New Zealand guitar quartet in concert

This December the New Zealand Guitar Quartet will give its first public performance since 2019, after several years hiatus brought on by a combination of border closures and the traumatic injury of founding member Jane Curry.

NZGQ members Owen Moriarty, John Couch and Vladimir Gorbach have regrouped with internationally award-winning guitarist Andrew Blanch, as they head back onto the concert stage and into the recording studio late this year.

This concert will premiere music that will also feature on the recording and showcases new works written (or arranged) exclusively for the NZGQ by several of today’s leading composers including Gary Ryan, Polina Nazaykinskaya, Michael Williams, Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Marek Pasieczny, and several arrangements by Owen Moriarty.

Pre-covid performances include concerts at the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America Convention (Louisville Kentucky) USA, Guitarromania (Colima) Mexico, the Brisbane International Guitar Festival, Australia, and tours in China (Centennial Hall, Peking University, Sunrise Concert Hall, Beihang University, Beijing. Nationally, the group has toured several times through both Chamber Music NZ and Arts on Tour (most recently completing a 22 concert tour in 2019).  

Reviews/Critical acclaim:

 “with this magnificent new album, they (NZGQ) prove without a doubt that they are now masters of their own destiny and in the top echelon of ensembles.” 

                                   Classical Guitar Magazine, December 2017 

“…Isaac Albeniz is represented by quartet member Owen Moriarty’s arrangement of his Spanish Rhapsody, Op. 70. This is a remarkably effective work, very well played, it is hoped that Moriarty’s transcriptions can be made available to other quartets…”

                                          Soundboard, Vol. 44 No. 1 – Al Kunze 

“…Bruce Paine’s Aotearoa Suite, displaying the quartet’s nimble skills and beautiful timing, melodies gleaming through counterpoint…” (4 stars)

                                          Elizabeth Kerr - NZ Listener Dec 2017

“…Planxty/Andy Irvine Baneasa’s Green Glade followed by Polish composer’s Marek Pasieczny’s homage to New Zealand composer Jack Body, I was given every reason for not trying to predict either programming or virtuosity. I was spellbound, captured by aural magicians, in thrall from the very first sound…”        

                                       Sam Edwards - Waikato Times, July 17 2019