Founder & Artistic Director, baroque oboist JOHN GREEN (www.nzhautboy.com) played recorder, piano, bagpipes and baroque oboe before attending Auckland & Waikato universities, gaining MSc and DPhil degrees in Zooology and Limnology while also studying modern oboe with Michael Towsey and Ronald Webb (Principal Oboe NZSO). He then pursued parallel careers as an Associate Professor in Limnology at Waikato University and as a free-lance professional oboist. He has performed as an orchestral player, chamber musician and concerto soloist, mainly in New Zealand & Australia, with many groups including Bach Musica NZ, the Opus Chamber Orchestra, Ekklektika, Camerata Queensland, the Suncoast Sinfonia, Hausmusik.com.au, Queensland Baroque, the Queensland Bach Society, NZ Barok and the Handel Consort & Quire. In recent years he has specialized as an hautboist, performing 17th and 18th century music on instruments of the period, mainly with Hausmusik NZ. His main hautboy tutors have been Michael Taglinger (Germany), Adam Masters (Australia) and Eduard Wesly (Holland), with Paul van der Linden (Holland) and Mary Kirkpatrick (USA) giving critical assistance with reeds and instrument set-up. He is also a hautboy reed maker, with customers worldwide, and in 2012 gave the ‘Baroque Oboe’ presentation at the NZ Double Reed Society’s Double Reed Weekend. In addition to performing, John has for many decades been actively involved in the management of various musical organisations including the Opus Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Queensland, Bach Musica NZ, the NZ Pops Orchestra & Hausmusik NZ. John plays baroque oboes and oboe d'amore (A = 415) by Mario Estanislau & Pedro Castro, Portugal (copied after Johann Eichentopf, Leipzig ca. 1730).
Music Director, harpsichordist and mezzo RITA PACZIAN was born in Germany and studied music at Dortmund &
Lübeck universities under tutors Hans-Jürgen Schnoor (harpsichord & figured
bass), Claudia Rüggeberg (singing), Martin Haselböck (organ) and Klaus Meyers
(conducting), graduating Master of Music (Distinction). Recognized in Germany as one of the outstanding young conductors of her
generation, she was also selected to participate in master classes with leading
international conductors Leonard Bernstein, Helmuth Rilling, Odaline Martinez,
Eric Ericson, Klaus-Peter Seibel, Richard Schumacher and Joshard Daus. From
1989 to 1991 she specialised in historically informed Baroque and Classical
interpretation, working with the
Viennese Baroque orchestra Wiener Akademie and between 1991 and 1993 was
Musical Director at the principal church in Hamburg, St. Jacob’s (a post
formerly held by Telemann). Rita has since become known especially as an
international conductor working with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, the
Philharmonic Orchestras of Lübeck and Schwerin, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen
(Germany), the Tallinn (Estonia) and Riga (Latvia) Symphony Orchestras, the
National Symphony and the Durban Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa, the Queensland
Orchestra in Australia and the Christchurch Symphony and Wellington Vector
Orchestras in New Zealand where she has made her home. Rita is the Music
and Artistic Director of both Bach Musica NZ (www.bachmusica.com)
and the NZ Pops Orchestra (www.newzealandpops.co.nz), presents popular
Conducting and Singing workshops, and is also a professional tennis coach. Rita plays a Zuckermann harpsichord (A = 415) (copied after Ruckers, Antwerp, late 1600s).
Baroque cellist and viola da gambist POLLY SUSSEX (pollysussex.com) studied cello and piano in Prague and at the Royal Academy of Music (London) before gaining BMus (Hons) and PhD (on the Cello Sonatas of Luigi Boccherini) at the University of Otago. She also holds Diplomas in Teaching and in Arts Administration. More recently, from 2007–2009, Polly studied Viola da Gamba at the Hochschule für Künste, Bremen, Germany, and in Basel, Switzerland. She teaches part-time at the University of Auckland and has presented papers on late eighteenth century Italian cello music and aspects of Boccherini’s cello music at international conferences in Singapore and Lucca, Tuscany. Polly tutored at the 2010 & 2103 Australian annual Easter Viol Schools and in 2010 & 2011 took part in the Consort Co-operative, a group of professional Viola da Gamba players at the annual "Conclave" Conference of the American Viola da Gamba Society. In 2013, Polly was elected President of the Australian Viola da Gamba Society. She also performs in the Baroque group Affetto. Polly's baroque cello (A = 415) is by an unknown Southern German maker of the mid 1700s.
Baroque violinist AMELIA GILES began her violin studies at the age of three through the Suzuki method. She graduated BMus(Hons) in violin performance under David Nalden in 2001 and then studied with Justine Cormack and Graham McPhail, completing a MMus in both Modern and Baroque violin performance. In 2003 she was awarded a one year Sir William and Lady Lois Manchester internship with the Auckland Philharmonia. In 2005 Amelia changed careers, training as a primary school teacher, and is now a classroom music specialist, string specialist, and orchestra and choir director, at St Cuthbert’s College. When not in the classroom, Amelia performs as both an orchestral and choral musician in a wide range of ensembles including NZ Barok, The Age of Discovery, Auckland Choral’s Piper’s Sinfonia, Bach Musica NZ, Auckland Chamber Choir, and when her teaching schedule permits, the national chamber choir Voices NZ. Amelia's 18th C violin (A = 415) is by an unknown maker of the Mittenwald ‘Klotz School’, Sth. Germany. Her bow is by Pieter Affourtit, after French models ca 1720.
Baroque cellist THOMAS PIERARD began learning the cello when he was eight and hasn’t been able to put it down since. Study at Auckland University was a natural consequence of his affliction, with teachers Georg Pederson and Coral Bognuda. And then, bitten by the technology bug he pursued a dual career as cello teacher and design engineer until cello lured him back to full time music, gaining him a Masters degree with Honours with Martin Rummel from the University of Auckland. Since then, Thomas has taught at Auckland University, broadcast regularly with Concert FM as a National Recording Artist, and played full-time with the Auckland Philharmonia while accepting a growing number of invitations to play concertos, recitals and chamber music throughout New Zealand. Further study with England’s top Baroque cellist, Richard Tunnicliffe, inspired him to perform the complete cycle of Bach Suites for Solo Cello as a regular full-moon event, dubbed Baching at the Moon. Recent concerts in Europe include a series of recitals in France to launch the Puygiron Art Festival in Provence, appearances at the Festival Royère de Vassivière, near Limoges, and the Concerts dans la Serre Festival, Buxy, Burgundy, and recitals in Paris, Berlin and London.
