KAWAI PIANO SERIES AT QPAC SHOWCASES EXCITING NATIONAL AND .

24 July 2012KAWAI PIANO SERIES AT QPAC SHOWCASES EXCITING NATIONAL ANDINTERNATIONAL TALENTQueensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) proudly presents two special concertswithin the annual Kawai Piano Series that will be literally ‘music to the ears’ of pianomusic lovers in QPAC’s Concert Hall this August.The first concert showcases one of Australia’s best pianists, with a special balletaccompaniment, and the second will star the just announced winner of the SydneyInternational Piano Competition.Head of Piano Studies at the Australian National Academy of Music, Timothy Youngwill perform the first concert in the series on Tuesday 7 August.Young will challenge the audience with the virtuosic demands of Rachmaninoff’sÉtudes-Tableaux, followed by a piece from Stravinsky’s Petrushka that will featuredancing by Australian Ballet rising star, Ipswich born Rudy Hawkes, choreographedby Lucas Jervis.The second concert on Tuesday 14 August will showcase the brilliance and masteryof this year’s winner of the Sydney International Piano Competition, Canadianpianist Avan Yu, who comes to QPAC fresh from winning the first place, after anexciting final round at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday 21 July.Born in Hong Kong, 25 year old Yu was named winner of the competition, selectedfrom 36 young international musicians in the 16 day contest. A piano student sincethe age of five, Yu was described as a consistent, polished and refined performer bycontest commentator Gerard Willems, Associate Professor of Piano at the SydneyConservatorium of Music.The Kawai Piano Series offers audiences the opportunity to be part of a thrillingrange of musical encounters showcasing pianos and piano playing at the highestlevel. The music presented is diverse and rich in its depth and technique.Befitting the occasion of these two concerts, both recitals will be held in the ConcertHall in reverse mode where the audience is seated in close proximity to theperformers.Experience some of history's most seminal works for piano performed by excitingyoung national and international talent as part of the Kawai Piano Series. Book nowat www.qpac.com.au or phone 136246.-EndsFor media enquiries only please contact:Cindy Ullrich, Publicity Manager, QPAC - 07 3840 7589 - 0434 366-038cindy.ullrich@qpac.com.auCont

.2Presented by QPAC in association with Queensland Conservatorium GriffithUniversityKawai Piano Series Timothy Young and Rudy HawkesWhen:Where:Tickets*:Bookings:Tuesday 7 August 2012, 6.30pmConcert Hall, QPAC, Cultural Centre, South Bank, Brisbane 16.50 to 26.50Groups of 8 : 12/ppwww.qpac.com.au or phone qtix 136 246*Ticket price includes GST and Booking Fee. Please note transaction fees apply.PROGRAMStravinskyThree pieces from PetrushkaRachmaninoffÉtudes-Tableaux Op.39Presented by QPAC in association with Queensland Conservatorium GriffithUniversityKawai Piano Series Sydney International Piano Competition Winner’s RecitalWhen:Where:Tickets*:Bookings:Tuesday 14 August 2012, 6.30pmConcert Hall, QPAC, Cultural Centre, South Bank, Brisbane 16.50 to 26.50Groups of 8 : 12/ppwww.qpac.com.au or phone qtix 136 246*Ticket price includes GST and Booking Fee. Please note transaction fees apply.PROGRAMProgram to be announced shortlyPlease find following biographies for Timothy Young, Rudy Hawkes, LucasJervies and Avan Yu.cont

.3Timothy Young – pianoFor over ten years Timothy has been a Resident Artist and Faculty member at theAustralian National Academy of Music and is currently Coordinator of Piano. In awide-ranging repertory he performs regularly in recital as a soloist and in partnershipwith leading Australian and international musicians and ensembles. He is also afounding member of Ensemble Liaison, which is Ensemble in Residence at MonashUniversity, Melbourne.Timothy received his Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne with first classhonours as a student of Ronald Farren-Price and Mack Jost. He then continued hisstudies in Europe with Lidia Baldecchi-Arcuri, receiving his Diploma with a rarelyawarded distinction from the Ministry of Education and as dux of his year at theNicolò Paganini Conservatorium in Genova, Italy.A first prize winner of piano and chamber music competitions including the PremioKawai-Tortona, the Palma d’Oro-Finale Ligure and the 1st Chamber MusicCompetition of Liguria, Timothy has performed in Italy for almost a decade. He wasinvited to perform works by Luciano Berio in the composer’s presence and was amember of the contemporary Orfeo and Aulodia ensembles. He performed innumerous festivals including Chiavari, Bordighera, Ravello and the AccademiaChigiana in Siena.Timothy is a Melba Artist, and has recorded many CD’s. His most recent releaseshave received international critical acclaim and include a solo CD of the piano worksof George Frederick Boyle, duos with violist Roger Benedict, violinist Ray Chen,soprano Cheryl Barker, and chamber works with Ensemble Liaison. He has alsorecorded with Darryl Poulsen, David Pereira and Ensemble Liaison for the TallPoppies CD label- also to critical acclaim. For the radio Timothy has recorded for theRAI in Italy and in Australia for the MBS networks and ABC-Classic FM.Rudy Hawkes - BiographyAt the age of seven, Ipswich-born Rudy joined his local dance school, where hespent several years learning jazz, tap, and contemporary ballet. He studied at theShayne McCormick Dance Centre and Brisbane Dance Centre before joining theQueensland Dance School of Excellence. He moved to Melbourne in 2002 to take upa position at The Australian Ballet School. In 2004 Rudy was selected to participatein a student exchange to New York and Toronto, taking classes with the AmericanBallet Theatre’s Studio Company.He joined The Australian Ballet in 2005 and was promoted to soloist for the 2011season. Rudy has enjoyed working with many choreographers including WayneMcGregor, Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon, Stephen Page and Stephen Baynes.cont

