Michael Norris

Michael Norris (born 1973) is a New Zealand composer, music theorist and Senior Lecturer in composition at Victoria University of Wellington.

Early life and education Norris was born in 1973. He attended Logan Park High School and the University of Otago. He gained a BMus (Hons) from Victoria University and an MMus from the City, University of London in 1997.

Career Norris teaches composition, sonic art and post-tonal music theory at Victoria University.

Norris, with other musicians and conductor Hamish McKeich, established the contemporary music ensemble Stroma in 2000. He was the University of Otago’s Mozart Fellow in composition in 2002. Mātauranga (Rerenga) was commissioned by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to mark the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's landfall in New Zealand. The orchestra, taonga pūoro and electronic music are woven together to symbolise the mixing of Māori culture and traditional knowledge with western culture.

Norris's compositions have been played by New Zealand performers and internationally with his work Sgraffito premiered at the Donaueschingen Festival in Germany in 2010. and the Composers Association of New Zealand Trust Fund award in 2011.

Norris has won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award at the APRA New Zealand music awards four times: in 2014 for Inner Phases, in 2018 for Sygyt, in 2019 for the Violin Concerto Sama and in 2020 for Mātauranga (Rerenga). He donated his prize money in 2020 to Haumanu, a group dedicated to the revival of taonga pūoro and performing.

Selected works

Compositions Chrysalis (1996) – for flute and tape Scintilla (2002) – for large chamber ensemble Rays of the sun, shards of the moon (2003) – for symphony orchestra 14 islands (2005) – for flute/bass flute, prepared harp and unpitched percussion From the lonely margins of the sea (2005) – for piano and small orchestra Volti (2006) – for piano and orchestra Icons and artifice (2007) – for bass clarinet duo, ensemble and live electronics Sgraffito (2010) Inner Phases (2014) – for string quartet and Chinese instrument ensemble Piccled (2014) – for vocalising piccolo player Deep field: III (2016) – for flute and live electronics Sygyt (2017) – for orchestra, throat singer and optional live electronics Violin Concerto Sama (2018)

Mātauranga (Rerenga) (2019) – for orchestra, taonga pūoro and live electronics

Selected publications Norris, M., & Young, J. (2001). Half-heard sounds in the summer air: electroacoustic music in Wellington and the South Island of New Zealand. Organised Sound, 6(1), 21–28. doi:10.1017/S1355771801001042 Norris, M. (2003). Only in Wellington. New Zealand Listener, 4 Oct 2003; v.190 n.3308, 62. Norris, M. (2004). Working at the rock-face - Chris Watson. Canzona, v.25 n.46, 24–28. Norris, M. (2006). Tessellations and enumerations : generalising chromatic theories. Canzona, v.26 n.48, 87–95. Norris, Michael, & Adams, Christopher. (2006). Composition & pedagogy : a discussion. Canzona, v.26 n.48, 96–101. Norris, M. (2007). Tonal desires. Canzona, v.28 n.49, 58–67. Norris, Michael. Guidelines for Organising a Composition Competition. Composers Association of New Zealand