Rare Chance To Hear Chamber Music Gem

Audiences in Wellington, the Kapiti Coast and the Manawatū will get the opportunity to hear a live performance of a rarely performed gem of the chamber music repertoire in concerts in September.

The members of the Wellington-based Aroha String Quartet will be joined by friends from the NZSO and Orchestra Wellington (Oleksandr Gunchenko - double bass, Nick Walshe - clarinet, Justin Sun - bassoon and Alexander Hambleton - horn) to play Franz Schubert’s mighty Octet in F.

The other two works in the programme are Mozart’s gorgeous String Quartet in B-flat K589 and Nielsen’s sparkling ‘Serenata in vano’, a musical depiction of an attempted seduction.

Aroha Quartet first violinist Haihong Liu said “We are really enjoying rehearsing the wonderful Schubert Octet. The combination of instruments is so rich and warm, and the music is to die for. We can’t wait to share it with our audiences.”

The three performances are:

• Tuesday 9 September at 7:30 in Pathways Presbyterian Church, Palmerston North
• Sunday 21 September at 2:30 in the Waikanae Memorial Hall for the Waikanae Music Society
• Sunday 28 September at 3:00 in St Peter’s Anglican Church, Willis St, Wellington

Acclaimed as demonstrating "accomplished brilliance, soulfulness and sublime intensity in perfect balance and tonal unity" (The Dominion Post), the Aroha String Quartet is firmly established as one of New Zealand's finest chamber music ensembles. Founded in 2004, this versatile Wellington-based quartet is known for its passionate musicality, impressive technique, and multicultural innovation.

Tickets are available in advance from Eventfinda for Palmerston North and Wellington, and at various outlets for Waikanae.

About the Artists

Aroha String Quartet

Haihong Liu & Konstanze Artmann - violins, Zhongxian Jin - viola & Robert Ibell - cello

Acclaimed as demonstrating "accomplished brilliance, soulfulness and sublime intensity in perfect balance and tonal unity" (The Dominion Post), the Aroha String Quartet is firmly established as one of New Zealand's finest chamber music ensembles. Founded in 2004, this versatile Wellington-based quartet is known for its passionate musicality, impressive technique, and multicultural innovation.

Haihong Liu and Zhongxian Jin are original members of the Aroha Quartet. Robert Ibell joined the group in 2009 and Konstanze Artmann in 2018.

The Aroha Quartet is committed to presenting string quartet works from western classical and avant-garde repertoire to traditional Chinese folk music, as well as works for larger forces through collaborations with numerous high-profile musicians.

The Aroha Quartet performs regularly around NZ in centres from the Deep South to the Far North.

The Aroha Quartet runs the annual ASQ International Music Academy, a week-long chamber music course. The eleventh ASQ Academy took place in Wellington in July 2025. The Quartet's fifth ASQ International Academy in Asia took place in Zhongshan, China, in late January 2025.

Nick Walshe - clarinet 

Nick Walshe is a clarinettist, music teacher and arts administrator based in Te Whanganui a Tara/Wellington. He is currently section principal clarinet with Orchestra Wellington, and co-principal clarinet with the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band and also maintains a busy studio of clarinet and saxophone students, privately and in high schools.Nick works as a freelance musician for organisations such as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Stroma New Music Ensemble, and the Capital Theatre Trust.

Justin Sun - bassoon 

Justin was born and raised in Canberra, Australia, and began playing the bassoon at age 12. After completing his studies in 2018, he was appointed Principal Bassoon of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in Denmark, where he worked for 3 years before being appointed Associate Principal Bassoon of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2021. He has performed as guest principal with many orchestras worldwide, including Sydney Symphony, Australian Opera and Ballet, Scottish Chamber, Royal Philharmonic and BBC Symphony.

Alexander Hambleton - horn 

Before joining the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Alex studied and worked in the UK and Sweden.

Alex spent eight years as a member of the Gothenburg Opera Orchestra, in addition to touring and recording with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

Oleksandr Gunchenko - double bass 

Oleksandr was born in Kiev, Ukraine, where he studied at Lysenko School of Music and Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He became a member of the National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra at the age of 19 and at the age of 20 gained a position with the National Chamber Orchestra of Ukraine. Oleksandr joined the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2007. He is a member of the contemporary ensemble Stroma, and also regularly performs solo recitals.

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