Recital by violinist James Cuddeford and pianist Colleen Lee
Hong Kong Chamber Music Society
proudly presents
Recital by violinist James Cuddeford and pianist Colleen Lee
Date and time:
Wednesday 15 May, 2013
(Concert at 7:20pm / Dinner at 9pm)
Location:
Central
Admission:
Concert only:
Current HKCMS Sponsors, HKAPA staff and HK Sinfonietta staff $290
full-time STUDENTS & professional MUSICIANS $120
PARENTS accompanying full-time students $190
Others $340
Concert and Dinner: $260
Programme:
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major. Op. 24 “Spring”
Debussy: Violin Sonata in G minor
Ravel: Three pieces for violin and piano: Piece en form de Habanera; Kaddish; Berceuse
Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso; Tzigane
About the musicians:
James Cuddeford (violin)
Currently Concertmaster of Hong Kong Sinfonietta, James Cuddeford is one of Australia’s most versatile musicians and has performed extensively around the world as both soloist and chamber musician. He won a full scholarship at age 12 to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England, and continued his studies in Violin Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. His principal teacher was Yehudi Menuhin in violin, and he has won prizes in a series of important competitions including the First Prize at the 1996 Charles Hennen International Competition in Holland.
Cuddeford has frequently appeared at major international festivals in many of the world’s most prestigious halls. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists such as John Lill, Charles Rosen, Stephen Kovacevich, Cristina Ortiz, Michael Collins, Heinz Holliger, Yehudi Menuhin, Bruno Giuranna, Pieter Wispelwey and Michel Dalberto. He has performed concertos with orchestras including the Camerata Lysy Switzerland, BBC Scottish National, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Jena Philharmonic Germany, and the Queensland, Adelaide and Tasmanian symphony orchestras.
Cuddeford joined the internationally acclaimed Australian String Quartet in 1998 and has directed from the violin many orchestras in Australia, Japan and Europe. He lectured in violin at both the Elder Conservatorium and the Australian Institute of Music, and has given masterclasses at many major institutions around the world. He has recorded for ABC Classics, Tall Poppies, Melba Recordings and Toccata Classics, and plays on a violin made by Nicolò Gagliano in 1769.
Also a highly active and renowned interpreter and composer of contemporary music, Cuddeford has given numerous world première and worked with many of the most important composers of our time, including Penderecki, Xenakis, Birtwistle, Smalley and Dutilleux. At age 15, he was the youngest finalist in the BBC Young Composer of the Year, and the following year the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned and premiered his first major orchestral work. He continued his composition studies at the University of Manchester with John Casken, and chamber music studies at the International Musicians Seminar with György Kurtág. He also attended Stockhausen’s lectures, which were critical in the development of his compositional thinking. His compositions have been performed, recorded and broadcast in Europe, North America and Asia by groups such as the Nash Ensemble, Australian String Quartet, Ensemble Offspring, Kammer Ensemble and Psappha Ensemble. Recent works performed by musicians and guest artists of Hong Kong Sinfonietta include 3 Studies of the Human Body for Violin & Timpani, Homage to Bach for Solo Violin, Ave Maria, “For the Five Fingers” from Four Studies for a Portrait of Roger Smalley etc. His music is represented by the Australian Music Centre.
Colleen Lee (piano)
Hong Kong pianist Colleen Lee achieved international recognition after winning 6th Prize at the 15th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. She has performed extensively around the world in solo recitals, and with Orchestras such as the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. She was the Artist Associate of Hong Kong Sinfonietta 2010 – 2011. Colleen has appeared in major festivals including the Duszniki Festival Poland, Musicus Fest in Espoo, Finland and Shanghai New Music Week. She made her début with London Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle in September 2019.
As an enthusiastic chamber musician, she frequently appears in chamber music festivals such as the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival, the Musicusfest and collaborates with renowned soloists and chamber groups including the Shanghai Quartet. She is also a member of the RTHK Chamber Soloists which was formed in 2018.
Colleen Lee studied under Professor Eleanor Wong at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover. Prizes she won includes First Prize at the 3rd Seiler International Piano Competition in Kitzingen, Germany, the 2003 Dorothy Mackenzie Artist Recognition Award, Third Place and Critic and Audience Prizes at the 15th International Competition for Piano and Orchestra in Cantú, Italy, prize winner of the 1st Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the Pro Musicis International Award, Gina Bachauer International Artist Competition Award, Sendai International Music Competition award, and was Laureate of the 16th Santander International Piano Competition in Spain. Her discography includes an all-Chopin album recorded on the Pleyel Piano released by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, and a complete Scarlatti Sonatas album by Naxos. She was also featured on the Hong Kong Sinfonietta DECCA album This is Classical Music 3.
She is currently the Honorary Artist-in-Residence of the Education University of Hong Kong and a member of the piano faculty at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and at the Hong Kong Baptist University.