Earlier this month we spent a busy Queens Birthday Weekend up at the New Zealand School of Music. This is the fourth year we have run our Queens Birthday Chamber Music Weekend, coaching chamber music groups of talented secondary students. This year eight groups were accepted into the programme, and it’s inspiring and encouraging to see the talent and tenacity they show. Students hailed from Wellington, Nelson, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Tauranga, Rotorua and spent three intensive days working on the music their ensemble would perform in the NZCT Chamber Music Contest. The groups made huge progress over the weekend and ended on a high with a final public recital in the Adam Concert Room.
The regional rounds of the competition were held throughout June. We’re proud to announce that the groups Utopian Trio (string trio), 16 Strings (string quartet), and Rerekē (clarinet, violin, piano) magnificently performed their way through the district heats, and into the Northern and Central Region Finals – with 16 Strings awarded first place in the Central Region. Both 16 String and Rerekē are now heading to the National Semi-Finals in the Auckland Town Hall in August. We wish them the best of luck! Visit this link to find out more about attending the NZCT Chamber Music Contest Semi-Finals and Finals.