About
BAROQUE
About
BAROQUE MUSIC
About
BAROQUE
From
MEDIA
From
MEDIA
Baroque
WORKSHOP
Baroque Music Community and Educational
Trust of New Zealand
BAROQUE
WORKSHOP
.png)
In collaboration with UC Music, we are preparing NZ musicians for a 10-city South Island tour (Feb 2029) & European tour (Oct/Nov 2029) where we will showcase NZ composers and artists on baroque instruments*
-
Baroque instruments provided (copies with gut strings) for practice, workshop, and performance
-
6 days with a total of 28 hours of tutoring by world known specialists in historically informed interpretation of Baroque music from abroad and from NZ: Szabolcs Illés (baroque violin, Hungary) & Edita Keglerová (harpsichord, Czech Republic) Tomas Hurnik (baroque cello) and Mark Menzies (baroque violin)
-
Explore baroque articulation, ornamentation & improvisation
-
Gain ensemble experience and historically informed performance skills
-
Showcase concert at the end of the workshop
-
Places available:
8 violins | 3 violas | 2 cellos | 1 double bass | 2 harpsichords
Workshop Dates: July 4–9 Final Concert: July 10 (afternoon)
Cost: $750 (please contact us if you require financial assistance and/or billet)
*Please note: Participation does not guarantee tour selection, but provides strong preparation for auditions and future performance opportunities with the trust.
4-1O
JULY
2O26
CHRISTCHURCH|THE PIANO
HOW TO APPLY by June 4th 2026
Please email us to bmcetnz@gmail.com including:
-
Instrument you play
-
Years of study
-
Name of your teacher
-
Your age, phone number, and email
-
A short summary of your musical experience (e.g. concerts performed, current performance level)
-
A short video (2–3 minutes) of you performing one complete Baroque movement
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Preparation for 2029 South Island and Europe Concert Tour
This 6-day workshop is designed as a direct pathway toward our 2029 10-city South Island tour (February) and European tour (October/November). As part of this vision, we are developing a youth Baroque ensemble with a programme showcasing music composed for baroque period instruments by New Zealand composers including Rakuto Kurano, Anthony Ritchie, and Mark Menzies, which we aim to present across the South Island and in Europe.
The workshop provides young musicians with the essential foundation to successfully audition. Through intensive coaching, you will develop key Baroque performance skills—including articulation, ornamentation, and stylistic understanding—while gaining hands-on experience on a Baroque instrument. Working closely with specialist tutors, you will build ensemble awareness, confidence, and the musical discipline required for high-level touring.
Participation in the workshop is open to all interested in learning baroque interpretation, there is no requirement to audition for the tours later on, but the workshop offers a valuable opportunity to prepare for those who may wish to pursue this pathway in the future.
This can be an exciting chance to experience the world of concert touring; performing across New Zealand and Europe, traveling, and bringing this music to life in the beautiful spaces it was written for.
Tutors
Szabolc Illes studied at Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. He studied baroque violin and early music presentation led by Dario Luisi and Susanne Scholz in Vienna and Graz. On courses he studied with famous baroque violinists as Enrico Gatti, Marinett Troost, Lucy van Dael or Simon Standage. At Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig studied with Susanne Scholz. In 2009 he gained the Master in Music degree at Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Sigiswald Kuijken’s class. He has been performing as a member of world-famous orchestra, the La Petite Bande. Since 2008, he has been a concertmaster of the Hof-Musici orchestra which is primarily working on the reconstruction and presentation of baroque operas with authentic instruments, costumes and original settings. He gives concerts with his own ensemble the Accademia Capricciosa and other baroque ensembles (Dolce Risonanza, Cammermusik Potsdam, Concert Royal Köln) in Germany, Austria, Belgium the Czech Republic and other European countries.
Edita Keglerova graduated at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Prof. G. Lukšaité Mrázkova. She studied with J. Ogg at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and then at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2007, she defended her doctoral thesis on Interpretation and Theory of Interpretation at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She is a laureate of several international music competitions. As a soloist or member of chamber ensembles, she has performed in many important concert halls not only in Europe but also overseas (Japan, New Zealand, Africa, USA). She cooperates with many ensembles, including the Prague Baroque Ensemble, Hipocondria, and Barocco Sempre Giovanne.
She is teaching at Jan Neruda Music Grammar School in Prague. In 2011, she became a professor at the Prague Music Conservatory. She has repeatedly led master classes at the Summer School of Early Music in Prachatice.
