View Artist

Michael Houstoun and the New Zealand String Quartet
Schubertiade

• Biography
• Programme

Biography

Michael Houstoun piano
Helene Pohl violin
Douglas Beilman violin
Gillian Ansell viola
Rolf Gjelsten cello

Join us in celebrating Chamber Music New Zealand’s 60th anniversary with an evening of music by Schubert. Our ‘unofficial subscriber survey’ in 2008 voted five Schubert works into the top 20 most popular chamber music pieces. Two of these all-time favourites feature in this programme; the  Trout Quintet and the Notturno.

Schubert lived for his friends, enjoying not only their vibrant intellectual conversation and appreciation for the arts, but also their personal support of his career. Meetings to discuss literary works soon included musical events, or Schubertiades; informal social events which grew from Schubert’s love of poetry and song, and his skilled combination of the two. Schubertiades were very popular events, whether or not the composer was present, and they remain so to this day, with regular Schubertiade festivals and series being presented all over the world.

The New Zealand String Quartet are this country’s premier chamber ensemble. As well as performing their innovative programmes around New Zealand and teaching at the New Zealand School of Music, they have also forged a major career in the busy international chamber music field. Recent highlights include a nine concert tour of Europe including first visits to Poland and the Czech Republic and a debut concert in the prestigious Library of Congress series in Washington DC.

Michael Houstoun has made a unique contribution to New Zealand music as a concert pianist and chamber musician of the highest calibre over the past thirty-five years. He performs tirelessly all over the country in recitals, with orchestras and in festivals to critical acclaim and the great delight of audiences.

With generous support from the Turnovsky Endowment Trust

Events