2024 Composer Mentors

Claire Scholes 

Claire Scholes is from Manawatū and based in Auckland.  In 2013 Opera Factory performed her chamber opera The Kiri Masterclass.  Opera Factory then workshopped Live Drag which was performed by New Zealand Opera at Auckland Pride 2018.  In 2019 Claire received the Sounz Commission for Orchestra and Sistema Youth Orchestra, and the work Cuba on Cuba was performed by Orchestra Wellington with Arohanui Strings.  

Claire was composer for Janette Goodey's animation Rip Drip Tear, and The Story of Percival Pilts; and orchestral arranger for Dame Hinewehi Mohi’s recording project Raukatauri.  

Claire was selected for MODART07 in Sydney where The Song Company performed Epicene Women. Commissions include Solaris Trio, Kahu, King’s College, Prairie Dawg Press Anthology of Violin Music by Women and Anthology of Viola Music by Women.  Her compositions have been performed by the Auckland Chamber Orchestra, and her choral music has been conducted by Dr. Karen Grylls. 

Ewan Clark 

Ewan Clark is a composer, orchestrator and NZSM lecturer specialising in music for screen. His orchestral compositions such as Gethsemane (2000) have been performed by ensembles including Orchestra Wellington, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and Dunedin Symphony Orchestra. His orchestrations and arrangements for cross-over and education concerts have been performed by the NZSO (collaborations with Alien Weaponry and Ria Hall), CSO (with Tiki Taane), as well as APO and Opus Orchestra performing arrangements of Jan Bolton’s Hairy MacLary settings. Ewan supplied song arrangements for The Philharmonia Orchestra’s performance in Buckingham Palace in 2012. He has scored many short films including The World in Your Window and features such as The Turn of the Screw (2020), which won awards in Turkish and Canadian film festivals while securing a nomination at home for an APRA Award for Best Score. Ewan holds degrees from the Royal College of Music (MMus, 2012) and The New Zealand School of Music (PhD, 2018).