Ying Ho Pianist
Ying Ho has performed as soloist and chamber musician across Australia, England, Europe, Israel, China, and America. A recipient of the prestigious Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music International Scholarship, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Tatiana Sarkissova, at the Universität der Künste in Berlin with Jacques Rouvier, and the Sydney Conservatorium with Dr Paul Rickard-ford.
Ying won multiple prizes and scholarships during her studies including the Else Cross (Brahms) Prize and the Maud Hornby Memorial Prize from the Royal Academy in London, the Kathleen and Allison Short Memorial Scholarship, the John and Dorothy Vimpani Scholarship, and the Sonya Hanke Memorial Prize from the Sydney Conservatorium.
As a concerto soloist, Ying won First Prize at the Kawai Australasian Youth Concerto Competition and at the Sydney Conservatorium Concerto Competition. She has worked with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Youth Orchestra, the Western Australian Youth Orchestra, and the Kuringai Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, she performed in festivals including the Prussia Cove International Musicians Seminar in England, the Lausanne Academie de Musique in Switzerland, the Estivo Chamber Music Festival in Verona, Italy, and at the Mimir Chamber Music Festival in Fort Worth, Texas. She performs regularly with the Sydney Symphony Fellows, and has appeared in masterclasses for Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maxim Vengerov, Pinchas Zukerman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Edgar Meyer and James Ehnes.
In 2008, Ying spent a year in Jerusalem where she was on the faculty of the Edward Said Conservatory of Music. She gave concerts in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Haifa and Nazareth, and conducted the Conservatory’s orchestra in Bach’s Keyboard Concerto.
Ying regularly performs at major venues across Australia including the Sydney Opera House, the City Recital Hall, the Melbourne Recital Centre, the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, and has appeared for Tasmanian Virtuosi, Musica Viva Countrywide and at the Musica Viva Festival.
Ying is currently Head of Keyboard at MLC School in Sydney.
Tristan Coelho Composer – Musician – Educator
Tristan Coelho is an award-winning Sydney-based composer who specialises in concert music and film projects.
Recent works include Rhythm City, for piano, live video sampler and electronics toured by Zubin Kanga in 2019; Smell of the Earth, commissioned for the Canberra International Music Festival and performed by Tambuco Percussion and read/write error, commissioned by Ensemble Offspring and finalist in the APRA Art Music Awards. He has had works performed around Australia and internationally, and has appeared at the Young Composers Meeting hosted by Orkest de Ereprijs, the Dartington International Summer School, Etchings Festival, Oz Asia Festival, Tilde Festival and the NYU/ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop, among others.
Tristan’s experience in music for film and multimedia is diverse, including a recently completed score for Australian feature film The Marshes. His orchestration and arrangement credits include work for Japanese video game composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, Australian composer Matthew Hindson, oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.
Tristan graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2006 with the University Medal and then went on to study at the Royal College of Music from 2007-2008 on a full scholarship. He has studied composition formally with Michael Smetanin, Damien Ricketson, Mary Finsterer, Trevor Pearce and David Sawer, among others, and piano with Stephanie McCallum.
Tristan is Head of Composition at MLC School, and as an active music educator he has written works for student ensembles and runs creative music workshops around Sydney. He has recently completed a new music education project in collaboration with flautist Lamorna Nightingale entitled Other Voices. The project is funded by the APRA Art Music Fund and the NSW Government, and is designed to enhance students’ composition, songwriting and music technology skills.
James Larsen Cellist
James completed his early studies with David Pereira at the Australian National University School of Music where he was awarded the Ruth Pfanner undergraduate scholarship, the Wesley Music Centre Scholarship, Canberra Symphony Orchestra String Scholarship, and The Margot Lewin Prize for the most outstanding cellist.
After his time in Canberra, James gained a place at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne where he studied with Howard Penny. James has been lucky enough to have performed across Australia as an artist in the festivals of Castlemaine, Brisbane, Melbourne, Bangalow, and Canberra.
As a member of the Geist String Quartet, one of Australia’s preeminent young chamber ensembles, James has made appearances at festivals and masterclasses in Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Canada, and the U.S.A. Performing together for the past four years, the The Geist String Quartet has been awarded the Westheimer String Quartet Fellowship, Ernest V. Llewellyn Memorial Fund Award, and the Mary Vallentine Prize.
Currently based in Sydney, James is in demand as a chamber musician, conductor, teacher, and frequently collaborates with composers to perform and record their new solo and chamber music, having premiered over twenty new works in the last three years.
The Nexas Quartet
Formed in 2002, Nexas Quartet are focused on promoting the musical diversity of the saxophone, showcasing its versatility and ability to cross genres. The group’s success comes from a combination of personalities, virtuosic saxophone skills, and an ability to program concerts of a wide appeal that has seen the musicians perform in a multitude of settings. This unique approach has enabled Nexas Quartet to perform throughout Australia and internationally, performing a diverse repertoire that reflects their artistic direction. Ranging from transcriptions, standard and contemporary repertoire, to collaborations with theatre companies and premiering and commissioning new works. At the forefront of chamber music, Nexas Quartet are leaders in promoting existing and
creating new repertoire for the saxophone quartet.
During the past few years Nexas performed at the prestigious APRA Awards as well as at the heart of Australia in Uluru for Darwin Symphony’s Symphony at Uluru. 2014 was a landmark year for the ensemble as they launched their inaugural Concert Series featuring Nexas collaborating with some of Australia’s finest musicians including Gerard Willems AM (pianist), Daniel Rojas (pianist), Nicky Crayson (jazz vocalist), David Theak (jazz saxophonist and bandleader), Frank Celata (SSO clarinettist) and Peter Coleman-Wright AO (opera singer).
Open-minded to new and innovative music, Nexas have commissioned many new Australian works and have had several works dedicated to them by composers such as Lachlan Skipworth, Amanda Cole, Anthony Moles, David Slater and Marcus Whale. In 2015 Nexas Quartet collaborated with composer and sound artist Drew Crawford on the Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Jumpy as well as performing the world premiere of Matthew Hindson and Cyrus Meurant’s Romeo and Juliet with the National
College of Dance Company.
In 2016 Nexas were once again engaged in their annual concert series featuring collaborations with trumpeter Matthew Dempsy and performing the world premiere of Matthew Hindson’s Romeo and Juliet Suite. In November 2016 Nexas launched their debut album, Current, at the iconic Utzon Room in Sydney Opera House. The CD features world premiere recordings by Australian composers Matthew Hindson, Elena Kats-Chernin, Daniel Rojas, Matthew Orlorvich and Lachlan Skipworth.
A year of firsts, 2017 began with the collaboration with international operatic superstar Peter Coleman-Wright AO. This resulted ABC classics first ever saxophone quartet release “Ballads of the Pleasant Life”. With their stage show “Composers in Exile” the quartet with Coleman-Wright appeared in numerous concerts including critically acclaimed appearances at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Sydney’s Independent Theatre. Later that year, Nexas chalked up another first with an invitation to be the saxophone quartet in residence at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.