4 Mar 2019

Young NZ composer to study at London's Royal Academy

From Afternoons, 2:20 pm on 4 March 2019

Did you know New Zealand is home to one of the finest young composers in the world?

"It's about personal expression, and ultimately ... I know it's a cliche, but you have to be true to yourself: you have your own unique collection of experiences, influences, own musical taste. So you're going to be looking at the world completely differently from any other person."

Her name's Kirsten Strom - she's 24 years old and she was recently accepted into the Royal Academy of Music in London to study towards a Masters - one of just six people from around the globe.

Kirsten's work will also be performed at the Etchings Festival in the south of France in June .. a remarkable achievement for a young New Zealand composer.

She joins us to tell us about her journey, and life as a young composer in New Zealand.

composer Kirsten Strom

composer Kirsten Strom Photo: Supplied

It's going to be an expensive journey for Kirsten, with annual costs in the range of $100,000 - so she's set up a GoFundMe page for people who want to help her out - you can find it here.

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