NZTrio's cellist, Matthias Balzat, talks to John Cowan about becoming an internationally touring musician at just 27
- Publish Date
- Sun, 5 Jul 2026, 8:02pm
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Matthias was appointed as the new permanent cellist of NZTrio in February 2026.
Matthias began playing the cello at the age of three and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Waikato at just seventeen.
His career has taken him across Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and Aotearoa as a soloist, chamber musician and with the Ares Trio. He has performed with orchestras including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Köln, Auckland Chamber Orchestra and Opus Orchestra. He performs on a Reiner Beilharz 2014 cello with a Klaus Grünke bow.
His first performances with NZTrio were during the Magnifique concerts in May, followed by the Four Last Songs tour with soprano Emma Pearson coming up in October and the Hypnotique tour in November.
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