The creative output of South African-born composer Antoni Schonken (1987-) negotiates themes of landscape, displacement, political failure, self-reflection, and queer identity. His compositions delve into the realms of narrative parallelism and dyssynchronous form, with a musical style that traverses minimalism, impressionism, neo-romanticism, spectralism, noise, and trans-cultural paradigms. Reviews have described his work as finely choreographed, with a distinct emphasis on cultivating vocal qualities within instrumental genres. Additionally, his profound spiritual connection with landscape as a space of finding and being imbues his musical expression with a deeply moving authenticity.
His portfolio includes notable commissions and collaborations with leading ensembles, including Oxford Camerata, Unheardof//Ensemble, Juliet Quartet, Cape Town Philharmonic, JIMF, GrassRoots, Sinfonia Gaia, Horizons Project Choir, and Cape Town Baroque. Noteworthy partnerships with NATi, Woordfees, celebrated director Marthinus Bassoon, and internationally renowned poet Antjie Krog culminated in the creation of "A Mass for the Universe" (Die Nuwe Verbond), a challenging work that involves choir, soloists, and instruments. This composition has received resounding acclaim and has been showcased across diverse venues in South Africa and Europe. Pieter Bezuidenhout and Vektor Productions were key partners in the development of this large-scale work.
During his time at residencies and festivals in the USA, Antoni collaborated with composers Ken Ueno, Hannah Lash, David Ludwig, Mari Kimura, and Pierre Jalbert. His European engagements included residencies and guest lectures at institutions in Finland, Sweden, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. In 2019, he was commissioned by the SICMF to produce a large-scale composition celebrating the life of Johnny Clegg. In the same year, he teamed up once more with Pieter Bezuidenhout to perform Die Nuwe Verbond at the International Poetry Festival in Rotterdam.
Antoni’s film scores are currently broadcast by CBS Studios, BBC Earth Canada, Terra Mater, The Smithsonian, and Amazon Prime, and his film works have won awards in SA, the UK, Europe, and the USA. These scores have been heard at more than 80 film festivals, including prestigious events like Annecy, Toronto, New York Festivals, BANG, and Cannes.
Presently, Antoni lectures part-time at Stellenbosch University in music theory, composition, orchestration and film music, where his research focuses on issues of experiential creativity and embodied practice within the musical arts, including the creative possibilities of GPT systems. His collaborative practices with the Drama Department at Stellenbosch University have led to a diverse and critically acclaimed portfolio of music and sound.
His portfolio includes notable commissions and collaborations with leading ensembles, including Oxford Camerata, Unheardof//Ensemble, Juliet Quartet, Cape Town Philharmonic, JIMF, GrassRoots, Sinfonia Gaia, Horizons Project Choir, and Cape Town Baroque. Noteworthy partnerships with NATi, Woordfees, celebrated director Marthinus Bassoon, and internationally renowned poet Antjie Krog culminated in the creation of "A Mass for the Universe" (Die Nuwe Verbond), a challenging work that involves choir, soloists, and instruments. This composition has received resounding acclaim and has been showcased across diverse venues in South Africa and Europe. Pieter Bezuidenhout and Vektor Productions were key partners in the development of this large-scale work.
During his time at residencies and festivals in the USA, Antoni collaborated with composers Ken Ueno, Hannah Lash, David Ludwig, Mari Kimura, and Pierre Jalbert. His European engagements included residencies and guest lectures at institutions in Finland, Sweden, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. In 2019, he was commissioned by the SICMF to produce a large-scale composition celebrating the life of Johnny Clegg. In the same year, he teamed up once more with Pieter Bezuidenhout to perform Die Nuwe Verbond at the International Poetry Festival in Rotterdam.
Antoni’s film scores are currently broadcast by CBS Studios, BBC Earth Canada, Terra Mater, The Smithsonian, and Amazon Prime, and his film works have won awards in SA, the UK, Europe, and the USA. These scores have been heard at more than 80 film festivals, including prestigious events like Annecy, Toronto, New York Festivals, BANG, and Cannes.
Presently, Antoni lectures part-time at Stellenbosch University in music theory, composition, orchestration and film music, where his research focuses on issues of experiential creativity and embodied practice within the musical arts, including the creative possibilities of GPT systems. His collaborative practices with the Drama Department at Stellenbosch University have led to a diverse and critically acclaimed portfolio of music and sound.
