Visiting Artists 24/25 Season

West Wight Arts Association
Visiting Artists 2024/25 Season

A4 Brass

A4 Brass

Jamie Smith cornet / flugelhorn
Jonathan Bates tenor horn
Michael Cavanagh baritone horn
Chris Robertson euphonium

A4 Brass Quartet comprises principal players from some of the UK’s top brass bands, including Grimethorpe Colliery, Brighouse & Rastrick and Foden’s. With “technical virtuosity in abundance” (Brass Band World), these four astonishing musicians come together to perform both lyrical and high-octane works, forming a distinctive and new take on chamber music.

The Quartet has a unique blend of instruments, with a cornet, tenor horn, baritone and euphonium creating an exclusive sound that stands out from the standard brass quartet. With this unusual instrumentation, A4 Brass has actively developed their repertoire, commissioning new music, composing and arranging music themselves.

Formed in 2013 at the Royal Northern College of Music, in their first year the Quartet won the coveted Philip Jones Brass Ensemble of the Year prize. They went on to represent the brass department in the College’s overall chamber music prize, winning the Christopher Rowland Ensemble of the Year Award and claiming both the jury and the audience’s votes. In June 2018 the Quartet completed the prestigious International Artist Diploma in Chamber Music course at the RNCM as John Fewkes scholars.

The Quartet has performed widely throughout the UK appearing at major venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall, Purcell Room, St. Margaret’s Church Westminster Abbey (for Park Lane Group), Lake District Summer Music and King’s Lynn Festivals. More recently they have completed engagements which included a residency at the Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, a concert in the Ceresio Estate Festival in Switzerland and a re-invitation to the Trakai Fanfare Week in Lithuania.

The Quartet has featured on national television and radio, appearing three times on ITV’s Christmas Carol Concerts and on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In-Tune’ twice with Sean Rafferty and Katie Derham. In 2016 they released their debut CD at the RNCM Brass Band Festival featuring new, original music composed for them, including works by Martin Ellerby, Edward Gregson, Oliver Waespi and Nigel Clarke.

A4 Brass have won numerous prizes and awards including the 2018 Royal Over-Seas League Chamber Music Competition, a Tunnell Trust Award, the Tillett Trust Young Artists’ Platform series and the Musicians’ Company Concert Series. In September 2018 they were selected to become City Music Foundation Artists and the following month won the Royal Philharmonic Society Henderson Chamber Ensemble Award. They regularly work with Live Music Now and Music in Hospitals & Care scheme and are committed to expanding and diversifying their work.

www.a4brassquartet.co.uk


Carducci String Quartet

Described by The Strad as presenting “a masterclass in unanimity of musical purpose, in which severity could melt seamlessly into charm, and drama into geniality”, the award- winning Carducci Quartet is internationally acclaimed as one of the most accomplished and versatile ensembles of today. Not only mastering the core repertoire, the quartet presents a selection of new works each season and diversifies further with programmes of film music, pop and rock.

Founded in 1997, the ensemble has won numerous international competitions, including the USA Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and First Prize at Finland’s Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition.

The Carducci Quartet performs at prestigious venues across the globe including the Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Wigmore Hall, London; National Concert Hall, Dublin; Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen; The Frick Collection and Carnegie Hall, New York; Library of Congress and John. F Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.; St Lawrence Center for the Arts, Toronto; and Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Festival residencies include Cheltenham, Ryedale, Lichfield, Presteigne, Kilkenny, Canterbury, Snape Proms, and West Cork.

In 2016, they took home a Royal Philharmonic Society Award for their project, Shostakovich15, an immense cycle of Shostakovich’s Quartets performed across the UK, North, and South America, with a marathon one-day cycle hosted by Shakespeare’s Globe, London. The project was accompanied by a recording of the 4th, 8th, and 11th Quartets to which they added a further volume in Spring 2019 of the 1st, 2nd, and 7th Quartets, acclaimed by Gramophone Magazine for its “…athletic, upfront performances, clear in texture, forthright in tone and bold in articulation”. The Carduccis returned to the composer in 2022, with performances at the Barbican and Wigmore Hall in London, residencies at Kilkenny and Canterbury Festivals, and a third recording presenting the 9th and 15th Quartets.

