The Artists at the World’s Edge

A meeting of spectacular talent, a showcase of local and international musicians: our festival performers are the storytellers of the musical world, weaving us into the journey and sharing with us the most intimate moments of chamber music in New Zealand.

Festival Directors

Artistic Director Benjamin Baker and Festival Director Justine Cormack are the inspired hands and hearts behind AWE, shaping the festival as founders, directors and performers since its launch in 2021.

This year, they will once again perform at the fourth AWE Festival, playing alongside a fellow host of internationally renowned musicians handpicked to join them from around the globe.

Benjamin Baker

AWE Artistic Director, Violin
NZ | UK

Described by the New York Times as bringing ‘virtuosity, refinement, and youthful exuberance’ to his Merkin Concert Hall debut, Benjamin Baker has established a strong presence as a sought-after soloist and chamber musician both internationally and in New Zealand.

  • As a recording artist, Benjamin has soloed with the BBC Concert and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, and released two critically acclaimed albums with pianist Daniel Lebhardt for Delphian in 2021 and 2023. He also made several solo appearances during the 2021/2022 season with the Auckland Philharmonia, Fort Worth Symphony, and London Philharmonic Orchestras.

    In addition to winning first prize at the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York, Benjamin also won third prize at the Michael Hill Competition in New Zealand, was a prize winner at the YCAT International Auditions in 2013, and now makes regular appearances at Wigmore Hall and on BBC Radio 3.

    Recent highlights from his successful career also include his debut with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the East Neuk Festival and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in New Zealand. In addition to his local performances, Benjamin has also performed at the Al Bustan Festival in Lebanon, the Sanguine Estate Music Festival in Australia, and has toured America, Colombia, China, and Argentina.

    Benjamin plays a 1694 Giovanni Grancino violin, on generous loan from a Charitable Trust.

Artistic Director generously supported by Tony Trapp MBE

Justine Cormack

AWE Festival Director, Violin
NZ

A staunch advocate for creativity within New Zealand’s Arts community, Justine Cormack actively supports and promotes creative communities both internationally and closer to home. A highly sought-after freelance violinist, Justine collaborates broadly as a soloist, chamber musician and guest concertmaster.

  • Through her creative performance coaching business, ListenFeelPlay, Justine supports musicians worldwide, encouraging them to maximise their performance success and optimise their musical enjoyment through insightful mind and body awareness.

    From 2002 to mid-2017, as a founding member and violinist of NZTrio, Justine performed throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia, South America, the USA, Europe and Scandinavia. During this time, the group’s commitment and passion for promoting New Zealand music saw the commissioning and performing of close to 40 works from New Zealand composers, proudly showcasing these compositions within the trio’s diverse programmes on the national and global stage.

    Other career highlights include her role as concertmaster with the Auckland Philharmonia from 2000-2004, and as lecturer in violin at The University of Auckland following the completion of her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Stony Brook University, NY, in 2001.

    An active recording artist, Justine has soloed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and released duo recordings with pianists Michael Houstoun and Sarah Watkins, in addition to a varied catalogue of award-winning releases with NZTrio.

    Justine plays an 1868 J.B.Vuillaume violin.

Festival Artists

Julian Bliss

Clarinet
UK

Julian Bliss is one of the world’s finest clarinettists, excelling as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, jazz artist, and masterclass leader. As co- creator of his Conn-Selmer range of affordable clarinets under the Leblanc brand, he has inspired a generation of young players. Julian studied Clarinet in the United States at the University of Indiana and in Germany under Sabine Meyer.

  • In recital and chamber music, he has played at many of the world’s leading festivals and halls, including Gstaad, New York’s Lincoln Center, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and London’s Wigmore Hall. As a soloist, he has appeared with a wide range of international orchestras, including the Auckland Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Paris, and the Queensland Symphony.

    This season, Bliss travels all around the UK with numerous performances of Mozart’s clarinet concerto, joining the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and Royal Northern Sinfonia. He returns to festivals in Risør and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and gives further performances of a new concerto for Clarinet and Wind Orchestra, written for him by the eminent composer John Mackey, which he premiered with Dallas Winds last season. He adds to his discography in 2024 with the new Mackey concerto and a Schumann recital album.

Supported by Lesa Scholl

Alexi Kenney

Violin
USA

Violinist Alexi Kenney is forging a career that defies categorisation, following his interests, intuition, and heart. He is equally at home creating experimental programmes and commissioning new works, soloing with major orchestras around the world, and collaborating with some of the most celebrated musicians of our time. Alexi is the recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

  • Highlights of Alexi’s 2023/24 season include appearances as soloist with the Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee Symphonies, leading a programme of his own creation with the New Century Chamber Orchestra, and debuting a new iteration of his project Shifting Ground at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Ojai Festival, in collaboration with the new media and video artist Xuan.

