Emerging Artist Mentoring Pathway

Advocating for those that aspire

2023 Emerging Artists

We were thrilled to welcome three exceptional young New Zealand musicians to the 2023 AWE Emerging Artist Mentoring Pathway. With side-by-side rehearsals, performance opportunities and coaching from our Festival Artists, these musicians were challenged to explore their artistry and craft in a whole new realm. Not only did they perform within the festival programmes, our Emerging Artists played for over 2,000 school students all over the Queenstown Lakes district.

Lorna Zhang

Violin
NZ

An enthusiastic chamber musician, Lorna Zhang is currently part of Kaha Trio, who won the 2022 Carl and Alberta Rosenfeldt Prize and are currently part of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s  ‘Aspiring Musicians’ Ensemble. In 2020, Lorna’s group Trio Achilles was runner-up at the NZCT National Chamber Music Competition, winning the inaugural Helen Young Diamond award.

  • Lorna is currently a first-year student at the University of Auckland, studying under the guidance of Stephen Larsen. Enrolled in the Chiron Music Academy since 2018, Lorna received the CLEF (Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation) Scholarship from 2019 - 2022. She was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2021 Michael Hill National String Competition, and in 2022 was a member of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.

Damon Herlihy-O’Brien

Cello
NZ

A skilled chamber musician, Damon’s university ensemble Kaha Trio won the 2022 Carl and Alberta Rosenfeldt Prize. The group is also part of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s ‘Aspiring Musicians’ programme. In 2020, his group Trio Achilles was runner-up at the NZCT National Chamber Music Competition, winning the inaugural Helen Young Diamond award. 

  • Damon began playing the cello shortly before his 4th birthday. From his formative start through the Suzuki Method with Sally-Anne and Anna-Marie Alloway, Damon went on to intensive studies with baroque specialist James Bush. Damon was the recipient of a generous three-year scholarship through the Chiron Group and, in 2021, achieved the NZQA Top Scholar award for the highest NCEA Scholarship Music score in the country.

    Damon is currently studying a conjoint Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Science degree at The University of Auckland, under James Tennant for his cello studies. He has been the Principal Cello of the AYO since 2021 and plays a fine Carboni cello on generous loan to him through the Sir Michael Hill Foundation Instrument Bank.

Madeleine Xiao

Piano
NZ

Madeleine is a passionate chamber musician and collaborative pianist, with experience in both coaching and playing alongside different ensembles and instrumentalists. Madeleine’s chamber group, Kaha Trio, is an Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra ‘Aspiring Musicians’ Ensemble for the second year and has been invited to perform around New Zealand.

  • Born in Auckland, Madeleine began learning the piano at age five. At the age of 16, she went on to study a Bachelor of Music at the University of Auckland, where she is now a second year student, currently under the tutelage of Rae de Lisle, Bryan Sayer and Katherine Austin.

    Madeleine has achieved numerous top awards and scholarships. In 2022, she won both the University of Auckland Concerto Competition and the Auckland Youth Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition, performing in a concert tour with the orchestra. In 2023, Madeleine attended the Adam Summer School working with the New Zealand String Quartet and placed third in the National Concerto Competition, performing with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in the Christchurch Town Hall.

2023 Emerging Composer Mentorship

Georgina Palmer was chosen as the 2023 Emerging Composer through a nationwide competition for composers 20 years and younger. Over a five-month period, Georgina received personalised composition mentoring from Salina Fisher, supported to write a short chamber piece for premiere within the AWE 2023 Festival and in multiple school performances throughout the Queenstown Lakes region.

Georgina also attended the festival, worked with the musicians performing her new piece, and personally presented the many performances of her work Maramataka for horn, violin and cello.

Georgina Palmer

Emerging Composer, AWE 2023
NZ

Georgina Palmer is a New Zealand composer, currently dividing her time between New Zealand and Australia as she studies composition at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

  • Georgina began studying piano at just six years old, and began composing shortly thereafter. During her school years, she was exposed to a variety of musical genres, learning violin and percussion and becoming involved in a number of ensembles including chamber music groups, choirs, orchestras, jazz bands and rock bands. She has also been heavily involved in brass bands around New Zealand and Australia, placing well with a variety of A-Grade bands at both countries’ respective National Championships.

    Georgina’s notable composing career highlights to date include winning the 2020 SOUNZ NZCF Choral Composition Competition as well as the 2022 Audrey Reid Composition Prize. She has been commissioned by Canterbury-based violinist Rakuto Kurano and the National Youth Brass Band of New Zealand. Most recently, one of her works was performed in the Celebrating Global Harmony Through Music concert at Carnegie Hall in NYC.

    She is absolutely delighted to be the AWE Emerging Composer for 2023.