Lunchtime Music: Shostakovich, Beethoven, Skempton, Henryson

Photo © Matthew Williams

Chian-Chian Hsu cello
Zoe Tan piano

Shostakovich Adagio and Springtime Waltz from Ballet Suite No.2
Beethoven Cello Sonata No.3 in A major, Op.69

Chian-Chian was born in 2000 in Taiwan and began to play the cello when she was six. In 2015, she travelled to the UK to study at the Purcell School with Alexander Boyarsky and now is in her third year of undergraduate study with Matthew Sharp at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Chian-Chian has recently taken part in masterclasses by Hannah Roberts, Jian Wang, Julian Lloyd Webber, Robert deMaine and Toke Møldrup. She has a passion for playing chamber music and in orchestras, as well as solo performances. 

Zoe Tan has played the piano since she was eight years old and prior to coming to Royal birmingham Conservatoire, made it to the first round of BBC Young Musician of the Year. She is currently in her third year of undergraduate study at RBC.
Zoe has a growing passion for chamber music and is part of several groups. She has participated in a masterclass with Charles Owen and has had lessons with Fali Pavri, Julian Jacobson and Anthony Hewitt. She is currently studying with John Thwaites and Pascal Nemirovski.

The Tenby Duo
Lucy Samuels cello
Nicole Micheli saxophone

Howard Skempton Lullaby
Svante Henryson Off Piste

The Tenby Duo is formed of two undergraduate students at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – Nicole Micheli (saxophone) and Lucy Samuels (cello). This unlikely pairing came about after a chance conversation in their shared home at university. They will be making their concerto debut in March 2022, performing the Michael Nyman Double Concerto for Amplified Saxophone and Cello with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Projects Orchestra. They seek to explore underperformed works with repertoire ranging from Bach to Skempton, as well as several premieres of new commissions in the upcoming months.