A Williams Landing pianist is in the running for a prestigious scholarship.
Kathy Chow is one of four finalists who will compete for the $13,500 Sydney Eisteddfod Piano Scholarship on August 26.
The 22-year-old was among 26 entrants aged 16 to 25 years vying for this year’s scholarship, and she is the only female competitor to make the finals.
Ms Chow performed Prelude No.12 by Debussy and Sonata No.1 Bela Bartok during the preliminary round.
Judge Ian Munro called Ms Chow’s interpretation of the Debussy piece “imaginative and very fiery”.
“Likewise, her interpretation of the Bartok was gripping and full of character,” Mr Munro said.
Ms Chow will perform Beethoven’s 23-minute Piano Sonata No. 53 in C Major at the finals next month.
In September, she will travel to London and start an artists masters in performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she has been offered a partial scholarship.
If she wins the Sydney Eisteddfod, Ms Chow will be able to fund the rest of her studies.
“I am excited at the prospect of studying at Guildhall, and to be based in London, whose vibrant artistic scene is of significant appeal.”
Ms Chow graduated with first class honours in piano performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and has performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Iwaki Auditorium and the Government Ballroom of Western Australia.
In 2014, she won first prize in the Boorandara Eistedfodd Piano Concerto Award with her performance of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the Zelman Memorial Symphony at the Hawthorn Town Hall.
Ms Chow recently won first prize in the Music Society of Victoria’s Hephzibah Menuhin Competition and was a finalist in the 3MBS Young Performer of the Year Award 2015.
