SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Hannah Darroch as their new Chief Executive | Tumu Whakarae.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming Dr Hannah Darroch to the helm of SOUNZ Toi te Arapūoru. As the new Chief Executive she will bring exceptional energy, drive, and vision to the role, aligning superbly with SOUNZ's kaupapa.” said Co–Chair Eve de Castro-Robinson, in announcing the appointment today. “Her experience as a professional musician, and in arts administration and digital comms, as well a deep connection to the sounds and music of Aotearoa, are ideal qualities for this position.”
Dr Darroch is currently Principal Flute of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, teaches at the University of Canterbury’s School of Music, and programmes music for RNZ Concert’s Days and Made in NZ. She brings an active interest in NZ composition to SOUNZ - her Doctor of Music from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) looked at connections between the timbre of taonga pūoro and its use in contemporary NZ flute works, and she recently commissioned a set of four works for flute and piano by NZ women composers, with funding from Creative NZ.
In addition to being an active musician, she also brings 16 years of arts management experience across Aotearoa and Canada, with a particular focus on marketing, communications, and project management. Dr Darroch has worked for organisations including the New Zealand Choral Federation, Chamber Music New Zealand, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and RNZ Concert. In Montreal she was the Project Manager of the $2.5 million ACTOR Project (Analysis, Creation, and Teaching of Orchestration) funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She currently serves on the Academic Board of the Global Leaders Institute, and the Trust Board of Ōtautahi’s Tiny Fest. She holds an MBA from the Global Leaders Institute and a Master of Music from the University of Colorado Boulder.
On joining SOUNZ, Dr Darroch said “I’m delighted to have been entrusted with this role inside one of our treasured arts organisations - one that champions the many sounds of Aotearoa, and acts as a strong connector between so many other organisations and creatives. It’s an honour to be taking over the baton from Diana Marsh, and it’s been very inspiring to meet such an artistically-minded Board, who recognize the importance of this kaupapa, and who’ve made a bold move in favour of the futureproofing of the arts in this country. The team at SOUNZ have such a strong set of skills, and I can’t wait to meet them and get started.”
SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music works to champion and promote the sounds and music of Aotearoa New Zealand’s composers. SOUNZ is home to a diverse and vibrant collection of information, scores, recordings and films of New Zealand music and performances. Creative collaborations with partner organisations such as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, RNZ Concert, APRA and NZ On Air highlight the organisation’s ongoing growth and development through events and projects that promote New Zealand music to national and international audiences.
Tiumalu Noma Sio Co-Chair of SOUNZ said “Hannah will make a wonderful addition to the SOUNZ whānau, a whānau who have been part of Hannah’s selection process. She is a great alignment for SOUNZ ethos for today and for future generations of SOUNZ composers, and we look forward to the leadership and innovation that Hannah will bring to the role of CE as SOUNZ enters 33 years of existence.”
Dr Darroch will officially start in the new role on Monday, 5 August 2024.
