Written for the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra with Support of APRA Art Music Fund and Creative New Zealand Early Career Fund Grants
Instrumentation: Orchestra 2222/2200/Sampler/Strings
Duration: 22 Minutes
Premiere: 16th August 2025 – Kings and Queens Performing Arts Center – Dunedin, New Zealand
Video Recording to Follow
About the work:
South Dunedin is one of the lowest lying suburban areas in Aotearoa, with many of the houses in the suburbs that comprise it sitting 50cm above sea level or lower. In 2015 the are was subjected to intense flooding when 175mm of rain fell in a 24-hour period beginning at 4am on the 3rd of June. The naturally high-water table in South Dunedin, a result of the area being a reclaimed wetland, combined with infrastructural issues resulted in hundreds of homes being flooded. The event began a reckoning from both the community and authorities with the impacts of increasingly severe weather events due to climate change for low lying suburbs, work whose importance was only reaffirmed by the follow up flooding that occurred in the area in October 2024.
this rising tide, these former wetlands is an examination of some of the histories, stories and lifeways of the South Dunedin area. The work both channels the ecological history of the area and also seeks to embed within it aspects of the lived experiences of members of the community gathered through interviews and background research. The work also incorporates pertinent objects from around South Dunedin in the percussion. This includes ecologically linked objects such as dune grass brushes, driftwood, and rocks as well as objects from South Dunedin’s industrial history including railway track, brake drums, suspension coils, and wooden boxes.
Other:
SOUNZ Blog 1
SOUNZ Blog 2
SOUNZ Blog 3
Radio New Zealand Interview/Preview
Otago Daily Times Profile/Preview
Nathaniel Otley 