Amalia Hall (violin) Somi Kim (piano) Ashley Brown (cello)
Fanny Mendelssohn - Piano Trio D minor, Op. 11 Joan Tower - Trio Cavany Eva Bedggood - Ukiyo 浮世 - The Floating World Ethel Smyth - Piano Trio in D minor
The NZTrio is recognised as a “national treasure” and “New Zealand’s most indispensable ensemble” (NZ Herald). The Trio, who are well known to Christopher’s Classics audiences, return for 2024 with a programme of classic pieces of chamber music mixed with innovative new repertoire. This concert features all female composers. It begins with Fanny Mendelssohn’s trio (1846-47) and continues with contemporary composers Joan Tower (2007) and young New Zealand composer Eva Bedggood. Eva’s piece is a Christopher’s Classics commission. The concert finishes with the rarely heard masterpiece by English composer and suffragette Ethel Smyth (1880).
The Philip Carter Family Concert Hall The Piano 156 Armagh St Christchurch. www.thepiano.nz
Tickets are available at the door $40 cash, $42 EFTPOS/credit card for adults; $15 cash, $17 EFTPOS/credit card for students or from Eventfinda (charges apply).
Please note that, in 2024, our concerts will start at 7:00 PM. We ask that patrons be seated 5 minutes before the scheduled starting time.
7:00 PM Thursday 3 October - Liam Wooding & Jeremy Garside
Liam Wooding (piano) Jeremy Garside (cello)
Debussy - Cello Sonata, L. 135 Britten - Cello Sonata, Op. 65 Messiaen - Louange a l’eternité de Jesus Bridge - Cello Sonata, H. 125
Liam Wooding first performed for Christopher’s Classics in 2019 with the Morton Trio. In 2024 he will perform with the recently appointed CSO Associate Principal Cellist Jeremy Garside.
Liam is one of New Zealand’s leading emerging pianists and enjoys an eclectic career of collaborating, performing and teaching. His 2021 tour with the Chamber Music NZ regional series received rapturous reviews from every venue.
Jeremy is originally from Perth and trained at the University of Western Australia and the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, where he participated in orchestral training programs. A keen chamber musician, while at ANAM Jeremy performed in the finals of the ANAM chamber music competition with two ensembles in 2019.
7:00 PM Thursday 12 September - Darroch/DeHart Duo
Hannah Darroch (flute) Justin DeHart (percussion)
Harrison - First Concerto for Flute & Percussion Takemitsu - Toward the Sea Oram - Notes on the Nocturne Tradition Corral - Heptomino Farr - Kembang Suling: Three Musical snapshots of Asia Lang - lend/lease Fisher - Te Tangi a te Matui (solo flute) Williams - Cineshape I Akiho - Karakurenai
Hannah Darroch and Justin DeHart are dedicated to championing both new and classic pieces for flute and percussion. With Justin being an American now based in New Zealand, and Hannah being a New Zealander who spent many years living in Montreal, they are both in a unique position to bring their international connections, perspective, and awareness of the broader music scene to the diverse audiences of Aotearoa. They premiered their first concert as a duo in 2021 and remain active chamber music collaborators based in Christchurch.
7:00 PM Thursday 29 August - Justine, Emma & Sarah
Justine Cormack (violin) Emma Eden (French horn) Sarah Watkins (piano)
Claude Debussy Clair de Lune for horn, violin and piano (arr. Willis) Lili Boulanger Nocturne for violin and piano Leonie Holmes Nocturne for solo piano Victoria Kelly "Goodnight Kiwi" Elizabeth Raum Romance for horn and piano Amy Beach Romance, Op. 23 for violin and piano Robert Schumann 3 Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 for violin and piano Johannes Brahms Horn Trio Programme
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Ākarana Quartet cannot perform for Christopher's Classics on August 29. We have been able to secure a trio of three prominent Christchurch Symphony Orchestra members who will perform an inspiring programme of music for the violin, horn and piano culminating in the epic Brahms Horn Trio. All tickets to the original concert are automatically transferred to this new concert.
JUSTINE CORMACK, violin A highly sought-after freelance violinist, Justine collaborates broadly as a soloist, chamber musician and guest concertmaster. As Festival Director, Justine launched At the World’s Edge Festival (AWE) with fellow London-based violinist Benjamin Baker in 2021. Each spring they perform across Aotearoa’s stunning Southern Lakes region with thrilling chamber musicians they bring together from around the world.
From 2002 to mid-2017, as a founding member and violinist of NZTrio, Justine performed throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia, South America, the USA, Europe and Scandinavia. During this time, the group’s commitment and passion for promoting New Zealand music saw the commissioning and performing of close to 40 works from New Zealand composers, proudly showcasing these compositions within the trio’s diverse programmes on the national and global stage.
