Kokas was injured while on a day off during the quartet's Australian tour and is unable to perform. Hungarian cellist Akos Takacs has joined the tour in Australia and will join the Kelemen Quartet as guest cellist for the New Zealand leg.
The Kelemen Quartet with Akos Takacs performs at Dunedin's Glenroy Auditorium, then Invercargill and around the country.
Chamber Music New Zealand chief executive Euan Murdoch says it is unfortunate Kokas will not feature in the concerts and the decision to find a guest cellist was not taken lightly.
''It had to be someone perfect for the other members of the quartet and the music they wanted to perform.''
Takacs is a former member of the Auer String Quartet, which won recognition in Hungarian and international competitions.
The change means a new programme for the tour, with Mozart's String Quartet in C Dissonance paired with Kodaly's Serenade for two violins and viola, and string quartets from Haydn and Bartok.
The Kelemen Quartet won the Musica Viva Grand Prize at the 2011 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition and is resident at the Bela Bartok National Concert Hall at the Budapest Palace of Arts.
The quartet is led by Barnabas Kelemen, who has previously featured with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
The Kelemen Quartet performs at the Glenroy Auditorium on Sunday, March 9, at 5pm.
