The NEW ZEALAND STRING QUARTET was formed in 1987 and has the unique mission of serving an entire country. The quartet performs 50 concerts a year in New Zealand alone, presenting innovative programming to a variety of audiences in centers large and small. The quartet is rapidly becoming distinguished as an ensemble with exceptional communicative powers and a dynamic style all its own.
According to Christchurch Press, "If the concert experience is all about communication, then the New Zealand String Quartet members have fully mastered the art. . . . They simply loved what they were doing and compelled their audience to share their wonder and admiration. Combine this sense of irrepressible enjoyment with the confidence that comes with supreme technical skill, and you have the ingredients for an evening that will live long in the memory."

Outside New Zealand, the ensemble was quartet in residence at the Tanglewood Festival in 1989 and has appeared at numerous other festivals including Rutgers SummerFest, Monadnock Music, Olympic, and Banff. They toured Europe in 1996, appearing in Germany and Switzerland as well as participating in the open chamber music session at the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove, Cornwall. In 1997 they toured Australia, North America, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Italy. In 1998, the group made their first appearance on the classical radio program St. Paul Sunday.

Violinist Helene Pohl was a student at the very first Ithaca College Chamber Music Institute — she returns as a seasoned artist and performer for our 27th year.

RICHARD AARON, Cleveland, Ohio, has been a member of the cello faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music since 1992; in 1998 he was a visiting professor at the New England Conservatory of Music. He is a teacher at the Encore School for Strings. Aaron has been a member of several major orchestras in Israel, Switzerland, England, and the United States, and continues to give frequent solo recitals throughout Europe. He founded the Tre Voce Piano Trio and Moore Quartet of Seattle, Washington, and is currently a member of the Elysian Trio. He has attended many summer festivals, including Marrowstone, Siena, Chautauqua, and Yellow Barn. Aaron has led cello pedagogy workshops throughout the United States at dozens of universities and music schools. His students have won numerous national competitions and have appeared as soloists with the Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle symphonies.