At the World's Edge Festival

At the World's Edge Festival Chamber Music Festival in the heart of the Southern Alps

At the World's Edge Festival 2025
Queenstown Lakes | 4 - 17 October

At the World’s Edge is a chamber music festival inspired by its roots in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. With nature the muse and mountains our stage, this year weaves music and nature across seven programmes throughout Queenstown, Wānaka, Bannockburn and Cromwell, with free community events and experiences throughout. With spectacular sounds against majestic scapes, experience the power of chamber music in New Zealand alongside internationally renowned musicians, lifelong enthusiasts, and curious adventurers alike. More than a series of live music events, we are a platform for the arts in our region and a spark for creativity to come.

At the World's Edge is taking the music beyond the stage and into the classroom.This week, we will be touring the Centra...
13/10/2026

At the World's Edge is taking the music beyond the stage and into the classroom.

This week, we will be touring the Central Lakes region, building musical bridges with over 2,000 students across early childhood centres, primary, and high schools.

Through dynamic, interactive performances, our incredible entourage of Festival Artists, Emerging Musicians, and our Emerging Composer are sharing the joy of live music with the next generation. We are especially thrilled to showcase local Aotearoa New Zealand voices, featuring beautiful works by our Composer in Residence, Michael Norris, alongside our Emerging Composer.

It is a true privilege to step beyond the lines of the venues to foster community, inspire creativity, and spark new musical connections At the World's Edge.

12/10/2026

Within the resonance of Coronation Hall, Unbroken revealed how fragile musical lines cross and endure through history’s most unforgiving bounds. From a New Zealand soldier carrying his violin through the First World War to a string trio composed at the edge of annihilation, the programme traced the delicate yet unbreakable thread of music as it transcends centuries, borders, and the darkest moments of human experience.

Our heartfelt thanks to the venue and our extraordinary ensemble of Festival and Emerging Artists for building these profound musical bridges across time.

Three days of the AWE 2026 festival remain, filled with performances and free events exploring the bounds that shape our...
08/10/2026

Three days of the AWE 2026 festival remain, filled with performances and free events exploring the bounds that shape our human experience and the musical bridges that connect us across time, history, and landscapes.

- Radiance at Te Atamira explores the delicate threshold between intimate memory and vast deep space, suspending us just beyond the bounds of human scale.

- Unbroken at Coronation Hall, Bannockburn traces the fragile yet enduring thread of music across centuries and borders, building unbreakable bridges through the darkest moments of our past.

- The Line at Te Atamira brings our festival to a beautiful close, tracing music's essential journey to reveal an enduring connection that transcends time and rewritten histories.

A limited number of seats remain. Swipe through to explore the full details, then follow the link in our bio to secure your tickets and share in these luminous final notes At the World's Edge.

https://www.worldsedgefestival.com/2026-performances-and-events/

As the sun dipped behind the Pisa Range, Woven unfolded in perfect harmony with the fading light. Our beautiful evening ...
08/10/2026

As the sun dipped behind the Pisa Range, Woven unfolded in perfect harmony with the fading light. Our beautiful evening at the Cloudy Bay Shed was a true sensory journey, exploring how independent musical lines coexist, separate, and gracefully reunite.⁠
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From an ancient Hurrian hymn to works deeply rooted in the landscapes of Aotearoa, the music traced a dialogue across millennia. It was a privilege to experience moving performances of Xenakis, Kõrvits, Clarke, and Debussy, alongside the evocative brilliance of our Composer in Residence, Michael Norris. A special highlight of the evening was Festival Director Justine Cormack's engaging Q&A with Michael, offering a wonderful glimpse into the mind behind his stunning AWE 2026 commission.⁠
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The elegance of the music was beautifully matched by our surroundings. We extend our warmest thanks to our hosts at the Cloudy Bay Shed for perfectly pairing the evening's performances with exquisite Cloudy Bay wines and wonderful food.⁠
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Finally, our deepest gratitude to the artists who wove these intricate musical lines together with such breathtaking skill: Florian Donderer, Matthew Lipman, Tanja Tetzlaff, Justine Cormack and Benjamin Baker.

Every line leads here: the final weekend of AWE 2026. Sebastian Black's Aitken's Violin comes home for its New Zealand p...
08/10/2026

Every line leads here: the final weekend of AWE 2026. Sebastian Black's Aitken's Violin comes home for its New Zealand premiere, as Aotearoa meets Dvořák at Bannockburn's historic Coronation Hall, and The Line brings the festival to a close in Queenstown. Tickets remain for Radiance, Unbroken and The Line, but be quick. Read our latest newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/worldsedgefestival/final-weekend-of-awe-2026

06/10/2026

Seeing the music unfold through the eyes of the next generation brings a whole new kind of magic to AWE 2026.

