Welcome to the Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series in collaboration with CLEF | Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation.

Kaha Trio
7.30pm, Wednesday 6th November
Lewis Eady Steinway NZ Showroom

Programme:

Beethoven Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op.1 No.1
I. Allegro
II. Adagio cantabile
III. Scherzo, Allegro assai
IV. Finale. Presto

Dvorak Piano Trio No.4 in E Minor, Op.90, B.166 ‘Dumky’
I. Lento maestoso — Allegro quasi doppio movimento 
II. Poco adagio — Vivace non troppo — Vivace 
III. Andante — Vivace non troppo — Allegretto
IV. Andante moderato — Allegretto scherzando — Quasi tempo di marcia
V. Allegro
VI. Lento maestoso 

The Kaha Trio is an exciting and emerging ensemble, showcasing impressive young talent; Violinist Lorna Zhang, Cellist Damon Herlihy-O’Brien, and Pianist Madeleine Xiao. They met in 2021 through the Chiron Music Academy as Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation Scholars and are currently students at the University of Auckland, all studying for a Bachelor of Music. Their coaches consist of several pre-eminent musicians around New Zealand and they have also received guidance from international artists and established ensembles such as violinist Benjamin Baker, violist Jordan Bak, cellist Alice Neary, NZTrio, New Zealand String Quartet and the New Zealand Chamber Soloists. Kaha Trio are fortunate to be members of the Auckland Philharmonia’s “Aspiring Musicians Program” for the third year.

The trio has received opportunities throughout New Zealand and performs regularly, these include various performances for the Auckland Philharmonia and other public concerts. In 2023, they worked with the New Zealand String Quartet at the Adam Summer School. They were individually accepted as emerging artists in the At the World’s Edge Festival where they toured around the Central Lakes Region performing alongside internationally renowned musicians in many ensembles and events. As part of their emerging artist residence at the festival, they also toured and presented around 20 workshops for school students of all ages.

During their time at university, they have been awarded the Carl and Alberta Rosenfeldt Prize in Chamber Music, as well as winning the 2024 ACMS Chamber Music Competition in Association with Chamber Music New Zealand. Apart from their extensive experience in ensemble settings, all members are highly accomplished soloists in their respective instruments.

Welcome to the Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series in collaboration with CLEF | Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation.

Recital with Madeleine Xiao
7.30pm, Wednesday 25 September
Lewis Eady Steinway NZ Showroom

PROGRAMME:
Bach-Busoni: Chaconne in D minor, BWV1004
Haydn: Sonata No.60 in C major, Hob. XVI/50 -  I. Allegro
Tchaikovsky: Dumka, Op.59
Chopin Ballade No.4 in F minor, Op.52
INTERVAL
Chopin: Sonata No.3 in B minor, Op.58

Aged19, Madeleine is in her third year of a Bachelor of Music undergraduate degree at the University of Auckland under the tutelage of Rae de Lisle, Bryan Sayer, and Katherine Austin. She has achieved numerous top awards and scholarships internationally and has performed all over New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Germany, and the U.K.

In 2024, Madeleine reached the semifinals of the international Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition and was awarded the Best NZ Pianist Award. She is a recipient of the 2024 Pettman Royal-Overseas-League Scholarship which enabled her on a career development tour around Europe for two months in a series of performances, summer festivals and lessons.

Madeleine has played with several orchestras and became the youngest-ever winner of the University of Auckland Concerto Competition. She also won the Auckland Youth Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition and worked with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Benjamin Northey for the finale of the National Concerto Competition. 

As a chamber musician, Madeleine has collaborated with highly acclaimed musicians from all across the world, such as Ben Goldscheider, Zlatomir Fung, Benjamin Baker, Justine Cormack and several musicians from Auckland Philharmonia. She has been invited to perform at the World’s Edge (AWE) Festival twice, both as an emerging artist and an AWE fellow, touring the Central Lakes Region. Madeleine is also a Haydn Staples Auckland Philharmonia Piano Scholar for 2023/2024, and her chamber group, Kaha Trio, is an Auckland Philharmonia ‘Aspiring Musicians’ Ensemble and invited to perform across NZ, being regarded as one of the top up-and-coming young ensembles.

We invite you to join us for this recital by one of New Zealand's leading young pianists.

Welcome to the Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series in collaboration with CLEF | Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation.

