Whakatipu Music Festival Photo: © 2023 JR Media Productions, all rights reserved.
2022 still saw a lot of disruption due to the pandemic. The Michael Hill International Violin Competition had to adapt and organised the second Whakatipu Music Festival, which took place in April 2022. A range of young New Zealand musicians were invited to Queenstown to entertain the locals and show their skills. And in addition to them, some of the country's established artists added their superb performances to the festival line-up. The festival was held in Queenstown at the Memorial Hall.
This is the first programme with young performers. "Young" means musicians at the start of their careers, who are in the midst of their studies or just graduated from universities in New Zealand and abroad.
Xuan Liu performs at the Whakatipu Music Festival. Photo: © 2023 JR Media Productions, all rights reserved.
In this first concert we now have three young New Zealand performers. Xuan Liu, April Ju, and Otis Prescott-Mason.
Xuan Liu is a pianist and studies in Auckland under Stephen de Pledge and Rae de Lisle. She’s been successful at various competitions, both as a soloist and as part of a chamber music group. Here she is now with a programme inspired by fairy tales and fantasy.
April Ju and Sarah Watkins perform at the Whakatipu Music Festival. Photo: © 2023 JR Media Productions, all rights reserved.
Next in this first concert we hear violinist April Ju. April has appeared as soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. In 2019 she was the concert master of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra. Prior to the pandemic she had been studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London. With her on stage at the piano is Sarah Watkins.
Otis Prescott-Mason performs at the Whakatipu Music Festival. Photo: © 2023 JR Media Productions, all rights reserved.
To end this first concert at the 2022 Whakatipu Music Festival, here's pianist Otis Prescott-Mason. He studies at Victoria University under Jian Liu and has won several national competitions.
Produced and engineered by Adrian Hollay.
