Allemande from Dmin partita for solo violin by Bach Chausson's Poeme arranged for violin and string ensemble Mendelssohn's string octet in E flat major, first movement Juliet Ayre, Nelson violinist and teacher, is joined by Sine Nomine; a flexible string ensemble integrating students, colleagues, and friends. With the generous support of colleagues, Sine Nomine was […]
Rebecca Bignall Boutique Dance Company, alongside our very own NCMA dancers, will present Little Red Rocking Hood - a Rock Opera Ballet! Ballet dancers ranging from 3-12 years will sparkle onstage with vibrant tutus and tiaras. Featuring "Rockettes, Riding Hoods, Grannies & Wolves," this is a fun character Ballet bringing lots of laughter to the stage! Following […]
NBS Nelson City Brass and the Nelson Cathedral Choir join for a wonderful celebration of Christmas Music in the stunning Nelson Cathedral.
NBS Nelson City Brass and the Nelson Cathedral Choir join for a wonderful celebration of Christmas Music in the stunning Nelson Cathedral.
Sixty singers from around New Zealand will present a programme of choral music by 13 different composers from across England, Europe, America and New Zealand. The music was the choice of Tecwyn Evans, a New Zealander whose early music career was steeped in choral music. He is now the Artistic Director of the Aalborg Symphony […]
Adam Chamber Music Festival always begins with a Gala Dinner – a chance to gather for an evening of delicious food and fine wine, and indulge in a sampler of selected festival musical gems. This year, the Gala features the Takács Quartet, New Zealand String Quartet, clarinettist James Campbell and contrabass virtuoso Hiroshi Ikematsu. […]
Our special guests the Takács Quartet open the festival with one of Haydn’s sunniest quartets. Next, James Campbell (clarinet), Sergey Malov (viola), Izabella Simon (piano) present Schumann's set of four fairy tales. Written late in his life, the works show his mastery of whimsy and emotion. Clara Schumann remarked in her diary, “Today Robert completed […]
Co-Artistic Director Helene Pohl chats to Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes and Richard O’Neill from the Takács Quartet about their lives and careers. Formed in 1975, the Takács are one of the world’s great string quartets. As well as performing together, each of the musicians have impressive careers as soloists, chamber musicians, and, for Edward, as […]
1919 links two of this concert’s works with Rebecca Clarke’s sumptuous viola sonata and Arnold Bax's elegiac quintet for harp and strings both written in that same year. Between these two works, we hear a brand-new festival commission by New Zealand's Claire Cowan. Clarke – Viola Sonata – Richard O’Neill (viola), Dénes Várjon (piano) […]
All three pieces in the programme were written far from their composers’ place of birth. Dvořák’s ebullient and joyful quintet was written in America, the same year as his symphony ‘From the New World’. For this performance, the New Zealand String Quartet are joined by violist Richard O’Neill from Takács Quartet. The second piece is […]
Bartók's edgy and folk-inspired fourth quartet, probably the most-played of his six quartets, will be sure to mesmerise in the hands of the Takács Quartet. The concert begins with three movements from Bruch's most famous chamber music work, the highly romantic Eight Pieces, performed by James Campbell (clarinet), Gillian Ansell (viola) and Dénes Várjon (piano). […]
Listen to two old friends, cellists András Fejér from the Takács Quartet and Rolf Gjelsten from the New Zealand String Quartet, discuss the early days of the Takács, Hungarian influences in their approach to music, and share stories from past meetings. András is the last original member of Takács, having formed at the Franz Liszt […]
Audiences of Adam Chamber Music Festival know the astounding talent of ‘poet on the piano’ Dénes Várjon. Don’t miss this wonderful chance to hear him performing a programme of Bartók from his Hungarian homeland, as well as Beethoven's beloved Sonata Pathétique, Chopin's monumental Sonata in B Minor, and Listz’ dramatically passionate Sonetto 104 del Petracha. […]
This fascinating and colourful collaboration between New Zealand harpist Helen Webby and Russian/Hungarian violinist Sergey Malov includes duos and solos, loop and delay pedals, New Zealand music, the humorous side of classical music, a world premiere, and the delicious Saint-Saëns’ Fantaisie. Anthony Ritchie – Whales for violin and harp – Sergey Malov (violin), Helen […]
Come and watch the 2023/24 Adam Troubadours get expert coaching from NZSQ cellist Rolf Gjelsten, assisting them in enhancing their expressivity and bringing the music to life. Free to attend. Adam Chamber Music Festival
