Stroma FilmWorks provides New Zealand’s most experienced musicians to record soundtracks and musical cues for leading filmmakers and composers.
About Stroma FilmWorks
Stroma FilmWorks is New Zealand’s premiere studio ensemble for film, TV, game and exhibition soundtracks. We draw our core players from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) and other local professional musicians, many of whom have performed with the ensemble for nearly 20 years under the direction of conductor Hamish McKeich, also Principal Conductor in Residence of the NZSO. We collaborate with top professionals from the Wellington film and audio industry to bring the highest levels of recording quality to your project.Services
Based in Wellington — New Zealand’s filmmaking and creative capital — Stroma FilmWorks can provide the best players from a large pool of professional musicians to meet your specific needs. This flexibility is a major drawcard for the industry, providing versatility, efficiency and high-quality recordings at a reasonable cost.
Stroma FilmWorks can provide the following instruments:
- Orchestral woodwinds (including alto/bass flute, cor anglais, bass clarinet, saxophones, contrabassoon)
- Jazz saxophones
- Orchestral and jazz brass
- Orchestral and jazz percussion
- Harp, piano, celeste, and other keyboards
- Orchestral strings
- Other instruments by negotiation
Stroma FilmWorks delivers:
- polished, professional performances from the leading musicians in New Zealand
- technical mastery of the most challenging contemporary repertoire
- a flexible group of musicians to meet the scale and needs of each project
- a rich sound and texture at a lower cost than a full orchestra
- the assured, efficient leadership of conductor Hamish McKeich.
Stroma FilmWorks supports Stroma’s driving force – to foster and champion the music of today and to exhilarate audiences with bold musical experiences of the highest standard.
Personnel
Hamish McKeich
(conductor)
Hamish is currently Principal Conductor in Residence of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has an impressive international conducting career, having conducted the Sydney Symphony, Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, Adelaide Symphony, Armenian Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, Queensland Symphony, West Australian Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony, and the Dunedin Symphony.
John Neill
(sound engineer)
John is Director of Sound Engineering and Park Road Post Production. He has 45 years experience as a recording engineer. Since the late 1980s, John has been recording and score mix engineer on many film projects, including Heavenly Creatures and Mortal Engines. Full list of credits available on IMDB
Graham Kennedy
(score recording engineer)
Graham Kennedy is one of New Zealand’s most experienced score mixer/recording engineers. He has worked on the musical scores for numerous films and TV series, including The Luminaries, The Dead Lands, Mortal Engines, The Hobbit, Krampus, Mr. Pip and The Lovely Bones. He has also recorded and mixed a number of album projects for a range of artists. A full list of credits can be found at Graham’s IMDB page.
Stephen Gallagher
(music editor)
Stephen is a music editor for film and television. He has worked with Peter Jackson, Brian Eno, Ed Sheeran, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Joe Trapanese and Junkie XL. His full list of credits is available on IMDB.
Film Credits
Stroma FilmWorks has performed on the following soundtracks:- The Luminaries (2020), music by David Long
- A Quiet Divide, an album release concert in Michael Fowler Centre (2018), music by Rhian Sheehan
- Magicians – The Show (2017), music by Tane Upjohn-Beatson
- McLaren (2017), dir. Roger Donaldson, music by David Long
- Doubt: The Scott Watson Case (2016), dir. Yvonne MacKay, music by Ewan Clark
- Shmeat (2015), dir. Matasila Freshwater, music by Ewan Clark
- We Are Stars: Planetarium Dome Show (2015), dir. Max Crow, music by Rhian Sheehan
- Space Trash Men (2013), dir. Ben Childs, music by Ewan Clark
- Beyond the Edge (2013), dir. Leanne Pooley, music by David Long
- Back to the Moon for Good: Planetarium Dome Show (2013), dir. Max Crow, music by Rhian Sheehan
- Antarctica: A Year on Ice (2013), dir. Anthony Powell, music by Plan 9
Testimonials
I couldn’t be as ambitious in scoring if I didn’t have Stroma FilmWorks around. As well as being beautiful players they are supportive and make recording fun. I have never had a bad experience with them. They are thoroughly professional but also creative. The last time I worked with them on The Luminaries we tried all sorts of approaches and techniques on various cues and I think I ended up using all the things we played with.
Stroma FilmWorks are my go-to ensemble for classical recording — they approach everything from traditional sessions to experimental textures and sampling with the same efficiency and exquisite musicianship.
I’ve been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to work with Stroma FilmWorks on many commercial and personal projects over the past few years. They consistently deliver powerful world-class performances with incredible, highly experienced players.
Costs
Stroma FilmWorks can work with our recording engineers, copyists, performers and conductor to provide you with a single all-inclusive fee for your project.
Depending on the exact nature of your music, costs may vary, but the following instant quote calculator can give you a ballpark figure. Please contact us using the form below to request an official quote.
Instant quote calculator
Please indicate the scope of your recording project to calculate a ballpark figure for recording:
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| plus GST | |||
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Contact us
Stroma New Music Ensemble
c/- Michael Norris
New Zealand School of Music
PO Box 600
Wellington 6021
New Zealand