Yozora
for solo flute
Composed for Anna Rabinowicz
Performed as part of ANAM 2024 Recitals
This ANAM Set commission was generously supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia and the Anthony and Sharon Lee Foundation
Program note:
Yozora 夜空 for solo flute explores the introspective and questioning nature of inner thoughts. The piece is inspired by the contemplation encouraged by gazing at the night sky, an act that holds spiritual significance in Japanese culture. The lone and continuous voice of a single flute highlights a feeling of connection to something larger than oneself. In Japanese spirituality, observing the stars fosters a connection with kami, the spirits of nature, inviting reflection on the mysteries of existence. This serves as a starting point for the piece. Through fluid and intuitive phrases, the piece unfolds as an internal monologue, delving into moments of searching, revelation, anguish, and calm. Yozora 夜空 evokes the ebb and flow of these changing states, guiding the listener through a stream of inner reflections.
About the composer:
Salina Fisher (b.1993) is an award-winning New Zealand composer quickly gaining international recognition for her unique creative voice. She is the youngest ever winner of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award Te Tohu Auaha (2016, 2017), and her works are frequently performed globally by leading musicians and ensembles. Her highly evocative music reflects her background as a multi-instrumentalist, her Japanese heritage, and her passion for collaboration, particularly with practitioners of taonga pūoro (traditional Māori instruments).
Her music has been commissioned by performers including New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Alexi Kenney, Auckland Philharmonia, Marmen Quartet, New Zealand String Quartet, NZTrio; and performed at venues including Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, Philharmonie Berlin, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and The Kennedy Center. Her music has appeared on recent/upcoming programmes by the New York Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Stavanger Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Hannover Staatsoper, Ulster, and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras, including with conductors Gemma New and Tianyi Lu.
After studying composition and violin at New Zealand School of Music – Te Kōkī, Salina received a Fulbright scholarship to study in New York where she was awarded the Carl Kanter Prize for Orchestral Composition. She has since been Composer-in-Residence at New Zealand School of Music (2019-2020), At the World’s Edge Festival (2021), and University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra (2023). She is the recipient of awards from The Arts Foundation, Edwin Carr Foundation, and Composers Association of New Zealand, and is currently a Teaching Fellow in Composition at NZSM.
For more about Salina, visit her website: www.salinafisher.com/