NZSO Emerging Artists 2025: Ozan Biner-McGrath (piano), An Pham (violin), David Zhu (oboe), Ella Zhang (flute), Leo Liu (piano), Oliver Mar (cello) Photo: NZSO
Six impressive young New Zealand soloists perform music by classical heavyweights Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, and Richard Strauss, accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Watch the concert here from 6:30 pm, Wednesday, 17 September.
Live from the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington. Video by Latitude Creative for NZSO. Sound by RNZ Concert.
Introducing the talented soloists for this concert:
An Pham (violin) will play the third movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, regarded as one of the most lyrical and flowing violin concertos ever written. At age 10, An is already an international competition winner and Deputy Concertmaster of the Wellington Youth Sinfonietta.
Ella Zhang (flute), who performs Cécile Chaminade’s enchanting Flute Concertino, is a winner of multiple scholarships and competition accolades.
David Zhu (oboe), is Principal Oboe of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra and soloist with Auckland Philharmonia. For his performance he will play the third movement of Strauss’ Oboe Concerto, considered the finest concerto written for the instrument in the 20th century.
Leo Liu (piano), who has performed at the iconic Carnegie Hall and a winner of major international piano competitions, plays the first movement of Mozart’s renowned Piano Concerto No. 23.
Oliver Mar (cello), a Juilliard Pre-College student and Stulberg Competition bronze medallist, will interpret Tchaikovsky’s famous Variations of a Rococo Theme.
Ozan Biner-McGrath (piano), a winner of the Dunedin Concerto Competition and frequent soloist with regional orchestras, will play the first movement of Robert Schumann’s acclaimed Piano Concerto.
Another 18 exceptional young musicians will perform side-by-side with orchestra throughout the concert, led by NZSO Principal Conductor-in-Residence Hamish McKeich. They will perform young New Zealand composer Cameron Monteath’s La Veille and the spine-tingling fourth movement of Dvořák’s popular Ninth Symphony ‘From the New World’.
Programme:
CAMERON MONTEATH La veille
CHAMINADE Flute Concertino
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 Mvt. 3
R. STRAUSS Oboe Concerto Mvt. 3 with Mvt. 2 cadenza
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488 Mvt. 1
R. SCHUMANN Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 Mvt. 1
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 From the New World Mvt. 4
performed with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hamish McKeich.
Programme notes and video shared with us by NZSO. Thank you.