Highly celebrated for their diverse approach to programming, the Carducci Quartet has devised numerous projects and is regularly invited to perform new works. Their catalogue of programmes presenting music and spoken word includes focuses on Beethoven, Shostakovich, and on the relationship between Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn.

In 2015 they curated projects around Philip Glass and Steve Reich as part of the Royal Philharmonic Society Award winning ‘Minimalism Unwrapped’ at Kings Place in London. Their recording of the Philip Glass Quartets, for Naxos, has reached over 16 million plays on Spotify.

Education work is an important element of the Carducci Quartet’s work, earning them a place on the Royal Philharmonic Society Award shortlist for their family concert ‘Getting the Quartet Bug!’. The Carducci Music Trust was set up to support their work in schools and with young musicians, and they also perform a number of school concerts each year supported by the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust.

https://carducciquartet.com/


Trio Chagall

Trio Chagall

LORENZO NGUYEN piano
EDOARDO GRIECO violin
FRANCESCO MASSIMINO cello

Trio Chagall was founded in 2013 by Lorenzo Nguyen, Edoardo Grieco and Francesco Massimino within the Conservatory of Music “G.Verdi” of Turin. The Trio was named as a tribute to the famous painter Marc Chagall, who has always been a deep source of inspiration, as well as being admired for his ties to music and strong expressive power through the use of colour.

They have been announced as ECHO Rising Stars, and are embarking on a tour of Europe's major concert halls in the 24/25 season.

Prolific competition winners, the Trio Chagall was the recipient of the First Prize at the “Schoenfeld International String Competition” of Harbin in China. Furthermore, in June 2023, after passing two selections and succeeding in the finals at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Trio was nominated Ycat artist. In both cases, it was the first time for an Italian ensemble to achieve these recognitions.

In Italy, Trio Chagall has gained the attention of the musical milieu as a winner of the Second Prize - First Prize was not awarded - at the 20th edition of the “Premio Trio di Trieste”, where it was also given the special prizes “Dario de Rosa” for the best performance of a piece by Schumann, “Fernanda Selvaggio” for best Trio of the competition and “Young award” as most promising ensemble finalist. With an average age of 20 years, the Trio was the youngest chamber group ever awarded in the history of the competition.

These are only the latest in a series of successes for Trio Chagall, which include the 1st overall prize of the chamber music category at the Amadeus Factory competition - the first talent dedicated to the young Italian Conservatory’s artist - the “Giovanna Maniezzo” prize by the Jury of the Accademia Musicale di Siena and the nomination as the “Ensemble of the year 2020/2021” by Dimore del Quartetto, one of the largest network of young international ensembles. In 2022 Trio Chagall was chosen as Ensemble in residence for the Comitato Amur for 2023/2024 and in 2023 as Ensemble in residence in Paris for ProQuartet - Centre Européen de musique de chambre.

Defined as «a very young trio, but already very mature in the search of refined interpretative solutions» (ARCHI magazine), Trio Chagall was founded in 2013 by Lorenzo Nguyen (piano), Edoardo Grieco (violin) and Francesco Massimino (cello) within the Conservatory of Music “G. Verdi” of Turin. The name of the Trio is intended as a tribute to the famous painter Marc Chagall, who has always been a deep source of inspiration and has always been admired for his ties to music and his strong expressive power through the use of color. Trio Chagall is currently based in Basel, where it deepens the repertoire at the Hochschule für Musik, and it is ECMA Ensemble at the European Chamber Music Academy.

From 2020 the Trio is supported by Fondazione De Sono.

