Congratulations Joshua Han, winner of the 2022 NSW Young Virtuoso Award. He was awarded $3,000 and a performance opportunity with the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra. An accomplished pianist, Joshua performed the difficult repertoire of the Allegro de Concert, Op. 46, Frédéric Chopin followed by a dazzling Tiger Rag by Art Tatum. His easy virtuosity made both works sound easy. Onwards to the National Fine Music Young Virtuoso Award Final in Melbourne on Sunday 20 November to compete for a prize of $5,000 among other prizes. From all at 2MBS Fine Music Sydney, our best wishes for success in the National YVA!
David Carreon, violinist, won Second place playing Sonata No.3 in D Minor Ballade, Eugène Ysaÿe and the 4th movement from Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, César Franck. These are some of the hardest works in the violin repertoire and ferociously difficult. Towards the end of the Sonata, a string broke and David continued playing on the remaining three with great aplomb.
Anna Chung gave an impressive performance to win the Encouragement Award. Her idiomatic and colourful performance of the Sholem-Alkehm, rov Feidman by Belá Kovács was followed by the virtuosic clarinet work – Solo de Concours by André Messager played with wonderful facility and musicality.
Congratulations to all our Young Virtuoso Finalists for your fantastic efforts in giving us a great and varied concert broadcast live from the Founders Studio at 2MBS Fine Music Sydney on Sunday 9 October 2022. If you missed the YVA Final or want to listen again or share with friend and family, go to https://www.2mbsfinemusicsydney.com/yva/
Fine Music Sydney is the radio station created by music lovers for lovers of music. For over 47 years 2MBS has been an integral part of Sydney’s cultural landscape promoting and encouraging an active, live classical and jazz music scene in our community in Sydney, in Australia and across the world. MBS Fine Music Sydney is proud to partner with the Sydney Eisteddfod and the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra to provide performance opportunities for young emerging artists.
The finals of the 2022 Fine Music Sydney Young Virtuoso Awards were held on Sunday 9th October, and broadcast live-to-air from our Founders Studio. Below is a profile of the amazing young musicians who performed in the final. You can listen to a replay of the broadcast from the Young Virtuoso Awards webpage
Anna Chung, Clarinet – 2022 Encouragement Award
A 19-year-old clarinettist, Anna started playing at age seven. Currently studying at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music with a scholarship under Mr. David Griffiths, Anna previously studied with Dr Deborah De Graaff. Anna is a member of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony.
Anna has won many solo instrumental events competitions and scholarships. In the 2022 Sydney Eisteddfod she won 2nd place in NSW Drs Orchestra Instrumental Scholarship and has been a Finalist of the Alf & Pearl Pollard Awards.
She received full marks in HSC Music Extension performance in 2020 while being awarded a full music scholarship as School Music Captain and House Choral Captain at Ravenswood School for Girls.
Anna participated in the Philadelphia International Music Festival in 2018 and was selected for masterclasses, competitions, and lessons. Since PIMF she has been under the tutelage of world class performers and mentors, Ricardo Morales (Principal clarinet, Philadelphia Orchestra) and Boris Allakhverdyan (Principal clarinet, LA Philharmonic). Anna aims to undertake postgraduate study at Julliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Colburn School, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, or the Royal College of Music.
Matthew Avery, Baritone
This year Matthew was a Finalist in the Sydney Eisteddfod Operatic Aria Scholarship, was awarded The Pacific Opera Growth Scholarship, and won several sections for Sydney Eisteddfod and the renowned Rotary Scholarship at Ryde Eisteddfod for both the Lieder and Operatic Sections.
His performance experience is wide ranging including as a Young Artist with Pacific Opera performing with Cooperative Opera and Operantics, in concert with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, a performer for the Australia Britain Society for their Grand Platinum Dinner for the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Celebrations, and an invited performer for the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing Master Class with Mr Leslie John Flanagan. Matthew has also appeared in music theatre roles Sunday in the Park with George and Phantom of the Opera.
A graduate of the Young Americans College of Performing Arts in the USA, Matthew toured with them in the USA and Europe. In September 2022 Matthew will be a guest artist for Australian composer Margaret Brandman’s Highlights and Premiers concert; in October he will perform for Opera Australia in Attila and in November with Pacific Opera as Dr Dulcamara in L’elisire d’amore and as The Bonze in Madama Butterfly.