Internationally renowned cellist Tomas Hurnik is a resident of New Zealand, where he currently serves as Associate Principal Cellist of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Hailing from the Czech republic, he has previously enjoyed a highly successful solo and chamber music career in Europe, and was appointed principal cello of the Malaysian Philharmonic in 1998, a post he held for four years. Well over a decade ago, following studies with baroque master Rainer Zipperling, Tomas established a major part of his career as a period instrument specialist, appearing with ensembles such Musica Florea, Capella Regia Prague, Musica Aeterna and Solamente Naturali. This led to the founding of the Baroque Music Community and Educational Trust of New Zealand in 2015, with the organization becoming a major contributor to the New Zealand music scene – offering concerts, workshops and masterclasses in baroque music and period-appropriate instrumental performance on a regular basis ever since.
Mark Menzies has established an important, world-wide reputation as a violist and violinist, pianist and composer. He has been described in the Los Angeles Times as an 'extraordinary musician' and a 'riveting violinist.' His career as a viola and violin virtuoso, chamber musician and pianist, conductor and advocate of contemporary music, has seen performances in Europe, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and across the United States, including a series of appearances at New York's Carnegie Hall.
His interest in performing on the baroque violin was encouraged by initial lessons and a masterclass with baroque violinist guru Elizabeth Bloomenstock in 2010, and since then he has maintained a fascination with period performance practice, regularly incorporating baroque and pre-baroque repertoire into recital programs, and in chamber music presentations, including with the Formalist Quartet, a Los Angeles-based string quartet of which Mark is founding member.
Since moving to New Zealand to take up the position of Professor of Music at the University of Canterbury in 2016, he has regularly collaborated with Tomas Hurnik and the Baroque Trust to present concerts in Christchurch and the South Island.
Photos, Music and Feedback from previous workshops
"It was a fascinating opportunity connecting with other great musicians and performing many concerts for this Baroque tour around New Zealand. There are so many intriguing sceneries and sparkling moments that I would never forget during this tour. I have always been having a great interest in different performance method on Baroque instruments and Baroque music. When this opportunity comes up online, I decided to audition for it. The workshop was spectacular as it helped me grow my technique and Baroque performance style a lot! In an orchestra setting or school ensemble group, it is hard to get detailed individual tuition in terms of the tone colour, the performance style, and the correct bow strokes for different music genres. It is hard for teachers to give feedback individually as there are many people in an orchestra or a school ensemble group. However, everyone got a chance to share thoughts with and receive feedback from Tomas Hurnik and Mark Menzies. I did feel I get to enjoy more and more as the tour went further. The memory of performing the first concert is still fresh in my mind because I remembered I was shaking and nervous throughout the concert. I was so afraid of making mistakes on the stage so that I would ruin it. Fortunately, it did not happen as everyone was very supportive. Mark and Tomas always encouraged us to enjoy the music on stage and not think about the mistakes we made during performances. As the concert tour came to the last stop in Wellington, I found out that I started to swing with the music, and I could present the baroque style more accurately. I had a great time travelling to different tourist spots with the group! Honestly, I have no requirement for accommodation. My goal was to learn something but not a holiday. I would love to share this wonderful experience with other potential student musicians because, in my opinion, everyone deserves to experience how a professional musician life is. Not only could it inform their knowledge of the Baroque music genre, but also it could provide them with a general idea of a travelling musician's life. I truly appreciate this opportunity, and I hope to have the chance to collaborate with you all again!" Leo Liu
Good Evening Tomas,
I am Sara and my mum forwarded me your email as she was in the email list initially. Thank you for the amazing experience of rehearsing and playing with a small baroque ensemble. It definitely is and will remain one of my best highlights of 2021. Below are my answers to your questions from your previous email. 1. My teacher, Jonathan recommended this workshop and I gladly accepted. 2. It was a very unique opportunity. I learned a lot from the tutors as well as other participants of the group. It was very different to playing in an orchestra because there were less players and every voice or part was equally important. In a way it was also different to a school ensemble as most people were more advanced and have more experience than my high school peers. 5. No, everything went smoothly and very similarly to what I expected. 6. Yes, one of the best things you can do as a student; play with others meanwhile having fun and also learn at the same time. So enjoyable. Thanks again and hope I'll have a chance to play with the group again.
Kind regards,
Sara