2023 Concerts
This year, all concerts (except the second one) will be held in the Auditorium of Ravenswood School for Girls.
Supper is provided for members and guests after each concert.
FIRST CONCERT:
Monday February 27, 2023, 7.30pm
Violinist Anna Da Silva Chen, with pianist Lee Dionne
Anna Da Silva Chen has established a reputation as one of Australia's finest young violinists, equally at home as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician.
She has appeared internationally with major orchestras including the Sydney Symphony, Adelaide, Queensland Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony, Canberra Symphony, and Gottingen Symphony among several others and has collaborated with Australia's leading ensembles such as the Omega Ensemble, Australia Piano Quartet, Selby & Friends, Ensemble Apex, and Alma Moodie Quartet. Her accompanist was Lee Dionne, an award-winning pianist who recently returned from the USA. Together they presented a program which gave a sparkling display of their talents. It included a Romance by Clara Schumann, and Sonatas by Shostakovich, Bach and Robert Schumann.
SECOND CONCERT:
Monday April 24, 2023, 7.30pm, at Turramurra Uniting Church - Pianist, Nadia Koudasheva
Nadia Koudasheva is an experienced solo and ensemble pianist, teacher, and researcher. She has performed in Australia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Estonia, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and China.
Venues in which Nadia has performed include St Martin in the Fields (London), City Recital Hall (Sydney), the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, and the Moscow State Conservatory Myaskovsky Hall. Nadia graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with 1st class honours after she completed a short course at the Moscow State Conservatory. In 2019 she received her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree. Nadia has been teaching since 2010 and is an experienced competition Adjudicator.
Nadia's delightful program featured Schubert, Chopin, and some beautiful piano pieces by modern Russian and Australian composers.
THIRD CONCERT: at Ravenswood
Monday June 26th, 2023, 7.30pm
Anna Stephens, Soprano, with Benjamin Burton, Piano
Unfortunately, this concert had to be cancelled that afternoon, because of the sudden illness of the pianist. Anna now has another engagement for an opera in Melbourne. But we hope she and Ben will be able to present their concert for us later this year.
26-year-old Anna Stephens graduated in 2017 from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music with first-class honours and a University medal for academic excellence.
She studied with Shelli Holcombe at the Conservatorium and with Susan Walters at London's prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama while on a 6-month study exchange. Anna made her debut with Opera Australia singing the roles of Pamina, Papagena, and the Queen of the Night in the 2018 Schools Tour production of the Magic Flute. Also in 2018, she won the Fine Music 102.5 Young Virtuoso Award state final. In 2019 Anna performed a remarkable concert for Killara Music Club and since then she has been awarded 3rd place in the 2022 Sydney Eisteddfod Scholarship Final.
Anna's varied program will include songs by Handel, Mozart, Brahms, Greig, Rachmaninov, Debussy and others.
FOURTH CONCERT:
Monday August 28th, 2023, 7.30pm - Piano Quintet:
Paul Cheung(piano), Amanda Chen (violin), Seamus MacNamara (violin), Benjamin Haire (viola), Reena Oh (cello)
This ensemble consists of outstanding award winning graduates of Sydney Conservatorium of Music who performed two of the most popular piano quintets in the repertoire, Dvorak No.2 and Brahms No.3. These five young musicians played with verve, enthusiasm and precision, to do justice to these beautiful and exciting works
Paul Cheung studied at the Sydney Conservatorium with Tamara-Anna Cisloska, and then did a post graduate diploma with David Miller AM. He has performed solo, concerto and chamber music playing around Australia and the world. In 2018 he was the recipient of the David Miller Award. Paul is the official accompanist for the Sydney Eisteddfod. Amanda Chen began her study of the violin at the age of 7, and went on to gain her Bachelor of Music in 2019, and then Master of Music under the tutelage of Alice Waten at the Sydney Conservatorium in 2021.In 2020 she was part of the ACO’s Emerging Artists’ Program. Seamus MacNamara completed his BMus (violin solo) with Alice Waten at the Sydney Conservatorium in 2018 before undertaking his Masters Degree at Lyon in France in 2019. Seamus has also performed with the Australian Youth Orchestra, St Etienne Opera, Lyon Opera, and Clermond-Ferrand National Orchestra. His passion remains chamber music. Benjamin Haire attained his Bachelor of Music at Sydney Conservatorium in 2014, where he currently works as an educator. He is the founder of the Australian Music Company since 2013, which provides high quality music entertainment (quartets, live bands) for weddings and corporate events. Reena Oh recently completed her Bachelor of Music performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Georg Pedersen. As a two-time recipient of the Hendersons Traveller’s Scholarship, she has had the opportunity to tour Europe, the UK and Asia with the Asta Quartet, the Sydney Con Orchestra and Modern Music Ensemble. She recently performed alongside Finnish violinists at the Kuhmo Chamber Festival while being the Principal Cellist for Australian Youth Orchestra.
Paul Cheung
FIFTH CONCERT:
Monday September 25,2023, 7.30pm
The Ku-ring-gai Male Choir, Conductor: Dr Paul Whiting
Associate Artist: Anita Kyle, Soprano
Anita Kyle
The highly successful Ku-Ring-Gai Male Choir is one of the oldest performing male voice choirs in Australia. Founded by ex-servicemen following the Second World War, the choir has been in
harmony since 1946, and today has 40performing members.
The choir is currently under the musical direction of Dr Paul Whiting and accompanied by Hank Xiang.
Lyric Soprano, Anita Kyle received her A.Mus.A and L.Mus.A Diplomas in Singing while studying with Maree Ryan at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Music, French and Theatre at the University of New South Wales. Anita was awarded a solo contract at the Hessian State Theatre in Wiesbaden , Germany and returned home after four years. Since then she has been in demand for both recital and oratorio performances.
SIXTH CONCERT:
Monday November 13, 7.30pm 2023 - The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company of Sydney
Trailblazers of their time, Gilbert & Sullivan's repertoire remains unparalleled. Performed by emerging and featured artists from the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Sydney, this concert will include favourites from The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, The Gondoliers and lolanthe - plus some sparkling gems that may be less familiar. Sheer delight for both Gilbert & Sullivan aficionados and newcomers alike!