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Composer-in-Residence

Victoria Kelly

Victoria Kelly is an award-winning composer based in Auckland. During a career that’s embraced the full spectrum of musical genres — including contemporary classical music, popular music, and music for film, television and theatre — Victoria’s works have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by New Zealand’s most beloved artists and performers including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, NZTrio, New Zealand String Quartet, Stroma, and Michael Houstoun.

In 2023, Victoria was the Composer-in-Residence at AWE Festival in Central Otago. Also in 2023, Victoria’s work Requiem for Soprano, Tenor, Choir and Orchestra was premiered at the Auckland Arts Festival and went on to win Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prestigious award for contemporary composition — the SOUNZ Contemporary Award / Te Tohu Auaha.

In the popular music world, Victoria collaborates and performs regularly with Neil Finn (Out of Silence, Dizzy Heights, Infinity Sessions), Tami Neilson (Kingmaker, Live with the APO) and Finn Andrews / The Veils (One Piece at a Time, And Out of the Void Came Love, and Asphodels). She has composed numerous film and television soundtracks including music for films by Sir Peter Jackson (The Lovely Bones), Robert Sarkies (Out of the Blue) and Jonathan King (Black Sheep, Under the Mountain). In 2011 she was the Musical Director for the Opening Ceremony of the Rugby World Cup at Eden Park. Most recently, Victoria composed music for Auckland Theatre Company’s 2024 production of Dennis Kelly’s play Girls and Boys directed by Eleanor Bishop.

In our 2025 season, we are thrilled to perform Victoria’s Requiem and the film score to Black Sheep.