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

Biography

Polina Makhina is an accomplished Russian born British violinist. At the age of 8, she secured her first Grand Prix at Voronezh Music College, setting in motion a career defined by remarkable achievements and unwavering dedication. Since then, she has taken part in competitions and festivals across Russia and countries like Germany, Kazakhstan, and Switzerland, becoming a laureate of such prestigious competitions as X Youth Delphic Games of Russia, The Rotary Competition and VII International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. Moreover, Polina’s musical career has been punctuated by memorable recitals, including performances at the General Consulate in Bonn, Germany. She has also had the privilege of collaborating with esteemed state and national orchestras in both Russia and the United Kingdom.

In 2013, Polina received a significant boost when she was awarded a full scholarship from the PF Charitable Trust. This scholarship marked the beginning of her studies at The Purcell School of Music for young musicians, an institution where her talent blossomed under the guidance of Nathaniel Vallois. Her accomplishments included winning the Windsor and Maidenhead Young Musician competition and performing with the Amadeus Symphony Orchestra in St Albans in September 2018. 

The United Kingdom became a canvas for Polina’s musical artistry. She has performed extensively in solo, orchestral and chamber capacities, in venues including Brocket Hall, Drapers Hall, Cadogan Hall (where she led the Purcell School Symphony Orchestra), Queen Elizabeth Hall, Great Hall of Eton and even Westminster Abbey, where she performed in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth herself. At the age of 16, Polina made her solo recital debut at the iconic Wigmore Hall and continues to perform there – her chamber recital took place in June 2018. 

In 2018, Polina embarked on her next chapter by enrolling at the Royal College of Music with a full scholarship. There, she honed her craft under the mentorship of Emily Sun. Since then, she has worked with conductors such as Kevin Edusei, Sir Antonio Pappano, Thomas Zehetmair and Vasily Petrenko. Her chamber group named ‘Bodman Quartet’ has performed numerous times and has been invited to play in venues such as LSO St. Luke’s as a part of lecture series by Gresham College. Moreover, Polina has taken part in multiple masterclasses with high calibre musicians such as Peter Herresthal, Francesca Dego, Vasko Vassiliev and Grigory Kalinovsky.

In 2021, Polina had the unique opportunity to record several pieces as part of the LGT Young Soloist ensemble at Abbey Road Studios, including the world premiere of Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 14. In 2023, Polina achieved notable success, winning first place in both the RCM Violin Competition and the Concerto Competition. She performed the Korngold Violin Concerto with the RCM Symphony on June 27, 2024, under the baton of Martyn Brabbins. Moreover, she has recently performed in Wigmore Hall as a part of RCM’s String Showcase recital on April 28th. Also in 2023, Polina was selected to take part in the LSO Scheme, a key step in her rising career. Following the scheme, she is now on trial with the London Symphony Orchestra. 

Polina graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2022 with First Class Honours and continued her studies as a Postgraduate student, supported by a full scholarship and receiving the prestigious Stanley Picker Award. After completing her postgraduate degree in 2024, she is now pursuing an Artist Diploma at the RCM.

Kazakh-British pianist Dina Duisen was born into a family of musicians in Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the age of five, Dina started studying piano at Kulyash Bayseitova State Special School for Gifted Children together with her two brothers Ordabek and Ilyas, who are both violinists. By the age of thirteen she had made her debut with the Symphony Orchestra.

After graduating from school, Dina continued her studies at the Kazakh National Academy of Music before being awarded a full scholarship on the Artist Diploma programme at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, from which she graduated in 2008. Dina started studying for the new Master of Arts Degree in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, under the tutelage of Christopher Elton, Hamish Milne and Kathryn Stott, and graduated with distinction in 2011.

Dina took part in Rome Music Festival, Oxford International Piano Festival, Sergei Babayan’s International Piano Academy in Cleveland Institute of Music, Vibrate Festival and George Enescu Festival. She has been the resident class pianist at IMS Prussia Cove, Casalmaggiore International Music Festival, New Virtuosi International Masterclasses, Jiafeng Chen International International Music Sunmer Course, currently working at the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music. Dina has performed at the Holywell Music Room, Jacqueline du Pre Music Building, Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, Milton Court, Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall.

She regularly works with Nicola Benedetti, Martin James Bartlett and Robert Cohen. She performed in Asia, Canada, Europe, USA. She made her debut at Cadogan Hall in a dramatised concert ‘Byron: Angel & Outcast’ with actors Simon Russell Beale and Rob Heaps, the same concert was given in Astana, Kazakhstan.

She started her annual mini-festival of chamber music ‘Dina & Friends’ last year. Dina released her solo debut album ‘Mazurkas from Chopin to Adès’ which was recorded at Kings Place with the Grammy-award winning producer Andrew Keener giving the Asian premiere of ‘Mazurkas’ by British composer Thomas Adès. ​

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.