Nathaniel Otley won the 2024 Sounz Contemporary Award for his original composition The convergence of oceans for orchestra.
The 27-year-old was presented the award at the 2024 Apra Silver Scroll Awards in Wellington last week, achieving the success after being one of three finalists for the award last year.
On a visit home to Dunedin from New York, where Mr Otley now lives with his wife Ihlara McIndoe, also from Dunedin, he said the award was not the sort of thing you thought you would win when you were starting out a career.
"It was an immense surprise to win to be honest."
The award-winning 12-minute orchestral piece took him six months to write and came out of his 2023 composer-in-residence position with the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.
The piece by Mr Otley, who is interested in ecological themes, explored convergence and drew inspiration from the ocean currents merging.
"When thinking about what I would write, that is what I was drawn to from an artistic context.
"[The writing’s] something that often happens in quite an interesting and unpredictable way."
He did not aim for awards, but admitted it felt good to be recognised for the work he did, though it was not a one-man effort, despite the trophy displaying only his name.
Written for the National Youth Orchestra, which he had also played in as a violinist in the past, it had been "very special" to work with the orchestra in bringing the piece to life.
"It wouldn’t have been possible without all the work and commitment of everyone at the [National Youth Orchestra]."
The Sounz Contemporary Award was first presented in 1998 and recognises New Zealand compositions that demonstrate outstanding levels of creativity and inspiration.
There were "so many" people who had won the award before him that he looked up to, Mr Otley said.
In the past Mr Otley, who went to King’s High School, has been involved with many Dunedin and national orchestras, choirs and bands, including the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, Dunedin Youth Orchestra, NZSO National Youth Orchestra, New Zealand Youth Choir, New Zealand Secondary Students Choir and the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra.