Recital with Henry Meng
7.30pm, Wednesday 24 July
Lewis Eady Steinway NZ Showroom

Hello! My name is Henry Meng. I am a pianist and composer studying at the University of Auckland; it is a pleasure to play for you! As a pianist, I have performed with the Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra; with the latter, I won second in the 2023 National Concerto Competition. As a composer, I have had the great joy of hearing my works played by the Auckland Philharmonia and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; I was the winner of the orchestra’s 2023 TODD Young Composer’s Award. A composition of mine is featured in the NZSO’s 2024 concert season.

This concert will feature works including;

Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude and Fugue in F♯ major, from the Well-Tempered Clavier, book 1

Henry Meng: Abyss

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano sonata no. 28

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Études-Tableaux, op. 39

We invite you to join us for this recital by one of New Zealand's leading young pianists.

Welcome to the Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series in collaboration with CLEF | Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation.

Recital with Catherine Chang
7.30pm, Wednesday 12 June
Lewis Eady Steinway NZ Showroom

Catherine Chang is a New Zealand pianist, and holds a BMus in Classical Piano Performance from the University of Auckland under Richard Liu. She has performed with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Youth Orchestra, Auckland Youth Choir, NZ Opera and Chamber Music New Zealand.

Catherine received the People’s Choice Award and Runner-up of the National Young Performer of the Year, Best Performance of a New Zealand work at the Lewis Eady National Piano Competition, and Runner-up and Best Performance of a Classical Sonata at the Lewis Eady National Junior Piano Competition.

Catherine is highly sought after as a collaborative pianist and teaches piano at the Chiron Music Academy. She has extensive collaborative experience, having accompanied studio concerts and playing for masterclasses with international artists. Additionally, Catherine has accompanied students for exams, auditions, and local/international competitions with great success and distinction.

After a successful audition trip to the UK at the end of last year, Catherine is very excited to be starting her MMus in Piano Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in September this year.

The recital will feature works including Deux legendes - Liszt, and Piano Sonata no.7 'Stalingrad' by Prokofiev. 

Welcome to the Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series in collaboration with CLEF | Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation.

Recital with Abhinath Berry
7.30pm, Friday 29 September
Lewis Eady Steinway NZ Showroom

Abhinath Berry is a pianist and composer from Dunedin, New Zealand.

He began self-study of the piano at the age of 15, and has been studying piano with Blair Professor Terence Dennis since 2019. He attained a Bachelor of Music with first-class Honours in Performance and Composition from the University of Otago’s School of Performing Arts in 2022. Abhinath has recently been named the winner of Creative New Zealand’s Jack McGill Scholarship, and a Dame Malvina Major Foundation Arts Excellence Award. Since 2019, he has been awarded all possible prizes from the School of Performing Arts in performance, composition, and academic music. In his final year, he was awarded the Victor Galway Medal, Simon Gibson Memorial Prize, Charles Begg Prize, Prestige Scholarship in Music, and the Ida G. White Memorial Prize.

Abhinath was awarded a Young Artists’ Award from the Wagner Society of New Zealand and has recently presented a second national recital tour featuring works of Liszt and Wagner-Liszt. In 2021, he was awarded a FAME Emerging Practitioner Award, and the coveted Graduates’ Association award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Culture.

Abhinath is also a composer, and was the winner of the 2022 Lilburn Prize for his Sonata-Fantasie for solo piano, and in 2021 for his String Quartet No. 2. His work Prologue from Metamorphoses was selected for the Todd Corporation Young Composers' Award, and was performed and recorded by the NZSO. At present, Abhinath is continuing to present recitals across New Zealand, and is exploring options for postgraduate study abroad.

Welcome to the Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series in collaboration with CLEF | Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation.

Recital with Charles Coop
2.30pm, Sunday 30 July
Lewis Eady Steinway NZ Showroom

Charles Coop, a French pianist with close family links to New Zealand and New Zealand nationality, started studying piano at the age of six under the guidance of Françoise Lepape, then with Michel Wiggers at the Uccle Music Academy. 

At the age of 15 Charles was admitted to the class of Aleksandar Madzar at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels through the “Young Talents” programme. 

He has participated in numerous masterclasses with renowned artists such as Shai Wosner, Vitaly Samoshko, Mateusz Borowiak, Jura Margulis, Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort, Boyan Vodenitcharov, Pascal Godart, Andrea Luchessini and Kyoko Hashimoto.

Charles was awarded the 2nd prize at the Liège piano competition in 2018, and the 2nd prize at the Forte International competition in Brussels in 2022.  He has performed the Grieg piano concerto with the Leuven Student Orchestra and a Beethoven piano concerto with the KCB Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Wouter Versavel. 

Charles is a member of Duo Athenaeum, a piano duo created with Romanian pianist Antonia Tudose, currently exploring 4-hand repertoire by French and Romanian composers.