The Vocalise Duo

The Vocalise Duo

Emily Winter is currently pursuing her twin passions of music and arts at the University of Queensland, under the tutelage of cellist Patrick Murphy. In 2021 she made her solo debut at the Soirée, and was a recipient of first place in the 4MBS Musica Viva Sid Page Prize in Chamber Music as a member of the Heiterkeit Trio. She spent two years with the Queensland Youth Symphony, and currently plays with the Pulse Chamber String Ensemble, and Sketch Ensemble at the University of Queensland, which explores the works of emerging composers. Emily enjoys engaging with a range of repertoire, particularly the rich style of the Romantic Era, and the unique timbral palette of contemporary Australian works.

Fiona Chen received an Associate of Music Diploma from the Australian Music Examination Board in 2020 in the subject of piano and is currently studying under Dr Anna Grinberg with a dual degree in Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Bachelor of Science at the University of Queensland. Fiona is passionate in exploring the performance aspect of music from all periods and finds a great enjoyment in works from the Romantic style works with ever-growing interest in music from the 21st century.

They will perform Arvo Pärt’s transportive work Spiegel im Spiegel, written in the composer’s own tintinnabuli style, which is derived from chant music and seeks to emphasise the beauty of simplicity. The title translates to the ‘mirror in the mirror’, and the work can be seen as depicting the expanding reflections of an infinity mirror. Their program will close with Saint Saen’s The Swan, one of the most well-known pieces in the solo cello repertoire. Written as a movement in the Carnival of the Animals suite, it depicts the smooth trail a swan makes gliding over a lake, with the flurrying semiquavers played by the piano evocative of its rapidly paddling legs, propelling it forward beneath the water’s surface.

This article was updated on May 15, 2022