At the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Rossen Milanov and the orchestra were joined by eight members of the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey for the U.S. premiere of Gemma Peacocke’s “Manta.” Photo by Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
In Wednesday’s (9/11) Princeton Info (New Jersey), Emma Ferschweiler writes, “New Zealand-born composer Gemma Peacocke’s … ‘Manta’ will be debuted at the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s season-opening concert. The orchestra performs Peacocke’s ‘Manta,’ along with Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, on … September 14 and 15 [at] Princeton University. Peacocke had a bit of an unexpected journey getting here, starting as an industrial design major at Victoria University of Wellington. However, the love of music soon called her, and she graduated with a music and English literature degree…. Peacocke applied to master’s programs in the U.S. and got into New York University … Peacocke would eventually work on her own compositions [which feature] the uniquely Peacocke style of using interdisciplinary collaborations along with carrying a sociopolitical message…. Peacocke uses various creative outlets, from dancers to visual artists, to write compositions for chamber ensembles, soloists, and orchestras. She has been commissioned by ensembles and orchestras all over the world … Classical music is not a platform that typically gives a voice to marginalized groups, but Peacocke focuses a lot of her work on the experience of those groups, especially women and refugees…. ‘Manta’ is inspired by the mythology surrounding stingrays in Maori culture.”