    In recent seasons, Alexi has soloed with the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Detroit Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Gulbenkian Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, and l’Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, as well as in a play-conduct role as guest leader of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He has played recitals at Wigmore Hall, on Carnegie Hall’s ‘Distinctive Debuts’ series, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, 92nd Street Y, Mecklenberg-Vorpommern Festival, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Winner of the 2013 Concert Artists Guild Competition and laureate of the 2012 Menuhin Competition, Alexi has been profiled by Musical America, Strings Magazine, and The New York Times, and has written for The Strad.
    Chamber music continues to be a major part of Alexi’s life, regularly performing at festivals including Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Chamber Music Northwest, Kronberg, La Jolla, Ojai, Marlboro, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, Seattle, and Spoleto. He is a founding member of Owls—an inverted quartet hailed as a “dream group” by The New York Times—alongside violist Ayane Kozasa, cellist Gabe Cabezas, and cellist-composer Paul Wiancko. Alexi is also an alum of the Bowers Program (formerly CMS 2) at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Supported by AWE Music Foundation

Marike Kruup

AWE Education Leader, Violin
Estonia | UK

Marike Kruup is an accomplished Estonian violinist based in London, known for her captivating performances and dedication to music and music education. Her vibrant artistry and versatility have earned her recognition as a sought-after chamber musician in small and large ensembles around Europe, including as a founding member of the Estonian Festival Orchestra with conductor Paavo Järvi.

  • Another key part of her musical identity is the Alkyona String Quartet, which Marike joined in 2020. Current String Quartet Fellows at the Royal College of Music in London, the Quartet performs regularly around the UK and the Netherlands. In 2023, the Alkyonas were one of the ensembles in residence at the ANAM Quartetthaus Festival in Melbourne, alongside the Australian and Marmen String Quartets.

    Marike's musical journey began in Tallinn under the guidance of Mari Tampere-Bezrodny. Later, she moved to London to further her education at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music, completing her studies with Krzysztof Smietana and Radu Blidar.

    Beyond her performances, Marike is dedicated to pedagogy and carries on a family legacy of teaching. Since 2019, she has served as a faculty member at the Rachmaninov Music Academy in London, nurturing a talented class of violin students. She actively engages in educational projects to inspire and educate young musicians,including as Education Leader for the At the World’s Edge Festival.

Bryony Gibson-Cornish

Viola
NZ | UK

Brought up in Cromwell, Dunedin and Christchurch, Bryony Gibson-Cornish is delighted to be coming home for the AWE Festival 2024. Bryony completed her studies at The Juilliard School as a Fulbright Scholar and was awarded the Tagore Gold Medal upon graduating from the Royal College of Music in London, where she is now a professor. 

  • Since leaving New Zealand in 2012, Bryony has come back to tour for Chamber Music New Zealand, perform in projects with the APO, NZSO and CSO, as well as perform and teach at the Akaroa International Music Festival and her alma mater, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School. With fellow Kiwi Julian Van Mellaerts and pianist James Baillieu, Bryony recorded Three Songs for Voice, Viola & Piano by Frank Bridge for Champs Hill.

    Bryony is the violist of the Marmen Quartet, winners of the Banff and Bordeaux International String Quartet Competitions. Concert highlights include the BBC Proms, Berlin Philharmonie, and Wigmore Hall, and biennale appearances in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Lisbon. They made their Australian debut last year, with performances at ANAM Quartetthaus in Melbourne and were the 2021-23 Peak Fellowship Ensemble in Residence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. In December, their recording of Ligeti and Bartok quartets will be released on BIS Records.

    Bryony is a Stradivari Trust Artist, and with their support, performs on a 1610 Brothers Amati Viola, an instrument that was formerly played in the Lindsay and Allegri Quartets.

Serenity Thurlow

Viola
NZ (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui)

Serenity Thurlow is a celebrated chamber musician in Aotearoa, as well as Principal Viola of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra since 2010. In 2012, she was Principal Viola of the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, who were part of the Britten-Pears Festival before touring Europe. In 2016, she premiered Chris Cree Brown's Viola Concerto for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Serenity has played actively throughout Aotearoa, including touring with the New Zealand String Quartet in 2021 and performing with Diedre Irons.

  • After her undergraduate studies at the University of Canterbury in violin and viola with Jan Tawroscewicz, Serenity was included within the inaugural Graduate Ensemble Programme at Victoria University. There she studied string quartet with the New Zealand String Quartet.

