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.

<div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-inline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; font-family: 'Segoe UI Historic', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(8, 8, 9); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">Matthias was appointed as the new permanent cellist of NZTrio in February 2026.</div>
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<div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-inline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; font-family: 'Segoe UI Historic', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(8, 8, 9); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">Matthias began playing the cello at the age of three and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Waikato at just seventeen.</div>
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<div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-inline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; font-family: 'Segoe UI Historic', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(8, 8, 9); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">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.</div>
</div>
<div class="x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="white-space: pre-wrap; margin-inline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; font-family: 'Segoe UI Historic', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(8, 8, 9); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">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.</div>
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John Cowan hosts ‘Real Life’, a weekly nationwide chat show on Newstalk ZB featuring a different high-profile guest every week. John talks with them about their life, their upbringing, their passions and their view of the world.

Real Life With John Cowan

Matthais Balzat - Cellist for NZTrio

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/4d64c219-6da9-4f78-998b-b47e0084b6ba/transcript