At the World’s Edge (AWE) presents spring chamber music festivals that connect Aotearoa New Zealand with the USA and UK. AWE celebrates the power and intimacy of chamber music while fostering cultural exchange and mentorship, bringing together renowned international artists and emerging talent in distinctive settings from New Zealand’s Southern Alps to Chicago and London.

Described by The New York Times as bringing “virtuosity, refinement, and youthful exuberance” to his Merkin Concert Hall debut, violinist Benjamin Baker is an internationally active soloist and chamber musician. Highlights include performances at Wigmore Hall, appearances on BBC Radio 3, and debuts with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Fort Worth Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra, as well as solo performances with the Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras. In 2026, he gives the world premiere of Matthew Kaner’s Violin Concerto, written for him and commissioned by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Amarillo Symphony. Born in Aotearoa New Zealand, Benjamin studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music, where he received the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Rose Bowl. He is a prize winner of the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York, YCAT International Auditions in London, Michael Hill Violin Competition, and Windsor International String Competition, and performs on a 1694 Giovanni Grancino violin.

Praised for her “sense of joyful virtuosity” (South Florida Classical Review), cellist Julia Yang is a versatile soloist and chamber musician. She is a founding member of the Merz Trio—described as “riveting” (Reading Eagle)—and the multidisciplinary Trio Phōs. Recent and upcoming engagements include performances in San Miguel de Allende, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Chamber Music Houston, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Merz Trio are winners of the Naumburg Chamber Music Prize and the Fischoff Competition and tour internationally with innovative, interdisciplinary programs. With Trio Phōs, Yang leads The Sound of Connection, an intergenerational arts initiative supported by over $35k in grants. She is Visiting Assistant Professor of Cello at The Ohio State University and holds degrees from Northwestern University and the New England Conservatory.

Julian Bliss is recognized as one of the world’s finest clarinettists, celebrated for his versatility as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, jazz artist, and educator. He began playing at the age of four and honed his craft at Indiana University and under the legendary Sabine Meyer in Germany. Bliss has graced prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, Verbier, Lincoln Center, and Gstaad and performed as a soloist with leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, São Paulo Symphony, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Recent highlights include a performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Bournemouth Symphony and the world premiere of Ross Harris’s Clarinet Concerto in New Zealand. Bliss’s recording portfolio showcases his artistry and range. His recent releases include John Mackey’s Clarinet Concerto and a Schumann recital album, as well as collaborations with the Carducci Quartet and James Baillieu. Past recordings feature works by Brahms, Mozart, and Reich, and his Gershwin-inspired album I Got Rhythm with the Julian Bliss Septet received glowing reviews. The Septet’s vibrant performances of jazz and swing have thrilled audiences worldwide, from Ronnie Scott’s to Jazz at Lincoln Center. In addition to performing, Bliss is dedicated to expanding the clarinet repertoire. Through Bliss Music, he publishes arrangements such as Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata, which is now featured in the London College of Music syllabus. Julian is proud to be a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren performing artist.

Indonesian pianist Janice Carissa, a Gilmore Young Artist and Salon de Virtuosi recipient, is celebrated for crafting vivid musical narratives that transcend virtuosity (Chicago Classical Review). She has performed for the President of Indonesia, at the United Nations, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Louis Vuitton Foundation. After her Philadelphia Orchestra debut at sixteen, praised for “radiating the multicolored highlights of a mature pianist” (Philadelphia Inquirer), she has collaborated with Stéphane Denève, Cristian Măcelaru, Peter Oundjian, Osmo Vänskä, and Jahja Ling, stepped in for Andre Watts with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and performed with the Kansas City, Nashville, Curtis, Promusica, Amarillo, Sacramento, Kalamazoo, Bay Atlantic, Battlecreek, Symphony in C, and Tacoma symphonies. Her 2024–2025 season includes debuts with the Pittsburgh, Knoxville, Delaware, Erie, Boise, and Lakeside symphonies, a Durango Music in the Mountains residency, and solo recitals spanning Bach to Rzewski, including the world premiere of Eunike Tanzil’s Five Miniatures. A committed chamber musician, she collaborates with Vadim Gluzman, Miriam Fried, Pamela Frank, David Shifrin, Marcy Rosen, Paul Neubauer, Shmuel Ashkenazy, and members of the Berlin Philharmonic’s Scharoun Ensemble, appearing at Marlboro, Ravinia, Bravo! Vail, Caramoor, North Shore, Kneisel Hall, Ensemble 132, and the Jupiter Chamber Players. Trained at Curtis and Juilliard with Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald, she is now based in New York.