Five Lines is a collection of writings about music in Aotearoa New Zealand by Elizabeth Kerr. It features short articles, artist profiles and reviews of concerts, operas and albums. You can subscribe - it’s free - at the bottom of any story.
Joyce DiDonato with the NZSO: great artistry from a generous spirit
American superstar soprano Joyce DiDonato delighted audiences with her magnificent singing and generous personality in concerts and masterclasses during her first visit to New Zealand.
Shostakovich: the musical legacy of a humanitarian artist
Reviewing 6 concerts by Orchestra Wellington and the NZ String Quartet, writer Elizabeth Kerr finds some answers to big questions about Shostakovich’s artistic and personal role in Soviet Russia.
NZTrio: electrifying momentum
The NZTrio, in its new line-up of Amalia Hall, Somi Kim and Matthias Balzat, seems in its “Hypnotique” programme to have fully gelled into a unified, high-octane ensemble.
The Moth Quartet’s new album Tundra: elevated landscapes
Guest Five Lines contributor Raf Hosking reviews Tundra, a new album from the Moth Quartet, an ensemble formed by composers Tristan Carter, Salina Fisher, Elliot Vaughan and Nicholas Denton Protsack.
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio: delightful and uplifting
Wellington writer Corrina Connor reviewed a recent performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio by the Bach Choir and Nota Bene with the Chiesa Ensemble.
International Chopin Piano Competition: a New Zealand pianist reports from Warsaw
New Zealand pianist Otis Prescott-Mason writes about one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions, the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.
Cellist Daniel Müller-Schott: sharing music with freedom and love
German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott visits New Zealand in November 2025 to play Schumann’s Cello Concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia and three concerts of Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello.
Four Last Songs: NZTrio and soprano Emma Pearson in marvellous musical accord
NZTrio with guest Emma Pearson delivered a crackling concert of varied repertoire, including Strauss's Four Last Songs arranged by NZ composer Salina Fisher.
NZSO’s Four Seasons: Kuusisto’s virtuosic showmanship wins the audience prize
Conductor/violinist Pekka Kuusisto entertained the NZSO audience with his inventive performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Can showmanship go too far?
A European concert diary: festivals, concert halls, and musical stars
A musical diary of a month in Europe in September 2025, visiting concert halls and festivals and enjoying performances by top conductors, orchestras and soloists.
NZSO’s Stabat Mater: Victoria Kelly’s profound and moving new work
The NZSO’s recent Stabat Mater concerts presented Rossini’s operatic setting of the text and the world premiere of a new Stabat Mater by Victoria Kelly.
The Monster is coming: NZ Opera’s thrilling community opera
NZ Opera’s community production, The Monster in the Maze, brings a Pacific flavour to the ancient Greek story of how Theseus slew the Minotaur and saved the youth of Athens.
A Masked Ball from Wellington Opera: splendid singing in an imaginative production
Wellington Opera’s A Masked Ball by Verdi featured an outstanding cast of New Zealand singers, inventive and stylish design and direction and fine chorus and orchestral work.
Immerse Festival: NZSO’s next Music Director reveals his strengths
André de Ridder conducted the NZSO in its Immerse Festival concerts, including Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Papatūānuku by Salina Fisher and Jerome Kavanagh Poutama.
The Ghost Piano Trio: subtlety and musical rapport
The Ghost Piano Trio, on tour for Chamber Music New Zealand, brought a thoughtfully curated programme to Waikanae Music Society.
Gillian Whitehead’s Mate Ururoa: powerful storytelling with aroha and pride
Gillian Whitehead’s opera Mate Ururoa tells a powerful story of a Māori Captain in the 1st World War, entwining taonga pūoro, western instruments and voices in a moving production.
NZSO National Youth Orchestra: energy and passion in outstanding performances
This NZSO National Youth Orchestra offered fine performances of lush music by Strauss and Rachmaninov and the premiere of glacier, a work of complex textures and timbres by Luka Venter.
Shostakovich: music for troubled times
Marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Shostakovich, New Zealand musicians are playing his music. Does it provide the greatest insight into a major 20th century composer?
The Night Watch: exploring the intimate beauty of darkness
Wellington-based specialist early music ensemble The Night Watch presents “in Darknesse”, the second of a 2025 triptych of concerts exploring the themes of darkness and the human voice.
Anemic Cinema @ the Roxy: Stroma goes to the movies
Contemporary ensemble Stroma has created an adventurous programme of experimental black-and-white film with new and colourful soundtracks for the Lōemis Festival.