2022 Composer-in-residence shines bright with debut album release
Callum Allardice spent his residency with New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī working on his debut album, and it’s being released at Wellington’s Fringe Festival.
Cinematic Light Orchestra is a multi-instrumental album featuring big band, string orchestra, and immersive guitar sounds. The project began in 2016, and over the course of his residency Callum was able to focus in on what he wanted the project to be. “The music itself is a documentation from a period in my life where I worked on self-discovery. I was able to find more of myself, both musically and compositionally.”
Callum describes the album’s sound as “a musical statement reflecting dark love, musical friendship, poetry and the vibe”, and is partly influenced by indie, Western, and contemporary jazz sounds. He was particularly excited about the prospect of working with a string section, something he hadn’t explored before.
The album is inspired by music scores within film and cinema, with Callum wanting to give listeners an experience similar to the feelings evoked when consuming visual media.
“The residency at Te Kōkī allowed me to consolidate what I’d been hearing in my compositions in to a cohesive album,” Callum says. “I had a great team behind me, getting to work with the likes of Dave Wilson and Thomas Voyce on the production.”
“I was able to work with a range of people including recent graduates and helping them have that experience was also really valuable.”
Callum began his music career studying at the New Zealand School of Music back in 2008, where he obtained both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree. He was appointed the first jazz Composer-in-residence in 2022.
Through personal connections, Callum was able to have his album release at Fringe Festival next Friday 8 March. Fringe Festival is a local Wellington-based festival that encompasses a collection of performance artists, showcasing their works throughout February and March.
Fringe describes Cinematic Light Orchestra as an “ensemble featuring a traditional big band accompanied by a string section.” The showcase will also have a visual component, hosting “projected visuals by artist Erica Sklenars coalesce with the filmic soundscape for a truly immersive experience.”
Callum says it was a great opportunity to collaborate with Fringe on the release. “The team at Fringe were super helpful with the logistics side of things, getting everything put together and organising funding.”
In between gigs, Callum teaches music theory courses and guitar at Te Kōkī and is already looking forward to his next project: a quartet. “It’s marinating for now, but I’m excited to give that more attention soon.”
Cinematic Light Orchestra is out Friday 8 March, and tickets are available now for the Fringe Festival release.