Posted on

2015 Concert Series

We are pleased to announce the Chamber Music Hutt Valley 2015 concert series.  Purchase your season membership and/or flexi-tickets here. Tickets to individual concerts are available on Eventfinder.

Nicola Melville – piano *
Thursday 5th March – 7.30 pm
Little Theatre, Lower Hutt

Nicola Melville is described as “having an original and intelligent musical mind”. A former student of Judith Clark at Victoria University, Nicola continued on to earn a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music in USA. She now teaches at the liberal arts Carleton College, contributes to interdisciplinary projects, tours solo recitals, and records.
  • Schubert German Dances, D 783
  • Chopin Mazurkas, op 17
  • In Memory of Judith Clark (1931 – 2014) new works by New Zealand composers – Ross Harris, Eve de Castro-Robinson, Gareth Farr, Christopher Norton 
  • ter Veldhuis The Body of Your Dreams for boom-box + piano
  • Debussy Estampes – Pagodes; Soiree dans Grenade; Jardins sous la pluie 
  • Albright A selection of Rag-time pieces

Presented in association with Chamber Music New Zealand.  Tickets avalable from Eventfinder.

Vesa-Matti Leppänen, Julia Joyce, Andrew Joyce, Diedre Irons
Monday 25th May – 7.30pm
Little Theatre, Lower Hutt
Vesa-Matti Leppänen is the Concertmaster of the N Z Symphony Orchestra;  Julia Joyce is Principal Viola and Andrew Joyce is Principal Cello with the NZSO; Diedre Irons always gives “…a performance, exciting, beautiful, luminous and apparently effortless”!
  • Haydn String Trio in G major, op 53/1
  • Franck Sonata for violin and piano in A major
  • Brahms Piano Quartet in C minor, op 60
Affetto – early music ensemble *
Wednesday 8th July – 7:30pm
St Mark’s Church, Woburn Road, Lower Hutt
Affetto was formed to explore the chamber music of the Baroque and Renaissance.  All members are early music specialists, all New Zealanders who have trained overseas, all playing authentic instruments.  They  “… perform with an expertise, a playfulness and joy that  can only come from the deepest love of, and for, what they do.”
A Play Upon Words – the birth of the Baroque and opera brought a dramatic shift in the way music and words played together. In England this new style was adopted by John Blow, Henry Purcell, Mathew Locke and Robert Johnson, amongst others. Their texts and musical settings often contain hidden meanings – making for an entertaining programme of lively, poignant music.
Mimosa Wind Ensemble *
Wednesday 29th July – 7.30pm
Little Theatre, Lower Hutt
Mimosa Wind Ensemble is Hugh Roberts (flute), Thomas Hutchinson (oboe), Todd Gibson-Cornish (bassoon) and Somi Kim (piano) – four young New Zealand musicians, with outstanding performances as winners in CMNZ’s Chamber Music Contests and section leaders with the NZSO National Youth Orchestra, are returning from studies in London and Paris for this national tour.
  • Allard Variations on a theme of Paganini (bassoon)
  • Rachmaninov from Moment Musicaux, op 16 (piano solo)
  • Genzmer Trio for flute, bassoon and piano
  • Dutilleux Sonata for oboe and piano
  • Borne Bizet’s Carmen fantasy for flute and piano
  • Poulenc Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano
  • Salina Fisher new work for flute, oboe, bassoon and piano
Ludwig Treviranus (piano)
Thursday 24th September – 7.30 pm
Little Theatre, Lower Hutt
Ludwig Treviranus  –  is a pianist graduate of Auckland and Florida State Universities now teaching in Wellington.  In music performance he aims to share his experiences, using the excitement of the piano repertoire to open the creative imaginations of his audiences.  “… simply lovely playing … a major pianistic talent here in Wellington.”
Teacher and Pupil:
  • Haydn Sonata in C major, Hob XVI/50
  • Beethoven Sonata in C major, op 2/3
  • Haydn Andante and variations in F min, Hob XVII/6
  • Beethoven Sonata in F minor, op 57 Appassionata

Posted on

Artists for 2010

New Zealand String Quartet

The New Zealand String Quartet is New Zealand’s foremost chamber music ensemble. They play throughout the country and have a special project to bring the music of the masters to schools. They tour frequently to North America where they perform in concert halls and festivals and their touring itinerary now includes Korea and Mexico. In 2007 they began a three-year project to record all of the Mendelssohn quartets for Naxos. As well as being celebrated performers, the members are teachers as Quartet-in-Residence on the Faculty of the NZ School of Music, Wellington.

 

Zephyr

Zephyr is a wind quintet comprising Ed Allen french horn, Bridget Douglas flute, Robert Orr oboe, Phil Green clarinet and Robert Weeks bassoon. “Isolating the lovely part of the orchestra” is how Ed Allen describes it, a combination that has inspired many composers to show their lighter as well as their profound side. The result is a splendid repertoire of music that explores the unique character of each instrument as well as their lovely blend. These harmonies and textures are expanded from the piano by Diedre Irons, one of this country’s most revered pianists.

 

NZ Chamber Soloists

The NZ Chamber Soloists group was formed in 2006 by national and international musicians who all have connections to the University of Waikato. They perform in various combinations to create a range of programmes for different instrumental and vocal ensembles. At the heart of the group are pianist Katherine Austin, violinist Lara Hall and cellist James Tennant who are all recognised as leading chamber musicians and soloists. During their 2009 tour to Europe and America they were hailed by London/New York musician David Dolan as “in the top flight of world-class piano trios”. We welcome this dynamic trio to play for us between their engagements in Italy, France, the UK, the USA and Colombia.

 

Hall and Muir Amalia Hall and John-Paul Muir appear as part of their nationwide tour for Chamber Music New Zealand. These young New Zealand graduates of Auckland University have made impressive starts to their careers. Amalia won the National Concerto Competition in 2006 and John-Paul in 2009. In 2007 they were members of a trio that was awarded the Royal Over-Seas League International Chamber Music Scholarship. That prize enabled them to travel to the UK in 2008 for master classes and further study with leading musicians. They have played in a range of chamber music ensembles and with orchestras, both in NZ and overseas.

 

 

Donald Armstrong

Hot Young Strings is a string ensemble of Wellington’s finest young musicians. It began life in 2005 from a wish to have an exciting ensemble of the best emerging young professionals. In the words of Director Donald Armstrong it “combines the excitement of youth with a totally professional standard“. Donald was Music Director of the NZ Chamber Orchestra for 15 years and is associate concertmaster of the NZSO. His love of music for string orchestra and his wealth of experience find a perfect match with “Hot Young Strings”. He promises a stunning concert that spans three centuries of the greatest string music in a programme with some familiar works and a few delightful surprises.