Background
John Francis Rimmer was born in Auckland.
John Francis Rimmer was born in Auckland.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961 from the University of New Zealand in 1961, a Master of Arts in 1963 from the University of Auckland with Ronald Tremain, where he also completed post-graduate studies in musicology. He continued his studies, earning a Doctor of Music degree in 1972 from the University of Toronto in electronic music with Gustav Ciamaga and in composition with John Weinzweig.
After completing his education, Rimmer worked as a lecturer at North Shores Teachers College in Auckland from 1970-1974 and taught at the University of Auckland from 1974-1999, where he was awarded a chair in music in 1995. He served as composer-in-residence at the University of Otago in 1972 and to the Auckland Philharmonia in 2002-2003. Rimmer founded the electronic music studio at the University of Auckland in 1976 and the Karlheinz Company in 1978.
Notable students include Susan Frykberg and Dorothy Ker.