Source: Auckland Council
TrioZeus: Budapest via Paris
From the Concert Series: Around the World in 80 Minutes
Chamber Ensemble
Three award-winning young soloists explore classical music’s profound reach across the cultures of Australasia, Asia and Europe. A fundraising event towards further overseas studies.
Selections from: Debussy, Faure, Messager, Ravel, Kodaly, Bartók, Tan Dun and Ben Hoadley.
Presented by TrioZeus
Diane Huh – Violin
Ben Van Leuven – Clarinet
Tony Yan Tong Chen – Piano
TrioZeus is a collaboration conceived through the Young Artist Program of the Wakatipu Music Festival.
These three young performers have come together this year to make music in Aotearoa having each experienced significant disruption to their educational pursuits overseas due to the pandemic situation.
The trio’s combined accolades include: 1st prize winner of the Wallace National Piano Competition, National Concerto Competition, University of Auckland Graduate Gala Concerto Competition, Michael Hill International Violin Competition Emerging Artist prize, Auckland Philharmonia’s Young Soloist of the Year prize, ROSL Chamber Competition, major prizewinners of the CMNZ National Chamber Contest and Gisborne International Music Competition.
The Performers:
Tony Yan Tong Chen – Piano
Born in Auckland, Tony began piano studies at the age of 5, and commenced lessons on violin, trumpet, and French horn shortly after.
At the age of 21, his debut solo piano album “Homecoming” has recently been conceived and released with Rattle Records.
As a Young Artist, he has concertised at the Wakatipu and Akaroa Music Festivals in New Zealand, as well as at prominent venues in Switzerland, Spain, and Canada where he also studied at summer programs with distinguished musical artists.
Tony has been pursuing an undergraduate degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York with Prof. Alan Chow, and is a recipient of the Martha Stone Scholarship.
He was the winner of the 2019 Wallace National Piano Competition, and has since appeared as a concerto soloist with the Bach Musica Orchestra and Nelson Symphony. He is a graduate of Macleans College and the University of Auckland Young Scholars Program.
Diane Huh – Violin
Diane grew up in a musical family and began learning the violin at the age of seven. Among her many successes in 2019, Diane won; the Michael Hill International Violin Competition NZ Emerging Artist Award, the National Concerto Competition, the University of Auckland Graduate Gala competition, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s Young Soloist of the Year prize and Chiron’s Young Artist scholarship.
Her chamber group, the Korimako Piano Trio, won the Royal Overseas League Chamber Competition and participated in a five-week cultural experience in the United Kingdom.
After being selected as Concertmaster for the University of Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Diane crowned 2019 by graduating from the University of Auckland with a First Class Honours degree in Music.
Ben Van Leuven – Clarinet
Ben began playing Clarinet in 2012, and studies with Patrick Barry at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington. Ben plans to commence study at the Norwegian Academy of Music in August 2021, to study with clarinettist Björn Nyman. In 2020, he was a semi-finalist in both the National Concerto Competition, and the
Gisborne International Music Competition where he was also awarded the Prof. Jack Richards Woodwind/Brass prize.
Ben is currently Principal Clarinet in both the NZSO New Zealand National Youth Orchestra and Wellington Youth Orchestra, and has also served as Principal Clarinet in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra.
As a chamber musician, Ben recently performed as a Young Artist at the Wakatipu Music Festival, and was a national finalist and multiple prizewinner in the NZCT National Chamber music contest in both 2018 and 2019.
