Our agents abroad

In July 2011 the members of the New Zealand String Quartet were delighted to meet up again with their London-based agent for the UK, European and Asian markets. Sarah Bruce, Director of the agency Lomonaco Artists, took on the Quartet after experiencing their performance first-hand at a concert in Edinburgh in 2008. “It’s been wonderful to have the Quartet in England this July and follow them on their tour, which was been extremely well received by the public and local promoters here,” Sarah said recently. “I’m thrilled that their Petworth Festival concert sold out two months in advance and that we had to find another date for a second performance there! The Quartet members made many new friends along the way and I very much look forward to the next tour in March 2012.”

Sarah launched Lomonaco Artists a few years ago following work with the large UK artists’ agency Harrison Parrott and music publishers Ricordi. She represents musicians and ensembles from the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom. Her agency, she says, is going from strength to strength “and I’m delighted that the New Zealand Quartet is a part of that”.

The Quartet has had North American management for some time, through the agency Jonathan Wentworth Associates. This has been invaluable in developing tours of the US and Canada, which continue to be a regular part of the Quartet’s schedule. Martha Woods, the Quartet’s agent at Wentworths, told us how the relationship began.

“Not only have we represented the New Zealand String Quartet in North America since 2000, but I’ve known Rolf since my days as a student cellist at Sarah Lawrence College. I learned a lot from him! I lost track of Rolf, and then the quartet was recommended to our agency by the eminent pianist Anton Kuerti. He had come back from New Zealand full of glowing reports following his first performances with the quartet. Our interest was doubled by discovering Rolf again!”

Jonathan Wentworth Associates was founded by pianist and educator Kenneth Wentworth in 1978. The company focuses primarily on chamber music and notes that their only specialty is “to represent truly world-class artists”.