From September 2011 I will be studying full-time at the Royal College of Music, working towards a Master of Music degree in Composition for Screen. This is an amazing opportunity for me to spend one or possibly two years focussing entirely on the craft of film composing, with expert guidance! For directors seeking to colloborate with me it will be business as usual, although the quality of my work is likely to leap forward, thanks to the new training and the availability of world-class RCM instrumentalists and studio facilities.
My first year's study has been made possible by two generous scholarships. They are an RCM Scholarship, for which I am deeply grateful to the Royal College of Music, and the Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship, for which I am deeply grateful to the Edwin Carr Foundation and Creative New Zealand. Edwin Carr, who died in 2003, was a hugely prolific and successful composer of concert works. Like myself, he attended Otago Boys' High School, studied in London and even tried his hand at film composing. The Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship is the only grant made annually to a NZ composer seeking to advance their career, so it is truly humbling to be the first film composer to recieve the award.
The RCM course in Composition for Screen is lead by Vasco Hexel and co-taught by Joseph Horowitz, Michael Oliva and Howard Davidson. It also attracts guest lectures from high profile film composers, with recent examples being Oscar-winners Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings) and Dario Marianelli (Atonement).
I will update the site periodically as things progress, so watch this space!