John Psathas
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John Psathas, (born Ioannis Psathas, el, Ιωάννης Ψάθας; 1966) is a New Zealand composer. He has works in the repertoire of such high-profile musicians as
Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The in ...
,
Michael Houstoun Michael James Houstoun (born 20 October 1952) is a concert pianist from New Zealand. He has twice in his life performed the complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas and in between these achievements, he overcame focal hand dystonia. Early life Hou ...
,
Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...
,
Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman ...
and the
New Juilliard Ensemble The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
, and is one of New Zealand's most frequently performed composers. He has established an international profile and receives regular commissions from organisations in New Zealand and overseas.


Early life and education

The son of Greek immigrant parents, Psathas grew up in
Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of ...
and then Napier. He attended Napier Boys' High School and left early to study composition and piano at
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 ...
. He supported himself as a student partly by playing up to nine gigs a week in a
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
trio. Psathas studied further with composer Jacqueline Fontyn in Belgium before returning to New Zealand, where he has since lectured in music at Victoria University and continued to fulfill a busy schedule of commissions.


Compositions and collaborations

Early success came with ''Matre's Dance'' in 1991, an energetic duet for percussion and piano since taken up and championed by percussionist
Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The in ...
. This work and ''Drum Dances'' have become part of the standard repertoire for percussionists around the world. Psathas' collaboration with Evelyn Glennie has been long-standing and produced many commissioned works, including the 2001 double concerto for piano and percussion ''View From Olympus''. Glennie has also released recordings of many of his works. A highlight of 2000 was the premiere of the saxophone concerto ''Omnifenix'' at an outdoor concert before an audience of 8000 people at the 2 Agosto Festival in Bologna, Italy. This work was tailored to the particular improvising talents of
tenor saxophonist The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while t ...
Michael Brecker.


Influences

According to his publisher Promethean Editions, a new work by John Psathas is an individual, unique entity, and his music is like that of no one else. His 'sound' is difficult to define – the
harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
and improvisational feel of jazz, the compelling rhythmic drive and excitement of rock music and the sustained repetitive textures of
minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...
are apparent as influences, yet they combine and intermingle with something else more intangible. This undefinable quality is partly what makes his one of the most original voices in the arena of
contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...
in New Zealand. A retrospective concert of Psathas' chamber music was given in the 2000 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, culminating with the premiere of the specially commissioned ''Piano Quintet''. In the programme to the concert, he described the process of creating his music:
"When I write music, it's not a sense of inventing I experience, as much as it is a sense of finding something that exists at the remote periphery of what I know. It is like seeing things – that aren't really there – in the corner of one's eye, but not spinning around to view them, because then they would simply cease to be. It is a case of being aware of a thing in one's peripheral vision and, while staring straight ahead, trying to decipher, without looking at it, the true nature of what it is. What one is finding is exactly the right thing for any given moment in a musical work."


Career highlights

In 2000 his percussion works for the ''Rhythm Spike'' release gained him the Tui Award for Best Classical Recording at the
New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...
. The double concerto ''View From Olympus'' for piano, percussion and orchestra was premiered at the
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, performed by Evelyn Glennie, Philip Smith and the
Halle Orchestra Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hal ...
conducted by Mark Elder. This work was awarded the 2002 SOUNZ Contemporary Award, New Zealand's major annual composition award. In 2003 a new CD of chamber works, ''Fragments'', was released to critical acclaim and went on to win another Tui Award for Best Classical Album in 2004. He was named in 2003 as the recipient of one of five
Arts Foundation of New Zealand 'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The concept ...
Artist Laureate Awards, which carry cash prizes of $40,000. In 2004 Psathas achieved the largest audience for New Zealand-composed music when billions heard his fanfares and other music at the
opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...
and closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympics. This high-profile work was recognised in New Zealand's 2005 New Year Honours by his appointment as an Officer 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 (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...
(ONZM). Additionally, his ''Three Psalms'' piano concerto, premiered by the
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington, New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, per the New Zealand Symph ...
and soloist Stephen Gosling, was awarded the 2004 SOUNZ Contemporary Award for excellence in composition. Psathas won his third Best Classical Album award in the 2007 New Zealand Music Awards, for ''View from Olympus''. In 2014 Psathas was awarded a Higher Doctorate of Music by Victoria University of Wellington for his substantial contribution to New Zealand music, and embarked on an ambitious international project as part of New Zealand's WW100 programme to mark the centenary of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The result of this two-year collaboration with film makers and 150 musicians from all over the world was ''No Mans Land'', a multimedia work including film, live performance and pre-recorded musical score. It premiered at the 2016
New Zealand Festival of the Arts Aotearoa New Zealand Festival is a multi-arts biennial festival based in Wellington New Zealand that started in 1986. Previous names are the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, New Zealand International Arts Festival, New Zealand Arts ...
before being taken on an international tour. The work examines the journey and ultimate triumph of the human spirit, juxtaposed against and overcoming the futility and terrors of war. In 2018 Psathas retired from his long university tenure to become a full-time freelance composer, and was granted the position of
Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
at the
New Zealand School of Music The New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī, at Victoria University of Wellington (NZSM), is located in Wellington, New Zealand. NZSM provides a tertiary teaching faculty with programmes in Classical Performance, Jazz Performance, Music Studies, C ...
. In 2020 he began a three-year
Composer-in-Residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
partnership with
Orchestra Wellington Orchestra Wellington is New Zealand's oldest professional regional orchestra, based in the capital city of Wellington. It hosts an annual subscription series of concerts in the Michael Fowler Centre, performing varied repertoire from the Class ...
.


