BIOGRAPHY
Gemma Peacocke is a composer from Aotearoa New Zealand whose powerful and thought-provoking works often engage with social and political themes. Her compositions span a wide range of genres, including chamber music, orchestral works, and multimedia collaborations. Peacocke’s music frequently explores themes of identity, haunting, folklore, and feminism, combining contemporary classical elements with electronics and experimental techniques.
She is a co-founder of the Kinds of Kings composer collective, which aims to amplify underrepresented voices in new music. Peacocke’s music has been performed internationally, with significant performances by groups like Third Coast Percussion, eighth blackbird, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Rubiks Collective, and Alarm Will Sound. Her critically acclaimed debut album Waves & Lines (2019) sets the poetry of Afghan women and highlights her commitment to giving voice to marginalised communities.
Peacocke lives in a very old farmhouse in Hopewell, New Jersey, with her family and her biggest fan, a standard poodle called Mila. She also spends as much time as possible in New Zealand.