Trio Chagall is involved in an intense concert activity around Europe, Kuwait, China and Japan, performing in prestigious venues like Wigmore Hall in London, Grand Theatre in Harbin, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Theatre dal Verme and Sala Verdi in Milan, Izumi Hall in Osaka, Teatro la Fenice, JACC Center. Trio Chagall has collaborated with Bruno Giuranna, Giampaolo Pretto and Luca Ranieri.

Edoardo Grieco plays a violin “Carlo Antonio and Giovanni Testore” made in Milano in 1764 and Francesco Massimino plays the cello “Oro del Reno”by Gaetano Sgarabotto made in Milano in 1948.

http://www.triochagall.com/en/


Giuseppe Guarrera

Giuseppe Guarrera, piano

Invited by Daniel Barenboim to perform under his baton at the opening concert of the season 2017-2018 in Pierre Boulez Saal, the young Italian pianist Giuseppe Guarrera is currently based in Berlin, where he is part of the faculty at the Barenboim-Said Akademie.

In recent years Giuseppe has performed as soloist and as chamber musician in some of the most prestigious halls of Europe such as Wigmore Hall in London, Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, Scherzo Foundation in Madrid , Cappelle Paoline del Quirinale in Rome, Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival Academy, Ruhr Klavierfestival, Estivales musical in Medoc , Auditorium Sony in Madrid, Lingotto Giovani in Torino, Amici della Musica in Padova, Teatro La Fenice in Venezia, Bologna Festival, Settimane musicali of Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, L´Auditori in Barcelona , Musikverein in Wien , Stockholm Konzerthuset, Concertgebow in Amsterdam, Köln Philarmonie, Mupa Center in Budapest, Andermatt Festival, Herkulessaal in Münich , Philarmonie in Luxembourg, Casa de Musica in Porto, Megaron in Athens, Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden etc.

Solo highlights of his career include appearances with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra , the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal , the Orchestra del Teatro la Fenice.

Prior to joining the Barenboim-Said Academy under the guidance of Nelson Goerner, Giuseppe studied in Italy with Siavush Gadjiev and Giuseppe Cultrera , and in Berlin with Eldar Nebolsin .

https://www.giuseppeguarrera-pianist.com/


Atenea String Quartet

GIL SISQUELLA I ONCINS violin
JAUME ANGELÈS I FITÉ violin
BERNAT SANTACANA I HERVADA viola
IAGO DOMÍNGUEZ EIRAS cello

The Atenea Quartet was founded in 2019 in Barcelona. An internationally acclaimed ensemble dedicated to exploring the vast string quartet repertoire, they were a finalist in the 2023 Young Classical Artists Trust international auditions, and are currently based in Basel, Switzerland.

Renowned for their performances of classical and contemporary works, the Quartet has received numerous awards, including the "Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes 2023," first prizes in the Competition el Primer Palau 2022 and Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition 2021, among others.

In the 2023/24 season the quartet will be taking part in numerous international competitions, including the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition, Borciani String Quartet Competition and the Geneva String Quartet Competition.

The Quartet has been invited to prestigious festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, the Barcelona String Quartet Biennial, the Schubertíada de Vilabertran, the Musikdorf Ernen Festival, the Kulturfest Resonanzen Sils, the WIssembourg International Music Festival, Festival d’Aix en Provance and the Juan March Foundation. They have also premiered works by composers like Raquel García-Tomás, Antoni Ros-Marbà, and Mauro Hertig. Future engagements also include a recital at the Festival de Barcelona Obertura.

Currently the ensemble is continuing its musical training at the Hochschule für Musik FHNW in Basel, under the advice of Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet), Silvia Simionescu (Gringolts Quartet), Claudio Martínez Mehner, Anton Kernjak and Anna Gebert.

https://www.ateneaquartet.com/en


Peter Moore

‘Moore displays an eloquence and nobility that one might have thought impossible except by the human voice,’ effused BBC Music Magazine.

Indeed, his sensitivity of expression, command of technique and versatility has made Peter Moore one of the most exciting and well-respected exponents of the trombone today.

