Helen Bowater facts for kids
Helen Bowater is a talented composer from New Zealand. She was born in Wellington on November 16, 1952. A composer is someone who writes music. Helen grew up in a family that loved music. She learned to play the piano and violin from a young age.
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Helen's Musical Journey
In 1982, Helen finished her music studies at Victoria University of Wellington. She learned about music history and different kinds of music from around the world. She also studied how to create music using electronics and how to write her own songs.
Helen played in a special music group called Gamelan Padhang Moncar at the university. A Gamelan is a traditional music group from Indonesia, using instruments like gongs and metallophones. She even wrote a piece of music called Tembang Matjapat in 1999. This piece combines gamelan sounds with Western string and percussion instruments.
After her studies, Helen worked as a singer, pianist, and violinist. She performed with different music groups and choirs. She also played in rock bands like Extra Virgin Orchestra and pHonk.
Composer in Residence
Helen has been a "composer-in-residence" at several places. This means she was invited to work and create music there for a period of time. She worked at the Nelson School of Music in 1992 and at Otago University in 1993. In 1994, she was the composer-in-residence with the Auckland Philharmonia. She also spent time at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University from 2008 to 2009.
Helen has written articles about music for magazines like Music in New Zealand. Her music has been played in many countries around the world.
Awards and Achievements
Helen Bowater has received many awards for her amazing music. Here are some of them:
- Auckland Philharmonia Graduate Composer Workshops 1992
- Mozart Fellowship at Otago University 1993
- Auckland Philharmonia Composer in Residence 1994
- CANZ Trust Fund Award 1997
- SOUNZ Contemporary Award 1999
- SOUNZ Community Commission 2001
- NZSO-SOUNZ Readings 2003
- NZSO-SOUNZ Readings 2006
- Creative New Zealand/Jack C Richards Composer Residency, New Zealand School of Music 2008
Selected Musical Works
Helen has created many different musical pieces. Here are a few examples of her works:
- Banshee for two violins, cello, and piano
- He does not come, a setting of 5 poems for a soprano singer and an ensemble
- Ixion's Wheel for B flat clarinet and piano
- Lautari for solo violin
- New Year Fanfare for orchestra
- River of Ocean for full orchestra
- Urwachst for orchestra
- Wire Dogs for solo piano
- Nekhbet for solo piano
- Monkey for Chinese sheng, Gamelan Padhang Moncar, a singer, and a string quartet
