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Latest News - Keep up with the play!

Keep up to date with the latest from the Hill Family Foundation for Arts and Music

Photo credit: Sarah Watkins and Gracie Francis

National String Competition – Sarah Watkins and Gracie Francis

We sat down with Sarah Watkins and Gracie Francis – our collaborative pianists for the 2024 National String Competition – to talk about what it’s like to work with a large number of young artists with a limited amount of rehearsal time…the challenges, the joys and the myriad of things that both competitor and accompanist…

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Keep Up With The Play – Jenny’s Winners Tour Blog #3

12 November 2024 Last Tuesday we played a concert in Dunedin and the composer Gillian Whitehead was actually in the audience. I’m playing one of her pieces called Bright Silence and I got to meet her backstage. She was so warm and genuine and I’m really happy that I got to meet her. After Dunedin…

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    Introducing Tal Amoore – National String Competition semi-finalist.

Tal is a violist from Auckland who will compete in the semi-finals which take place at Auckland University School of Music on the 14th and 15th of December. He will be vying for a place in the Grand Final at Westlake Girls High School on December 16.  

For the full schedule and to book your tickets visit the link in our bio.

Tal Amoore’s journey as a violist commenced unusually late at the age of 15 under the guidance of Dr John Thompson, then with Gillian Ansell of the NZ String Quartet. Tal has graced stages across New Zealand, performing with many regional orchestras as well as festivals such as Cuba Dupa, the Fringe Festival, and Classical on Cuba. 

As a Rostered Artist of the Afflatus Ensemble, Tal has demonstrated his versatility as both a soloist and principal violist. He founded the Eden Quartet and has participated in the NZSQ’s Adam Summer School numerous times, and recently embarked on a recording project with a small ensemble of string players alongside London-based Arjuna Oakes and his band. 

Tal has been honoured to be an APO Young Achiever and a Dame Malvina Major Ensemble Rostered Artist. He was also an At the World’s Edge Emerging Artist in 2022 and 2024.
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    Auckland audiences have one last chance to experience the electrifying talents of Jenny Jin and Jeonghwan Kim!  

TONIGHT ONLY: 7:30pm - Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall.

This was their extraordinary finale to Saint-Saëns Violin Sonata No 1 in D minor last night in Wellington.
The concert left no doubt as to why they won last year’s Michael Hill International Violin Competition and Sydney International Piano Competition.

The duo round up their 11-centre New Zealand tour in partnership with Chamber Music New Zealand this evening, then head to Australia for concerts in Melbourne and Sydney with Piano+.

Book NOW at link in bio.
    Introducing Julian Smiles: Whakatipu Music Festival Feature Artist.
 
We’re privileged to welcome Julian Smiles to Queenstown as a guest artist at next year’s Whakatipu Music Festival.

Julian has been a standout performer on the Australian classical music scene for decades, holding many prestigious positions including a number of years as principal cellist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

He has performed frequently as guest principal cello with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and is regularly heard as a soloist with the Melbourne and Canberra Symphony Orchestras.

Julian founded the internationally renowned Goldner String Quartet in 1995 with colleagues Dene Olding, Irina Morozova and Dimity Hall, garnering rave reviews of their recordings and performances in the UK.

Julian has premiered solo works by Australian composers including Mark Isaacs, Carl Vine and Ross Edwards, and is a passionate and highly respected teacher, passing his depth of knowlede and experience to the next generation of music lovers.

Festival Audiences will be able to hear Julian with other Festival Artists over the Easter weekend 18-21 April in Queenstown.

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