Cameron Monteath enjoys playing with others.
The University of Otago postgraduate music student premiered his latest work, Ballade for Cello and Piano, at Hanover Hall yesterday.
He said the composition, which he described as ‘‘dark, mostly humorous and jazz-inspired’’, was always intended to feature friend Heleen du Plessis on cello and himself on piano.
‘‘I enjoyed the process of imagining or trying to highlight our best qualities as players.
‘‘I think when you write something that you know is going to be performed by a specific person or ensemble, then it’s fun to imagine what that might sound like in the future when you’re writing it.’’
Monteath said he struggled with the composition of the piece at times, particularly the fact it featured three movements.
All up, it took ‘‘about six months’’ to complete last year.
But nothing prepared him for the actual performance of the work.
‘‘One part of me is nervous, as I am for any performance - I wonder how it’s going to be received.
‘‘But also, there’s a part of me that is excited to share my creative pursuits with people. I mean, I write with the audience in mind, for sure.’’
Monteath has already earned much acclaim and won the 2022 New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Todd Corporation Young Composer Award.
He has recently been accepted for a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, but said he was in the process of raising the funds to fly there and study.
He was excited about the opportunity, and was looking forward to composing whatever came to mind next.
‘‘I would say to always listen to music - listen to music that you enjoy, of course, but also music that you perhaps don’t enjoy, and just see what you can find in it.
‘‘Also, it’s important to not let the fear of writing something bad get in the way of your workflow.
‘‘If you just try to write something, eventually you’ll find some great material that you can work with.’’
