Salina Fisher (b.1993) is an award-winning New Zealand composer whose works are frequently performed worldwide. She became the youngest-ever recipient of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award in 2016 for her orchestral work Rainphase, and in 2017 for her string quartet TÅrino – echoes on pÅ«tÅrino improvisations by Rob Thorne. Her highly evocative music draws on her background as a multi-instrumentalist, her mixed Japanese heritage, and a passion for collaboration, particularly with practitioners of taonga pÅ«oro. She finds lyricism in unusual timbres and extended tonalities, and is noted for her "extraordinary sense of colour and texture” (New Zealand Herald).
In 2024, her pieces Kintsugi, Rainphase, and Heal were selected by celebrated
US choreographer Jessica Lang as the score for her new ballet Black Wave, premiered by Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. She was also named one of New Zealand Listener magazine’s "50 Most Inspiring People". Her 2023 work PapatÅ«Änuku co-composed with taonga pÅ«oro musician Jerome Kavanagh Poutama and commissioned by Auckland Philharmonia, is set to be performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra in 2025.
Salina’s music has been commissioned by New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Alexi Kenney, Auckland Philharmonia, Albany Symphony, Marmen Quartet, NZTrio, New Zealand String Quartet, and Chamber Music New Zealand, among others. Her works have been performed at renowned venues and festivals including Tanglewood Music Festival, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, ISCM World Music Days, Philharmonie Berlin, Pierre Boulez Saal, Gewandhaus Leipzig, and Wigmore Hall.
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Her compositions have been programmed by the New York Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Helsinki Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, A Far Cry, Brodsky Quartet, Land’s End Ensemble, Lapland Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Stroma, as well as the Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, Brazil, Christchurch, Dallas, Hannover Staatsoper, Leipzig (MDR Radio), Melbourne, National Arts Centre (Canada), National Symphony (USA), North Carolina, Seattle, Shanghai, Stavanger, Toledo, and Ulster, often under the direction of New Zealand conductors Gemma New and Tianyi Lu. She has held Composer-in-Residence positions at the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, At the World’s Edge Festival, New Zealand School of Music, and NZSO National Youth Orchestra.â
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After studying composition and violin at New Zealand School of Music – Te KÅkÄ«, Salina received a Fulbright scholarship to study at New York’s Manhattan School of Music where she was awarded the Carl Kanter Prize for Orchestral Composition. She is also the recipient of awards from The Arts Foundation (New Generation Award), FAME Trust (Mid-Career Award 2025), Creative New Zealand / Edwin Carr Foundation, Composers Association of New Zealand (Trust Fund Award), APRA Art Music Fund, Canberra International Film Festival (Best Score - International Category), and NZSO Todd Young Composers Award (2013, 2014).
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Salina particularly enjoys collaborating with other artists, including practitioners of taonga pÅ«oro, ceramics, poetry, and film. She performed as a casual violinist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2012-2016, and more recently worked as an orchestrator on their projects with Te Reo metal band Alien Weaponry and singer-songwriter Ria Hall. Salina also enjoys performing and improvising on violin and koto, notably with Ao alongside Jerome Kavanagh (taonga pÅ«oro) and Neil MacLeod (electronics), and also as part of Wellington’s Moth Quartet. She lectured in composition and orchestration at New Zealand School of Music – Te KÅkÄ«, Victoria University of Wellington, as Teaching Fellow in Composition (2020-2023) and has mentored emerging composers through AWE Festival and NZSO National Youth Orchestra.â
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Short bio (150 words)
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Salina Fisher (b.1993) is an award-winning New Zealand composer whose works are frequently performed worldwide. Drawing from her background as a multi-instrumentalist of mixed Japanese heritage, her highly evocative music often involves collaborations, notably with taonga pÅ«oro practitioners. Her works have been programmed by New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, Tanglewood Music Festival, Helsinki Philharmonic, A Far Cry, Brodsky Quartet, and Symphony Orchestras of Seattle, Atlanta, Dallas, Melbourne, and Shanghai, including with conductors Gemma New and Tianyi Lu. She became the youngest-ever recipient of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award in 2016 and 2017, and has received awards from Fulbright, The Arts Foundation, Creative NZ, and CANZ. She is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music, New York, and New Zealand School of Music – Te KÅkÄ«, Victoria University of Wellington, where she was appointed Composer-in-Residence (2019-2020) and Teaching Fellow in Composition.
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March 2025