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Sunday 30 August 2026

Chamber music Concert NZSQ
Events @thelyric.nz

New Zealand String Quartet presents:

Anthology

Behind every piece of music is a story and across their 2026 Season, the New Zealand String Quartet is diving into them. Join us at Lyric Theatre for an afternoon exploring a rich cross-section of compositional voices and celebrating the art of storytelling through music.

Programme

The concert programme, crafted in our signature style, aims to engage audiences of all levels of familiarity with chamber music. Each piece of music is preceded by a lively and informative introduction delivered by our Quartet members themselves. These introductions seek to shed light on the stories behind the music, making it an enriching experience suitable for all audiences.
Henry Purcell
Fantasias
Anthony Ritchie
Perpetual Motion from String Quartet No.3, ‘In Time’
Fanny Mendelssohn
Movements from String Quartet in E flat major
Benjamin Britten
Movements from String Quartet No. 2, in C major (Op. 36)
INTERVAL
Antonín Dvořák
Movements from String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 (The American Quartet)
Excerpts from the Danish String Quartet's album, Last Leaf
Our ‘Anthology’ programme brings together the best music of our 2026 Season programmes. It opens with Henry Purcell's intricately wrought Fantasias, which served as inspiration for Benjamin Britten. Following is Anthony Ritchie, one of Aotearoa’s most eminent composers, celebrating playful melodic lines and infectious rhythm in Perpetual Motion from String Quartet No. 3. Fanny Mendelssohn’s only string quartet showcases her poetic, passionate and introspective voice, too long overlooked in the shadow of her brother, Felix. Benjamin Britten’s second string quartet, written in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, is widely regarded as one of the most extraordinary pieces of the twentieth century. Britten offers a powerful reflection of his inner feelings and a moving tribute to his compositional idol, Henry Purcell. Dvořák‘s String Quartet no. 12, opus 96, the beloved “American Quartet“, features sweeping melodies that evoke the spirit of exploration and adventure. Last Leaf, the acclaimed album by the Danish String Quartet reimagines early Scandinavian folk melodies, wandering through joy, sorrow and nostalgia.

Event details

Doors open 2:00 pm
Concert starts 3:00 pm
Runtime: 90 mins with interval
Presales $35 (+BF)
Door sales $45
Book now

Reviews

“The word Prodigy seems to entirely fall short of this soft-spoken young man’s skills, he coaxes sounds and melodies out of his instrument that literally drop jaws.”
- The Calgary Herald, CANADA

Musician biographies

Photo credit: Latitude Creative

Photo credit Latitude Creative

Born in Auckland, New Zealander Gillian Ansell made her concerto debut as violinist with the Auckland Symphonia (Auckland Philharmonia) at 16 years of age. She was awarded an Associated Board Scholarship to the Royal College of Music, London where she won several prizes on violin and viola. After further study on a German Academic Exchange DAAD scholarship at the Musikhochschule in Cologne with Igor Ozim and the Amadeus Quartet, she worked professionally in London for three years before returning to New Zealand in 1987 to become a founding member of the New Zealand String Quartet.

Apart from her work in the NZSQ, in 2021 she appeared as concerto soloist with the Hawkes Bay Orchestra and Dunedin Symphony Orchestra. She is an Associate Professor at the New Zealand School of Music Te Kōkī at Victoria University of Wellington, where she has teaches viola and chamber music. In the 2008 New Year's Honours list she became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to music in New Zealand.

In 2019 she was made an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Registered Music Teachers. Gillian has been Artistic Director of the Adam Chamber Music Festival since 2001.
3. Peter Clark_NZSQ Violinist_Photo credit Latitude Creative

Photo credit Latitude Creative

Peter Clark was honoured to join the NZSQ in 2024. Prior to his appointment, Peter divided his time between New York City and Australia, combining his passions for chamber music, directing orchestras, and advocating for the central role of music in society.

