New Zealand is fast becoming a hub for world-class chamber music. From the dramatic peaks of Queenstown to the vineyards of Martinborough and the sun-soaked shores of Nelson, chamber music festivals are flourishing, and the At the World’s Edge Festival is at the forefront of this cultural rise.

AWE arrives in Bannockburn with Whorl, a programme inspired by spirals and concentric forms found in nature. It weaves together music old and new with intertwining voices and organic musical structures.

Our first Queenstown programme of AWE 2025 takes us on an imaginative journey through the history of the keyboard. In Claviers, the evolution from harpsichord to piano becomes both a historical and emotional narrative, shaped by two remarkable artists.

Our Sunday programme at Rippon Hall, Barroco, takes its name from the Portuguese word meaning an imperfect pearl — something naturally flawed, yet no less beautiful for it. This idea runs through the programme: that perfection isn't the goal in art or nature, but rather depth and human feeling.

The 2025 At the World’s Edge Festival begins in Wānaka in Rippon Hall, a striking setting for our first programme, Intimate Voices, which features three very different but deeply personal works for string quartet.

Music is something we often take for granted. It’s all around us, surrounding our everyday lives - it’s in the shops we visit, the films we watch, the cars we drive, the cafes we buy our coffees from. But for many of us, the music we seek out, follow, and connect with is a big part of how we define ourselves and how we connect with others. Music has the power to unite different cultures and communities, helping us find a shared identity and a universal common ground: an idea we were thrilled to explore in this year’s AWE Festival.

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.