Born in Belfast and brought up in Greater Manchester, Moore was part of the world-renowned Brass Band culture in the North of England - experiences which proved crucial to his rapid development as a very young player. He came to international attention in 2008 when, aged 12, he became the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician, kickstarting a solo career that continues to go from strength to strength. A busy schedule has since seen him perform with some of the Europe’s leading orchestras, including the BBC, London and Lucerne Symphony orchestras, BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Polish Chamber Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra. He has also given recitals at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals: Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Cologne Philharmonie, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, London’s Barbican Centre and Wigmore Hall, the Spoleto Festival USA, Vienna’s Musikverein and Zurich’s Tonhalle, to name a few. Meanwhile, tours have taken him as far as Australasia, China, Japan, South America and South Korea, and from 2015 to 2017 he was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.

Moore’s repertoire stretches from the early Baroque via Romantic lieder transcriptions to contemporary works. A proud exponent of new music, he has premiered trombone works written for him by Francisco Coll (Chanson et Bagatelle), Roxanna Panufnik (When You Appear) and Dani Howard (Trombone Concerto) and many others. He also gave the UK premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s Trombone Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, and the European premiere of Joe Chindamo’s “Ligeia” with the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. He continues to collaborate closely with composers to fully realise the potential of the trombone on the solo stage.

Concerto highlights include performances in Suntory Hall, Tokyo with Sir Simon Rattle and the BBC Proms with Vasily Petrenko - the first trombone soloist at the festival for nearly 20 years. The performance was widely praised: ‘There are very few players with the charismatic presence and variety in their sound ... who can hold interest through long phrases as Moore always does,’ wrote The Arts Desk. The Times noted Moore’s ‘hot lyricism’, while the Telegraph admired how he ‘married the elegance of a ballroom dancer with the lyrical tenderness of a violinist’.

Moore’s debut album Life Force was released in June 2018. Accompanied by James Baillieu, the record features a selection of lieder arranged for trombone and piano as well as works originally written for trombone. The album earned a five- star review from BBC Music Magazine, while Gramophone praised Moore’s ‘genuine sympathy’ and ‘long, carefully phrased lines’.

Moore is the former Principal Trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra, joining in 2014 as the youngest ever player. After 10 years, he resigned in order to focus on his career as a soloist. He is currently a professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London and has given masterclasses all over the world in institutions including the Juilliard School, Paris Conservatoire, and New England Conservatory.

Peter Moore is a Getzen International Artist and performs on the Getzen 4147IB.


Anna Huntley

Described by The Guardian as a ‘fast-rising British talent’, award-winning mezzo-soprano Anna Huntley sings on concert, opera and recital stages in the UK and internationally.

Currently a recipient of a Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera Vocal Fellowship given at the 2011 Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition, she is also a laureate of the ‘Das Lied’ Competition, Berlin and the London Handel Singing Competition. She was selected by YCAT in 2012 and was mentored by Angelika Kirschlager as part of the Royal Philharmonic Society/Sir Philip Langridge Mentoring Scheme.

An outstanding recitalist, Anna works regularly with a number of leading accompanists including Graham Johnson (Oxford and Leeds Lieder Festivals), Iain Burnside (Ludlow English Song Weekend, BBC Radio 3), James Baillieu (Wiener Musikverein, Wigmore Hall, London), Julius Drake and Simon Lepper whilst other concert engagements have ranged from Bach’s B Minor Mass with Trevor Pinnock and Haydn’s Harmoniemesse with Andras Schiff to Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the City of London Sinfonia (Michael Collins) and Berio’s Folksongs with the Hebrides Ensemble.

Highlights of recent opera seasons have been a variety of roles for English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, English Touring Opera and the Cambridge Handel Opera Group.

Anna Huntley is generously supported by the Richard Carne Trust.

https://www.annahuntley.com/


Michael McHale

Belfast-born Michael McHale has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading pianists and has developed a busy international career as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician.

