Lynn Freeman's interview with Rahim AlHaj
Oud virtuoso Rahim AlHaj is bringing his acclaimed work, Letters from Iraq, to Aotearoa New Zealand. It's a series of instrumental poems based on actual letters written by people desperately trying to survive in his wartorn homeland. A powerful musical meditation on the consequences of war which was written in 2017 but listening to it now, with the war in Ukraine, makes it every bit as relevant today.
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50 Years of Avant-Garde Sound
For half a century, New Zealand’s legendary and most adventurous contemporary chamber music ensemble, From Scratch, have created performances where sound, image, and invention collide.
Passing the Torch
In the middle of her daughter Emily’s performance in the Otago District Rounds of the Chamber Music Contest, Philippa Fotheringham’s Garmin watch told her that her heartrate was abnormally high.
I is for Innovation
“Music is a universal language. Even if some of the [students] are non-verbal, or they can’t see, music is a language you can speak with them.” - Toby, Awatapu College music student
CMNZ Fundraiser: Te Mana o te Puoro
Chamber Music New Zealand will host a fundraising event in Auckland on Thursday 6 November 2025 to raise vital funds for our Community Engagement programme. The event will spotlight the impact of our work in communities across Aotearoa and offer a powerful, personal experience of chamber music and its capacity to connect.
CMNZ Welcomes Two New Trustees
Chamber Music New Zealand is excited to welcome two new trustees, Barbara Salazar and Gabriel Kirkwood, to its board. Both bring a wealth of professional expertise and a deep passion for music, strengthening CMNZ’s commitment to diverse leadership and the arts community.
Creativity, Atua, and Digital Technology - a spotlight on Mai Te Uira
“No one has a crystal ball. It’s going to [be] a whole new bizarre world in the next 50 to 100 years, and we’re just only at the tip of it. It’s exciting for me as a Māori artist to explore the influence that AI has on indigenous cultures.” ~ Tiki Taane