.4Lucas Jervies – BiographyLucas is a dance maker for both the classical and contemporary realms.Lucas’s choreographic engagements include commissions by The Australian Ballet 2005, Korzo Theatre - 2007, A.R.D.T International Benefit Gala - 2008, ScapinoBallet Rotterdam - 2008, 2009 & 2010, Noverre Society Stuttgart Ballet - 2009 &2010, JACK Productions - 2010 & 2011, The Australian Ballet School - 2010 & 2011,Co Darts University for the Arts - 2010, Milwaukee Ballet - 2011 and ExpressionsDance Company - 2011. With Robert Curran, Andrew Killian and Laura Tong, threesenior members of The Australian Ballet Lucas co-founded JACK Productions inMelbourne to produce independent ballet-theatre.Lucas trained at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, The AustralianBallet School and is currently studying Directing at The National Institute of DramaticArt.Avan Yu – Biography (Winner of Sydney International Piano Competition 2012)At 25 years of age, Canadian pianist Avan Yu has performed in recital and as soloistwith orchestras on four continents, consistently captivating audiences with hisextraordinary musicianship. He has already performed in venues such as CarnegieHall, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Nacional Auditorio de Musica in Madrid, theNational Arts Centre in Ottawa, and the Salle Cortot in Paris. In 2012, he will makehis debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.Avan has won prizes at national and international competitions. He was awarded theSilver Medal and the People's Choice Award at the 16th Paloma O'Shea SantanderInternational Piano Competition in 2008. In Canada, he first came to nationalattention by winning first prize at the Canadian Chopin Competition at the age ofseventeen, and was the only pianist to win First Prize in both the Junior and SeniorDivisions of the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition.Avan has enjoyed a long-term relationship with the Vancouver Symphony. He firstperformed with the orchestra at the age of fourteen. After numerous reengagements,he was invited to be the featured soloist on the orchestra's first national tour ofCanada in thirty years with appearances at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Placedes Arts in Montreal, Ottawa's National Arts Centre and Grand Théâtre de Québec.He was their guest artist to open the 2010/11 season with Music Director BramwellTovey conducting. He has also performed with orchestras such as the DresdenPhilharmonic (under Rafael Fruehbeck de Burgos), the National Arts CentreOrchestra (under Pinchas Zukerman), the Slovak Radio Symphony, the RealFilharmonica de Galicia, the Neue Lausitzer Philharmonie, and the XiamenPhilharmonic in China, the Morroco Philharmonic Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony,the Windsor Symphony, the Ottawa Symphony and the Symphony Nova Scotia.In the fall of 2009, Avan performed as soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestrain Ottawa under the baton of Pinchas Zukerman, followed by an encore performancewith Yo-Yo Ma. Avan then introduced the Prime Minister who made a surpriseappearance onstage at the annual fundraising gala.cont

.5His performances have been broadcast on many radio and television networksincluding WQXR New York, CBC in Canada, China Central Television and Radio,Radiotelevisión Española und Radio Nacional de España, as well as BayerischerRundfunk, NDR Kultur Hamburg and the Südwestrundfunk in Germany.Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Avan's principal teachers have been KutKau Sum, Ralph Markham and Kenneth Broadway, and Klaus Hellwig at BerlinUniversity of the Arts.

The first concert showcases one of Australia’s best pianists, with a special ballet accompaniment, and the second will star the just announced winner of the Sydney International Piano Competition. Head of Piano Studies at the Australian National Academy of Music, Timothy Young will perform the first concert in the series on Tuesday 7 August. Young will challenge the audience with the .