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BRIAR PRASTITI

Composer & Vocalist

Briar Prastiti Composer

Briar (1992) has been a freelance composer for more than a decade, and completed a Masters of Musical Arts in composition at the New Zealand School of music. She is a New Zealand Greek composer and vocal performer, most noted for her work in film, orchestra, theatre music, songwriting, producing, and her complex and culturally diverse vocal palette. She is an active performer as a vocalist, having performed locally and internationally with numerous ensembles of diverse cultures, as well as her own music.


Briar's musical background stems from her lifelong exploration and passion for music of different cultures, especially Greek music to which she closely identifies. Her music often touches on dark, romantic and folkloric themes and is driven by her love of rich harmony, ethereal timbres, and rhythm.


Briar was the 2023 Composer in Residence for the New Zealand School of Music and has received praise for her ambitious collection of projects that she completed at the Douglas Lilburn residence, including her very first orchestral work `Akri premiered in 2023 by Orchestra Wellington, her second orchestral piece premiered in 2023 – an arrangement of her song White Red Black which she performed as a vocalist alongside John Psathas on piano with Orchestra Wellington, her third orchestral premier of Pegasus with the Bay of Plenty Symphonia orchestra, and the original soundtrack for the 2023 Circa Theatre production Prima Facie. Alongside these projects she has also written for smaller chamber ensembles and noteworthy classical performers, such as Bridget Douglas and Alistair Fraser for her piece Tierra Firma (solo flute and Taonga Pūoro), and Australian virtuosic percussionist Claire Edwardes for her piece, Kyklos (solo vibraphone).


Alongside her chamber music field, Briar is an avid songwriter and producer. Her songs have appeared on numerous collaborative albums and EPs, such as Its Already Tomorrow and Last Days of March coordinated by John Psathas, who has been a long time mentor in her development as a composer. Additionally her song Only Time was selected in the top ten finalists for world renowned Serj Tankian’s 7-Note Challenge album, and she has released her own electronic songs including her debut album Blue Anima. In 2023 Briar facilitated a performative collaboration with the boundary defying improvisational string quartet Moth Quartet accompanying her original guitar and vocal project Twinn Ethyr, which is set to travel in 2024 to Kelowna, Canada as part of the Classical Valley chamber music festival.

'Reconciling worlds' Interview with Radio New Zealand

Radio New Zealand
RNZ - Reconciling worlds - vocalist Briar Prastiti
00:00 / 11:13

"The depth in this album encourages repeat listening, and reveals something new with every listen."   
— 
NZ Musician
(Click here for full review)

Prima Facie
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