He has performed and recorded as a soloist with the Minnesota and Hallé Orchestras, the Moscow, Bournemouth, Jacksonville, Fort Smith, BBC and London Symphony Orchestras, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and all five of the major Irish orchestras. He has performed at the Tanglewood, BBC Proms and Tokyo Spring Festivals, Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Southbank Centre, London, Berlin Konzerthaus, Lincoln Center, New York, Symphony Hall, Boston, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and regular appearances at Wigmore Hall, London as a founding member of the Wigmore Soloists.

Michael’s début solo album The Irish Piano was released in 2012 by RTÉ lyric fm and selected as ‘CD of the Week’ by the critic Norman Lebrecht. More recent solo releases include Schubert: Four Impromptus on Ergodos, Irish Piano Concertos on RTÉ lyric fm, Miniatures and Modulations on Grand Piano and the Strauss 'Burleske' on Chandos. His discography of over twenty-five albums includes releases on Delos, Nimbus Alliance, Champs Hill, and eight duo recital albums on Chandos with clarinettist Michael Collins. The début album of the McGill/McHale Trio Portraits on Cedille featuring special narrations by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali was released in 2017 and immediately entered the Top 25 US Billboard Classical Chart. Recent releases include a recording of Richard Rodney Bennett's Piano Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor John Wilson for Chandos and Clarinet Trios for BIS.

A commitment to new music has seen Michael give first performances and recordings of music by composers including Valentin Silvestrov, Valerie Coleman, John Tavener, Arvo Pärt, Tyshawn Sorey, Chris Rogerson, Abbie Betinis, Bill Whelan, Siobhán Cleary, Edward Gregson, Jennifer Walshe, Cliff Eidelman, Luke Bedford and Linda Buckley, as well as concerto world premières by Irish composers Garrett Sholdice (with Gábor Takács-Nagy and the Irish Chamber Orchestra) and Philip Hammond (with Nicholas Collon and the Ulster Orchestra for BBC Radio 3)

Winner of the Terence Judd/Hallé Award in 2009, Michael was also awarded the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, the 2005 Camerata Ireland/Accenture Award, and in 2016 a Major Individual Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. He studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, and his teachers and mentors include John O’Conor, Réamonn Keary, Christopher Elton, Ronan O’Hora and Barry Douglas.

In 2017 Michael was invited to become a Patron of the Ulster Youth Orchestra, and in 2018 he was appointed lecturer in piano for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the MTU Cork School of Music in Ireland in addition to which he regularly gives masterclasses and adjudicates competitions in the USA, Ireland and the UK. In 2023 he was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

www.michaelmchale.com


Thomas Luke

Widely praised for his exceptional musicality and depth of interpretation, Thomas Luke is an award-winning pianist whose performances have been broadcast on national television and radio.

Thomas was the keyboard category winner of the prestigious BBC Young Musician 2020 competition. With a multitude of accolades to his name, he has been awarded first place in the Iris Dyer Piano Prize at the Junior Royal Academy of Music and has been recognised by the Vienna International Music Competition for possessing "outstanding talent, a remarkable musicality and a very accomplished technique".

Born on the Isle of Wight, UK, Thomas began his piano lessons at the age of four before continuing his studies with Eleanor Hodgkinson at the Junior Royal Academy of Music in London at the age of twelve. In 2022, he won a full scholarship to study at London’s illustrious Royal College of Music, where he is now a Margaret Mount Scholar supported by a Leverhulme Arts Scholarship, studying piano with Vanessa Latarche.


Finn Mannion

Finn studied with Ruth Beauchamp at Scotland’s only specialist music school (2012-2019), where he was awarded a government-aided place. At school, Finn excelled in performance, winning first prize in numerous solo recital competitions. He was principal cello of the music school’s flagship orchestra, string ensemble, baroque ensemble, and was a member of the senior string quartet. Finn was also awarded the school’s Chamber Music Prize and the Calvert Cup for Services to String Music.

