The NZ String Quartet is the glue that holds the Festival together, and in spite of the punishing schedule they face…they just can’t wait!
First Violin Helene Pohl says she’s loved festivals ever since the music camps of her teenage years: “When we arrive at a festival, we musicians step out of the rhythm of daily life into a deliciously rich stew of performance preparation and discovery – both of new works, and of new ways of approaching the familiar with new artistic collaborators. We perform practically every day, sometimes more than once, and stay on a sort of performance high that lasts the duration of the festival. We are inspired by the other performances we hear in between our own and feel the keen interest that the audience brings to the music – it feeds our preparation and performances, as well as cementing the relationships between performers and audience members. Because we are sharing this intense experience, we feel the importance of the art we are bringing to life, and it gives special vibrancy to the whole musical experience. When we encounter those same audience members at other concerts, we feel like we have a special musical bond.”
From Q-notes, the NZSQ e-newsletter