NZSM hosts John Chen: Piano Masterclass

New Zealand pianist John Chen visits Wellington and, under the auspices of Chamber Music New Zealand, gives a masterclass in piano for students of the New Zealand School of Music. This event will be held in the Hunter Council Chamber, on Victoria University's Kelburn Campus: observers are welcome.

John is currently on a Chamber Music New Zealand concert tour to 10 centres with the Saguaro Trio. The Los Angeles-based trio, John Chen and his colleagues Luanne Homzy and Peter Myers, took first prize at the International Chamber Music Competition Hamburg in 2009, 2nd Prize in the 6th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition 2008 and 3rd Prize in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition 2008.

John Chen began his piano studies at the age of three. He studied with prominent New Zealand pedagogue Rae de Lisle for 11 years, gaining a Master of Music degree from the University of Auckland under her tutelage. In 2004, at the age of 18, John Chen became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Sydney International Piano Competition. He was also awarded special prizes for best performance of works by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Chamber Music, and the 19th/20th Century Concerto. This followed his first-prize win in the third Lev Vlassenko Australasian Piano Competition in Brisbane in 2003, where he swept all the special prizes.

Since then, John has become one of the very few whose career has matched its auspicious competition beginnings. He has a formidable profile in Australia where he has worked with all of the big six orchestras as well as Orchestra Victoria and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and where limelight magazine placed him in their top 50 power players to watch in the arts – in the company of luminaries such as Vladimir Ashkenazy and Cate Blanchett.

Event listed by New Zealand School of Music

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