A legacy to honour the father of New Zealand composition.

In 2021, engaging with the sound of New Zealand is as simple as turning on the radio. Upbeat polynesian reggae tunes, ballads peppered with soulful Māori waiata, and youthful homegrown pop; all speaking to New Zealand's diverse social landscape and fierce cultural identity.

The classical channel, RNZ Concert, signals a diversity among New Zealand composers unimaginable a generation ago: Taonga pūoro integrated with western instruments, influences from Asia and Polynesia, and music that draws on and develops the European classical tradition.

Beavis, Cyril Denis Archibald, 1911-2000 : Photograph of Douglas Lilburn at home. Ref: PAColl-8656. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.

Discovering the sound of a nation 

During the 1940s and 1950s, the focus of New Zealand music was markedly different, primarily taking cues from the UK, Europe and US. At this time, Douglas Lilburn was endeavouring to find 'the New Zealand sound', inspired by his rural kiwi upbringing and the impressive grandeur of our nation's landscapes. His aim was to find a compositional style that spoke to New Zealand's emerging national identity and articulated our enduring cultural independence. Along the journey, his adoption of electronic music was pivotal as it allowed him to create vivid soundscapes of waves, running rivers and native birdsong.  

His style signalled a step-change in cultural expression, something that would retrospectively earn him the title of 'the father of New Zealand composition'.

Peter Walls, Chair of the Lilburn Residence Trust, explains, "although there were internationally-regarded composers such as Alfred Hill active in Aotearoa before Lilburn, Douglas stands out as a composer whose reputation for forging a distinctive New Zealand sound extended well beyond our shores and who, as a revered teacher at the annual Cambridge Summer School and then, for many years, at Victoria University of Wellington, mentored and encouraged successive generations of composers.”

Douglas Lilburn Residence, Thorndon, Wellington.

A home for the next generation of composers 

Born in the Turakina River Valley in 1915, Douglas studied in Christchurch and London before settling in Wellington in the late 1940s. His Thorndon home, in which he lived from 1959; black with a flat white roof in the emblematic modernist style, straddles the bustle of the city and the Wellington Town Belt and is surrounded by a generous garden, to which Douglas often referred as his 'jungle'. Following his death in 2001, the Lilburn Residence Trust was formed to purchase the house as a residence for composers.  

The vision for the Trust’s founders was to carry on Douglas' legacy by supporting the next generation of composers," says Peter, "Douglas was notable for the way in which he put so much energy (and resources) into generously supporting the work of other New Zealand composers. The Lilburn Residence Trust's kaupapa is to support New Zealand music. In that sense we are simply continuing what Douglas did himself." 

Since it was purchased in August 2005, the residence has housed the New Zealand School of Music composers-in-residence. The house has welcomed back New Zealand composers who have established formidable reputations abroad, such as Lyell Cresswell, Juliet Palmer, Jeroen Speak and Dorothy Kerr. It has provided a haven for some of our most eminent musicians like Dame Gillian Whitehead and John Elmsly. And it is has allowed emerging composers such as the current resident, the brilliant Salina Fisher, to focus on their work freed from so many of the mundane pressures like finding and paying for suitable accommodation. 

Preserving a legacy 

As a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 listed building, the residence, which is now mortgage-free, requires ongoing maintenance. Due to this, it was important for the Lilburn Residence Trust to find a way to support the upkeep of the residence long term. 

"To date, we have received many generous donations, which have helped to support essential maintenance for the property," says Peter, "however, we are aware that many of our supporters are looking to leave a gift in their wills to support the residence and composer residency long-term. Unfortunately, the Trust was not primed to manage more significant funding – which is why we sought the assistance of Nikau Foundation." 

Officially launched in September 2021, "the Lilburn Residence Support Fund is primarily focused on delivering better support for the composer-in-residence programme by reducing or even eliminating rent costs, assisting the composer in residence, assisting with concert costs and funding ongoing maintenance and upgrades for the residence," says Peter.  

It is with this sustainable funding stream, it is the Lilburn Residence Trust's hope that they can continue to inspire the next generation of composers, as Douglas would have wanted.  

To support the Douglas Lilburn Residence Trust, click here.