10 Questions with Caoimhe Pace

Our events internship is back for its third year and in 2026 we're excited to have welcomed Caoimhe Pace to the NZSQ office!

Caoimhe is a Wellington-based composer, performer and recent graduate of New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī. She has already been hard at work in the NZSQ office running our annual ChamberLab coaching weekend and is now ready to launch the 2026 season of The Racket Lounge. Read on to get to know Caoimhe and find out what she's most looking forward to as part of this internship.

1.      Welcome to the NZSQ Caoimhe! Can you tell us a little bit about your role and what you’ll be working on?

Hi! So my role will primarily be running The Racket Lounge, which is our concert series that serves as a platform for up-and-coming Wellington musicians to perform what they’ve been working on. Basically, I get to put on four concerts, find awesome musicians to play at them, and make sure everyone who comes along and has a great time!

2.      What inspired you to apply for the role?

I heard about the role through my lecturer, who encouraged me to go for it. Reading through the job description, it sounded like a great opportunity to work in the music industry in a different capacity to what I’m used to and develop some really important industry skills. It’s also seemed like a great way to meet heaps of young musicians, as well as work with some of NZ’s finest artists, which has certainly be true so far!

3.      What part of the role are you looking forward to the most?

Now that The Racket Lounge is underway, I can’t wait for the first concert! The programme is shaping up to be so exciting and I think the vibes are going to be excellent. It’s such a cool idea for a concert series, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops.

4.      Tell us about your arts practice outside of the NZSQ.

I began my studies with a jazz singing degree up in Auckland, then came to Welly to pursue my dreams of working in film music and did a Master’s degree at NZSM. Since moving here, I’ve also found myself involved in Wellington’s surprisingly rich folk music community, which has opened doors for performing at festivals all over the country, sometimes as a solo artist, and sometimes with the Victoria University Folk Music Club (VicFolk), which I’m currently president of.

5.      As an emerging musician yourself, what do you think The Racket Lounge brings to Wellington?

Too many people don’t understand the skill and practice that goes into creating a polished performance and don’t treat musicians with the respect they deserve. I love that The Racket Lounge is both by and for musicians, so the people running it get it. It’s a safe place for performers, and it brings such a variety of acts to the Wellington music scene. The first concert is going to feature a four-hand classical piano piece followed by a jazz trio featuring piano accordion!

6.      What do you hope to get out of this internship experience?

Meeting people! I’ve already been able to connect with so many amazing people in the industry and am looking forward to meeting so many more! Being able to say I organised a whole concert series is also a huge confidence boost. Being a freelance artist can be tough and this job is giving me real life experience with some of the career-building skills that matter.

7.      What is your favourite piece/ genre of music to play/ compose/ listen to?

Where do I even begin – well, I love film scores! I find listening to them so inspiring – so inspiring in fact that I moved across the country to study them! But I also can’t let go of my roots – jazz still holds a special place in my heart, and you can bet if I’m hosting a dinner party, it’s gonna be jazz setting the mood the whole night.

8.      If you could spend an afternoon with any composer throughout history, who would you choose?

Ah, there’s so many! Perhaps John Williams. He’s so unbelievably iconic, and some of his scores hold their own alongside some of the greats of classical music. His work really broadened the demographics for classical music – turns out everyone will go to see the orchestra if they play music that made them cry in their favourite film! And hey, at 94 years old, he’s still writing music for films today, so my dream may yet come true!

9.      What keeps you busy outside of NZSQ?

I’m an avid rock climber, and work at the Willis St climbing gym a few days a week, as well picking up a bit of music assistant work, going to church and bible studies, and knitting when I can squeeze it in!

10.  Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years?

I would love to keep getting involved in the film scene. In 2024 I was Assistant Music Editor on the film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and I absolutely loved it. I feel like I could happily work on films forever! Maybe one day I’ll make it to orchestrating or even composing film scores myself, which would be a dream come true!

Caoimhe Lane is a Wellington-based composer and performer, who, after completing a music degree in Jazz Performance, came to Wellington to study film scoring at the New Zealand School of Music. Alongside her classical composing, Caoimhe is an established part of Wellington’s folk and Celtic music scene, as well as a jazz composer and singer/songwriter. Recently she worked as a Music Editor on the Warner Bros. production “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”. She aspires to continue her work in Wellington’s film music industry and one day hear her compositions alongside the big screen.

Tickets for the Racket Lounge are on sale now from just $5. See you there!

Wednesday 17 June, 6:30pm, Bedlam & Squalor. Find tickets.