Laura Williamson, editor of 1964: mountain culture / aotearoa, asks if At the World’s Edge can get us all hooked on classical.

I’ve seen chamber music described as “a delicate, but intense, world in miniature.”

I like that, because it not only sums up what this niche of classical music is, but what makes good art. Good art takes big stuff and serves it up small. It packages emotion and history and ideas and gets straight to it with a word, a brushstroke, a note. It’s shorthand.

A festival of chamber music in the heart of the Southern Alps. But what exactly does that offer?

At AWE, we love exploring the endless possible answers to that question. We believe that an engaging and powerful concert atmosphere is the sum of many parts: while the musicians and the music they play may be the summit, inviting our listeners to climb the mountain with us is a crucial and active part of the experience from both sides.

A personal account by Justine Cormack, violinist and AWE Festival Director.

For a festival born at the foot of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, the music of our homeland means everything to us. Music crafted by New Zealand composers, music that is grown out of this place and that stems from our unique culture and heritage injects vital relevance to the experience of classical chamber music in New Zealand, and showcases our unique musical and cultural voice on the international stage.