Featured Guest Artists

Described as “such a force!” (Tempo Rubato), “technically assured with excellent control of the keyboard” (Courier Mail), and as a musician who has “at her disposal a myriad of different colours and who knows how to take the time to let the music speak” (Auckland Scoop), Brieley is known for bringing her trademark energy and refinement to a career encompassing solo and collaborative performance, event curation, arts promotion and practice-focused research. Also a dedicated piano teacher and accompanist, she greatly enjoys sharing her love of music with young musicians.

Christopher Malek is one of Australia's finest international concert pianists. Thanks to his musicality, poetic quality of his interpretation and extraordinary virtuosity, he is best known for his performances of music of the romantic period, especially Chopin and Liszt where he continues the grand tradition of the golden age of piano.

Daniel Rojas is a South American born Australian concert pianist and highly acclaimed composer specialising in the rich and vibrant Latin American musical aesthetic. In his performances, classical works by Spanish and South American composers are presented alongside music from diverse indigenous, folk and popular traditions, as well as his own compositions and exhilarating off-the-cuff improvisations.

Elen Rapoport is a wonderful Russian-born concert pianist who lives in Sydney, Australia. She is also an inspiring and a dedicated music teacher and an original artist. Elen graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Her playing is always full of passion and charisma that almost burned up the keyboard. Meanwhile, her extraordinary bravura playing has perfect technical control, clarity, and remarkably vivid light.

Australian-Chinese violinist Harry Wang is an internationally award-winning musician with top prizes at the Singapore International Solo Competition and Vienna Virtuoso Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras and at iconic venues like the Sydney Opera House. Also using his music for charitable causes, he currently pursues his violin performance degree on scholarship at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Now permanently based in Sydney, Helen Krizos is an internationally recognised pianist and pedagogue with a 30-year career as Deputy Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. She has nurtured award-winning talent – including BBC Young Musician winners – and established influential pedagogical programs for future teachers. A sought-after performer, Helen recorded for the Hyperion label and appeared at iconic venues from the Barbican to the Sydney Opera House. She continues to share her expertise through global masterclasses and her work ensuring musical accessibility for all through the Olympias Music Foundation.

Based in Sydney, concert pianist and Young Steinway Artist Jack Cheng is a decorated musician with degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed at prestigious international venues, including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, and has received numerous accolades for his work. A finalist in the 2024 Australia National Piano Award, Cheng is also dedicated to music education, recently leading a sold-out Rachmaninoff concerto marathon across Australia.

Sydney-born pianist Joshua Han started piano at age four with his mother as his first teacher. By 14, he received a Fellowship Recital Diploma from Trinity College London. His international success includes first prizes in the International Piano Competition J. S. Bach (2025) and the Australian National Piano Award (2024). Joshua is currently completing his Master of Music Studio (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, while pursuing medical studies at the University of Sydney.

Mark Coughlan is the Executive Director of Piano+ Australia and the Sydney International Piano Competition. His distinguished career spans leadership roles as CEO of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Head of Music at UWA, and Federal Chairman of the AMEB. He has served on the board of Musica Viva Australia and spent 15 years as a music critic for The Australian. A three-time West Australian of the Year finalist, Mark is also a conductor and Artistic Director of the Music on the Terrace series, dedicated to mentoring the next generation of artists.

Sydney-based pianist Paula Lu is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she studied under Natalia Ricci. Her extensive performance career encompasses solo, chamber, and orchestral works at prestigious venues such as the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Town Hall, including concerto engagements with the Hunan Symphony, Penrith Symphony, and Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic orchestras. Paula was a prize winner at the 38th National Liederfest, earning a scholarship to the Schubert Institute in Austria, and was a finalist for the John Allison Piano Scholarship. She currently works as a teacher and accompanist and has served as an associate artist for the Rising Stars program.

Regina is a violinist whose aim is to make each musical performance meaningful and memorable. Notable performances in Sydney include This Sounds Like Science, a lecture-concert held at City Recital Hall; and at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron for Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, Governor of New South Wales and guests. Currently, Regina teaches violin full-time at various K-12 schools in Sydney, and performs for the love of music.

Soowon Seo is a teacher, concert pianist, and accompanist with a passion for sharing the joy of music with her audience. Born in Seoul, Korea, Soowon started piano at the age of 5. In light of her noticeable talent, she studied piano from a young age, attending Yewon Arts Middle School and later Seoul Arts High School, specializing in piano performance on both occasions.

ARIA nominated concert pianist and Universal/Decca/Deutsche Grammophon recording artist Van-Anh Nguyen is a worldwide sensation and in-demand versatile artist. She has had several ARIA & iTunes chart toppers and became the first Australian-Vietnamese to ever in history enter the US iTunes Classical Charts.

Born to Vietnamese refugee musicians and having started piano studies at the tender age of 13 months old, Australian born concert pianist gave her Sydney Opera House debut at age 8. Most recently, she performed as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Keith Lochkart.