At the World’s Edge
Festival 2023
Central Lakes | October 2023
A powerful exploration of identity, of perspectives and of cultural dimensions through the binding lens of classical music in New Zealand.
A musical journey through the unmatched beauty of the Queenstown Lakes, the third AWE Festival began in Queenstown with Sono, introducing a world of exploration and identity. Travelling for the first time to Bannockburn, Hommàge looked back to inspire new innovations before moving on to Cromwell’s Cloudy Bay Shed for the year’s highly sought-after music and wine pairing event, Muzikální.
Returning to Queenstown, Immemorial offered an emotionally mesmerising programme, before the journey culminated in Wānaka’s stunning Rippon Winery for the final two programmes in our exploration of home, culture and identity, Homeland and Manifesto.
The 2024 Festival Artists included some of NZ’s most admired musicians playing alongside international talents, such as ‘trailblazing artist’ Jordan Bak from the USA, the ‘musical Bear Grylls’ of British horn playing Ben Goldscheider, and ‘soulful, refined and poetic’ cellist Alice Neary.
In tandem with our Festival programme, AWE+ introduced a series of free events exploring deeper the lives and music of our artists. We were thrilled to showcase our Sei Solo: Violin & Dance performance, combining music and dance in a breathtaking new dimension.
At the World’s Edge
Festival 2022
Central Lakes | October 2022
The first steps of the journey took place in Wānaka, beginning with Bloom my heart and Tranquil Bay. From there, Nine Seas Away presented our Emerging Artists side-by-side with AWE Festival Artists in a mid-week Queenstown performance.
Sei Solo followed in Cromwell, offering intimate solo and duo performances matched with fine wine throughout the evening at the Cloudy Bay Shed. Free But Lonely and Into the Night concluded the journey in Queenstown the following weekend.
In conjunction with our Festival Performances, the festival also included a series of free community events and chamber music concerts in Queenstown.
Six intertwined programmes, thirty-one musical works, each charting a waypoint along our exploration into the roles that solitude and togetherness play in the creative process.
At the World’s Edge
Festival 2021
Central Lakes | October 2021
Where it all began
Paving the way for many more to come, the inaugural At the World’s Edge Festival 2021 forged connections and shared experiences, providing a new stage for classical music in our beautiful region.
Nestled among the lakes, rivers and mountains of Central Otago and connected by their unique positions in the strikingly beautiful Southern Alps of New Zealand lie three humble communities: Queenstown, Wānaka and Cromwell.
With the Southern Alps as our starting point, the inaugural AWE Festival explored connections between artists, young and old, and how mutual admiration, collaborative ideas and inspiration can yield powerful results in the realm of chamber music and composition.
Travelling through our stunning region, audiences immersed themselves in the music of Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn and Clara Wieck; a famously close circle of artists with a fascinating web of emotional and artistic connections. Played alongside were works by our composer in residence, Salina Fisher, and several works by composers that inspired and influenced her.
