From the age of three Matthias Balzat, began formal lessons on the cello and right from the outset was always determined to learn his repertoire properly and be well prepared for every lesson. This attitude has allowed for his development as a performer and opened up many performance opportunities. As a result Matthias says he has been fortunate to have many successes and his passion for the cello continues to increase as the horizons keep extending as to the possibilities.

"Striving for excellence has always been important to me,” explained Matthias to AIMES Awards judges in his application. "Being the youngest of a family of seven, having a somewhat competitive spirit right from a very young age, compelled me to keep up with my older siblings, not just musically but with my academic ambitions as well. In this environment it was easy to flourish, especially since we were all home-schooled and were given freedom and opportunity to pursue our own passions. Our entire family of nine were also actively playing together as a band, performing not just here in New Zealand but also touring extensively over a 10 year period, giving concerts in the US, Germany, Australia and Fiji."
"It wasn’t just excellence in music that mattered to me but academic subjects as well. Being home-schooled gave me the chance to learn at my own pace and follow an accelerated learning program whilst also taking cello lessons with James Tennant (Senior Lecturer for Cello at the University of Waikato).  I finished off my final year of secondary school at Wentworth College, where I opted to attend only the morning classes so that I could devote myself to more hours of cello practice.”
By the time Matthias was 14 he had completed all his AS Level Cambridge Exams, gaining the TOP Prize for Music and also Art Design (receiving the highest mark in New Zealand). This gave him entrance into the University of Waikato at the age of 14. At that young age he moved away from home, away from his parents and siblings and began a very high level Soloist Specialisation Degree in Cello Performance. The high achieving Matthias was placed in the Dean’s List of Excellence for every year of his studies as well as receiving the prestigious Blues Awards for the highest artistic achievement for each year. In his final year he was also awarded the Norah Howell Award for Excellence, The Creative and Performing Arts Person of the Year (2017) and the prestigious Sir Edmund Hillary Medal in 2018.
Matthias has many musical achievements. One of the early successes was being part of a chamber music group which received First Prize in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Chamber Music Competition. Shortly after this he also won the 1st Prize in the National Concerto Competition (at 14, the youngest person ever to win this prize). At Waikato University he was also 1st Prize winner of PACANZ (National Performing Arts Competition) and 2nd Prize winner at the Gisborne International Music Competition. In 2016 Matthias was the 1st Prize winner of the Wallace International Competition, where he was also awarded the prize for the Best Performance of the competition’s commissioned work by Michael Williams. In 2017 he entered the National Concerto Competition again for its 50th Jubilee Year and won the 1st Prize again. As part of the Jubilee celebration the competition was a combination of both an instrumental section and a piano section, with one overall winner. There were two finalists from each category, and the four finalists performed their whole concerto with the NZSO in the final round. Not only did Matthias win the instrumental section but also the overall prize, performing Cello Concerto No.1 in Eb Major by Shostakovich. To complete the year of successes he was also part of the winning chamber music group Aurelian Trio that won the ROSL (Royal Overseas League) Chamber Music Competition which allowed Matthias to tour the UK, performing both chamber music and solo concerts.
Matthias loved his five weeks in Europe. "Aside from spending time with some of Europe’s most important chamber music coaches, during these extraordinary five weeks we performed concerts in many of UK’s most iconic venues which included the St James Theatre Piccadilly, St Martin-in-the-Fields in London and also the Fringe Festival in Scotland."
Matthias has also appeared as soloist with the following orchestras: Waikato University Orchestra, NZSSSO (NZ Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra), Opus Orchestra, WYO (Wellington Youth Orchestra), St Matthews Chamber Orchestra, ACO (Auckland Chamber Orchestra), NZSO NYO (National Youth Orchestra), CSO (Christchurch Symphony Orchestra), and the NZSO (NZ Symphony Orchestra).
"After completing my Honour’s Degree at the University of Waikato in 2017, 2018 has been another exciting year for me so far with invitations to perform as Soloist with the NYO both in Christchurch and Wellington. This was followed by an invitation to be a guest performer at the APO Summer School, followed by recitals in Auckland, Gisborne and Wellington and invitations to perform with Cellophonics later in the year as well as at the Martinborough Music Festival in September.
"I also auditioned for the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado for which I was not only accepted but also received the Kay and Matthew Bucksbaum New Horizons Fellowship – a full scholarship to attend and be part of concerts, masterclasses, lessons and chamber as well as orchestral experiences – which I am still currently attending. Most excitingly I also spent several weeks in Germany having exploratory lessons with prospective future teachers so that I can pursue a Master’s Degree in Germany.  I had lessons with leading cellists like Jens-Peter Mainz, Wolfgang Schmidt, Peter Hoerr and Pieter Wispelwey. It is with Wispelwey that I struck up an immediate bond and am excited to have been personally invited by him to join his class for 2019."
Matthias plans to use the AIMES Awards funds towards his two years of study in Germany.

Matthias Balzat receives the AIMES Emerging Talent Award from the North Harbour Club – sponsored by Bellingham Wallace – including a cash grant of $7,500.