Associate Professor of Music Martin Lodge has been awarded a coveted artist's residency at the Pah Homestead, Auckland, next year.
From April to July, Martin will live in the artist's apartment on the upper level of the Pah Homestead art gallery in Monte Cecilia Park, in Hillsborough.
He plans to concentrate on composing a major new work, a concerto for solo viola, orchestra and chorus.
"Having three months set aside for creative work will provide the kind of clear thinking space I need to achieve a large-scale artistic work," says Associate Professor Lodge.
The residency is funded by the Wallace Arts Trust, which is based at the Pah Homestead. The University of Otago administers the residency, and contacted Associate Professor Lodge earlier this year and to draw his attention to the position.
"The letter from Otago arrived out of the blue," he says. "The timing happened to be perfect and I decided almost immediately to put an application in. These are highly desirable awards."
The Wallace Arts Trust supports, promotes and exposes New Zealand contemporary artists across various media while providing the wider public with a substantial cultural and historical resource of contemporary New Zealand art.
Noted New Zealand poet and author - and former University of Waikato staff member - Vincent O'Sullivan is preparing texts on the theme of death and renewal for the composer to set in his new concerto.