    Serenity moved to Austria in 2006 to undertake further study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. She completed her Masters there with Peter Langgartner and postgraduate studies with Thomas Riebl. While in Austria she was an active chamber and orchestral musician, performing across Europe and the USA with orchestras such as the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Camerata Salzburg, and Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss among numerous others.

Sterling Elliott

Cello
USA

Acclaimed for his stellar stage presence and joyous musicianship, cellist Sterling Elliott is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition. Already in his young career, he has appeared with major orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony and the Dallas Symphony, with noted conductors Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Thomas Wilkins, Jeffrey Kahane, Mei Ann Chen and others.

  • This season, Elliott debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Pacific Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and New Jersey Symphony. He also performs the world premiere of a new orchestral version of John Corigliano’s Phantasmagoria, commissioned for him by a consortium of orchestras including the Orlando Philharmonic and music director Eric Jacobsen. He makes his UK recital debut at Wigmore Hall in February.

    Sterling is pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick and Clara Kim, following completion of his Master of Music and undergraduate degrees at Juilliard. He is an ambassador of the Young Strings of America, a string sponsorship operated by Shar Music. He performs on a 1741 Gennaro Gagliano cello on loan through the Robert F. Smith Fine String Patron Program, in partnership with the Sphinx Organization.

Supported by the AWE Music Foundation

Ian Greenberg

Cello
USA | NZ

Originally from Ashland, Oregon, Ian began playing the cello at the age of five. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, a Master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, and an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School. His primary mentors are Hans Jørgen-Jensen, Steven Doane, and Joseph Johnson.

  • Before joining the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Cellist, Ian performed with many orchestras across North America, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Britt Festival Orchestra, of which he’s a current member.

    Ian spent three years in the New World Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas and other distinguished artists. While there, he collaborated on many rewarding musical educational initiatives, including serving as guest cello faculty for the Iberacademy in Medellin, Colombia.

    Ian has performed extensively at some of North America’s most celebrated venues, including Carnegie Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. As a chamber musician, Ian has recorded with CBC Radio and performed at festivals, including the Sitka Music Festival, Spoleto Festival, Toronto Music Festival, the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and Banff.

Supported by Ainsley Walter and Mark Stewart

Daniel Lebhardt

Piano
Hungary | UK

Hungarian pianist Daniel Lebhardt has been described by the New York Times as playing with ‘power, poetry and formidable technique’. Daniel has widely performed in the UK, Europe, USA, South America and Asia. Recent debuts include the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), Hallé Orchestra, the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, as well as his return to Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Konzerthausorchester Berlin.

  • In recital, Daniel had debuts at the Aldeburgh, Heidelberger-Frühling, Tallinn, Lucerne, Bath and Harrogate International Festivals. He has given recitals at Wigmore Hall, St. David’s Hall in Cardiff, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Auditorium du Louvre, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Merkin Hall in New York City.

    An avid chamber musician, Daniel regularly collaborates with Benjamin Baker and the Castalian Quartet. Daniel and Benjamin Baker have recently released two critically acclaimed duo albums with Delphian, and also participated on the composer Matthew Kaner`s debut disc featuring his chamber music at the same label. As a soloist he has recorded for Decca (Schubert) and Naxos (Bartók) as well.

    Born in Hungary, Daniel studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and later at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and is currently based in London.

Morgan Pearse

Baritone
Australia | UK

As one of the truly versatile and fearless baritones of his generation, Morgan Pearse has appeared on many of the world’s finest opera and concert stages in a career already filled with countless highlights. These have included débuts in numerous title roles, such as Le nozze di Figaro at Opernhaus Zürich, The Barber of Seville at English National Opera and Don Giovanni at the Verbier Festival.

  • In past seasons, Morgan has sung Theodora (Valens) and Tolomeo (Araspe) at the Karlsruhe Händel-Festpiele, Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro) and Die Zauberflöte (Papageno) at the Badisches Staatstheater, Don Giovanni (Masetto) and L’elisir d’Amore (Belcore) for New Zealand Opera, the title role in Billy Budd for the Bolshoi Theatre, as well as Nero in Kaiser's Octavia and Almiro in Pasquini’s Idalma for the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.

    His concert engagements have included appearances with ensembles including the Academy of Ancient Music, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, King’s College Choir Cambridge, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, The Philharmonia Orchestra, CBSO, English Chamber Orchestra, Gabrieli Consort, Australian String Quartet, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, RTVE Madrid, Russian National Orchestra, as well as La Scintilla and the Philharmonia Orchestra of Opernhaus Zürich.

