The Morton Trio

Comprised of husband-and-wife duo, Alex and Arna Morton, and pianist Liam Wooding, Morton Trio has been delighting and engaging audiences with charismatic performances throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad for over eight years.

Following several successful tours with Chamber Music New Zealand and UK-Based Pettman/Royal Overseas League, Morton Trio has firmly established their reputation as one of Aotearoa’s most innovative classical music ensembles through their discovery and performance of lesser known works for the genre alongside expanding the horn trio repertoire through their own arrangements and compositions, with some of these works featuring on their debut album released in 2024.

One of Aotearoa’s most versatile violinists, Dr Arna Morton is a deeply passionate performer, music educator, and composer, comfortable on practically any stage as a soloist, chamber musician, improviser, and orchestral performer. Following the completion of both Bachelor and Master of Musical Arts degrees at the New Zealand School of Music, Arna completed her PhD in Violin Performance at the University of Melbourne.

Alex Morton grew up in Christchurch as an incredibly nerdy musical kid, taking part in every performance opportunity, he could get his hands on. While he originally set his sights on learning the trombone, his short eight-year-old arms meant that a French horn was placed in them instead, which thankfully turned out to be a rather fortuitous replacement.

Liam Wooding (Atihaunui a Paparangi) was born in Whanganui, New Zealand in 1992. His love of the piano was fostered at an early age and developed through piano lessons and an array of musical experiences. He went on to study piano in Auckland and Hamilton under Rae de Lisle and subsequently Katherine Austin, graduating with a master’s degree in music. He was then accepted into the selective piano class at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) to study with Timothy Young and remained there for three years. More recently he studied in the United States as a Fulbright Scholar with Aleck Karis.