April 2026🎶
⭐Congratulations to Yani Jiang, winner of the Neil Clere Music Scholarship at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. At this year's annual competition for the scholarship, Yani played a beautiful rendition of Chopin Nocturne from her ATCL repertoire. Congratulations Yani!
⭐ Congratulations to these students on their exam results
Jayden Ma Grade 6 with distinction
April Wu Grade 7 with distinction
🎹 Term One Concert
One of the best ways to share music with your family and friends is to host a house concert, the combination of tea, food and music brings a smile on everyone's faces. Our Term One House Concert at the studio was well attended with a lovely crowd, the music floated in the air on a Sunday afternoon, our young pianists played with all their might and were rewarded with lots of yummies including pizza!
December 2025🎶
We wrapped up the year with a lovely afternoon house concert plus an end-of-year concert at St Andrew’s on The Terrace. It was sad to say goodbye to students who are finishing at the studio, we wish you all the best!
😊A fond farewell to Kino Shi who will begin his piano studies at Auckland University next year, enjoy your new piano chapter!
😊Congratulations to Caleb Ling for completing Grade 8 Trinity exam before he goes off to University, also three cheers to these exam participants:
Nolan Liu Grade 2 Distinction
Ron Salz Grade 4 Distinction
Olivia Liu Grade 7 Distinction
September 2025🎶
😊 Congratulations to Kino Shi on being awarded 3rd prize at IRMTNZ Sonata Competition, Tertiary Class
June 2025🎶
What an incredible season it’s been for the Chamber Music Contest and YMF solo piano competitions! We celebrate all our students who dedicated themselves to their craft, putting in hours of practice and sharing their music with creativity and passion. A special congratulations to those who won awards—your hard work truly shone through. To all my students: your growth as pianists and the joy you’ve brought to the stage are accomplishments in themselves.
CHAMBER MUSIC PRIZE WINNERS
NZCT Chamber Music Contest
Caleb Ling, Jaiden Lam & Yani Jiang
Wellington Finalist
Known as 'Eternally Chill Feijoas' (2 pianos 6 hands)
This fabulous group was placed as a Wellington Finalist out of 35 groups. One piece from their programme - ‘Inazuma’ was featured on the Canadian composer Scott Meek's youtube channel, Scott was delighted to hear his composition performed beautifully on the other side of the world. Here is the video of their performance
Senior Ensemble Class
Youth Music Festival, IRMTNZ
Annika Bonk, Amelia Liu, Miles Lin & Samuel Lam
First prize
Known as ‘Spicy Wing Quorgette’ (2 pianos 8 hands)
In collaboration with Nicole Chao Piano Studio, this group of our talented pianists won 1st prize at YMF's senior ensemble class with Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. Here is their performance
Junior Ensemble Class
Youth Music Festival, IRMTNZ
An Pham (violin) & Annika Bonk (piano)
Second prize
In collaboration with Lynley Culliford and Rachel Thomson, this duo performed Bartók and Sarasate beautifully. Here is the video of their performance at the Prize Winner's concert.
Youth Music Festival, IRMTNZ
Solo Piano
Prize Winners
Grade 1-2
Gold - Margaux Irvine
Gold - Aisha Wang
Grade 3-4
Gold - Sun Oemcke
Gold - Ron Salz
Gold - Jayden Ma
Grade 5-6
Highly Commended & Gold Badge - Jaiden Lam
Highly Commended & Gold Badge - Olivia Liu
Grade 7-8
3rd Prize - Samuel Lam
Very Highly Commended - Caleb Ling
Best Performance of NZ Work in Grade 3-4 class - Ron Salz
Florence Murray Award for The Most Promising Performer on Piano - Jayden Ma
Tertiary Class - 3rd Prize
Kino Shi
A selction of their competition videos are on my youtube channel, here are some of their performances
April 2025🎶
Congratulations to Olivia Liu on her winning performance of Chopin Waltz in D-falt Major. Olivia was awarded ‘Most Promising Pianist' prize at Scots College's ‘Scots Got Talent’. So proud of you Olivia!
Trinity Exam Results - very well done!
Nolan Liu Grade 1 with Distinction
Sun Oemcke Grade 4 with Merit
Dora Wang Grade 5 with Distinction
Samuel Lam Grade 8 with Distinction
December 2024🎶
Our piano year finished with excellent Trinity exam results from these hard working students
Jayden Ma Grade 4 Distinction
Jaiden Lam Grade 6 Distinction
Olivia Liu Grade 6 Distinction
November 2024🎶
November has been an exciting month for the studio. We had our first studio outing to hear New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with the fantastic pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk playing Rachmaninov. Around thirty from our studio, including students and parents attended the event, it was a memorable and exciting experience hearing the orchestra live and close up!