Other career highlights include her role as concertmaster with the Auckland Philharmonia from 2000-2004, and as lecturer in violin at The University of Auckland following the completion of her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Stony Brook University, NY. An active recording artist, Justine has released duo recordings with pianists Michael Houstoun and Sarah Watkins, in addition to a varied catalogue of award-winning releases with NZTrio.
EMMA EDEN, horn
Emma Eden is a proud Kiwi who began her musical life in Timaru playing the tenor horn in the Waimataitai School Brass Band. After graduating with first class honours from Massey University in Wellington, Emma received a full scholarship to attend the Banff Summer Music School in Canada and then moved to Toronto for further study. Emma was also the recipient of both Winston Churchill and Auckland Philharmonia Foundation scholarships to undertake intensive study in Berlin with members of the Berlin Philharmonic horn section.
Emma won both the 2nd and 1st horn positions in Orchestra Wellington before winning the principal 3rd horn job in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, a position she enjoyed for over ten years.In 2020 Emma was delighted to moved back to the South Island to join the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra as principal horn.
Performance highlights include live concerts with Olivia Newton-John, Burt Bacharach, Kenny Rogers, Michael Bolton, Hans Zimmer and Neil Finn.
Emma is passionate about music education and its ability to connect people and make meaningful changes in our communities.She recently completed study in Amsterdam run by Musicians without Borders, focusing on how to facilitate music workshops within refugee and former refugee communities.
SARAH WATKINS, piano
Sarah’s passion for accompanying and chamber music has led to an impressive and busy career as a collaborative pianist. She performed across Australia, Asia, the USA and Europe as a founding member of NZTrio, and now enjoys a wide variety of collaborations with musicians throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
A three-time winner of Classical Artist of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards (most recently with Robert Ashworth in 2022, and Andrew Beer in 2020), Sarah has been an official pianist for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition since its inception in 2001 and regularly appears as a freelance player in the Auckland Philharmonia. In 2014 Sarah recorded Chris Watson's SOUNZ Contemporary Award-winning "sing songs self" for solo piano and orchestra with the NZSO. Sarah is a graduate of the University of Canterbury (NZ) and went on to earn both MM and DMA degrees from the Juilliard School (NY). She was recently appointed Senior Lecturer in piano at the University of Auckland.
7:00 PM Tuesday 21 May - Aroha Quartet with Oleksandr Gunchenko
Haihong Liu (violin) Konstanze Artmann(violin) Zhongxian Jin (viola) Robert Ibell (cello) Oleksandr Gunchenko (double bass)
Boccherini - String Quintet in D, Op. 39 No. 3 Onslow - String Quintet No. 15 in C minor, Op. 38 "The Bullet" Webster - "Swim with Sliding Continents" Dvorák - String Quintet No. 2 in G, Op. 77
Acclaimed as demonstrating "accomplished brilliance, soulfulness and sublime intensity in perfect balance and tonal unity" (The Dominion Post), the Aroha String Quartet is firmly established as one of New Zealand's finest chamber music ensembles.
Oleksandr Gunchenko was born in Kiev, Ukraine. He became a member of the National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra at the age of 19 and at the age of 20 gained a position with the National Chamber Orchestra of Ukraine. Oleksandr joined the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2007.
The Christopher Marshall Concert 7:00 PM Tuesday 14 May - Otis Prescott-Mason
Otis Prescott-Mason (piano)
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7 Chopin - Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise, Op. 22 Mozart - Adagio in B minor, K. 540 Liszt - Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178
Wellington-born Otis Prescott-Mason began his piano studies at the age of 5. He is currently studying under Dr. Jian Liu at New Zealand School of Music, Te Kōkī.
In 2022 Otis was awarded first prize at the Lewis Eady National Piano Competition, New Zealand's national piano competition, and the 2022 National Young Performer Awards. In 2023 he became an AWE Fellow and was awarded a ROSL Pettman Scholarship designed to assist future study and career opportunities for emerging NZ musicians showing exceptional career promise.
The ensemble has been Quartet-in-Residence at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington since 1991 and in 2019 celebrated 25 years running the Adam Summer School for Chamber Music. Violinist Helene Pohl and violist Gillian Ansell are co-artistic directors of the biennial Adam Chamber Music Festival in Nelson. Gillian, Helene and cellist Rolf Gjelsten have received MNZM honours for services to music in New Zealand.
7:00 PM Tuesday 23 April - Morton Trio & Friends
Arna Morton (violin) Alex Morton (French horn) Liam Wooding (piano) David McGregor (clarinet) Sharon Baylis (viola) Jeremy Garside (cello)
The Morton Trio was established in 2017 and has performed for Christopher’s Classics in 2019 and 2022. The Trio is committed to discovering and performing lesser‑known works from the genre, as well as expanding the horn trio repertoire through new commissions and arrangements. For this concert, Morton Trio’s original members are joined by colleagues from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, David McGregor (clarinet), Sharon Baylis (viola), and Jeremy Garside (cello).