The New Zealand String Quartet

Acclaimed for its powerful communication, dramatic energy, and beauty of sound, the New Zealand String Quartet regularly tours New Zealand, North America, Europe and Asia. In 2000 the group made its London debut at The Wigmore Hall, and in 2003 its New York debut at the prestigious Frick Collection. The 2005 schedule includes debuts in Toronto, Boston, and Philadelphia.

The NZSQ has been featured on North America’s popular public radio program St. Paul Sunday, and has recorded for Deutsche Welle, CBC in Canada, and Australia’s ABC, as well as regularly appearing on Radio New Zealand’s Concert FM. Deeply committed to New Zealand music, the Quartet has premiered more than 20 works by New Zealand composers.

Internationally renowned artists with whom the group has collaborated include Anton Kuerti, Alexander Lonquich, Piers Lane, James Campbell, Nobuko Imai, Atar Arad and Colin Carr, as well as jazz greats Mike Nock, Jim Hall and Wayne Marshall.

Passionate about teaching, the Quartet has been Quartet-in-Residence at Victoria University of Wellington since 1991 and has established its own advanced summer school of chamber music in New Zealand. The group gives master classes worldwide and is regular visiting faculty at the Banff Centre of Fine Arts in Canada.

Highlights to date include a five-center tour of Bartok’s six string quartets, followed by its release on the BMG label in 1998. Recently the group presented seven performances of Beethoven’s complete cycle of seventeen string quartets to great critical acclaim.

Other recordings include the Debussy and Ravel string quartets, Beethoven's "Rasumovsky" Op. 59, Nos. 2 & 3, and Szekely and Dvorák string quartets on Atoll Ltd. Their latest recording, of works by Alban Berg and Hugo Wolf, is soon to be released on the Naxos label.

THE ARTISTS

Violinist Helene Pohl was born in Ithaca, New York, to German parents. She spent her childhood on both sides of the Atlantic and began her musical studies at age four. At 17 she was accepted for tertiary study at the Musikhochschule Cologne. She continued her studies with members of the Cleveland Quartet at the Eastman School of Music and at Indiana University with Josef Gingold.

As first violinist of the San Francisco based Fidelio String Quartet (1988-1993), Helene performed extensively in the USA, Germany, England, Italy and South America. The Fidelio Quartet was prizewinner in the 1991 London International String Quartet Competition and quartet in residence at both the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals.

Helene joined the New Zealand String Quartet as first violinist in February 1994 and became a New Zealand citizen in 1997. In 2001 she became Artistic Director, with fellow quartet member Gillian Ansell, of the Adam New Zealand Festival of Chamber Music.

Violinist Douglas Beilman, a native of Wichita, Kansas, studied with Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang at the Julliard School and the New England Conservatory of Music. He then completed his Master of Music degree with Isadore Tinkleman at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Before joining the NZSQ in 1989 he was first violinist of the Sierra String Quartet, the first resident quartet at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Music Center. The Sierra Quartet was a prizewinner at the 1988 Portsmouth International String Quartet Competition (now the London International String Quartet Competition) and performed widely throughout the USA.

Douglas was a co-founder of the Adam New Zealand Festival of Chamber Music and was its artistic Director until 2001. He has been soloist and guest leader of the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra and has performed concertos with other New Zealand orchestras. As both a founding member of the 20^th century ensemble CadeNZa and as an individual, he has participated extensively in premiere performances of New Zealand and international compositions.

Gillian Ansell, violist, was born in Auckland, New Zealand and began violin and piano lessons at an early age. At 16 years she made her concerto debut with the Auckland Symphonia (now the Auckland Philharmonia).

An Associated Board Scholarship to study violin, viola and piano took Gillian to the Royal College of Music in London where she won several prizes. She then took up a German Academic Exchange (DAAD) scholarship for further study in Germany at the Musikhochschule Cologne with Igor Ozim and the Amadeus Quartet.

After working professionally in London for three years, she returned to New Zealand to become a founding member of the New Zealand String Quartet. She was second violinist for two years before taking up the position of violist of the group. In 2001 she became Artistic Director, with fellow quartet member Helene Pohl, of the Adam New Zealand Festival of Chamber Music.

Cellist Rolf Gjelsten began studying the cello in his native Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with James Hunter and later Janos Starker. At 22 he became the youngest member of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.

Rolf returned to North America to study with Zara Nelsova. His passion for chamber music led to study with members of the La Salle, Hungarian, Vermeer, Cleveland and Emerson String Quartets.

As a member of the Laurentian Quartet for almost a decade he toured internationally, made numerous CDs and taught cello at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. He was also a member of the New York Piano Trio. He performed with such eminent artists as Lilian Kallir, Menahem Pressler, Anthony Newman, Gervaise de Peyer, Franco Gulli and members of the Hungarian and Tokyo String Quartets.

Rolf furthered his studies in 1990 with the great Casals protégé Bernhard Greenhouse at Rutgers University, where he received his doctoral degree in cello. Rolf joined the New Zealand String Quartet in May 1994, and became a New Zealand citizen in 1997.

New Zealand String Quartet

THE ARTISTS

Violinist Douglas Beilman, a native of Wichita, Kansas, studied with Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang at the Julliard School and the New England Conservatory of Music. He then completed his Master of Music degree with Isadore Tinkleman at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Richard Nunns – Nga Taonga Puoro (Maori Instruments)