International prize-winning classical pianist Di Xiao has been described as “a pianist of awesome gifts” and compared to Clara Schumann by the press.  She concluded a major international recital tour in 2009 representing the UK as part of the universally acclaimed 'Rising Stars' series.  The tour included sell out concerts at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Vienna Konzerthaus, Salzburg Mozartium, Stockholm Konserthaus and Luxembourg Philharmonie. Following her Köln Philharmoie recital, played to an audience of over 1000, the press stated that “Di Xiao presents a demanding programme that takes your breath away.” As the tour progressed she went on to thrill audiences at Symphony Hall and Town Hall Birmingham, Brussels Bozar, Athens Megaron, Hamburg Laeiszhalle and Barcelona L'Auditori.

Di Xiao's education included study at the Odessa Conservatoire, under the eminent Professors A. M. Bougaevski and G. V. Popova and the Central Conservatory of Music Beijing.  She graduated from the latter with one of the highest marks in the history of the Conservatory.  In 2005 she was awarded a full scholarship by Birmingham Conservatoire where she studied under Professors Mark Racz, now Deputy Principle at The Royal Academy of Music London, and Malcolm Wilson, head of Piano.  Respected by the musical elite, Di Xiao has had the honour of private master classes with Alfred Brendel, John Lill, Peter Donohoe and Simon Trpceski.

Di Xiao enjoyed success in competition from and early age wining the Most Outstanding Young Musician of Guangdong Province Award aged just 16.  Since then she has won many national and international prizes including: the Ludlow Philharmonic Concerto Prize in 2005, the Birmingham Symphony Hall Prize in 2006, a Worshipful Company of Musicians Silver Medal in 2007 and, in the same year, first prize in the Brant International Piano Competition.

An international career on the classical music stage started at 17 when Di Xiao played Chengzong Yin's Yellow River Piano Concerto in Kuala Lumpur and Penang for the Malaysian Royal Family.  Subsequently Di has been invited to perform as a soloist in many countries including Malaysia, Ukraine, Singapore, India, China and the UK.  In the UK, her concert performances have received much acclaim.  Her debut at Symphony Hall Birmingham in 2006 was described by the UK Chinese Times as “A stunning concert!” and an early performance of the Schumann Concerto prompted The Birmingham Post to say “In her graceful, dancing finale it was easy to imagine Clara Schumann at the keyboard.”  Di has appeared in a number of important music festivals including Breman Musikfest (Germany), ISA music Festival (Vienna), New Generation Arts Festival (UK), Buxton Arts Festivals (UK) and Leamington Music Festival (UK).  In October 2010, she played for her home town's inaugural Classical Music Festival in Guangzhou, China.

In 2008 Di Xiao released her debut Album “Di Xiao Presents”.  The album has been well received and broadcast on a number of stations including BBC Radio 3.  Additionally, many of Di's live performances were recorded and transmitted on radio stations across Europe.  She recently completed the recording of her second album, Journey, which is due for release in the summer and will begin recording the piano works of Ravel for Somm Recordings in August 2011.

Di's repertoire reflects a broad spectrum of interests with a wide range of musical styles.  She enjoys collaboration with other artists and has recently been working with Julian Lloyd Webber and EMI guitarist Xuefei Yang. Her range extends from the works of Mozart and Beethoven to Ravel, Prokofiev and Messiaen.  She has a keen interest in Chinese classical folk music and contemporary piano works.  Di Xiao forms a strong bond with audiences everywhere and exudes a special quality and integrity in her music making. She aspires to be an international ambassador for the piano, combining both Chinese and Western repertoire in the programming of her concerts, thereby creating a bridge between two cultures.

For more information about Di Xiao, please follow this link

Wednesday 9 November, 2011  8 pm

Jane Ng   violin

Fei Ren   piano

The performing career of Malaysian-born Jane Ng began at the age of seven when she gave concerts on both piano and violin. As a violinist, pianist, and composer, she has performed extensively at international festivals in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. She furthered her studies with Yossi Zivoni in London on full International Scholarships from both the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and the Royal College of Music, supported by the Richard Carne Trust.

Jane made her recital debut at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, London in June 2009, and in the same month, gave the World-premiere of her own composition ‘The Pagoda of Dreams’ – Fantasia for Violin & Orchestra, as soloist with the Wandsworth Symphony Orchestra. In the UK, she was selected as a Concordia Artist by the Concordia Foundation and has won the Hastings and Hatfield Music Festivals. She has performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Hatfield Philharmonic Orchestra and Ravel’s Tzigane with the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra as representative of Benslow Music Trust’s 75th anniversary celebrations.

Recital highlights include the Leeds International Concert Series, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James’ Piccadilly, St John’s Smith Square, Steinway Hall, the ABRSM Golden Jubilee Scholars’ Concert, ‘Live Music Now’, St Georges’ Bristol, Bath Recital Artists’ Trust, the Malaysian Embassy, Chelsea Schubert Festival, and the Chelsea Flowers Show. She has appeared on BBC Radio 4 “Chopsticks at Dawn” programme where her own composition ‘The Pagoda of Dreams – Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra’ was featured. Jane currently performs on a 1750 Testore violin, kindly on loan from the Rin Collection.

Jane is also an accomplished pianist and performs regularly for the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Past achievements include winning 2nd prize at the “Virtuosi per Musica di Pianoforte” International Piano Competition in the Czech Republic, performances of the Haydn Piano Concerto in D major with the London Chamber Orchestra, and of the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 at the PETRONAS Twin Towers in Malaysia.

