… when expectation ends

‘Peace begins when expectations end’ – Sri Chimnoy

This well-known quote brings up a number of questions. For example, must ‘peace’ mean ‘quiet’? Can ‘inner peace’ somehow co-exist along with changing everyday states such as anxiety, doubt, excitement, or relaxation? Is it possible to be engaged in energetic, noisy or strenuous activity, yet be in a state of inner peace? How does one become free of expectations whilst still striving for a result?

This piece is a free-form exploration of these questions as repeating musical material resolves in a number of different ways.

Leonie Holmes is a lecturer in Composition and Music Studies at the School of Music, University of Auckland. She has written works for orchestra, chamber, choral, vocal and solo instruments, and receives frequent commissions from both professional and community groups. Among her orchestral music are Aquae Sulis, Frond, Ancient Rhythms, For Young Nick and Solstice, which have all been recorded by the NZSO. Her works for smaller groups include is there anybody in there for bassoonist, Ben Hoadley, and the New Zealand Music for Woodwind concert series, and through coiled stillness… for the University of Auckland Chamber Choir tour to England in 2011.

Leonie has been Composer-in-Residence at the Nelson School of Music, with the Auckland Philharmonia and the Manukau Symphony Orchestra, and was Composer-in-Schools. Her awards include the CANZ Trust Fund for Compositional Development, a Certificate for Contribution to Music in the Auckland Region from the NZSO and Symphony Friends, and the Philip Neill Memorial Prize in Composition. She is a committee member of the Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ).