RAY CHEN
Winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (2009) and the  Yehudi Menuhin Competition (2008) and is among the most compelling young violinists today. “Ray has proven himself to be a very pure musician with great qualities such as a beautiful youthful tone, vitality and lightness. He has all the skills of a truly musical interpreter,” said his friend and mentor Maxim Vengerov.Mr. Chen’s premiere album  Virtuoso,  released worldwide on Sony Classical in January 2011,  won  prestigious  Echo Klassik Award 2011.  The recording has received glowing reviews from a range of major publications including  The Timesand  Chicago Tribune, which named it the  “CD of the week”.   Following the success of this  album, Ray Chen was profiled by  The Strad and  Gramophonemagazines as  “the one to watch”.    His 2011 recital tour featuring  Virtuosorepertoire included Tokyo, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, and Dresden.  “The musicianship of Ray Chen is just as exciting as that of Gustavo Dudamel. He seems to have it all: instantly recognizable tone, charismatic personality and musical authority unusual for his age. He is at the beginning of a major career and it is a privilege to build it with him,” says Bogdan Roscic, President of Sony Classical. Ray Chen is currently working on his next CD with  Daniel Harding and the  Swedish Radio Orchestra.  For this first orchestral recording, slated for worldwide release in January 2012, he chose the Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn concertos, which have particular personal significance as the pieces he played in the final rounds of the two competitions.

Ray Chen continues to win the admiration  of fans and fellow musicians worldwide. This year’s  Verbier  and Dresden Festival debuts resulted in immediate reengagements in 2012.  He received standing ovations at  Ravinia  and SchleswigHolstein, where he was featured by the Munich Philharmonic.  One of the highlights of the last season was a sold-out performance with the  Seoul Philharmonic and Maestro  Myung-Whun Chung at the Asian Games Festival in Guangzhou.  He is looking forward  to his  upcoming engagements with theFilarmonica della Scala, National Orchestra of Spain, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic, among others.  Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray Chen was accepted to the  Curtis Institute of Music at the age of 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand. Ray Chen plays the 1721 “Macmillan” Stradivarius provided as part of the award for winning the 2008-09 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.

Ray wrote on the 27th September 2011:
I was just in Milan, Italy performing Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Filharmonica della Scala. Now I'm in Tampere, Finland about to do the same with their Philharmonic.  It's a bit cold here but nothing a good "Reindeer Roast" can't sort out! Best wishes, Ray
September 2011

JANET ANDERSON
Janet graduated in 2005 with 1st class Honours from Bachelor of Music in Advanced Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music where she studied with Michele Walsh, and then continued her studies in Munich at the Hochschute fur Musik und Theater with Professor Gottfried Schneider. In 2006 she was given the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University Post-Graduate Award.

While in Queensland Janet played with the Fyra String Quartet, well known for its participation in the Australian Festival of Chamber Music tours, where didgeridoo player, William Barton, featured strongly, premiering works by Sculthorpe, Edwards and Hindson.

Then came a move to South Australia, where, since 2007, Janet has played full-time with the Adelaide  Symphony Orchestra She also plays regularly with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra 2 (emerging artists and in different configurations).

Janet's Adelaide-based quartet, the Leonore String Quartet, participates in many chamber music festivals and competitions and is well regarded by its audiences
August 2011

JENNEN NGIAU-KENG
A graduate of the Australian National Academy of Music, Jennen Ngiau-Keng has won over 100 awards and prizes in music competitions. He also remains the only violinist in Australia to have received a Master of Music Performance degree after just one year of University studies.
Jennen Ngiau-Keng won the Geelong Advertiser Music Competition in 2009 ($10,000), the Kendall National Violin Competition in 2006 ($10,000), and the Gisborne International Music Competition in 2004 ($9,000).

He has performed over 30 concertos as soloist with many orchestras in Australia and around the world.

With the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Jennen has toured the U.S and Australia extensively, and has also acted as Guest Concertmaster of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Jennen Ngiau-Keng is a demonstrating technical violinist on the 'Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) Technical Syllabus and Key Techniques CD series.

Jennen Ngiau-Keng performs with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, Raga Dolls Salon Orchestra and the Los Romanticos Mariachi Band.

Jennen Ngiau-Keng performs on a Graham Caldersmith violin and a Matthew Coltman bow, both of which were awarded to him. Jennen commented “ I'm still playing my Kendall violin, and it's amazing”.
August 2011

XI MAY ZHEN
Born in Sydney in 1992, Xi May Zhen began to learn violin at the age of five. She passed LMusA with distinction in 2002, and 6th grade musicianship with honours the following year. In 2003 (aged 11) she was the youngest semi-finalist selected among 186 competitors from 29 countries to compete at the Menuhin International Violin Competition 2004 in London.

In 2005, at the age of 13, she was a finalist in the String Category of the ABC Young Performers Awards and the Kendall National Violin Competition. In the same year she won First Prize (Gold Medal) in the 2005 International Violin Competition in Germany and was a finalist in the Tchaikovsky International Competition. She was also a finalist in the National Youth Concerto competition (2004,05 & 06)

Xi May's solo performances include the NSW School Spectacular, the Premier's Gala Concert, NSW Public Schools Choral Concert, International Boat Show concert and Christmas Eve concerts at Olympic Park and Darling Harbour. In 2006 she was invited to Japan to perform Mozart's A major concerto in the concert celebrating Mozart's 250th anniversary. She has appeared as soloist with Udmurt Orchestra (Japan, 2006), Melbourne String Ensemble (2006), Queensland Youth symphony (2004, 2005 and 2006)Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (2005), SBS Youth Orchestra (2004), Sydney Concert Orchestra (2004), East West Philharmonic Orchestra (2001) and NSW State Schools' Orchestra (2001).
September 2006