Artist Spotlight: Q&A with NZTrio cellist Matthias Balzat
Adding a viola and double bass, NZTrio He Taonga Wairere will be creating a quintet in the upcoming tour of NZTrio+ in the CMNZ Series to perform Schubert's ebullient and beloved Trout Quintet.
We caught up with NZTrio cellist Matthias Balzat and asked him about touring, what he's most looking forward to in the upcoming NZTrio+ tour, and which artists he'd most like to work with.
What are you most excited about for your upcoming tour with Chamber Music New Zealand?
I can't wait for the Trout! That will be my first run at the piece, and it couldn't be alongside a better lineup
As part of NZTrio, you travel a lot. What’s on your travelling playlist?
Big question, as our playlists explore so many artists and genres. One of the classics that always recurs is Paolo Nutini.
What’s been your most memorable moment as a performer?
Too many to choose from, but one of the 2025 highlight moments for me was certainly performing Britten's Cello Symphony with Neue Philharmonie Westfalen. Coming to the close of the 4th movement is a moment truly spectacular and unique in its grandeur.
Apart from the essentials, what’s the one thing you always take on tour?
Aside from the essentials, I make sure to bring along my Garmin sport watch, in case I have a moment to shake out and go for a run.
If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be
Ivry Gitlis, Janine Jansen or Martha Argerich, to name a few of many!
NZTrio+ will be touring Nelson, Invercargill, Christchurch, Dunedin, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington, Napier, Auckland and Hamilton in September of 2026. Book for CMNZ's 2026 Season Te Hiringa Oro - The Experience of Sound, and secure your tickets for this lyrical and summery delight and more.
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