We would like to stay in touch during this unprecedented time.
We bring to you a very exciting performance by our very first award recipient, Tony Lee, who, along with all of us, is in ‘lock-down’ in Sydney.
Enjoy this remarkable performance of the Saint-Saens Danse Macabre op. 40 (arranged by Vladimir Horowitz) by Tony, who received an assistance grant in 2013.
With the help of the Foundation, Tony was able to pursue further studies in Europe. Between 2014 and 2016 he was invited to be an artist in residence at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Belgium, where he worked with renowned Swiss-Portuguese pianist, Maria João Pires. In 2016, he won the Australian National Piano Award and was named best Australian pianist at the 11th Sydney International Piano Competition. Since 2017 he has had concert engagements in Europe, China and Australia. He has again been chosen as one of the 32 internationally drawn contestants for The Sydney, which has been postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the virus has put a temporary pause on all live performances, enterprising pianists like Tony Lee have used it to their advantage. Tony says: “I am utilising this time to learn repertoire I previously would not have been able to do. I’m also spending more time on reading, researching, listening to music, and enjoying outdoor activities like fishing, golfing, jogging.”
And, of course, he’s keeping up his preparation for The Sydney. He says that it is a little different to the preparation he would make for a concert. “In the end, we are playing for the jury, and this brings about a set of new challenges. The best way for me is to focus on the music and hopefully communicate with the audience, just as I would in a concert.”
In addition to the above video, which was shot at the newly completed Phoenix Theatre in Chippendale, several of Tony Lee’s performances can be found on YouTube
