Rotorua to get a taste of 'crystalline radiance'

A Swedish group will give its Rotorua audience a taste of 'crystalline radiance' at an upcoming performance.

The Klara Kollektiv is made up of New Zealanders Anna McGregor and Manu Berkeljon, who are now based in Sweden.

In Swedish, the term 'klara' means to clarify. The Klara Kollektiv is a new ensemble. It was established in 2016 as an extension of the Darlecarlia Clarinet Quintet.

The Kollektiv delights in emphasising the connection between standard repertoire and new music.

A clarinettist, Anna is the associate principal clarinet at Wermland Opera in Karlstad.

Between 2010 to 2013 she studied foramaster's degree at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm under teachers Hermann Stefa´nsson and Martin Fro¨st.

Anna has performed with many of Sweden's top orchestras, including the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Orchestra and the Royal Swedish Opera.

Manu Berkeljon grew up on the West Coast of New Zealand. She has worked in orchestras throughout New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and England.

Since 2011 she has held the associate principle second violin position in Dala Sinfoniettan. Manu is an active chamber musician throughout Australasia and Scandinavia.

She has always taken an interest in collaborations with composers and in 2015 Anthony Ritchie dedicated his Violin Sonata No. 3 to Manu. She premiered this work in Scandinavia in 2016 with pianist Torgeir Kinne Solvik.

For this tour, Anna and Manu will join forces with Finnish-born pianist Taru Kurki. Since August 2012 Taru Kurki has been piano department head at the Falun Music Conservatory in Sweden.

Making a career both as a soloist and chamber musician, she is also a teacher.

Taru has a Bachelor of Music from Helsinki, Finland and received a Master of Music from the Royal College of Music/Edsberg in Stockholm, Sweden.

She has performed throughout Northern Europe and the Baltic countries.

She was a semi-finalist at the Spadafora International Piano Competition in Rome in 2007, and also at the Nordic Piano Competition in Malmo¨, Sweden in 2006.

She has also twice been chosen by the Royal Swedish Music Academy as the winner of their scholarship for outstanding young musicians.

More informtaion and tickets here.