Positions previously held include principal violin of Omega Ensemble, first violinist of Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Inspire Quartet, and core member of Melbourne’s Inventi Ensemble. As concertmaster, Peter has performed with New Zealand Opera, Sydney Chamber Opera, Victoria Opera, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Darwin Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Wellington. He has also appeared as Associate Concertmaster of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Principal Second of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Dublin, and has toured with the Australian World Orchestra, and Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Peter is passionate about the intersection of the highest artistry with music’s potential as a force for good. His commitment to arts access has led him to perform in more than 130 regional towns and cities across Australia, as well as to develop a beloved music programme at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital. His research on social innovation and cohesion through music is generously supported by Judith Neilson AM, the General Sir John Monash Foundation, and the American Australian Association.
6. Martin Smith_NZSQ Cellist_Photo credit Latitude Creative

Photo credit Latitude Creative

Born in Sydney Australia, Martin Smith studied at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole with Natalia Gutman and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler with Eberhard Feltz. Martin has appeared as soloist throughout Europe, including recent performances with the Berlin Kammersolisten, Leipzig Philharmonic, Orchestre de Chambre de Lyon, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, and RTS Symphony Orchestra Belgrade.

Martin has collaborated with musicians including Kolja Blacher, Leon Fleisher, Midori Goto, Leonadis Kavakos, Yo-Yo Ma, Menahem Pressler, Heinrich Schiff and Tabea Zimmerman, and continues to work closely with leading composers including John Adams, Thomas Adès, Mats Larsson Gothe, György Kurtág and Salvatore Sciarrino.

As guest principal cellist, Martin has performed and toured with the Bavarian State Opera, BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Royal Opera Stockholm, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.

Martin has appeared at leading festivals including IMS Prussia Cove, Musica Strasbourg, Pablo Casals Prades, Piatigorsky and Ravinia. He has been honoured with numerous awards including the Australian Music Foundation, the DAAD Künstlerpreis, ECHO Klassik, and the KPO Young Performer of the Year award. Martin has been a member of the Zafraan Ensemble in Berlin since 2012.
Guest Violinist to be announced.

Concert & audience FAQ's

A string quartet is a musical group made up of two violins, a viola and a cello. Typically, a string quartet plays chamber music, a sub-genre of classical music characterized by its intimate and small-scale nature. Unlike orchestral music, which involves large ensembles and a wide array of instruments, chamber music typically features a small group of musicians, ranging from two to about ten performers.

The string quartet is the most common type of chamber music ensemble and over the centuries many great pieces of music have been written specifically for this configuration of players. Originally, chamber music was performed at home, or other small spaces. The audience can sit close to the musicians and immerse themselves in the performance.
A lot of the pieces of music written for string quartet can last between 20 to 30 minutes, or longer. These compositions are often broken up into four movements. Between each movement is a short break (15 to 20 seconds). Typically, we don’t applaud between movements, only at the end of the entire piece, after the fourth movement. However, most contemporary pieces are shorter and only have one movement. If in doubt, you can take your cues from the people around you.
Please wear what feels comfortable. If you focus best on the music in jeans, that’s great. If you like to dress up for concerts, that’s great too – so do we!
That’s ok! We know that chamber music isn’t for everyone, but we encourage you to give it a go at least once. When it comes to understanding the music, we give a spoken introduction to each piece before we play it. This is to give you a bit of context about when and why the piece was written, what the composer was trying to say and things to listen out for during the performance. Most people find that these spoken introductions help them uncover a hidden depth to the music that they hadn’t heard before.
A lot of the pieces of music written for string quartet can last between 20 to 30 minutes, or longer. These compositions are often broken up into four movements. Between each movement is a short break (15 to 20 seconds). Typically, we don’t applaud between movements, only at the end of the entire piece, after the fourth movement. However, most contemporary pieces are shorter and only have one movement. If in doubt, you can take your cues from the people around you.

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