Magnificent music and mountains collide
At the World’s Edge Festival kicked will return on 3 October. It delivers an extensive programme of chamber music, spanning across Queenstown, Bannockburn, Wānaka and Cromwell. Taking place against the spectacular backdrops of our region, the best chamber music in Aotearoa will be performed.
Nature is the muse of the festival and each of the intimate shows. the extensive programme includes something for everyone with free community events sprinkled throughout. Since its inception, AWE has been proud to offer more than just a series of live music events, but a platform for the arts and a spark for creativity to come.
“Alongside our festival artist programmes ticketed events, we also have a whole series of free performances and events,” festival director Justine Cormack says. “Our free performances this year feature our scholars and emerging artists. We have this programme, AWE Pettman Scholarship. Each year we award these scholarships from our Emerging Artists Programme.”
Cormack refers to the programme as a mentoring pathway – each artist is supported beyond just the one year of the festival. It’s designed to directly assist future study and career opportunities for emerging NZ musicians showing exceptional career promise.
“We select four emerging artists each year to join us in the festival. This has grown to be an incredibly important opportunity for our best young musicians in the country. It’s highly competitive and the idea is that the three string players and a pianist are selected. They come, they perform in the festival and interact with our festival artists, and it’s a really amazing growth opportunity for them.”
This year’s scholars are Cellist Christine Jeon and Pianist Matthew Seinafo. In addition to playing in some of the main programme’s shows, the pair will play a free show, AWE Scholars Showcase on Monday, 5 October at Te Atamira. There’s also the free Emerging Artist Showcase on Friday, 9 October.
The extensive programme includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorák, and Claude Debussy among many others. And for anyone who’s unsure if they’ll enjoy chamber music or are unfamiliar with it, the open rehearsals on Friday, 2 October are a great opportunity to get a taster and is right at the start of the festival, so there’s plenty of time to grab tickets to a show.
“There are seven different programmes but they’re all very linked. You can go to one programme and it stands on its own but the whole journey through the festival is highly curated for the experience of the audiences. It’s a really personal and engaging experience. You’re up close and personal to the musicians, and people love that. That’s the aspect of chamber music that is so wonderful.”
The team have worked hard to pull unique sounds from all corners of the globe. Expect to hear a melting pot of cultural influences throughout the performances. Woven throughout each show you’ll also hear from Michael Norris, who is the AWE’s 2026 Composer in Residence. Cormack advises everyone to come along and just let the music have its own impact. The beautiful Te Atamira adds to that impact, too.
“Throughout my whole career, some of the most powerful concerts that I’ve performed have been in art galleries where you’re surrounded by original art. For me, it’s a really valuable bringing together of creativity. Gallery spaces generally have fabulous acoustics, which are very important to us as performers.
“Te Atamira has a very different feel because we’re in the same space but the art is different. That’s another thing that I’m very much looking forward to, I think that’s a really powerful pairing,” Cormack says.
At the World’s Edge Music Festival will take place in Queenstown, Wānaka, Cromwell and Bannockburn from 3 – 16 October. They also offer a fabulous in school programme from 12 October. Head to worldsedgefestival.com for the programmes, more information and to grab tickets.
