Storyteller: Legend in Wellington

Presenting, our 2026 Season: Storytellers.

Across a three-part Wellington series, we'll explore three distinct programmes: Origins, Transform and Legend. We’ll boldly showcase more compositional voices than ever before, beginning with classical masterworks that resonate through the centuries, through to modern-day Grammy-winners and the distinctive voices of Aotearoa. The three string quartets of Benjamin Britten form the heart of our 2026 Season, to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Storytellers reflects a rich cross-section of our society and celebrates the art of storytelling through music. Join us in concert 2026 and let us tell you a story.

PROGRAMME FOR LEGEND:

Sara Arain The Internal Eclipse

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 11, in F minor (Op. 95)

Interval

Benjamin Britten String Quartet No. 3, in G major (Op. 94)

Claire Cowan Sweet Suite: Hansel & Gretel Highlights for string quartet

The programme opens with emerging composer Sara Arain’s The Internal Eclipse, selected by the Quartet as the winning work in their competition for New Zealand School of Music – Te Kōkī students. Committed to supporting the next generation of composers, the NZSQ will perform this beautiful work - based on an ancient Persian mystical tale - across five dates on their Legend tour.   

The programme continues with Ludwig van Beethoven’s high-octane and form-breaking String Quartet No. 11, Op. 95, that continues to surprise and thrill audiences to this day.

To complete their year-long tribute to the fiftieth anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s death, the NZSQ will perform his third and final string quartet. This quietly luminous piece, based on themes from his final opera, Death in Venice, serves as a poignant musical farewell, made even more profound by the fact it was the last major work Britten ever composed.

The Quartet will bring their 2026 Season to a jubilant close with acclaimed Aotearoa composer Claire Cowan’s ‘Sweet Suite: Hansel and Gretel highlights’ - a magical reimagining of her internationally celebrated ballet score, which was the first full-length ballet composed by a New Zealand woman and enjoyed an incredible 5-week, sold-out national tour by the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2019.

The concert programme, crafted in the NZSQ’s signature style, aims to engage audiences of all levels of familiarity with chamber music. Each piece is preceded by a friendly and informative introduction by the Quartet members, shedding light on the stories behind the music, making it an enriching experience for everyone. The NZSQ is looking forward to welcoming you all to this special evening of music and storytelling!

Explore the rest of the series:

Origins | Wednesday 6 May, 6:30pm | Prefab Hall, Wellington

Transform | Wednesday 12 August, 6:30pm | Prefab Hall, Wellington