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Aroha Quartet's concerts to explore Light & Dark

Published: Fri 6 Apr 2018 03:27 PM
Aroha Quartet's concerts to explore Light & Dark
The well-known Wellington-based Aroha String Quartet will explore a wide range of moods and sound worlds in their dynamic Light & Dark programme to be performed in thirteen centres around New Zealand in 2018. Their concert series begins in Cambridge on Sunday 15 April as part of the Cambridge Autumn Festival, and finishes in Wanaka on 15 November.
Aroha Quartet second violinist Ursula Evans said “Our Light & Dark programme takes the audience on a journey from light, to dark and back again. We love how these four pieces show the power of music to represent and evoke human emotions.”
The concert begins with the warmth and brightness of Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet Op 76 No 3, with its famous variations on an anthem he wrote for Kaiser Franz II. It then enters the pulsating, elegaic world of Ross Carey’s evocative Toccatina.
The dark, sardonic mood of Shostakovich's String Quartet No 11 Op 122, a profound work in seven short movements, is swept away by the final work, Dvorak’s gorgeous, much-loved “American” Quartet Op 96.
Acclaimed as demonstrating "accomplished brilliance, soulfulness and sublime intensity in perfect balance and tonal unity" (The Dominion Post), the Aroha String Quartet is firmly established as one of New Zealand's finest chamber music ensembles.
Founded in 2004, this versatile Wellington-based quartet is known for its passionate musicality, impressive technique, and multicultural innovation.
Biographical notes
Acclaimed as demonstrating "accomplished brilliance, soulfulness and sublime intensity in perfect balance and tonal unity" (The Dominion Post), the Aroha String Quartet is firmly established as one of New Zealand's finest chamber music ensembles.
Founded in 2004, this versatile Wellington-based quartet is known for its passionate musicality, impressive technique, and multicultural innovation.
Haihong Liu and Zhongxian Jin are original members of the Aroha Quartet. Robert Ibell joined the group in 2009 and Ursula Evans in 2017.
The Aroha Quartet is committed to presenting string quartet works from western classical and avant-garde repertoire to traditional Chinese folk music, as well as works for larger forces through collaborations with numerous high-profile musicians.
The Aroha Quartet performs regularly around NZ in centres from the Deep South to the Far North. In 2014 they performed five concerts as part of Chamber Music New Zealand's Kaleidoscope series. Overseas trips have seen them participate in the prestigious International Summer Academy in Austria in 2010, give concerts and masterclasses in China in 2010 and 2013, and perform at the Huntington Music Festival in Australia in 2011.
The Aroha Quartet runs the annual ASQ International Music Academy, a week-long chamber music course. The fourth ASQ Academy will take place in Wellington in July 2018. The Quartet's first ASQ International Academy in Asia took place in Zhongshan, China, in late January 2018.
Concert dates
Sunday 15 April, Cambridge, St Andrew’s Church, 2:30pm (for the Cambridge Autumn Festival)
Thursday 17 May, Auckland, St Luke’s Remuera, 7:30pm
Sunday 20 May, Thames, St George’s Church, 2pm (for Thames Music Group)
Wednesday 23 May, Palmerston North, Globe Theatre, 7:30pm
Tuesday 12 June, Christchurch, The Piano, 7:30pm
Sunday 17 June, Wellington, St Andrew’s on The Terrace, 3pm
Sunday 15 July, Taupo, Millennium Hotel & Resort Manuels, 3:30pm (for the Taupo Winter Festival)
Sunday 12 August, Tauranga, Tauranga Park Auditorium, 4pm (for Tauranga Musica)
Tuesday 14 August, Hawkes Bay, venue TBC, 7:30pm
Tuesday 18 September, Rangiora, Chamber Gallery Rangiora, 7:30pm (for the Waimakariri Community Arts Council)
Sunday 7 October, New Plymouth, 4th Wall Theatre, 3pm
Wednesday 14 November, Dunedin, Knox Church, 7:30pm
Thursday 15 November, Wanaka, Lake Wanaka Centre, 7:30pm (for the Wanaka Concert Society)
More venue and ticketing information on the Aroha Quartet website: www.arohaquartet.co.nz

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