End of Year Piano Recital
A few weeks after attending the NZSO concert, our students went on stage to give their final performance of the year. We held a competition of Best Bowing, Best Smiles on Stage, Best Dressed and Best Spoken Introduction. The judges were parents in the audience volunteered by their kids! It was lovely to see so many enthusiastic responses to the competition, alongside their beautiful performances to conclude the year.
October 2024🎶
Congratulations to Lana Ritchie on winning 3rd Prize at the National Performaning Arts Competition Association of New Zealand (PACANZ) Nominated by Hutt Valley Performing Arts Competitions Society. Wonderful achievement Lana!
In September, the piano students of New Zealand School of Music performed in the Sonata Celebration competition held by IRMTNZ. Congratulations to 3rd prize winner Tal Shiri (3rd from right) with his fantastic performance of Beethoven Sonata.
July 2024🎶
The Annual Concerto Competition at the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria Univerisity has been running for the past few decades, the winner will perform as a soloist with the New Zealand School of Music Orchestra. This year's winner is Lana Ritchie who performed Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F with magnificent skill and musicality. Congratualtions Lana! We look forward to hearing you with the NZSM Orchestra in October.
June 2024🎶
It has been a busy term two full of competitions and concerts. Well done to all the student who performed beautifully. I am very proud of you all.
CMNZ National Chamber Music Contest:
Best Newcomer Award in Wellington - The Raviolis ( Annika Bonk, Miles Lin, Amelia Liu)
IRMTNZ Youth Music Festival:
1st equal Prize Tertiary Class - Lana Ritchie
Best Performance of New Zealand Work Tertiary Class - Lana Ritchie
1st Prize Junior Ensemble - An Pham/violin, Annika Bonk/piano
Highly Commended Junior Ensemble - The Raviolis ( Annika Bonk, Miles Lin, Amelia Liu)
Highly Commended Senior Ensemble - The Three Guys (Caleb Ling, Samuel Lam, Eric Zhang)
We also heard fantastic solo performances from Yani Jiang, Jaiden Lam, Jayden Ma and Sun Oemcke. It was a pleasure to hear your music played with so much passion.
Hutt Valley Piano and Instrumental Competition:
Lana Ritchie
🎶 National Young Performer Awards Nomination
Yani Jiang 14yrs & over classes:
🎶 2nd Prize 20th/21st Century Composer
🎶 3rd Prize Romantic Composer
🎶 Very Highly Commended New Zealand Composer
Samuel Lam 12 & under 14yrs classes:
🎶 2nd Prize Classical Composer
🎶 Very Highly Commended New Zealand Composer
🎶 Highly Commended 20th/21st Century Composer
Weisiyue Wu 12 & under 14yrs classes:
🎶 Highly Commended 20th/21st Century Composer
Jaiden Lam 10 & under 12 yrs classes:
🎶 2nd Prize Romantic Composer
🎶 Very Highly Commended Romantic Composer
🎶 Highly Commended New Zealand Composer
Our Mid-year student concert was so much fun. We had a costume competition at the concert, the green alien and ‘pianosaur’ won the top prize of pizza vouchers! Here are a few action shots.
March 2024🎶
We put a few duets together to participate in the Two of A Kind concert hosted by IRMTNZ at New Zealand School of Music. What a great concert and variety of talents on display!
Jaiden Lam and Sam Lam (piano duet)
Ron Salz and Beth Chen (piano duet)
Yani Jiang and Dora Wang (piano duet)
Annika Bonk and An Pham (piano and violin)
February 2024🎶
🎹 Congratulations to these students on their awesome exam achievements:
Arnav Chouhan - Grade 2 with Distinction
Jayden Ma - Grade 3 with Distinction
April Wu - Grade 5 with Distinction
Jerome Ling - Grade 8 with Distinction
Jerome Ling started his Bachelor of Music in Sonic Arts at the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University. It's wonderful to have another student join the music department. Best of luck and enjoy your time at uni!
December 2023🎶
🎹 Our team of young talents presented us with beautiful piano playing at the End-of-Year concert. Thank you for a memorable concert!
We also had a Christmas Card Competition at the concert. There were many lovely hand-made entries. Here are some of the prize winners:
July 2023🎶
🎹 It's inspiring to watch young pianists perform at the 79th Hutt Valley Performing Arts Competition. We enjoyed three days of beautiful live performances presented by pianists in the Wellington region. Congratulations on your achievements!