Our programme Strung explored how musical lines are passed, reshaped, and renewed across time. This theme felt wonderfully poignant with so many young listeners in the audience at , captivated by Ravel’s enchanting Mother Goose Suite, alongside evocative works by Clarke, Montgomery, Norris, Debussy, and Berio.

A heartfelt thank you to our extraordinary performers for guiding us through this journey: AWE Festival Artists David Fung and Matthew Lipman, who shared the stage so brilliantly with our returning 2026 Pettman Scholars, Christine Jeon and Matthew Seinafo.

The evening’s magic started early with our free AWE+ Scholars Showcase, where Christine and Matthew offered stunning solo performances of Liszt, Bach, and Ginastera. There is truly nothing quite like witnessing the next generation of talented artists inspiring the next generation of listeners.

Our deepest thanks to for providing such a warm, welcoming space for families, friends, and music lovers to gather and share in these moments.

What an opening weekend in Wānaka. Thank you to everyone who joined us for Crossed and Between.Tonight we're at Te Atami...
04/10/2026

What an opening weekend in Wānaka. Thank you to everyone who joined us for Crossed and Between.

Tonight we're at Te Atamira in Queenstown for Strung, with David Fung, Matthew Lipman and our Pettman Scholars. Only a few seats left.

Read our latest newsletter for Scholar Spotlights, RNZ Concert interviews with Matthew Lipman and Marike Kruup, and what's still to come - https://mailchi.mp/worldsedgefestival/from-wanaka-to-queenstown

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful start to AWE 2026. Today’s opening programme, Crossed, offered a moving jour...
03/10/2026

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful start to AWE 2026. Today’s opening programme, Crossed, offered a moving journey through the works of Bacewicz, Bach, Beethoven, and Michael Norris, guiding us elegantly from moments of uncertainty toward radiant clarity.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the artists who breathed such life into these works: Florian Donderer, Marike Kruup, Matthew Lipman, Julia Joyce, Tanja Tetzlaff, Matthias Balzat, Benjamin Baker and Justine Cormack.

In the quiet space between performances, our AWE+ conversation offered a moment of reflection. Together with Benjamin, Tanja, and Florian, we explored these artists' lives and careers, the philosophy of chamber music, and how the quiet acts of deep listening, delicate responsiveness, and shared responsibility might echo beyond the stage and into the way we live.

And the journey continues at Rippon tomorrow.

We invite you to join us for our next programme, Between, with performances at 2:00pm and 5:00pm.

Suspended between these two performances, Composer in Residence Michael Norris and Ed Cruikshank sit down at 3:45pm for what promises to be an illuminating conversation about their creative collaboration.

Only a few seats remain, follow the link in our bio to reserve your tickets.

02/10/2026

Curious about AWE or just can’t wait for the festival to begin?

Our first open rehearsals are being held today in Queenstown, offering observers the chance to experience our festival artists deep within their performance preparation. Move freely between the below schedule, and explore the Te Atamira Portraiture Exhibition while you’re here.

10am - 11am: Bacewicz Quartet for four violins & Clarke Lullaby and Grotesque for viola and cello
�11am - 12pm: Penderecki String Quartet
�12pm - 1pm: Norris Exitus for string quartet
�2pm - 5pm: Schumann String Quartet
�4pm - 5pm: Shaw Plan & Elevation

The Adam Portraiture Award 2026 Finalists Exhibition brings together 43 artists working from life to explore connection, identity, and presence. From well-known figures to intimate portrayals of friends and whānau, these works hold moments of attention and exchange, where the act of looking becomes a form of relationship.

Head to our link in bio to find out more.

30/09/2026

The snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps are awakening with music as our artists gather At the World’s Edge.

With the festival just two nights away, seats are filling swiftly. Now is the moment to secure your place. Gather your friends and family - both new listeners and attuned ears - and prepare to experience the intimate magic of chamber music suspended within this vast, breathtaking landscape.

Follow the link in our bio to explore the full programme and discover our illuminating, free AWE+ events.
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The snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps are awakening with music as our artists gather At the World’s Edge.

With the festival just two nights away, seats are filling swiftly. Now is the moment to secure your place. Gather your friends and family - both new listeners and attuned ears - and prepare to experience the intimate magic of chamber music suspended within this vast, breathtaking landscape.

Follow the link in our bio to explore the full programme and discover our illuminating, free AWE+ events.
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