Five Lines is a collection of writings about music in Aotearoa New Zealand by Elizabeth Kerr. It features short articles, artist profiles and reviews of concerts, operas and albums. You can subscribe - it’s free - at the bottom of any story.
Christian Li: a prodigious talent
Violinist Christian Li made his debut with the Auckland Philharmonia recently and RNZ Concert is broadcasting the concert this week. Aged just 14, his playing is both dazzling and thoughtful.
NZTrio: celebrating a legacy
NZTrio’s splendid Legacy 1 programme in Wellington celebrated the ensemble’s 20th birthday, a proud history of New Zealand commissions and a beautiful piano in a new home.
Leonard Weiss: podium experiences
New Zealand’s professional orchestras have made the second appointment to a national development role for conductors.
Lyell Cresswell: a personal tribute
A personal tribute to composer Lyell Cresswell (1944-2022).
Plan 9 win a prestigious award for The Bewilderness
Winning the prestigious SOUNZ Contemporary Award for their album The Bewilderness at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards in March was a surprise for the musicians of Plan 9.
David Long: Ash and Bone
David Long’s new album, Ash and Bone, offers multi-coloured, many-layered music with his unfailing sense of pace and momentum.
Gareth Farr premiere: Where Will They Bury My Bones
A moving new work, Where will they bury my bones? by Gareth Farr and Paul Horan, had its premiere as a film with ex-patriate New Zealanders in the chamber ensemble.
Gemma New: the NZSO’s new Principal Conductor
Gemma New’s appointment as Principal Conductor of the NZSO has been greeted with delight in her home country. For this rising international star of the podium, it is a dream come true.
Voice of the Whale
Voice of the Whale is an online concert in the 2022 Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts. It includes a performance of Vox Balaenae, a tribute to composer George Crumb who died in February 2022.
21 x 21: not such a “crazy idea”
Soprano Jenny Wollerman commissioned 21 songs from female composers of New Zealand, setting texts by female poets, and will premiere the set with pianist Jian Liu in a recital in the Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts.
Jonathan Cohen: playing music from a time of turmoil
Jonathan Cohen, the Auckland Philharmonia’s principal clarinettist, will play Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s Clarinet Concert with the APO this week.
Portrait with Piano: Jenny McLeod
An 80th birthday tribute album shines a light on 50 years of piano composition by New Zealand composer Jenny McLeod
RNZ Concert – what does 2022 hold for the network?
It’s two years since RNZ’s brutal “Music Strategy” threatened the existence of RNZ Concert. What does 2022 hold for New Zealand’s only classical music network?
My top five 2021 classical releases
My top five classical releases for 2021.
Music of Aotearoa
A 1999 work for taonga pūoro and flute has inspired a new generation of composers.
Making waves
“A love song to the oceans” is how choral conductor Karen Grylls describes Taonga Moana. Now the concert is coming to the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts in Wellington..
NZ String Quartet: subtlety and flair
The New Zealand String Quartet’s National Tour 2021 took two well-crafted programmes around the country, sharing the variety of contrasting characters the ensemble can play.
Jenny McLeod at 80: “to me I’m always me…”
Composer Jenny McLeod died on 28 November 2022. In a birthday tribute in 2021 I wrote about the life and work of this brilliant and mercurial composer.
Tararua: Bird Like Men
Bird Like Men, the debut album from new ensemble Tararua, draws on personal inspiration to tell our stories.
At the World’s Edge Festival: intimacy, awe and connection
This week violinists Justine Cormack and Ben Baker will realise their dream of a new chamber music festival in Central Otago.