Nathaniel Otley is a composer, violinist and conductor from Ōtepoti, Aotearoa (Dunedin, New Zealand) currently based in New York. His work investigates avenues for ecological thinking in compositional practice, using ideas of vulnerable engagement and instrumental affordance to explore dynamic, constantly evolving textures and timbres. These working methods necessitate close collaborative relationships with performers, which Nathaniel has developed with ensembles including ELISION (Australia) and Semblance (France). In 2024, Nathaniel’s work the convergence of oceans won the SOUNZ contemporary award, Aotearoa New Zealand’s premiere award for music composition. Currently a PhD Student at the CUNY Graduate Center Nathaniel has previously undertaken studies at both Otago and Sydney universities with composition teachers including Liza Lim, Anthony Ritchie, Ben Carey, and Peter Adams.
Videos of some pieces can be found below. For all other works please see the works and listen pages on this website.
Nathaniel Otley 