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When the tour approaches its end, another opportunity comes along…

When the tour approaches its end, another opportunity comes along…

Keep Up With The Play Part 4. When the tour approaches its end, another opportunity comes along... Photography by Andrey Gugnin  and Anne Rodda Last time you checked what our duo was up to, Ioana and Andrey were enjoying themselves on both sides of the Tasman -  Sydney, Melbourne, and Whangarei. Feel free to scroll through their memories from that touring moment by clicking here. Since then our musicians moved to the lower part of the North Island to enjoy…

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Richard Lin 1st prize in Indianapolis.

Richard Lin 1st prize in Indianapolis.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Richard Lin - our 2011 2nd prize winner. This is a major achievement and we couldn't be happier. Also big hip hip hoorahs to Luke Hsu (our 2017 2nd prizewinner) for placing 3rd and Ioana Cristina Goicea (our 2017 winner) for her 5th prize at the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis – in Indianapolis, United States. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the The Juilliard School, where he studied…

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Tour adventures across the Tasman

Tour adventures across the Tasman

Keep Up With The Play Part 3. Tour adventures across the Tasman Photography by Andrey Gugnin  and Anne Rodda Do you remember how the Winners’ Tour started? It felt like yesterday when Ioana and Andrey met for the first time in the Sydney International Airport. Early last week they flew back to Sydney thanks to performances offered to them by Musica Viva Australia. Ioana and Andrey performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre and at The Independent Theatre in Sydney. https://www.instagram.com/p/BoaPq1XnbSQ/…

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Chemical reaction on show

Chemical reaction on show

Reviewed by Ruth Allison. Nelson Weekly. A palpable chemistry exists between these two young musicians. They are a tour de force. Ioana Cristina Goicea is a gracious amazon and an electric presence on the stage with her beautiful Guadagnini violin. While Andrey Gugnin is very confident, charming and totally in control at his piano. Together they gave us a rich musical experience never to be forgotten. From the spirited opening bars of Schubert’s Rondo Brillant to the lyrical…

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The magic of South Island

Keep Up With The Play Part 2. The magic of South Island Photography Ioana Cristina Goicea. Aren’t we are lucky that we can share some of the Winners’ tour stories with you that happened last week? A much as Ioana and Andrey are having fun seeing the scenery of the South Island, our Romanian-Russian duo is passionately devoted to their main calling - inspiring the audiences by playing brilliant concerts around the country. It requires a lot of…

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The first week of the Winners’ tour 2018

The first week of the Winners’ tour 2018

Keep Up With The Play Part 1. The first week of the Winners' tour 2018. Photography Sheena Haywood, Anne Rodda, Andrey Gugnin. The first prize winner of Michael Hill International Violin Competition 2017 Ioana Cristina Goicea, and the winner of the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition, Andrey Gugnin, met for the first time in the Sydney International Airport last Wednesday. They caught the same flight over the Tasman to land in magnificent Queenstown - one of the dreamy…

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Winning violinist returns to New Zealand

Winning violinist returns to New Zealand

NZ Herald Article - 26 September 2018 When Ioana Cristina Goicea picks up her phone she's in the United States, and at the midpoint of the Indianapolis International Violin Competition, one of America's most prestigious music prizes. Even so, this is Goicea's fourth interview of the day. It's the price a young artist on the rise must pay and a portent of what's to come if her career continues its current trajectory. Since winning the 2017 Michael Hill…

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Keep Up With The Play

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. We’ve had a marathon of emotion, beginning in Queenstown, with sixteen extraordinary young musicians sharing their passion and pathos, charm and confidence, vigour and vivacity.     Announced tonight at the Auckland Town Hall, Goicea receives NZ$40,000, a recording contract with the Atoll label, an intensive performance tour across New Zealand and Australia in 2018, a Michael Hill Spirits Bay pendant designed by Christine, Lady Hill, and a personalised professional development…

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