To showcase the acquisition of a Kawai semi-grand piano, the best young musicians in this region have been invited to perform at this Sunday’s concert.
The line-up has been co-curated by Annie Phelan, Artistic Director & Principal Conductor, Bellingen Youth Orchestra and Mei Wei Lim, a Repton-based music teacher and graduate of The Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied piano, piano accompaniment and flute.
We are delighted to introduce five youngsters whose talents – spanning piano, violin and voice – have impressed teachers and mentors alike and are set to enthral the audience at Memorial Hall.
Joe Barker, 16, had been happily learning the drums when he was turned on to classical music – Rachmaninoff in particular – literally overnight, after seeing the film ‘Shine’. David Helfgott’s on-screen influence over this Bellingen High School student has raised the young pianist's excitement about performing in the presence of his inspiration.
Josie Armstrong, 18, is a graduate of Coffs Harbour Senior College, attaining a Band 6 and Encore nomination, primarily for her work in her preferred genre of musical theatre. Her passion for singing, nurtured since age 10, has led to leading roles in local productions such as Jojo in Seussical, Anna in Frozen and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Josie recently represented Australia at the Junior Theatre Festival in the USA and hopes to study musical theatre full-time next year.
Henrietta Hohenlohe, 15, studies at the Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium. Ever since she picked up the violin at 10 years old, she has been fascinated by the beautiful music it creates. She immensely enjoys playing music with her sisters and friends. But Henrietta’s passion for music goes further than the violin, indeed, she loves to teach herself the occasional piano piece, too. She said, “David Helfgott is legendary in our local area, and I am proud to be participating in an event honouring his legacy.”
Vocalist Jaclyn Wynne, whose repertoire includes songs by Smokey Robinson and Jeff Buckley, will also be performing alongside pianist Mia Greyling, who has been playing piano since the age of 3! Mia studies at the Coffs Conservatorium, where she has also won a scholarship and performs with the Advanced Chamber Ensemble.
Accompanying the soloists, as well as giving the new piano a thorough workout through a range of genres, is much-loved and internationally trained local piano tutor Mei Wei Lim.
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