5:30pm, Saturday 28th June

Multi award-winning pianist David Soo presents a recital of Liszt arrangements, Beethoven, and a much-anticipated World Premiere of Nicholas Jiang's Mazurka No.1.

Program:

Beethoven: 15 Variations and Fugue Opus 35 'Eroica'

Schubert arranged by Liszt: Litanei auf das Fest Aller Seelen S.562

Schubert arranged by Liszt: Der müller und der Bach, S565 No. 2

World Premiere, Nicholas Jiang (b. 2014): Mazurka No. 1

Gounod arranged by Liszt: Faust Waltz

Artist Bio:

Australian pianist David Soo has performed extensively as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist in Australia, Asia, and in Europe. He made his Barbican hall and St-Martin-in-the-Fields debuts in 2019, and has performed in significant concert halls throughout the world. David has received many awards and prizes, including recently winning third prize, Best performance of an Australian work, and the Best Australian prize at the WPTA Australia International Piano Competition. His other major awards include winning the Melbourne Recital Centre's Great Romantics competition, Glass Seller's Beethoven prize; second prize at the ASEAN International Chopin Competition, and the best performance of a French composer at the Magin International Piano Competition; as well as being a semifinalist at the Campillos International Piano Competition (2017), finalist at the 2014 Symphony Australia Young Performer Awards, and the Best Performance of an Australian work at the Australian National Piano Award. He was also selected for the Park Lane Group Music and the Philharmonia Music Group Trust. David's performances have been heard on ABC Classic FM, the Fine Music Broadcast Networks, and FMITE Spanish Radio. David will be releasing three CDs of music by Beethoven, Clementi, Field, Dussek and Voříšek in the coming year.

David was recently appointed as Visiting Music Lecturer at the Tianjin Conservatorium of Music. As a pedagogue, his students have received many local, national, and international accolades. They have performed in significant concert venues including the Konzerthaus Berlin, Esplanade concert hall, Szafarnia Poland, and Ehrbar Saal in Vienna. On a national level, he has been invited to present a paper on the Eighteenth-century etude at the Australasian National Pedagogy Piano Conference. Previous topics include Clementi's influence on Beethoven's piano music (at the University of Melbourne), and exploring characterisation (Victorian Music Teachers' Association). David is a frequent adjudicator and presenter, and has taught piano to varied students of ages and abilities. He also chaired the undergraduate musicology symposium at the University of Melbourne in 2023.

David completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne with Professor Ian Holtham, Melanie Plesch and Donald Nicolson. He previously obtained degrees at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (Master of Music and Artist Diploma) with Joan Havill; and a Bachelor of Music degree with Honours with Glenn Riddle.