Author: danwyn

PROGRAMME OF MUSIC

Programme

Biographies

James Connolly is a Baritone studying on the Postgraduate Vocal Studies course at the Royal Northern College of Music. During his tenure at the RNCM, he has been awarded First Prize in the Frederick Cox competition for singing and the Bessie Cronshaw Song cycle prize. James was also awarded the Williams Howard ‘Honourable mention’ and was a finalist in the Joyce and Michael Kennedy competition for the singing of Strauss.

James is a regular solo performer on both the concert and stage platform. He has performed in concerts for RNCM songsters, London Concertante, Didsbury Coffee concerts and for the Gilbert and Sullivan society centenary weekend. James has performed the roles of ‘Edmund Bertram’ in Jonathan Dove’s chamber opera ‘Mansfield Park’ and ‘Byermyata’ in Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘The Snow Maiden.’ James was recently a Young Artist with the Buxton International Festival, which involved performing in the chorus of Verdi’s ‘Ernani’ and one of the extras for Ethel Smyth’s ‘The Boatswain’s mate.’

James holds the position of Bass Lay Clerk at Manchester Cathedral, with whom he sang for the funeral of Sir Bobby Charlton. Additionally, James regularly sings for BBC Radio 3 broadcasts with the Daily Service singers and in various projects with Kantos Chamber choir.

Nina Savićević

A prize winner of both national and international competitions, British pianist Nina Savicevic is the recipient of the prestigious Wright Scholarship, the Eric Horner Award and the Haworth Trust Scholarship at the Royal Northern College of Music. She began her studies under Dr Galina Kulish at St Petersburg’s Rimsky Korsakov Conservatoire, Russia, and later on Caroline Diffley. She gave her very first concert after three months. In 2013 Nina was awarded a full scholarship to study under Hilary Coates at Wells Cathedral School, one of the UK’s specialist music schools.

During her time at Wells, Nina gained success in various competitions, most notably winning first place at the Birmingham Piano Competition, first place in the piano category at Taunton Young Musician, and third place and Audience Prize at the Windsor International Piano Competition. She has competed in BBC Young Musician and was a finalist at the Scottish International Youth Competition. Nina was also awarded the Robert Lewin Scholarship from Awards for Young Musicians which enabled her to work alongside the
BBC Symphony Orchestra at Maida Vale Studios.

Born in Exeter 2001 of Croatian-Serbian descent, Nina often performs across the UK and abroad, actively promoting Serbo-Croatian classical music. Her overseas engagements include concerts in Croatia, Serbia, France, and Germany. She gave her most recent UK recitals in Manchester and Scotland, and has been invited to perform at the Cheltenham Music Festival, Budleigh Salterton Music Festival and East Devon Music Festival.

She has performed on BBC Radio South West with David Fitzgerald, and BBC Spotlight with Victoria Graham and Justin Leigh. Nina also takes interest in British music, recently performing Finzi’s Eclogue for Piano and Strings with the Exeter Symphony Orchestra.

Nina has worked alongside and received masterclasses from an array of eminent pianists, including Barry Douglas, Stephen Hough, Vovka Ashkenazy, Steven Osborne, Joanna Macgregor and Christopher Elton, as well as working overseas with professors from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Zagreb’s Academy of Music. As of September 2019, Nina studied at the Royal Northern College of Music under Helen Krizos, and recently completed a bachelors and masters degree.

Nina performs regularly across the UK, most notably at the 1901 Arts Club in London, St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, the Pittville Pump Room, the Cheltenham Town Hall and Girton College, Cambridge. 

Alongside performing, She also became a mentor for Young Sounds where she works alongside young musicians and guides them with their studies, and she is also a cathedral piano tutor for the Diocese of Leeds, the UK’s leading choral education programme, teaching choristers who are part of the national singing programme. 

In June 2025, Nina looks forward to making her debut with the St John’s Festival Orchestra. She also founded and became the artistic director of Topsham Music Festival, which has been active since 2023.

PROGRAM OF MUSIC

Programme:

Paganini, Caprice No. 21

Bach, G minor Adagio and Fugue

Jörg Widmann, Etude No. 3

Sibelius, Humoresques Op. 89 Nos. 1 and 2

(28 mins)

Interval

Sibelius, Danse Champêtre Op. 106 No. 2

Chopin arr. Ysaye, Ballade No. 1 Op. 23

Sibelius, Novelette Op. 102

Elgar, Violin Sonata Op. 82

Sibelius, Danse Champêtre No. 3 Op. 106

Bartok, Rhapsody No. 1

(65 mins)

Biography

Charlie Lovell-Jones debuted at a sold-out Royal Festival Hall debut aged 15. He has
since soloed with orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, English Chamber, Noord
Nederlands, Sinfonietta Cracovia, RTÉ Concert, Sendai Philharmonic and Yamagata Symphony,
broadcasting on television and radio. In 2017, BBCNOW premiered Charlie’s composition for
violin, soprano and orchestra, Cariad Cyntaf, with Rebecca Evans and himself as soloists. He has
worked with conductors including John Wilson, Edward Gardner, Sir Mark Elder, Rumon Gamba,
Peter Oundjian, Daniela Candillari, Louis Lohraseb, Ken Takaseki, Moritz Gnann, and Michael
Seal.

