Gillian Margaret Bibby (31 August 1945 – 7 August 2023) was a New Zealand composer, pianist, writer and teacher. Bibby was born in Lower Hutt,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

on 31 August 1945, the daughter of the Reverend Lawrence Vincent Bibby and Margaret Valerie Bibby (née Davidson). She studied at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

and

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

with

Douglas Lilburn Douglas Gordon Lilburn (2 November 19156 June 2001) was a New Zealand composer. Early life Lilburn was born in Whanganui and spent his early years on the family sheep farm in the upper Turakina River valley at Drysdale. He attended Waitaki ...

. She continued her studies in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

with Aloys Kontarsky,

Mauricio Kagel Mauricio Raúl Kagel (; 24 December 1931 – 18 September 2008) was an Argentine-German composer. Biography Kagel was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, into an Ashkenazi Jewish family that had fled from Russia in the 1920s . He studied music, his ...

and

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th and early 21st-century ...

. After completing her studies, she worked as a pianist, composer, music teacher and university lecturer in New Zealand. Bibby was active in several music-related organisations, serving as president and chair, and founded the CHAMPS Trust to offer opportunities for youth in music. She was awarded the Philip Neill prize in composition, the Kranichsteiner prize in composition and the Darmstadt prize for new music. In the 2020 New Year Honours, Bibby was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to music and music education. Bibby died in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

on 7 August 2023, at the age of 77.

Works

Selected works include: *''11 Characters in Search of a Composer'' for orchestra or military band *''Aie! A Conversation Piece'' for tape *''Musik für drei Hörer'' (Music for 3 Listeners) for clavichord, voice, and percussion *''Sanctuary of Spirits'', children's opera *''The Beasts'', song cycle of 6 songs and 5 snatches *''You can't kiss the Tummy of a Caged Lion: Pavane pour un genre defunt'' for voices and chamber ensemble Her music has been recorded and issued on CD, including: *''Life, Love and Death'' *''The Songs of the Morning: a story of music in early Antarctica'' *''Douglas Lilburn: Salutes to Poet''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bibby, Gillian 1945 births 2023 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century women composers 21st-century classical composers 21st-century women composers Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand classical composers New Zealand classical pianists New Zealand music teachers People from Lower Hutt University of Otago alumni Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand women classical composers Women classical pianists New Zealand women composers New Zealand women pianists New Zealand music educators New Zealand women music educators