Robin Toan (born 1983) is one of New Zealand's leading young composers. She writes music for orchestra, chamber, solo and film. Robin started composing at the age of 15 while she was at high school. She graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Music degree in composition and performance clarinet in 2004. In 2005 she achieved first class honours in composition at the University of Auckland studying under John Elmsly and Eve de Castro-Robinson. The 23 year old Aucklander is currently completing her Master of Music degree under the supervision of John Psathas at the New Zealand School of Music. She is currently residing in Auckland, New Zealand.

With the assistance of the New Zealand/France Friendship Fund Robin will travel to Paris to attend rehearsals and the premiere concert of a new work, dans la nuit, for string orchestra in November and December this year. After completing her Masters in early 2007 Robin will be travelling back to Europe to further her studies in composition with the support of the Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship and the APRA PD Award.

Awards and commissions

2006

-Recipient of the $20,000 Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship for studies in Europe
-Selected to represent New Zealand in the Asia Pacific Festival 2007 Young Composers Competition.
-Commissioned by SOUNZ to write a fanfare for the Manukau City Symphony Orchestra (to be premiered in 2007).
-Commissioned by Chamber Music New Zealand to write a work for New Zealander and winner of the 2004 Sydney International Piano Competition John Chen and Julia McCarthy’s New Zealand tour in September 2007.
-Winner of the ADAM International Cello Competition Young Composers Competition
-Joint recipient of the TODD/NZSO Corporation Young Composers Award for her orchestral composition La Sagrada Familia
-Awarded a Victoria University of Wellington Graduate Award
-Commissioned to write the music score for the short film Loose Ends which premiered at the Auckland International Film Festival in July
-Composition Turista di Venezia selected for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Graduate Workshop

2005

-Honorific Mention Award for her sextet, Barcelona Postcards, in the 2005 Frederic Mompou International Award for the Young Composer Competition of the Joventuts Musicals de Barcelona
-Named inaugural composer-in-residence of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra National Youth Orchestra with her composition Tü-mata-uenga God of War, Spirit of Man
-Awarded the inaugural Australasian Performing Rights Association New Zealand Professional Development Award

2004

-Winner of the Philip Neill Memorial Prize for Maze written for two percussionists and piano.
-Commissioned by the Opus Chamber Orchestra to compose new work, Opus 101, for their May concert series.
-Winner of the University of Auckland Douglas Lilburn Composition Prize in both the acoustic (for Violaceous for solo violin) and electronic (for Intergalactic Busking Experience) categories
-Scenes from Provence won the University of Auckland Douglas Mews Prize for Best Unaccompanied Choral Composition.

2003

-Second place in Douglas Lilburn Composition Prize acoustic composition category with Shades of Flamenco.
-Winner of the University of Auckland Douglas Mews Prize for Best Unaccompanied Choral Composition with Takapuna Beach

Other

-Was invited to write string quartet for the NZSM Graduate Quartet in 2006.
-She has written works for the Howick School of Music Youth Orchestra. Comic in 2004 and Rainbows ‘n’ Butterflies in 2005.
-New Zealand based contemporary ensemble 175 East performed Sunshine Jam following their call for new microscores in 2004.
-Winner of the Llewellyn Jones Prize for Music for Piano in 2002 with Life, as I see it
-Second place in the 2002 University of Auckland Douglas Lilburn Composition Prize with her work for string quartet, Lament
-Second place in the 2001 University of Auckland -Douglas Lilburn Composition Prize with her work for cello and violin, Catastrophe!
-Winner of the Auckland Philharmonia Young Composer’s Competition with Over the Rubicon in 2000.
-Runner-up in the KBB/175 East Composition Competition with Rionic in 2000.

For more information please visit www.robintoan.com.

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