Recently, Finn made his concerto debut with the festival orchestra of the Ruthven Music Festival (Scotland), performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major. The debut received positive reviews that described his performance as demonstrating ‘athleticism, stupendous technique and bravado.’ (The Courier, August 2019). In the Edinburgh Competition Festival, he won three first prizes as a solo recitalist, winning the ‘Gray Medal’, the ‘Joan Dickson Medal’, and the ‘Winifred Gavine Medal’. Over the years, Finn has gained further musical inspiration after being selected to perform in masterclasses with reputable cellists including: Troels Svane, David Watkin, Claudio Bohórquez, Celine Flamen, Peter Bruns, and Philip Higham. Finn is delighted to be the youngest recipient of the 2019 Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious ‘Julius Isserlis’ Scholarship.

As a chamber musician, Finn has been involved in numerous events and performances in the UK, Europe and further afield. He became a founding member of the Strathearn Piano Trio in 2015 with whom he has performed at festivals including the Queen’s Hall ‘Winterplay’ Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The trio was awarded the ‘Horace Fellows Medal’ on winning the Edinburgh Competition Festival’s open chamber music class. In 2019, Finn was invited to participate in a visit to the Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he received tutoring from members of internationally renowned ensembles: the St Lawrence and Tokyo string quartets. In Scotland, Finn has collaborated in performances with the Edinburgh Quartet and the Atelier Quartet.

As a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Finn has been principal cello of both the Junior and Senior Orchestras in 2015 and 2017 respectively. For three consecutive years, Finn received scholarships to attend the ‘Musique Cordiale International Festival’ as an academy and orchestral student under the baton of conductor James Lowe. In 2019, Finn joined the junior department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he performs in their Symphony Orchestra, and String Ensemble.

Finn is extremely grateful for the financial support he has received from Caroline Fitzmaurice Trust, The Cross Trust, the Dunard Fund, and the Hope Scott Trust. Currently, Finn plays on an old English cello made by Lockey Hill c. 1790.


Ke Ma

Born in 1994 in China, Ke studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Christopher Elton, Michael Dussek, and Andrew West, graduating with a Master with distinction (DipRAM) in 2017. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Professor Joan Havill, Dr. Alexander Soares, and Rolf Hind.

Ke has won top prizes at international competitions including 1st Prize at the 2016 Concours International de la vie de Maisons-Laffitte and Karoly Mocsari Special Prize (France), 1st Prize at the 2014 Shenzhen Competition (China), and 3rd Prize at the 2012 Ettlingen Competition (Germany) and winner of the Glass Sellers Beethoven Piano Prize Competition in 2021.

As a soloist, Ke made her debut at Wigmore Hall under the auspices of the Kirckman Concert Society, she has given concerts across the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the US. Highlights have included appearances with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Young Musicians Symphony, Suffolk Symphony Orchestra, Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra, and the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tamás Gál at the Palace of the Arts in Budapest. In 2023, her upcoming concerto performances includes St John's Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Nigel Wilkinson and Tapiola Sinfonietta in Espoo.

In 2020, Ke appeared as one of the soloists at the Gold Medal competition and performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with the new low latency technique and collaborated with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Richard Farnes. In addition, it’s a privilege to perform at the York Minster as the first Chinese pianist ever in the prestigious venue, where she was also invited to discuss the influence of pandemic on musicians and was featured on the BBC television program ‘Look North’.

A committed chamber musician Ke has undertaken a Tunnell Trust Award tour of Scotland, given a recital at Wigmore Hall, and recorded music by Vieuxtemps for Champs Hill Records with violist Timothy Ridout. She has collaborated with the Cuarteto Casals at Santander International Piano Competition.

Ke is grateful for support from the Ian Fleming Award from Help Musicians UK; prizes from the Worshipful Company of Musicians, the Maisie Lewis Young Artist Fund and the Prince’s Award and the Hellensmusic.

https://www.kemapianist.com/