Beethoven Piano Sonata No 26 Op.81a First Movement “Les Adieux” (The farwell)
Liszt Transcendental Etude No. 8 “Wilde
Jagd” (Wild hunt)
Sir Stephen Hough Valse Enigmatique
Prokofiev Sonata No. 2 Op. 14
i Allegro ma non troppo
ii Scherzo
iii Andante
iv Vivace
INTERVAL
Sir Stephen Hough Fanfare Toccata
Debussy L’isle Joyeuse
Chopin Mazurkas Op 41 Nos 1- 4
Chopin Barcarolle Op 60
Stravinsky 3 movements from Petrouchka
i Danse Russe (Russian Dance)
ii Chez Petrouchka (Petrushka’s Room)
iii La Semaine Grasse (The Shrovetide Fair)
Sam Lord is 15 years old and is in Year 11 at Chetham’s, he has been studying there since Year 8. He began playing piano when he was 7.
When he first played at the Rochdale Festival he scored 100/100 marks. He got 2nd prize in his class at the International Paderewski Competition in June 2025. He has played at festivals in Ramsbottom, Hazel Grove and Blackburn winning classes in each. He has also played multiple lunchtime concerts at school, in Warrington and at Manchester Cathedral.
Melody Zhao is 16 years old. She started playing piano when she was 6. Five years later, she successfully auditioned for a place at Chetham’s, and is now in her fifth year, studying with Simon Bottomley. Since entering Chetham’s, Melody has gained extensive performance experience, appearing regularly in concerts and recitals and participating in numerous musical events across the UK. She has achieved significant success in competitions and won First Prize in the EPTA National Piano Competition in 2025, 2nd prize at the X Future Stars International Piano Competition and was a finalist in the EPTA Piano Competition in Belgium. She achieved the LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College London) Diploma with a high distinction. Melody aspires to pursue an international career, inspiring greater appreciation and helping to preserve classical music for future generations
Julie Zhang was born in 2008 and started playing piano when she was 5 with Simone Wang. At age 6, she achieved ABRSM Grade 5 with distinction. She entered Chetham’s in 2016 studying piano with Simon Bottomley and in 2018, at 10 years old, she achieved Distinction for the ATCL Diploma. Just one year later in 2019 she achieved a high level Distinction for the LTCL Diploma and 2nd prize in Category 2 of the EPTA International Piano Competition. She went on to achieve the FCTL Diploma. Julie particularly enjoys the Romantic Period, especially the beauty of Chopin. She also enjoys chamber music and performing piano concertos.
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