University of Otago postgraduate student, Grace Shaw, received the Anthony Ritchie Composition Prize for her score, Southern Alps Overture.
Hearing her name announced as the winner over the radio was an amazing moment, Ms Shaw said.
"It was really cool to hear my name announced.
"Just hearing ‘Grace Shaw won this’ was absolutely incredible, it was a very special feeling," she said.
The prize included $1000 and for the selected work to be performed by the Dunedin Youth Orchestra.
This year she was working on a suite of pieces inspired by New Zealand nature, and said it only made sense her first piece should be so close to home.
If you listen closely, she said you would hear icy glaciers, big rolling hills and little rural towns living at the bottom of the foothills.
"It’s a special way for me to connect with my heritage and New Zealand culture and the landscape through my music."
Ms Shaw said the orchestra had performed one of her pieces before, and she was looking forward to working with them again and hearing what they could do with her music.
Classical composer and academic Prof Anthony Ritchie said the score was very effectively written for a youth orchestra.
"It’s very evocative of the mountains and the landscape," Prof Ritchie said.
"There’s a folky tune in it that gives quite a nice contrast to some of the slower stuff."
"It will be appealing I think to a younger orchestra to play."
The Dunedin Youth Orchestra will debut Ms Shaw’s score, alongside other compositions, at their next concert in September.
tim.scott@odt.co.nz , PIJF cadet reporter