Supported by the Royal Over-Seas League

Deborah Wai Kapohe

Soprano
NZ (Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Rua (Te Whakatōhea) and Ngāti Kahungunu)

Born in Southland, New Zealand, Deborah Wai Kapohe has performed in operas, musical theatre, contemporary Māori music, arts festivals, proms, concerts, recitals, self-accompanied guitar and voice recitals, and special events throughout New Zealand and Australia, as well as in the UK, Asia Pacific Region, and South Africa. 

  • Engagements in 2023 include performing Rutter’s Magnificat and Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music with the Christchurch City Choir, as a special guest with UK comedian Bill Bailey’s new show Thoughtifier and the role of Euridice with NZ Opera and Black Grace in their production of Gluck’s Orfeo, renamed (m)Orpheus. Deborah began 2024 with The O.Gs at the Auckland Arts Festival, and a Guitar & Voice Recital for Futuna Chapel.

AWE Fellows &
2024 ROSL Pettman Scholars

An extension of our AWE Emerging Artist Mentoring Pathway, AWE Fellows return to perform as Festival Artists within this year’s programme. Our 2024 Fellows have both been awarded ROSL Pettman Scholarships, in partnership with London’s Royal Over-seas League, designed to assist future study and career opportunities for emerging NZ musicians showing exceptional career promise. Find out more about the scholarship here.

Lorna Zhang

Violin
NZ

An enthusiastic chamber musician, Lorna Zhang is currently part of Kaha Trio, who won the 2022 Carl and Alberta Rosenfeldt Prize and are part of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s  ‘Aspiring Musicians’ Ensemble. In 2020, Lorna’s group Trio Achilles was runner-up at the NZCT National Chamber Music Competition, winning the inaugural Helen Young Diamond award.

  • Lorna is currently a secon-year student at the University of Auckland, studying under the guidance of Stephen Larsen. Enrolled in the Chiron Music Academy since 2018, Lorna received the CLEF (Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation) Scholarship from 2019 - 2022. She was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2021 Michael Hill National String Competition, and in 2022 was a member of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.

    Joining the AWE Emerging Artist Mentorship Pathway in 2023, Lorna was awarded a ROSL Pettman Scholarship in 2024.

Madeleine Xiao

Piano
NZ

Madeleine is a passionate chamber musician and collaborative pianist, with experience in both coaching and playing alongside different ensembles and instrumentalists. Madeleine’s chamber group, Kaha Trio, is an Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra ‘Aspiring Musicians’ Ensemble for the second year and has been invited to perform around New Zealand.

  • Born in Auckland, Madeleine began learning the piano at age five. At 16, she went on to study a Bachelor of Music at the University of Auckland, where she is now a second-year student under the tutelage of Rae de Lisle, Bryan Sayer and Katherine Austin.

    Madeleine has achieved numerous top awards and scholarships. In 2022, she won both the University of Auckland Concerto Competition and the Auckland Youth Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition, performing in a concert tour with the orchestra. In 2023, Madeleine attended the Adam Summer School working with the New Zealand String Quartet and placed third in the National Concerto Competition, performing with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in the Christchurch Town Hall.

    Joining the AWE Emerging Artist Mentorship Pathway in 2023, Madeleine was awarded a ROSL Pettman Scholarship in 2024.

Composer in Residence

Eve de Castro-Robinson

Composer in Residence, AWE Festival 2024
NZ

A senior composer within Aotearoa’s arts landscape, Eve de Castro-Robinson’s music is undeniably quirky and quite simply, fun. A wide sample of Eve’s chamber works will be woven through this year’s festival programme alongside two new AWE Commissions - the first for two violins, the second a more substantial piece for clarinet and strings.

Her significant background in education brings a wealth of knowledge to her subsequent role as mentor for this year’s Emerging Composer. Eve will also lead a composition workshop for local students and present fascinating talks throughout the festival.

  • One of Aotearoa’s foremost composers, Eve’s music has been commissioned and performed by a wide variety of musicians both nationally and internationally. In 2019, she retired from her role as Associate Professor in Composition at The University of Auckland, and now works as a freelance composer, consultant, curator and writer.

    Many of Eve’s works have been recorded on CDs, including solo albums with Rattle and Atoll. In 2018, she won Best Classical Artist at the NZ Music Awards for her album, ‘The Gristle of Knuckles’, and has twice won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award and the Philip Neill Prize. There have been five portrait concerts of her music, including by the New Zealand Festival of the Arts and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. She is Co-Chair / Toihau Tuarua of SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, was co-founder of CadeNZa, director of Karlheinz Company, and co-director of hear/say. She has held residencies at the Atlantic Centre for the Arts, the Banff Centre, and Brisons Veor, UK.

Supported by the SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music