Dénes Várjon and Izabella Simon play one of their favourite two-piano works to open this colourful and highly emotional concert, also featuring star turns from violinist Harumi Rhodes of the Takács Quartet and contrabassist Hiroshi Ikematsu. And finally, we are delighted to present the New Zealand premiere of the Florence Price Piano Quintet, a work […]
Find out more about the music and lives of three festival artists – Russian/Hungarian violinist Sergey Malov, New Zealand harpist Helen Webby and Japanese contrabassist Hiroshi Ikematsu – in conversation with co-artistic director, Gillian Ansell. Adam Chamber Music Festival
Celebrate Waitangi Day with the world premiere of Jenny McLeod's song cycle Under Southern Skies set to poems by Anne Powell, presented by Jenny Wollerman (soprano), Jian Liu (piano). Harpist Helen Webby performs Helen Fisher's evocative solo work, Otari. Fisher – Otari – Helen Webby (harp) McLeod – Under Southern Skies – Jenny Wollerman (soprano), […]
Come and watch the 2023/24 Adam Troubadours get expert coaching from Takács Quartet first violinist Ed Dusinberre, assisting them in enhancing their expressivity and bringing the music to life. Free to attend. Adam Chamber Music Festival
We welcome our first work by exciting young American composer, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, of Ndebele and Japanese descent, in a specially commissioned work by the Takács Quartet. Flow is inspired by aspects of the natural world as diverse as starling murmurations, black hole collisions, and Madagascar lemur song and rhythms. The concert opens with Manaaki, a […]
Over the past 20 years, James Campbell and the New Zealand String Quartet have performed together around the world. Enjoy their warm collaboration as they return to a perennial favourite, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. Shostakovich’s stirring second quartet, with its searing Klezmer Adagio and ghostly third movement waltz, will provide the perfect contrast. Mozart – Clarinet Quintet in A major – […]
For their final performance at the Festival, the Takács Quartet have chosen some of their favourite works to share. Wolf’s light-hearted pictorial Italian Serenade forms a perfect foil for Bartók’s deeply felt and powerfully compelling final quartet. In the second half, Gillian Ansell and Rolf Gjelsten join the stage for Brahms’ luminous sextet. Wolf – […]
Hear Justin DeHart chat with Co-Artistic Director Helene Pohl about his epic solo percussion projects and the works he will perform in his recital. Originally from California, and now based in Christchurch, Justin is a Grammy-nominated performer of contemporary musical styles from classical to pop, and from world music to electronic. Adam Chamber Music […]
Percussionist extraordinaire Justin DeHart will surprise, delight and entertain in his varied programme featuring all New Zealand music. Originally from California, and now based in Christchurch, Justin is a Grammy-nominated performer of contemporary musical styles from classical to pop, and from world music to electronic. Gareth Farr – Construction for multi percussion Celeste Oram […]
An impressive line-up of Festival artists will gather for a sumptuous evening of Bach in various instrumentations and guises, including a rendition of a Gamba sonata with violin, cello and double bass, lively soprano arias, a noble organ prelude and fugue, cello suites on both the double bass and violoncello da spalla, and finishing with […]
In Monique Lapin's specially curated programme, she has invited the two violinists of the 2024 Troubadours, Lucas Baker and Peter Gjelsten, both prize-winning former students of New Zealand School of Music Te Kōkī, to join her in Leonie Holmes' quirky violin trio, originally commissioned by the Festival in 2019. Next, You will never hear Mozart […]
Featuring our wonderful 2024 Adam Troubadour Quartet, performing the first concert of selected works. The Adam Troubadours is a career development experience offered to four of New Zealand’s most promising young string players. The Programme includes learning and performance opportunities provided by Adam Chamber Music Festival and Adam Summer School. The members of the Quartet […]
The joyful, light-hearted and communicative spirits of clarinettist James Campbell, cellist Rolf Gjelsten and pianist Izabella Simon find their perfect expression in the uplifting Beethoven trio, and provide a beautiful contrast to the deeply moving late work of Richard Strauss, written as a sort of requiem for himself and European culture after World War II. […]
Hungarian pianist Dénes Várjon and New Zealand String Quartet present Bartók’s early Piano Quintet is a dramatic and powerful work super-charged with expressivity, showing the influences of Brahms, Debussy, Liszt and Strauss and the beginnings of Bartók’s fascination with folk music. To the best of our knowledge this is a New Zealand premiere. But first […]
Come and hear Sergey Malov work with young violinists/violists to get behind the notes and help lift the music off the page. Adam Chamber Music Festival