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The NZTrio are one of NZ’s most recognised and widely touring classical music groups. Renee Liang talks to pianist Sarah Watkins about their success and Convergence, the concert they are presenting for the Auckland Arts Festival.

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Since the formation of the NZTrio  (violinist Justine Cormack, cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins) a decade ago, they have become one of NZ’s most recognised and widely touring classical music groups.  In performance, they are impressive technically, slick in presentation and have a reputation for championing NZ music and composers. For the Auckland Arts Festival the NZTrio are presenting a concert, Convergence, which “provides a window through which the audience can look back on ancient music and traditions, and forward to a new world where sounds and cultures meet.” Among the works blending eastern, western and maori music traditions is a work by Victoria Kelly which receives its world premiere. Renee Liang spoke to trio member Sarah Watkins.

How was NZTrio formed? How do you know one another?

We first got together as a trio back in 2002, when we were given the opportunity to perform in the Fringe Festival that used to be associated with the International Arts Festival in Wellington. Justine and I had known each other since high school in Christchurch (we first played in a piano trio with her sister, and went on to win the National finals of the Chamber Music Contest), and continued to play together in university, and when we both lived in the US; Ashley and Justine first worked together when Justine was the concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and Ashley was the acting Principal Cellist.

We had a sense from the beginning that we'd really enjoy playing together - and that certainly proved to be the case! We set about trying to turn a very part-time, occasional group (I was still living in the US) into a full-time enterprise - this was initially helped by being the ensemble-in-residence at Auckland University from 2004-2009, and now we have a great team behind us that is really supporting us, helping us get out there and play the concerts that we love for audiences in New Zealand and beyond.

How did you conceive Convergence?

When we were bouncing around programme ideas for the Auckland Arts Festival, we were encouraged to think of what it is that makes Auckland special - and one of the most obvious to us was the sense that we really are living in an incredible, culturally diverse city. So the idea of Convergence is really a celebration of that diversity, bringing together and weaving Western, Eastern and Maori musical traditions. In this programme we will be joined by Horomona Horo and Richard Nunns, two master practitioners of taonga puoro (traditional Maori instruments) in music by kiwi composers Gareth Farr and Victoria Kelly; the middle works on the programme (by Gao Ping and Chen Yi) are brilliant examples of the fusion of Chinese sounds and imagery with Western composition style.

We really believe that the audience is going to be transported by the exotic sounds and blending of these wonderful cultures - some of it will be quite ethereal and atmospheric in places, contrasted with music that has incredible power and intensity as well. We're very excited!

Were any of the works specially commissioned for the Festival?

As our ideas for Convergence started to take shape, we approached composer Victoria Kelly (who also happens to be the wife of cellist Ashley Brown) to see about writing a new work for us that incorporated taonga puoro - we have recorded and performed another work of hers on numerous occasions in NZ and around the world, and really felt that she could bring something quite special to this project.

Toi Huarewa will receive its premiere performance at the Festival, and from the workshops we've had with Victoria and Horomona we can tell that something extraordinary is being created. Victoria says that when she began writing this piece, she wanted to 'create a musical world where Maori and Western musical traditions could communicate in the same language, and that to unite these two distinct voices, she decided to create a myth to act as a musical form. Maori mythology is fundamental to the taonga puoro and many other mythologies exist at the ancient heart of Western art - so this felt like a natural starting point.' I think from those words alone, you already get the sense that something quite precious is going to come forth in the process.

What are your relationships with the NZ composers whose work you perform? Do you influence each other?

In the 11 years that we've been playing together, we have commissioned or had composers write more than 25 new piano trios for us, and there are several other non-commissioned NZ works in our repertoire. So you could say that we have developed a very strong connection with the composition community throughout New Zealand. We've earned a reputation as real champions of New Zealand music, and were particularly honoured to receive the KBB Music/CANZ (Composers Association of NZ) Citation for Services to New Zealand music in 2012.

When we have a new commission coming up, we try to meet with our composers as they are writing the piece - it's a great opportunity to get to know the works during the formative stage, to try things out, see what ideas we can all bring to the table - so there's a real sense of collaborative spirit between us all. I'd say we're also seen as being somewhat fearless when it comes to new music - over the years we've had to sing, whistle, prepare our instruments, even treat them as percussion instruments, not to mention playing some extraordinarily complex and difficult music! - so I think in that respect there's a feeling of composers and performers challenging one another to greater heights. Composers know that we will give our absolute best to whatever they write for us, and we know that we will grow in the process.

You've grown NZTrio's international reputation in seemingly a short time - any tips and tricks, apart from being very, very good?

Thanks! I'd say we've really tried to take advantage of all the opportunities that come our way, and have worked really hard to build good relationships with people we meet both here and overseas. We've been lucky to travel to some fantastic places in recent years, at first because of our University position, and then through the support of composers such as Jack Body - something like 6 visits to China and Taiwan, as well as Turkey, Brazil, Korea, Indonesia, Australia, the US, France, and the UK. There are great arts networks around the world, and festivals tend to keep an eye on what's happening at other festivals - so we take advantage of all those possible encounters when we're playing somewhere like the Auckland Festival.

We're confident, for example, that people are really drawn to the experience of hearing unexpected music from somewhere like New Zealand - so I think we have something of a point of difference there - plus we like to mix programmes up in ways that a lot of other 'classical' groups tend not to do.

We try to keep connected with our local and overseas audiences via e-newsletters, Facebook and Twitter, plus we have a number of commercial CDs which are available online, and a great website which has video and audio clips - so there's lots of ways that people can get to know us a bit better.
On top of all that, we have a fantastic manager who is nurturing those relationships and making introductions - there's so much that we simply couldn't do without her!

How and why do you bend the boundaries of classical music?

We are really proud of what we do, and love the music we play, and believe that despite living in this high-speed, digital age, that 'classical', or contemporary art music is highly relevant to people from all walks of society. It's a living, breathing, intense and emotional art form - and it has to be experienced live to really be appreciated.

We present the music in a friendly, uncomplicated way - we all speak to our audiences about the music as we play it, to give them an idea of what to expect, or what to listen out for. Even in terms of what we wear - no ballgowns or tails on stage at an NZTrio concert, thank you! We have a wonderful relationship with WORLD clothing, which we think has a similarly fun, slightly irreverent aesthetic - so the minute we walk on stage, you know you're in for something a bit unexpected. Unfortunately, classical music is too often seen as being unapproachable, and people are afraid that they won't understand it - to which we'd say, come along with open ears and an open mind, and you'll be blown away by the experience!

What are your next projects?

It feels like 2013 is really off and running - after the Auckland Festival, we'll be preparing for a 10-centre national tour of the main centres for Chamber Music New Zealand throughout the first part of May, so we'll be getting stuck into some gorgeous programmes filled with music from Russia, America, China, and a new commission from Auckland composer Claire Cowan.

We'll return to the stage with the New Zealand Dance Company in June in Auckland and Wellington, as well as undertaking the beginnings of an exciting collaboration with local theatre company Massive.

Then it's our own series later in the year at Loft @ Q Theatre, some more festivals and touring around New Zealand, and a return to China and Taiwan in November.
Fingers crossed we might also have concerts to look forward to in Europe - but I can't say any more than that!

• The Auckland Arts Festival 2013 is on from 6 to 24 March