AWE Emerging Artist Mentoring Pathway

Advocating for those who aspire

We are thrilled to welcome four exceptional young New Zealand musicians to the 2025 AWE Emerging Artist Mentoring Pathway. With side-by-side rehearsals, performance opportunities and coaching from our Festival Artists, these musicians will be challenged to explore their artistry and craft in a whole new realm. Not only will they perform within the festival programmes, our Emerging Artists will play for over 2,000 school students throughout the Queenstown Lakes district.

2025 Emerging Artists

Shanita Sungsuwan

Violin
NZ

Shanita Sungsuwan is currently in her third year of classical performance at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī under the tutelage of Martin Riseley. Chamber music is an important part of her musical life, and in 2019 and 2020 she was in the winning groups of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest playing both the violin and viola. In 2020, Shanita attended the NZ International Young Artists Festival, and in 2021 was invited as an Emerging Artists of the first AWE Festival.

  • In 2024, Shanita was co-associate concertmaster of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra. At the NZSM orchestra, Shanita has been in roles of concertmaster, associate and principal second violinist. She has been selected to play in masterclasses for Maxim Vengerov, Amalia Hall and Jessica Oddie. Shanita regularly performs with Hawkes Bay Orchestra as principal second violinist and also plays with the Wellington Youth Orchestra, where she is currently associate concertmaster. Shanita competed in the Osaka International Competition as a finalist from Thailand in 2022, and was also invited to play in the Thailand Youth Orchestra.

Abby Wheeler

Viola
NZ

Originally from Christchurch, Abby Wheeler is currently in the second year of a Bachelor of Music performance degree at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī under the tutelage of Gillian Ansell. As Principal Viola of the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, she performed in the Aurora Festival, Music Works Ensemble Festival Aotearoa and ICSM World New Music Days Festival. Abby has also been Associate Principal Viola of the New Zealand Secondary School’s Symphony Orchestra in 2023 and has been a member of the NZSO National Youth Orchestra since 2022.

  • In 2025, Abby attended the Adam Summer School, receiving teaching from the New Zealand String Quartet. She is also a casual player for the Hawkes Bay Orchestra and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Principal Viola for the NZSM Orchestra.

    In her spare time, Abby enjoys teaching Taekwondo at Victoria University, competing and officiating at tournaments around New Zealand. Abby is preparing to represent New Zealand at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, where she will compete in the U30 Poomsae team with members from her club.

Christine Jeon

Cello
NZ

Christchurch cellist Christine Jeon is currently in her second year of studies at The University of Auckland under the tutelage of James Tennant. Selected as an Emerging Artist for the 2024 AWE Festival and we are thrilled to welcome her back for a second year. As part of the piano trio, Vich Perfect, she won the Judith Clark National First Place award at the 2021 NZCT chamber contest. In 2022, she was named the National Finalist of the National String Competition, gaining the 3rd prize and the People’s Choice Award. Subsequently, she gained the First Prize in the International Melbourne Strings Festival Competition.

  • In 2023, Christine received the Second Prize at the American Virtuoso International Music Competition and made her first orchestral debut as a concerto soloist playing the Elgar cello concerto with the NZSO. Additionally, Christine gained the First Prize at the National Young Performer Awards. Currently, she is playing on the Hewitt cello through a generous loan from the Michael Hill Foundation for Art and Music.

Matthew Seinafo

Piano
NZ

From Christchurch, Matthew began learning piano with Marnie Barrell in 2017 and by 2022 achieved his ATCL diploma with Distinction. From 2019 to 2023 he was a member of Burnside High School's Special Music Programme and in 2024 began a Bachelor of Music at the University of Auckland, studying with Katherine Austin, Stephen De Pledge, and Rae De Lisle, all mentors he is incredibly grateful to learn from. In 2025, Matthew was named a finalist in the University of Auckland Concerto Competition, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466, with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

  • Matthew has participated in masterclasses with artists including Paul Lewis, Inon Barnatan, and leading New Zealand musicians. A passionate chamber musician, Matthew has performed in ensembles reaching the regional finals of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest three times, performing piano quintets by Schumann, Brahms and Elgar and at UoA has had the opportunity to perform chamber music works such as the Brahms clarinet trio and Shoatakovich piano quintet. Matthew is also interested in historical performance and will be taking courses in harpsichord with Stephen De Pledge. Matthew also plays viola and enjoys performing with the university orchestra.

AWE Emerging
Composer
Mentorship

Over five months, the AWE 2025 Emerging Composer receives personalised composition mentoring from John Psathas, this year’s Composer in Residence, to write a short chamber work for premiere within the AWE Festival. This composition will also be performed at schools throughout the Central Lakes region.

The young composer will take up residence at AWE during the festival weeks, attending performances, working with the musicians performing her new piece, and personally introducing the work within the performances.

With New Zealand music woven into the very seams of the AWE Festival, each year one young composer is selected through a nationwide competition to receive personalised mentoring for the AWE Festival. During this time, our Emerging Composer will create a new work for premiere within the festival.

2025 Emerging Composer

Lauren Doherty

Emerging Composer, AWE 2025
NZ

Lauren Doherty is an honours year composition and sonic arts student at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī. She is most passionate about telling stories inspired by her heritage, paying homage to those who have shaped her voice. She is inspired by traditional Celtic music, and interested in its interconnection through mythology, ideology and poetic expression to other cultures. Her main musical interests center predominantly around electroacoustic and electronic music, and the way these can interact with classical and traditional forms of music and performance.

  • Recently, her work for string quartet and live electronics with 5.1 sound was commissioned by the New Zealand String Quartet to be played in their St Patrick’s day concert and she has just been selected as a finalist for the 2025 Todd Young Composers Award. Her aspirations are to continue blending the boundaries between electronic and acoustic music, constantly searching for new sonics and reverse engineering her love of dance music and sound system culture into new instrumental contexts, whilst honouring and finding inspiration in tradition and mythology.

Thank you to SOUNZ Centre for NZ Music for their competition administration support.