Charlie was the youngest-ever member of the John Wilson Orchestra, aged 14. At the
BBC Proms 2021, he debuted as concertmaster of Wilson’s multi-award-winning Sinfonia of
London (SoL), with whom he has recorded many critically-acclaimed CDs, including his debut
concerto recording of the Walton Violin Concerto, which released in February 2025. Charlie has
found success in several international competitions, including BBC Young Musician 2016, and the
Sendai 2019, Shanghai Isaac Stern 2020, and Joachim 2021 International Competitions.
Charlie was a Christ Church Prize Scholar at Oxford University, where he graduated in 2020 with a Gibbs Prize in Music. He received a Bicentenary Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, and graduated in 2022 with the Strings Postgraduate Prize. In the same year, he released his debut recital album on Linn Records as part of the RAM Bicentenary Series.

He won the Hattori Foundation, Harriet Cohen, John Fussell, Drake Calleja and Countess of Munster Trusts’ awards, and is a J&A Beare Violin Society Artist. Charlie studied for over ten years with Rodney
Friend MBE, and from 2022-2024, at the Yale School of Music with Augustin Hadelich.
Charlie has enjoyed masterclasses with Ida Haendel, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vadim Repin,
Menahem Praessler, Pinchas Zukerman, James Ehnes, Leonidas Kavakos, Tai Murray, and with
Ida Kavafian at the Lincoln Center.

He has also coached with Ani Kavafian, Boris Slutsky, and cellist of the Brentano Quartet, Nina Lee.
Charlie is in regular demand nationally and internationally, and has soloed at venues
including Smith Square Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, the National Concert Hall Dublin, the
Snape Maltings, the Wigmore Hall and the Konzerthaus Berlin. His 2024-25 season includes
further SoL recordings and concerts, performances of Bach, Brahms, Britten, Bruch, Sibelius,
Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, and Vaughan-Williams Concertos, and several duo and trio recitals including
his debut at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Charlie plays a fine 1777 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, generously loaned by a
benefactor

PROGRAMME OF MUSIC

Biography

The Max Rosen Trio is an exciting and vibrant new jazz trio lead by Manchester pianist Max Rosen. The trio consists of the timeless combination: Max Rosen on keys, Peter Hartley on bass and George Bingham on drums. They showcase a range of different music that fits broadly under the ‘jazz’ umbrella. The trio performs original compositions and arrangements as well as the classic jazz standards that make up the Great American Songbook. They have performed around Manchester on the jazz circuit and have captivated audiences with their unique twist in playing this kind of music.

Biography

Sehyogue Aulakh is a percussionist currently studying for her postgraduate degree at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, she studies with Toby Kearney, Henry Baldwin, Aidy Spillet, Matt Hardy, Andy Herbert, Grahame King, Marney O’Sullivan, Owen Gunnell, Chris Bradley and Sophie Hastings.

Sehyogue freelances across the UK and has worked with award-winning ensemble Engines Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra and National Orchestras for All. She is currently on a training scheme with Birmingham Royal Ballet and has also played alongside the Welsh National Opera, Orchestra of the Swan, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and the CBSO percussion section. Sehyogue enjoys playing a variety of music and has recently produced her own project – Suthering, she especially enjoys contemporary, experimental art and mixed media work.

Sehyogue is generously supported by the Universal Music UK Sound Foundation, Cherubim Music Trust and the Royal Philharmonic Society. She has previously been supported by Awards for Young Musicians, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Plymouth Musicians Accord and the EMI Sound Foundation.

Aside from music, Sehyogue enjoys swimming, hiking, cooking and gardening (although she is slightly at war with the slugs!)

PROGRAMME OF MUSIC

Programme

Biography

Rapidly developing a reputation as one of the most innovative pianists of his
generation, Julian Chan has given performances at numerous prestigious venues
across the UK, including Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, St John’s Smith Square,
and the Sheldonian Theatre. Performing music by a particularly diverse range of
composers, he has given alluring recitals featuring works by figures from Sweelinck
to Messiaen, from Alkan to Rzewski, unifying these various styles in a captivating
manner.

Julian has had masterclasses with numerous pianists of international
renown, including Stephen Hough, Imogen Cooper, Jeremy Menuhin, Melvyn Tan,
Bobby Chen, and Joanna MacGregor; distinguished conductors with whom he has
performed, both as a soloist and as part of the acclaimed Manson Ensemble,
include Jessica Cottis, Dominic Grier, Ryan Wigglesworth, Ben Glassberg, Jonathan
Berman, and John Gibbons.

Recently, Julian has been awarded First Prize and Sonata Prize at the
Nanyang International Music Competition, Singapore, Second Prize at the Jazeps
Vitols International Piano Competition, Latvia, First Prize at the Norah Sande Award,
and First Prize at the Coulsdon and Purley Festival with his performance of
Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto.

A passionate composer and performer of new music, Julian has collaborated
with eminent composers such as Hans Abrahamsen, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Jörg
Widmann, Deborah Pritchard, Elena Langer, and Peter Seabourne.

Julian is currently recipient of the Aud Jebsen Fellowship at the Royal
Academy of Music, where he studied with Ian Fountain and Michael Dussek. He had
his first book of compositions published at age 6, earning him the title of Malaysia’s
Youngest Composer.