We look forward to hearing the Outstanding Young Pianists Sophia Sutherley, Yinuo Xiao and Julie Zhang with Havilland Willshire
Programme
Sophia Sutherley Debussy Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum
Chopin Nocturne in C# minor Op. Posth.
Kabalevsky Sonatina Op. 13, No.1
- Allegro assai e lusingando
- Andante
- Presto
Yinuo Xiao Chopin Etude Op. 25, No.1
Chopin Etude Op., 10 No. 5
Chopin Fantasy Impromptu Op. 66
Julie Zhang Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini Op 43
Biographies
Sophia Sutherley is 11 years old and started playing the piano during covid lockdown age 7. She is in her second year at Chetham’s School of Music and is a pupil of Mr Simon Bottomley. In her spare time Sophia enjoys playing the organ in her local church.
Yinuo Xiao is 11 years old. She started to learn piano in Shanghai, China at the age of 6 and completed her ABRSM Grade 3, 5 and 6 exams. When she was 9 years old, she moved to the UK and studied with Mr. Simon Bottomley. She is working towards her ATCL diploma. She has been studying at Chetham’s school of Music since September 2024.
Julie Zhang was born in 2008 in London. Julie Zhang started proper piano training with Ms. Simone Wang at the age of 5. At 6, she achieved ABRSM Grade 5 with distinction. In 2017, she entered Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, under the coaching of Simon Bottomley. Julie has completed her ATCL diploma aged 10, LTCL aged 11 and finally FTCL aged 14. She also gave her first full solo 90-minute recital in March 2024 when she was 16. Julie has won other competitions in Belgium, Germany, Monaco, London and Moscow. Apart from solo repertoire, Julie also enjoys playing chamber music and concertos with a great passion.
Havilland Willshire is regularly invited to speak about the role of music in the lives of young people. He has worked extensively with young musicians as conductor and pianist and is highly sought after as adjudicator and competition jury member. An experienced examiner, he has served on numerous validation and review panels.
Havilland studied piano with Rsyzard Bakst and accompaniment with Clifton Helliwell at the Royal Northern College of Music and Music Education at the University of Manchester. He held the post of Coordinator of Metropolitan Wigan Instrumental Music Service for nine years before accepting the position of Head of Junior Conservatoire of Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2000. Following a year as Head of Music Education in 2008 he became Dean of the School of Music in 2009. In 2014 he was appointed Assistant Director and Head of Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and more recently, Director of the Faculty of Music in November 2018, a post he held until early 2023.
A dedicated teacher, he taught for a number of years at the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music Junior School and continued to teach at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Trinity Laban. Currently he teaches at Cheltenham College. He also enjoyed an active concert career as soloist and chamber musician including live broadcasts and recordings for BBC Radio and is the duo partner for the violinist Pip Clarke.