The violinist was a long-time concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia
Violinist Brecon Carter died on 24 August 2026, surrounded by his family. He was 84.
Born on 23 December 1941, Carter was born into a musical family, where he began playing the piano aged six. He started playing the violin aged seven and later trained at the Royal Manchester College of Music (now Royal Northern College of Music) from 1961 to 1964.
He performed with the New BBC Orchestra (later the BBC Training Orchestra), the Sydney Symphony Orhcestra and the Elizabethan Trust Orchestra (the resident orchestra of the Sydney Opera House) before taking up his role in Auckland.
Carter served as long-time concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia (formerly the Symphonia of Auckland) from 1981 to 1997, later becoming concertmaster emeritus until his retirement in 2012.
He led the Auckland Quartet and ran the Auckland String Quartet Summer School for over 30 years from 1984 to 2022. He was honoured as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to music in 1999.
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