Paris and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

with his own group, Quatuor Aphanès. In 2006 Nigel Keay created the ensemble Orchestre 2021br>6
with the conductor and pianist Elizabeth Askren.

Selected works

;Stage *''At the Hawk's Well'', Opera in 1 act (1992); based on the play by

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...

;Orchestral *''Movement'' (1985) *''Three Images of Java'', Symphony for string orchestra (1989) *''Ritual Dance of the Unappeasable Shadow'', Symphonic Poem (1993) *''Fanfare'' (1995) *''Symphony in Five Movements'' (1996) *''Serenade for Strings'' (2002) *''Diversions'' for chamber orchestra (2003) ;Concertante *''Diffractions'' for piano and chamber orchestra (1987) *Viola Concerto (2000) ;Chamber music *''Variations'' for violin and piano (1982) *String Quartet No. 1 (1983) *''Triptych'' for trumpet, horn and trombone (1988) *Piano Quartet (1986) *''Derivation 3'' for violin solo (1990) *''Introduction & Allegro'', Sextet for flute, clarinet (bass clarinet), bass trombone, violin, viola and double bass (1995) *String Quartet No. 2 (1995) *''Variations on a Theme from "At the Hawk's Well"'', Trio in One Movement for violin, cello and piano (2001) *''Diversions'' for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass (2003) *''Terrestrial Mirror'' for flute, viola and harp (2004) *''Adagietto Antique'', Trio for clarinet, viola and piano (2009) *''Visconti Variations'', Duo for violin and viola (2008) *Sonata for oboe and piano (2011) *''Double Jeu'' for 2 violas (2012) *''Allusions'' for Clarinet Solo (2013) *''Prelude'' for Cello and Piano (2013) *Introduction and Tarantella for Violin & Piano (2014) *''Moderato à cent d'huîtres'' for Viola and Piano (2014) *''Souffle coupé'' for Wind Quintet (2015) *''Le Loup et l'Agneau'' for Piano and Narrator (2017) *''Nocturne (Havrincourt 1918)'' for baritone saxophone and double bass (2017) *''Sitting in the Ruins'' for two oboes and bassoon (2018) *''Labyrinthe'' for flute and viola (2018) *''Two-Step Distance'' a duo for two violins (2020) ;Piano *''Four Piano Pieces'' (1983) *''Variations'' (1985) *''Interlude'' (1988) *''the dancer leads the procession'' (1999) *''Little Tango Suite'', 3 Short Piano Pieces (2003–2004) ;Organ *''Tectonics'' (2016) ;Vocal *''Vocalise'' for soprano, vibraphone, violin, viola and cello (1979) *''Tango Suite'' for contralto and string quintet (string quartet and double bass) (2002)

References

*Mervyn McLean, et al. "New Zealand." In Grove Music Online.

Oxford Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and th ...

(Retrieved 9 February 2010). *Thomson, John Mansfield (1991): The Oxford History of New Zealand Music, p 262 *The Horn call: ''Journal of the International Horn Society'' p. 30, v. 20, no. 1 - 1989

External links

Nigel Keay's website, retrieved 4 February 2010Contemporary Viola site linked to Nigel Keay's website, retrieved 4 February 2010Nigel Keay
at SOUNZ, Centre for New Zealand Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Keay, Nigel 1955 births Living people People from Palmerston North New Zealand male classical composers New Zealand classical violists 20th-century New Zealand classical composers 21st-century New Zealand classical composers 20th-century New Zealand male musicians 21st-century New Zealand male musicians 20th-century violists 21st-century violists