A Look Back on The Adam Summer School for Chamber Music 2026
- New Zealand String Quartet
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
The 32nd annual Adam Summer School for Chamber Music took place in Nelson this February with its signature mix of excitement and exhaustion. We wanted to take a look back on the week that was and share some of the exciting moments.
The Adam Summer School for Chamber Music is an annual, week-long gathering of passionate secondary and tertiary string and piano players. Across eight days, at the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts, they're mentored by the New Zealand String Quartet and a guest piano tutor, this year Jian Liu. The week culminates in the student ensembles performing a piece of music from classical canon in one of two public Finale Concerts.
This year saw us host one of our largest cohorts of 29 students. Of these students, 14 were able to attend thanks to the generous support of our scholarship donors. Across the week each of those 29 students attended a 30 hours of coaching sessions, masterclasses and group practices - thats not to mention the hours they dedicated to individual practice. The week ended with one student being awarded the Donald Armstrong award: cellist DJ Hopkinson. This award recognises effort, commitment and progress made by a student across the week and is well-deserved by DJ.
The School celebrated many historic moments this year:
For the first time New Zealand music was on the menu at the Summer School. Alongside their pieces from classical canon each student ensemble spent the week working on a piece of music by a New Zealand composer. Even more exciting - some of these composers are Summer School alumni themselves! The students then presented their New Zealand works in a free 'Kiwi Hour' lunchtime concert, eagerly attended by the Nelson public.
In addition to their techinical and performance coaching, the Summer School students were offered professional development in the form of panel discussions with our tutors and other experts. These discussions covered a range of topics from how to build a susccessful and sustainable freelance career to stage presence to writing about music - all useful skills for young musicians at the beginning of their careers.
Our teaching staff included two new faces. Martin Smith, our newly appointed cellist dove into his role of cello tutor headfirst - an impressive feat immediately after spending ten days performing in the Adam Chamber Music Festival. Rounding out our teaching staff for 2026 was our guest violin tutor, Amalia Hall. Amalia is the violinist for NZTrio and an Adam Summer School alumni, so it was incredibly exciting for this year's Summer School cohort to have the chance to learn from her and ask about her impressive career.
The week of hard work culminated in two public Finale Concerts where the students showcased the chamber music repertoire they'd spent the week tackling. They performed works by Beethoven, Borodin, Schubert, Brahms, Fauré and Elgar.
The week contained countless other highlights including beach trips, late-night practice sessions, new friendships and exciting repertoire. As always, the students and tutors left Nelson at the end of the week feeling fulfilled, exhausted and hungry for more. While the Adam Summer School hibernates to prepare for 2027, please enjoy the photos taken across the week and revisit the recordings of the Finale Concerts. We'll see you in Nelson again next year!
"I always leave Adam Summer School wishing it would never end, but feeling incredibly inspired as well. I always learn A LOT and love pushing myself beyond my limit to see what I’m capable of achieving." – 2026 Summer School student
Re-watch the 2026 Finale Concerts:
3pm:
7pm:
Thank you to our supporters:
The New Zealand String Quartet Trust would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisations and individuals who made the 2026 Adam Summer School possible.
2026 Scholarship Donors:
Terry Holton, Alastair & Dorothy Kerr, Howard Larsen & Lindsay Macdonald, Nick Miles, Reka Solomons, Sally Warren, Helen Beaglehole, Maarten Weavers, Eric & Maggie Turner, Roger & Catherine Taylor, Esmae Emerson and Simon Crase, Waikanae Music Society, Anonymous (2), and the generous individuals who donated to our Givealittle campaign.
Plus, a special thanks to Donald Armstrong for sponsoring the Donald Armstrong Award.
If you are passionate about supporting the next generation of New Zealand classical musicians, then consider beocming an Adam Summer School scholarship donor.
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