Awards

* 2000 New Zealand Music Awards, Best Classical Album: ''Rhythm Spike'' * 2002 SOUNZ Contemporary Award: ''View From Olympus'' * 2003
Arts Foundation of New Zealand 'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The concept ...
Laureate Award * 2004 SOUNZ Contemporary Award: ''Three Psalms'' piano concerto * 2004 New Zealand Music Awards, Best Classical Album: ''Psathas: Fragments'' * 2005 New Year Honours: Officer 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 (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...
(ONZM) for services to music * 2007 New Zealand Music Awards, Best Classical Album: ''View From Olympus'' * 2014: Higher Doctorate of Music (DMus), Victoria University of Wellington *2021: Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian Award


Works of music

Notable works by John Psathas: *''Waiting for the Aeroplane'' for piano (1988) *''Matre's Dance'' for piano and percussion (1991) *''Percussion Concerto'' for four percussionists and orchestra (1992/95) *''Drum Dances'' for piano and drum kit (1993) *''Rhythm Spike'' for piano (1994) *''Three Island Songs'' for clarinet, cello and piano (1995) *''Abhisheka'' for string quartet (1996) *''Happy Tachyons'' for piano and percussion (1996) *''Three Island Songs (version for piano trio)'' (1996) *''Motet'' for piano duet (1997) *''Jettatura'' for piano (1999) *''Luminous'' for orchestra (1999) *''Saxon'' for Brass Band (1999) – Written for the 2000 Shell NZ National Brass Band Championships *''Piano Quintet'' for piano and string quartet (2000) *''Omnifenix'' concerto for tenor saxophone, drum kit and orchestra (2000) *''Fragment'' for piano and vibraphone (or piano duet) (2001) *''Orpheus in Rarohenga'' for soprano, tenor and bass soloists, choir and orchestra (2002) *''View from Olympus: Double Concerto'' for percussion, piano and orchestra (2002) *''Piano Concerto'' for piano and orchestra (2003) * Pieces for the Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies – Athens 2004 (2004) *''A Cool Wind'' for string quartet (2008) Commissioned by Chamber Music New Zealand and written specifically for the
Takács Quartet The Takács Quartet is a string quartet founded in Budapest, Hungary, and now based in Boulder, Colorado, United States. History In 1975, four students at the Music Academy in Budapest, Gábor Takács-Nagy (first violin), Károly Schranz (seco ...
. *'' Elect the Dead Symphony'' (with
Serj Tankian Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer, musician, songwriter, political activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal ...
) (Orchestral Arrangements) (2010) *''The New Zeibekiko'' (2011) *''Planet Damnation'' for timpani and orchestra (2012) *''No Mans Land'' (2016)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Psathas, John 1966 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Living people New Zealand classical composers Greek classical composers New Zealand people of Greek descent Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Victoria University of Wellington faculty People from Napier, New Zealand People educated at Napier Boys' High School 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians People from Taumarunui