HOW DO I FEEL? NZSQ FAMILY CONCERT:  14 APRIL | 1PM & 3PM

Violin x 2, Viola, Cello
Helene Pohl (violin I), Monique Lapins (violin II), Gillian Ansell (viola), Rolf Gjelsten (cello)
Celebrating its 35th season in 2022, the New Zealand String Quartet has an established international reputation for its insightful interpretations, compelling communication, and dynamic performing style. The Quartet is known for its imaginative programming and for its powerful connection with audiences of all kinds. 

The New Zealand String Quartet has joined forces with popular children’s entertainer Chris Lam Sam to create a musical journey of emotions inspired by the award-winning book ‘How Do I Feel?’ by Rebekah Lipp & Craig Phillips. Combining the magic of music, illustration, and audience participation, this concert will encourage children to explore and evoke familiar feelings like happiness, sadness, and anger, while introducing some potentially new ones like anticipation and amusement! This highly interactive 40-minute performance has been written with primary school-aged tamariki in mind and guarantees to have something the whole family can enjoy.

AMICI ENSEMBLE: 9 MAY | 7.30pm                                                                                                                   

Violin x 2, Viola, Cello
The Amici Ensemble was formed in 1988 and is led by NZSO Associate Concertmaster Donald Armstrong.  They are committed to performing works of all periods for differing combinations of instruments from the very small to the very large.   The performers for this programme are Donald Armstrong, Andrew Thomson, Alexander McFarlane, viola tba, Andrew Joyce. For 2024 they are performing two of the most beautiful string quintets by Mozart and Brahms.  The sounds of two violas in the string quintet brings a special richness and warmth to the ensemble.  The concert begins with a trio by one of New Zealand early composers, Ron Tremain, and a duo by one of New Zealand’s youngest composers Salina Fisher.  

Ron Tremain - String Trio, First movement
Salina Fisher - "Yabo" for Violin and Viola
Mozart String Quintet in C Major, KV515
Brahms Quintet No 2 in G Major, Opus 111

ANDREW JOYCE AND JIAN LIU: 27 JUNE | 7.30pm                                                    

Piano/ Cello

Renowned New Zealand based musicians Andrew Joyce and Jian Liu have crafted an ambitious programme that celebrates their musical and cultural heritages. Showcasing music for cello and piano from the UK, China, and NZ, the virtuosic duo bring a colourful assortment of melodies for the first half, followed by a larger Romantic sonata by Brahms for the latter half of the programme. Before joining the NZSO as Principal Cellist in 2010, UK born Andrew Joyce played regularly with the London Symphony and London Philharmonic Orchestras, and toured the world’s great concert halls as Guest Principal. He joins forces with internationally acclaimed concert pianist Dr Jian Liu, who is currently the Programme Director of Classical Performance and Head of Piano Studies at the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī. Although the pair has played together in chamber ensembles, this is their first collaboration as a duo.

Johann Sebastian Bach | Gamba Sonata No 3 in G minor, BWV1029 (c. 1740) 15’ 
Ralph Vaughan Williams | Six Studies in English Folk Song (1926) 10’
 New NZ commission, Eva Bedggood (or else Kenneth Young | Prelude) 7’
 方岽清 (FANG Dongqing) | 林冲 (Lin Chong) (2009) 8’
Paul Hindemith | Phantasiestück in B major, Op 8 No 2 (1917) 9’ 
Johannes Brahms | Sonata in F major, Op 99 (1886) 30’ 

NZ ARMY BAND: 8 AUGUST | 7.30pm                                                                                            

Featuring The New Zealand Army Band; New Zealand’s only professional brass band. It has gained a reputation as a highly versatile and innovative musical ensemble and has earned international recognition as one of the finest marching bands in the world.  Over the past five decades the New Zealand Army Band has toured internationally including to The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2016. During their attendance at the 2013 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo the band gained worldwide media acclaim for their performances and were awarded the Pooley Broadsword; awarded to the individual or contingent judged by the cast to have made the greatest contribution to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It was also the New Zealand Army Band’s great honour to participate in Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012 and the 90th Birthday Celebration in 2016 at Windsor Castle. 

The New Zealand Army Band will perform a programme of work from their international repertoire sure to delight and entertain.

MURIWAI: 17 OCTOBER | 7.30pm                                                                                                                 

Muriwai is a 45 minute single movement work in ten sections which explores strong kaupapa Māori concepts and issues of climate change. The name refers to a confluence of two rivers, and the music is a convergence of Māori and Celtic musical traditions through Celtic harp, vocals, and taonga puoro. The major work journeys through time and place starting with a Kāi Tahu creation story relating to water, through to the arrival of people in Te Waipounamu the South Island, our impact on the environment, and imagined consequences of our actions. Award winning musicians and long-time collaborators Ariana Tikao (Kāi Tahu) and Bob Bickerton have joined forces to create Muriwai. Ariana is a composer and performer of waiata in te reo Māori and English, as well as being an exponent of taonga puoro. She received the Jillian Friedlander Te Moana nui a Kiwa Laureate Award in 2010 from the New Zealand Arts Foundation. Bob Bickerton, a performer of both traditional Irish music and taonga puoro, has recorded with Richard Nunns, Aroha Yates Smith, as well as many others. In 2015, he was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to music.

A short set of waiata and instrumentals featuring taonga puoro (25 mins)
—a brief break—
 Muriwai 45’ Wai – an excerpt of a Kāi Tahu creation story 
Whakamihia – Acknowledging the atua 
Kōhatu – Acknowledging Papatūānuku 
Ngahere – The creation of the forests and their being populated with birds 
Terea te Waka – Of people journeying to Te Waipounamu & Aotearoa 
Te Ao Takata – The time of people 
Mano Wai – Deep running water, disaster
 Auroko – Our emotional response 
Hue – A time of contemplation 
Pūhia Te Wai – A call to action 
—a brief break— Optional: Q&A session with the artists (15 mins)