Composer Nikolai Valov. Photo: Supplied
The world can be a bewildering place, events beyond our control fly past us, but we can control how we respond to them.
Or, as the 19th century English poet William Henley wrote:
It matters not how strait the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
The final stanza of Henley's poem Invictus has inspired many down through the years, including the former South African President Nelson Mandela, during his decades-long stay in prison under that country's apartheid regime.
More recently, the words caught the imagination of Australian born music teacher and composer, Nikolai Valov, who's now based in Oamaru.
His choral setting has just won him this year's Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust Compose Aotearoa! prize in the open category.
Speaking to RNZ Concert, Valov says to him the words embody hope, resilience and even defiance in the face of adversity.
"Given the world we're living in, I find a text like this increasingly relevant, despite it being almost one-hundred-and-fifty years old."
Growing up in West Australia, Valov initially trained as pianist, but later branched into composing.
For a while, he lost faith in his ability to create his own music, but time in Canada and exposure to the choral music of Canadian composers like Katerina Gimon rekindled the fire - quite literally in the form of Gimon's work, Elements.
But how did Valov end up in Oamaru?
His North American partner fell in love with the Aotearoa when she visited, and after some time in Japan, they moved south to Christchurch.
More recently a job teaching music at Waitaki Boys High School came up.
Valov says he and his partner are loving Oamaru's vibrant steam-punk infused cultural scene that looks out on a seemingly endless Pacific Ocean.
The perfect place for any captain of their own soul.