Yani Jiang
12 and under 14 years classes:
Classical Composer - Highly Commended
Romantic Composer - 2nd Prize
New Zealand Composer - 2nd Prize
Chamber Group open age - 1st Prize as a member of Funky Beats Trio with Tali Whiteridge & Charlize Chan
Jaiden Lam
10 and under 12 years classes:
20th/21st Century Composer - 2nd Prize
Romantic Composer - 3rd Prize
Classical Composer - 2nd Prize
New Zealand Composer - 2nd Prize
Annika Bonk
10 and under 12 years classes:
20th/21st Century Composer - 3rd Prize
Classical Composer - 3rd Prize
Chamber Group open age - 2nd Prize as a member of The Arctic Hands Trio with Miles Lin & Michael Fei
June 2023🎶
🎹 The IRMTNZ Youth Music Festival took place over the weekend of 23rd - 25th June. It was a wonderful celebration of music and local talents! Congratulations to these students on their awards:
Amy Tran Preliminary class - Gold medal
Jayden Ma Grade 1-2 class - Gold medal
Jaiden Lam Grade 3-4 class - Gold medal
Annika Bonk Grade 5-6 class - Highly commended
Annika Bonk, Michael Fei, Miles Lin (piano 6 hands) Junior ensemble class - 2nd prize
🎹 The mid-year 'Fancy Dress Up' student concert was hit with our imaginative young pianists! The costumes and fine performances put a smile on everyone' faces. What a nice way to spend a Saturday night ~
🎹 Wow! What a weekend! We heard so many talented young musicians play with superb musicianship at the Wellington District round of Chamber Music NZ Contest. Bravo to all of you, thank you for inspiring us with your playing!
Also big congrats to our groups on their achievements, I am very proud of you guys.
The Arctic Hands (Miles Lin, Michael Fei, Annika Bonk: piano 6 hands) - Adjudicator's Award
The Bridgetons (Liam Whatman/cello, Miles Lin/piano, Annika Bonk/violin) - Best Newcomer Award
April 2023🎶
🎹 Welcome back to a new exciting year of music making! This year students from the studio will participate in the annual Chamber Music Contest in June. We have students in piano 6 hands groups and also piano trios. The groups have started rehearsing and it's wonderful to see them enjoying the fun chamber music brings.
On the exam front, a big congratulations to Jaiden Lam for achieving Grade 4 with distinction and also Grade 4 with merit to Dora Wang.
DECEMBER 2022🎶
🎹 That’s a wrap! What an awesome Christmas concert it was! Our 7 teams of multi-hand piano ensembles playing festive tunes was a real treat. Have a lovely festive season everyone.
OCTOBER 2022🎶
🎹 Lana Ritchie has been accepted to begin Bachelor of Music major in classical piano performance at New Zealand School of Music in 2023. She also won 1st prize at IRMTNZ Judith Clark Sonata Competition (15 years & over). Very proud of you Lana!
JULY 2022🎶
🎹 News from IRMTNZ Youth Music Festival 2022
Congratulations to Jayden Ma for winning a gold medal at the Grade 1-2 class and also the Sounz prize for Best Performance of a New Zealand Work.
Yani Jiang was awarded Highly commended in Grade 7-8 class. Well done both of you!
JUNE 2022🎶
🎹Congratulations to all students at our mid-year student concert at St. Andrew's on The Terrace. We enjoyed listening to your wide variety of music, from Mozart, Rachmaninov to Star Wars and jazz tunes! Bravo!
DECEMBER 2021🎶
🎹Congratulations to the following students on their excellent exam results:
Dora Wang - Grade 1 passed with distinction
Jacob Busby - Grade 1 passed with distinction
Arnav Chouhan - Grade 1 passed with distinction
Caleb Ling - Grade 3 passed with distinction
Jerome Ling - Grade 4 passed with distinction
Henry Xu - Grade 5 passed with distinction
SEPTEMBER 2021🎶
🎹The last concert of this year was limited to 50 people under Covid restrictions, which proved to be a bit of a challenge! We made it happen and everyone had a great time. It was lovely to hear our students play for us.
JUNE 2021🎶
🎹The 2021 Piano Plus Festival was a great experience for our young competitors. Congratulations to:
Jayden Ma : for winning the gold medal in the Preliminary Class. He was also awarded the Soundz prize for Best Performance of a New Zealand Work
Jaiden Lam: for winning the gold medal in Grade 1-2 class
Annika Bonk : for winning the gold medal in Grade 3-4 class
APRIL 2021🎶
🎹 Well done to all our young pianists at our first concert of the year and thanks to family and friends for coming to support us
JANUARY 2021 🎶
🎹 A Special congratulations to Cynthia Wratt for completing her BMus degree and achieving ATCL performance diploma
🎹 Congratulations to our piano exam students for achieving excellent results in the Nov/Dec 2020 Trinity exams:
Caleb Ling - Grade 1 passed with distinction
Jerome Ling - Grade 2 passed with distinction
Henry Xu - Grade 3 passed with distinction
Krish Chouhan - Grade 3 passed with distinction
Mira McLaren - Grade 7 passed with distinction
