Leading Aotearoa chamber music ensemble NZTrio He Taonga Wairere are pleased to announce Space Jump, the second instalment in their 2026 series. The concert will see NZTrio head to Hamilton, Auckland, Gisborne, Napier, Wellington and Greytown this August, promising a thrilling, gravity-defying musical journey that bridges extreme sports, multicultural fusion, and deep German Romanticism.

For Space Jump, pianist Somi Kim returns after parental leave, joining Amalia Hall (violin) and Matthias Balzat (cello) to continue the trio’s legacy of world-class collaboration. In a colourful series that takes audiences from the edge of space to the heart of Europe, Space Jump is a masterclass in musical curation, proving why NZTrio remains at the absolute forefront of New Zealand’s contemporary arts scene.

The tour takes its name from Turkish composer Fazıl Say’s gripping work Space Jump, directly inspired by Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space. Capturing the high-adrenaline tension of a 39-kilometre freefall through the stratosphere, the piece shatters traditional classical boundaries with its driving rhythms and intense cinematic energy.

Space Jump opens the programme, then moves to the playful energy and radiant adoration of Schumann’s lyrical Piano Trio No. 2. The concert also includes a new commission for NZTrio by South African/New Zealand composer Keith Moss, bringing with it a tangible sense of place. The piece, Field Notes in Autumn, evokes the change of seasons settling over a Wellington streetscape. The concert concludes with a striking work by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, bringing a rich fusion of Indian Hindustani and Western musical traditions, translating traditional ragas into a new sonic space.