Looking back on the School that was: The Adam Summer School for Chamber Music 2025
- New Zealand String Quartet
- Apr 17
- 3 min read
The 31st 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 Rae De Lisle. The week culminates in the student ensembles performing a piece of music from classical canon in one of two public Finale Concerts.
26 students attended this year's Summer School, nine of whom were able to attend thanks to the generous support of our scholarship donors. Across the week each of those 26 students attended a whopping 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: viola player Solace Ward. This award recognises effort, commitment and progress made by a student across the week and is well-deserved by Solace.
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 Janáček, Haydn, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Brahms, Dvořák and Shostakovich.
The 2025 Summer School marked a couple of exciting firsts, one of which being the world premiere of the Antipodes Quartet, the first ensemble to participate in our newly established Fellowship Programme facilitated by the NZSQ, Chamber Music New Zealand and Adam Chamber Music Festival. The programme is designed to provide diverse and individualised performance and career-coaching to an ensemble of early-career musicians. Our four Fellowship musicians, Eden Annesley, Mana Waiariki, Tal Amoore and Lavinnia Rae, were selected at the end of 2024, making the 2025 Summer School their first opportunity to come together as an ensemble. As part of the programme, they chose a new name for their ensemble, Antipodes Quartet, and, alongside honing their artistic craft, are working towards setting themselves and their ensemble up for successful and sustainable careers in the arts.
Another exciting first to come out of the 2025 Summer School was a previous student, Malavika Gopal, returning to the School as a guest tutor. This was the first time that current students had had the opportunity to be mentored by an alumni and get a first-hand account of the role the Adam Summer School has played in the careers of many New Zealand musicians.
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 2026, 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!
“Whenever I’ve met a musician who has attended the Adam Summer School invariably it’s someone who sees it as a pivotal part of their musical development and I’ve never heard it spoken about without an off-the-charts level of enthusiasm.” – James Bush, guest cello tutor
Re-watch the 2025 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 2025 Adam Summer School possible.
2025 Scholarship Donors:
Adam Chamber Music Festival, Terry Holton, Alastair & Dorothy Kerr, Howard Larsen & Lindsay Macdonald, Nick Miles, Reka Solomons, Sally Warren, Buddy Mikaere, Ray Chan, Anonymous (2) & Donald Armstrong (Sponsor of 'Most Improved Musician' 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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