Cellist Matthias Balzat Photo: Supplied
After six years away living in Germany, Matthias Balzat is returning to Aotearoa to become the new cellist with NZTrio.
Somi Kim, the other half. Photo: Jennifer Raoult
Amalia Hall, one half of the rest of NZTrio. Photo: Scottie Peng
Balzat will join violinist Amalia Hall, and pianist Somi Kim for a North Island tour next month.
Speaking to RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump, Balzat says he has "incredibly large shoes to fill" in replacing outgoing cellist Ashley Brown, but then he has been part of music ensembles for about as long as he can remember.
Balzat grew up in Auckland, part of an extremely musical family of seven siblings who, along with their parents, were part of a phenomenal family band - they even made it onto national television.
You can see a young Matthias holding his own on the cello, and by the time he was 14 he was already studying at Waikato University's School of Music.
Balzat talked Crump about his formative years, both with the Balzat family band and numerous Suzuki summer music camps, and his life as a performer and post-graduate student of the cello in Germany.
He says he didn't necessarily plan to return to New Zealand, but the offer from NZTrio was too good to refuse.