Jeffrey Dong, Piano
Jeffrey started playing the piano when he was six years old and the violin when he was eight. He is now 11 years old and has achieved the equivalent level of LMus in piano and CMus in violin. He enjoys performing and has won many awards in various international competitions including the Gold Award of WPTA Singapore Piano competition and first prize in Play Bach International Piano Competition.
In August 2022 he was invited to perform at the Singapore National Monument, and to participate in the 4th Zhu Hai Mozart International Competition, after being selected from 400 applicants. This year, Jeffrey was selected as the youngest finalist in the Sydney Eisteddfod Kawai Junior Piano Scholarship (11-16 years).
Jeffrey is studying with Dr Paul Rickard-Ford, Chair of the Piano Unit at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and he is keen to pursue his music dream with the help of his beloved teacher.
David Carreon, Violin – 2022 Second Place
David began playing the violin at the age of four and is now completing his final year of a Bachelor of Performance degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is currently studying with Dr. Goetz Richter under the Ted and Susan Meller Memorial Scholarship.
As a soloist, David made his concerto debut in December 2015, performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor with the Sydney Youth Orchestra Philharmonic. He has since performed in competitions and Eisteddfods around Australia. Most notably, he won both the 2021 Sydney Conservatorium String Concerto Competition and the 2022 Marcus Edwards Prize and received second prize in the 2021 Kendall National Violin Competition. David was a semi-finalist in the 2022 Dorcas McClean Scholarship and a finalist in the 2022 Sydney Eisteddfod Doctors Scholarship. He has participated in masterclasses with Hilary Hahn, Midori Goto, Benjamin Beilman, Nicola Benedetti, and Maestro Ola Rudner.
David has featured prominently in orchestral programs such as the Sydney Youth Orchestra, The Orchestra Project, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra and String Ensemble, Australian Youth Orchestra, Ensemble Apex, and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. David is also an avid player of chamber music. His current string quartet was awarded the George Henderson Travellers Scholarship, which will enable the group to travel to Europe for intensive tutoring and the chance to participate in world-renowned music festivals.
Olivia Oxley, soprano
Olivia comes from a family of singers. As a child, she gave solo performances at the Sydney Opera House, The Concourse, Chatswood and at the Sydney Town Hall. Since 2015, Olivia has been involved with Opera New England in its productions of Susannah and La Traviata, Blush Opera’s How to Build a Billy and working with Operantics in Mansfield Park, the St Matthew Passion and concert series. Olivia has also enjoyed featuring in cantatas and Christmas services at St Andrew’s Cathedral and Grace City Church’s Carols in the Park.
In 2019, Olivia completed her bachelor’s degree in music at the Australian Institute of Music in Classical Performance studying under the tutelage of Arax Mansourian. She has taught singing since 2016 and loves teaching at the GoBravo Studio. She plans to continue pursuing her love of singing in further education, performing, and teaching. Olivia’s passion for music has grown exponentially since childhood and has led to a broader love of the arts and performing.
Joshua Han, piano – 2022 Winner
Australian-born pianist Joshua Han started his piano studies at the age of four and won his first gold in the Sydney Eisteddfod at the age of six.
At ten years old Joshua received his LMusA and performed as soloist at the Iguazú en Concierto Festival in Argentina. In 2013 he received Encouragement Prizes at both the 1st Korea International Piano Competition, and the Theme and Variations Inaugural Awards. The following year, Joshua won First Prize at the 14th Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists, achieving the highest mark at the time of 9.9/10 in the contest’s 28-year history. The following year, Joshua received First Prize, as well as Audience Prize at the 3rd Aarhus International Piano Competition.
After winning the 2016 BlueScope/WIN Network Open Age Piano Championships (Wollongong Eisteddfod), and receiving his Fellowship Recital Diploma (FTCL), Joshua took a few years away from piano performance.
Recently returning to the piano, Joshua was awarded Second Prize and Audience Prize in the National Section of the 2022 Australian Youth Classical Music Competition. He is currently studying piano performance privately with Dr Paul Rickard-Ford, whilst undertaking a Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine double degree at the University of Sydney. Joshua’s ultimate intent is to combine music and medicine to heal and inspire.
Written by Maureen Chaffey
The live YVA broadcast Sunday 09 October 2pm-5pm