Married to the music
Regular NZSQ members Helene Pohl and Rolf Gjelsten, who are a couple, will be joined by Andrew and Julia Joyce for the quartet’s annual candlelight concert at St Mary of the Angels Church on Friday. Along with NZSO principal bass, Hirishi Ikematsu, they will play one of the most romantic works of the string repertoire, Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen.
The Joyces both play with the NZSO, Andrew as principal cellist and Julia is acting principal viola. Andrew from Norwich met New Zealand-born Julia in London when they played together in a string quartet in 2006. The pair shared a busy life travelling around the UK and Europe playing in orchestras such as the London Symphony and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. Not long after they married Andrew heard the NZSO was looking for a principal cellist.
“With principal viola also up for grabs it was too good an opportunity to miss,” Andrew says.
The couple settled in Wellington in February and they’re loving it.
“It’s a one minute walk to work and that’s pretty cool. It’s just a great place to live,” Andrew says.
While Julia is from New Zealand musical aristocracy (her mother is pianist Rae de Lisle), Andrew says he wasn’t from a musical family, although his great grandfather was also a cellist.
“I’m not sure that my great grandfather influenced my decision to take up the cello. I never met him and I had been playing for six months before I heard a tape of him. All I remember is that when I was six I wanted to play the cello.”
He pestered his parents and when his school was able to offer an instrument, and provide a teacher, he began learning at the age of six and-a-half. Later he pursued his musical studies at the Purcell School of Music, the Royal College of Music and at Germany’s Lubeck Academy of Music.
He welcomes the chance to play Strauss in a candlelit St Mary of the Angels.
Seven Strings by Candlelight, New Zealand String Quartet, St Mary of the Angels Church, 6.30pm, September 30.










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