Pianist Fei Ren graduated with distinction from the Postgraduate Diploma in Performance program at the Royal Academy of Music in 2008. She received the Lloyd Hartley Prize in 2008 from the Academy, and was a finalist in the keyboard section of the Royal Overseas League competition in 2007. While at the Academy, Fei studied under Christopher Elton. Previously, she completed a Masters degree at the University of Auckland's School of Music, studying under Professor Tamas Vesmas. She finished with First Class Honours and was the winner of the school's Concerto Competition in 2004. In 2005, she won New Zealand’s National Concerto Competition, as well as receiving the Encouragement Award in the Lev-Vlassenko Piano Competition in Australia. Late last year, Fei won Third Prize at the International Concerto Competition in Romania. In her home country of New Zealand, Fei has performed with the Auckland Philharmonic, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and the Auckland Youth Orchestra.

Elizabeth Watson   viola

Geoffrey Pratley   piano

Susanna Hurrell    soprano

John Bradbury   clarinet

James Cryer   piano

We warmly welcome back James Cryer, a local musician who has lived in Richmond for most of his life. Of Gibraltarian descent, he was educated at St Paul’s School as a music scholar. His accompanying skills were apparent when he played in front of the Queen Mother at the age of 14. He was taught the organ by Richard Popplewell at the Chapel Royal, winning the Dixon prize for improvisation at F.R.C.O.

 He became organ scholar at Westminster Abbey under Simon Preston where he gave several recitals, and then at St John’s College under Dr. George Guest. He was assistant organist at The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy under Philip Berg, and has played at St James’s Palace, Hampton Court Palace and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. He has also appeared as soloist with the English Chamber Orchestra.

His accompanying skills have meant that he is in demand as a pianist. He  studied the piano with Patricia Carroll, and has since made various recordings for the Naxos label.

James has appeared at The Barnes Music Society before with Colin Bradbury, John Bradbury, the cellists Paul Watkins and Adrian Bradbury, and the baritone Thomas Guthrie.

Debussy    Nocturne in D flat

JS Bach    Partita No.1 in B flat for keyboard, BWV.825

 Fauré    Nocturne No.6 in D flat, Op.63 

David Matthews    2 Dionysus Dithyrambs

Beethoven    Piano Sonata in C, Op.2 No.3

Brahms    4 Pieces, Op.119

Helen Reid first came to public attention when she appeared on BBC2 in the National Keyboard Finals of the BBC Young Musician competition in 1998. In 2000 she won first prize in the Karic International Piano Competition. In 2006 she was hailed as a ‘rising star’ in The Independent magazine.

Helen has given recitals all around in England, at venues including the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Fairfield Halls and Blackheath Halls, London, St. George’s, Bristol, Cheltenham, the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and the Aldeburgh and Buxton Festivals. She has performed in Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Recent performances have included Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto with the Westmoreland Orchestra and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Aurelian Ensemble at Blackheath Halls.

Helen studied at Chetham’s School, Royal Holloway University and Cologne Music College, completing a Master’s Degree at City University and the Guildhall School of Music. She is currently professor of piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Leeds College of Music, Trinity College of Music Junior Department and has been invited to give masterclasses at Gdansk Conservatoire, Bristol and Hull Universities, Dartington International Summer School and Pro Corda.

Future plans include solo and chamber recitals around Britain with cellist Sheida Davis and Trio d’Art (with Paul Archibald – trumpet and John Kenny – trombone), as well as recitals at the Salle Pleyel and Hatchlands Park with the London Pleyel Trio, and the world premiere of David Matthews’ piano concerto at Dartington International Summer School.

For more information about Helen, please follow this link

Victoria Sayles was born in 1984 and began playing the violin when she was seven years old. She was awarded a full scholarship to Bryanston School in 1999 and performed there regularly as a soloist and chamber musician.

Whilst still in her teens she led orchestras at the Royal Albert Hall, St. John’s Smith Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

She was a Foundation Scholar at the Royal College of Music from 2003-2007 under Professor Itzhak Rashkovsky.

Since then she has performed with London Chamber Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra. She was a member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for two years and is currently a member of the London Chamber Orchestra.

Victoria has appeared as Guest Leader of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (Norway), Queensland Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and as Associate Leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. She has worked with many major conductors including Ashkenazy, Haitink, Mackerras, Nelsons, Norrington, Ticciati and Pretenko.

Victoria, as a keen chamber musician, has led the Fibonacci Sequence and has collaborated with Louise Hopkins, Guy Johnston, Jack Liebeck, Christoph Richter, Mark Van der Weil, Jamie Walton, Alexander Zemtsov and many others.

She was an Invited Artist and Director of Winterschool at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music (2010) and regularly attends Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music. Victoria has also recently returned from the Thai-Burmese Border where she played with the Iuventus String Quartet to Burmese refugees in the refugee camps.

Upcoming concerts in 2011 include appearances at Oxford May Music Festival, The Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville – Australia, solo recitals in Switzerland and France for Princess Caroline Murat and UK recital tours with award winning duo partner Martin Cousin and award winning violinist Jack Liebeck. Concerto performances include Glazunov, Mendelssohn and Saint-Saëns concertos.

Victoria plays a 1776 “Thir” violin.