Wellington Ensemble in National Chamber Music Contest Finals

MEDIA RELEASE: For Immediate Release

Wellington Ensemble in National Chamber Music Contest Finals

Lower Hutt Student Wins Senior Composition Section
Wellington ensemble Trio Funky Dumky is one of 12 semi-finalists in the 2016 New Zealand Community Trust Chamber Music Contest National Finals.

The trio, which includes cellist Bethany Angus who was in last year's National winning ensemble Trio Glivenko, will compete against ensembles from Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch and Whangarei at the National Finals in Auckland on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 August.

The semi-finalist ensembles were selected from the 467 contest entries following two gruelling rounds of competitions throughout June including Regional Finals held in Auckland, Napier and Christchurch last weekend.

Also announced, Lower Hutt’s Liam Furey (18), from Te Kura Correspondence School, won the senior composition section with his Piano Trio No 1 in G minor.

Composition adjudicator Alex Taylor said Liam’s piano trio offered hints of Prokofiev, Debussy or Scriabin and strong dramatic tension was created in the first movement. “Overall a distinctive and energetic piece of chamber music.”

This year 16 young composers entered the Original Composition section. The winners receive SOUNZ cash prizes and a year’s subscription to CANZ (Composers Association of New Zealand).

And Wellington ensemble Apollo Trio was awarded the National Award for the Best Performance of a New Zealand Work (in association with SOUNZ and CANZ). The piano trio of students from Wellington College, Samuel Marsden College and Newlands College performed Mondo Rondo by Gareth Farr.

Semi-finalists for the 2016 NZCT National Chamber Music Contest are, from Auckland: Vistoso Trio (Westlake Girls’ High School, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School and Waikato Diocesan School), Domov Trio from Westlake Girls’ High School, and Kōkako Trio from Epsom Girls’ Grammar School; from Christchurch: Herzog Klaviertrio (Burnside High School and St Andrew’s College), Grażyna’s Girlz from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Élégiaque from Burnside High School, Brumoso from Cashmere High School and home-schooled, and From Russia with Love from Rangi Ruru Girls’ High School; from Hamilton: Raysken Trio from Hillcrest High School, and Yerevan Trio from Hillcrest High School and Waikato Diocesan School; from Wellington: Trio Funky Dumky (Wellington East Girls’ College, Wellington Girls’ College and home-schooled) and from Whangarei: The Three Moszkoteers (Whangarei Girls’ High School, Whangarei Boys’ High School and home-schooled).

Last year was the 50th Jubilee of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest. It is the longest running youth music competition in New Zealand and the only nationwide chamber music competition for young musicians and composers.

The national contest is well-known for nurturing young musicians who go on to successful musical careers. Iconic New Zealand pianist Michael Houstoun competed in the event when he was a school student in Timaru and 27-year-old violinist, Amalia Hall was a Contest winner in 2003 and 2004.

Amalia was recently awarded first prize and the overall prize at the 2016 Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition and was also the Overseas Award Winner in the 2016 ROSL Annual Music Competition.

The NZCT Chamber Music Contest Semi-Finals are on Friday 5 August with the National Final on Saturday 6 August at Auckland Town Hall. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.co.nz or phone 0800 111 999. The event is free for Chamber Music New Zealand subscribers.

The final will be judged by NZTrio with virtuoso UK clarinettist, Julian Bliss. Each member of the winning group at the National Final receives the Wallace Foundation Prize of $1000.

In presenting the New Zealand Community Trust Chamber Music Contest, Chamber Music New Zealand acknowledges the generous support of The New Zealand Community Trust, University of Auckland, ABRSM, SOUNZ (Centre for NZ Music), CANZ (Composers Association of New Zealand), The Wallace Foundation, KBB Music and various regional funders who support events at District Contests.
ENDS

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