Beethoven's ten Sonatas for Violin and Piano form a transcendent, transformative monument of the duo sonata repertoire: they present a formidable, unique challenge to violinists and pianists.

Bella Hristova is known for the power and lyrical beauty of her sound, a violinist perfectly suited to the huge technical and emotional demands of Beethoven's Sonatas. Michael Houstoun's recent performances of Beethoven's complete Piano Sonatas met with huge acclaim for fluency and appreciation of Beethoven's wit, as well as the moments of profound desolation.

Hristova and Houstoun's collaboration in our Beethoven Mini-Festivals will be a landmark musical event of 2017.

Programme:
Sonata No. 3 in E-flat Major, op 12, no. 3
Sonata No. 8 in G Major, op 30, no. 3
Sonata No. 2 in A Major, op. 12, no. 2
Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, op 30, no. 2

"You could see the joy in the performers' faces and movements as much as you could hear it in the playing." - The New York Times

Juilliard415 represent the best-of-the-best early-music ensemble from the Julliard School, with a reputation for combining youthful energy with poise, precision, and a luminous sound. For this New Zealand tour, J415 join forces with maestro Masaaki Suzuki, hugely esteemed for his performances and recordings of Bach.

The programme concentrates on Bach and Handel, the giants of the baroque era. It will give audiences a tantalising taste of Bach's work, and guarantees an evening of luminous, vital performances.

There will be a prelude event before the concert. Check http://www.chambermusic.co.nz for more updates.

Renowned for her interpretations of French piano repertoire - full of ‘evanescent colours and shimmering, elusive light’ - British pianist Kathryn Stott will perform recitals in New Plymouth and Napier, before joining the New Zealand String Quartet for solo and chamber music.

Debussy’s L'Isle joyeuse - inspired by Watteau’s enigmatic painting L’Embarquement pour Cythère - is at the centre of Kathryn’s recitals, alongside Dutilleux’s Piano Sonata: this is a rare opportunity to hear these ravishing works programmed together.

A Member of NZSQ will lead a discussion with Kathryn Stott at 4:15pm
- free entry -

Take Me Home - The Music & Life of John Denver returns to New Zealand following the astounding success of the 2016 tour of Australia. Singer Bevan Gardiner, accompanied by international musicians perform all the John Denver songs with such accuracy and feeling that if you close your eyes you will be effortlessly transported to the era of John Denver. The show includes exclusive film footage of John Denver through his career, his personal life and his love for the environment.

Take Me Home is authorised and by arrangement with John Denver management.

Australian audiences experienced this show in 2016 and witnessed the rising talent Bevan Gardiner. Originally Gardiner debuted in Australia when he was the support act for American country singer Charley Pride. People rushed to buy his CD commenting how much he sounded like John Denver. Even Pride was impressed: "Bevan is amazing. He sounds just like John Denver", the country singer said at the time.

Two shows only - not to be missed!

Teapot Summer School presents its 17th concert ' Singing for Joy' at Old St. John's Nelson on Sunday 22 January at 2pm. Ben Parry, director of The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, is the conductor.

The program includes Requiem by Faure, the mood being one of peacefulness and serenity. Rejoice in the Lamb by Benjamin Britten, who movingly encapsulates the poem's half-mad and delightfully religious spirit. Seven Goodly Reasons to Sing by Ben Parry, " and if, at last, your voice take wing, this noisy world may hear the song you sing".

Teapot Summer School has over its 17 years attracted singers from all over NZ  who come together for a week of an intensive singing course directed by highly respected overseas conductors, including Sir David Willcocks, Brian Kay and Ebbe Munk.

Leapin' lizards! Annie is returning to Nelson! The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie is back, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including "It's a Hard-Knock Life", "Easy Street", "Little Girls", "Maybe", "I Don't Need Anything But You", and the ever-optimistic "Tomorrow", Annie is a delightful theatrical experience for the entire family. Don't miss this all-new production that Variety calls "a winner!"

Anything Goes is a wonderfully amusing story wrapped around one of Cole Porter's most magical scores, including songs like "It's De-Lovely", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Let's Misbehave", "All Through The Night", "You're the Top", "Blow Gabriel Blow", and "Anything Goes".

Multiple disguises, mistaken identities, shipboard romances, showgirls, a live band and a toe-tapping score make Anything Goes a show not to be missed and quite simply 'It's de-lovely'!

After sell out shows at The Christchurch International Jazz Festival and The Tauranga National Jazz Festival and theatre shows across the country The Lizard Kings return with their exquisite tribute to the music and poetry of Jim Morrison and the Doors. A feast for the eyes and ears The Lizard Kings' show pays homage to The Doors counter-cultural politics and musicianship - a potent fusion of jazz-rock and the blues exploding into 1960s consciousness in the search for The Edge.

Opening act is Rabbit Hole a musical collaboration between Sahn Bishop and Bruce McGregor who seek to infect you with intergalactic squid-juicing grooves as they journey through swirling soundscapes, cosmic tentacles and lots of dancing!!!

We're proud to welcome two of Ireland's finest musical exports to Nelson, with a double bill show featuring Mundy and ALDOC.

ALDOC bring urban sounds & musical soundscapes, led by charmed melodies on the flute and lit up with jazz-tinged arrangements, heavy grooves, spooky brass solos, tremolo affected electric guitars, lonely banjo lines and dramatic breakdowns. The members will be no strangers to Nelson audiences with Dubliner Alan Doherty visiting Nelson as the flutist and vocalist with Grada, Trinity Roots at Ceol Aneas. Gerry Paul has performed in Nelson with Tim O'Brien, Grada, Trinity Roots and also Mel Parsons. ALDOC have headlined the Goa Jazz Festival and Ireland's 1916 celebrations, Celtic Connections in Scotland and they put on an "unforgettable show".

Mundy's long career speaks for itself. A multi- platinum selling artists who has released six studio albums over 20 years, it's no surprise he's even performed for Barack Obama in Ireland AND the White House. Equally adept at writing sensitive acoustic songs and upbeat crowd favourites, Mundy is known for writing ridiculously infectious songs that lodge in your cranium like squatters in a vacant house. He's been known to team up with some pretty unbelievable talent too, including Youth, Pink Floyd, Culture Club, The Verve, The Makers and even Paul McCartney and he made Steve Earle's song "Galway Girl" into an international hit. He's a humourist, a raconteur and can stir a crowd into a hearty song along".

Gumboot dancing was born out of the oppressive gold mines of South Africa. Forbidden to speak and in almost complete darkness, the slave laborers developed their own language by slapping their gumboots and rattling their ankle chains. In time it has developed into a truly unique dance form ...

It would be tempting to describe Gumboots as a South African version of Tap Dogs or even Lord of the Dance. The "gumboots" of the title Stimela "The Gumboot" musical refers to boots that South African mineworkers used to wear. Often adorned with bottle tops, they could also be used as percussive instruments as the workers performed a variety of dances.

Most recently, they've been endorsed as a symbol of self-expression and liberation by the Stimela The Musical of Soweto. Although some of the songs are traditional, most of the material was written by Mthakathi Entertainment, the show's director, and Thapelo Motloung, and should appeal to fans of South African pop and of Ladysmith Black Mambazo & The Lion King.

It is a celebration of song and dance, an international phenomenon that has swept across the globe like a tidal wave of soaring voices and stomping feet.

Unrivaled in its energy and physicality, it celebrates the body as a musical instrument whilst highlighting South Africa's rich and complex culture.