Haydn Staples Piano Scholars Recital

On Sunday 8th August at at 2.00 pm at the Auckland Opera Studio, 3 Glenside Crescent Eden Terrace there will be a showcase of chamber music featuring the three 2021 Haydn Staples APO Piano Scholars. All three will play in piano quartets with APO musicians led by concertmaster Andrew Beer.

Programme
Catherine Chang: Mozart Piano Quartet 1st and 3rd movements.
Catherine Chang is a first-year student at the University of Auckland, majoring in Classical Performance under Dr Rae de Lisle.

She began piano lessons at the age of 6, and since then, has competed in and won many accolades in piano competitions across the North Island. In 2020, she was awarded 2nd place and the ‘Best Performance of a Classical Sonata’ award at the New Zealand Junior Piano Competition under the tutelage of Richard Liu. Catherine has been nominated to compete for the PACANZ National Young Performer of the Year Award in October this year.

She is also a keen collaborative musician - having been the Accompanying Intern for the Auckland Youth Choir in 2019, and also progressing to the National Finals Weekend of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest last year with her group, the ‘Saint Kentigern Bartok Quartet’.

Catherine is also truly fortunate to have received masterclasses from Olli Mustonen (APO Inspire Partnership Programme), Natalia Ricci, Nigel Clayton, Niel Immelman, Ian Jones, Gillian Bibby, Stephen de Pledge, Bryan Sayer, Tom McGrath and Marta Zabaleta.

She is a Haydn Staples Piano Scholar and Chiron Senior Scholarship Holder for 2021. Catherine expresses her immense gratitude and appreciation to all who have supported her on her musical journey thus far and is excited for the many opportunities in the future, to further hone her musical craft.

Shuan Liu: Schumann: Piano Quartet 1st and 3rd movements.
Shuan Liu is a first-year Classical Performance student at the University of Auckland, where she is studying under Rae de Lisle.

Shuan started playing the piano at the age of six, and has achieved many awards and scholarships in local and national competitions throughout her career. Some highlights would be Margarat Doone Piano Sonata Scholarship, Norah Howell Piano Recital Award, Pacific International Music Competition for Youths and Wallace National Piano Competition.

Chamber music is of great interest to her too: last year, Shuan progressed to the finals of NZCT Chamber Music Contest with her group ‘Trio Achilles’ and won the Helen Young Diamond Award.She is immensely grateful to be both a Chiron Senior Scholar and a Haydn Staples Scholar in 2021. Shuan is looking forward to the many opportunities available to expand her musical horizons.

Jiazhou Conroy Hu: Brahms Piano Quartet no.3 Piano Quartet 1st and 2nd movements.
Jiazhou Conroy Hu began his piano studies at the age of 8. He currently attends the University of Auckland where he is studying a Bachelor of Music.

Conroy is under the tutelage of Rae de Lisle, having previously studied with Matteo Napoli. In between his studies, he makes time to transcribe music and compose his own works. Conroy has performed his works in the Wallace National Piano Competition and his first solo concert in Nelson two years ago.

Over the years, he has won various categories in local competitions throughout New Zealand. At Auckland Grammar, he received the Senior Minister’s plate twice, in 2014 and 2016, and was also awarded the Headmaster’s Performing Arts Scholarship in 2016.

Conroy has performed with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra in Kerikeri (2016) and has won the Tauranga Performing Arts Competition Society Major Award (2016). In the same year, Conroy was a finalist in the Wallace National Junior Piano Competition and received the Lions Club of Te Awamutu Scholarship.

Available from the information table at APO Town Hall concerts and from Rona Colbert Ph 579 7605.