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. A member of Queensland Youth Orchestras since 2018, she currently plays with the Queensland Youth Symphony. 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. She will be performing Reclaiming the Spirit by Sarah Hopkins, a piece composed in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the renaming of Uluru which reflects the Australian landscape, evoking its ethereal birdsong and rich, red earth.

Fiona Chen received an Associate of Music Diploma from the Australian Music Examination Board last year 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. She will be accompanying Emily in the performance of Vocalise.

Rachmaninov’s emotionally-charged Vocalise, was originally written as an exercise for solo voice and contained no lyrics, instead directing the performer to sing a vowel sound to create a smooth, flowing melody. It has since found its way into the performance repertoire of a range of instruments, not least Leonard Rose’s arrangement for cello and piano.