Blackheath will be treated to a special concert on August 17 when a young Australian cello star will play in the Uniting Church from 5pm.
Waynne Kwon has been studying the cello since the age of three, learning from a number of important teachers in Sydney, including Susan Blake and Trish McMeekin, a Blue Mountains resident. Waynne seems to have been gifted with an outstanding talent at a young age, and fittingly has completed his Bachelor of Music (first class honours) and is pursuing a Masters of Music at one of the worlds' leading music academies, the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he studies with Hannah Roberts.
To play solo cello requires an absolute mastery of technique that may allow a sensitive and expressive musicianship to emerge, and this young man seems to have that in spades. As a student in the UK, Waynne has been able to find success in numerous competitions and scholarships. He was awarded the 2015 Raphael Sommer Scholarship in London and also won the 2016 Sir John Barbirolli cello prize at the RNCM. He also received the Finalist Prize at the Bromsgrove International Music Competition, and won the 2018 RNCM Gold Medal Competition, the college's most prestigious award.
All these awards indicate a rare talent, with soloist performances in London, Manchester, Seoul and Sydney already evidence of a future great career.
Accompanying Waynne in the Blackheath concert will be Jeremy So, a talented young Australian pianist who has been studying in the UK. Jeremy has performed in chamber groups in Paris, Poland, Thailand and China, and in Australia and New Zealand.
Tickets to the concert ($30/$25/$10, children free) available at the door or call 0414 946 428.
On Sunday following the concert, Waynne will be giving a master class for local students of the cello at the Blue Mountains Grammar School music department at 10am. Admission for observers is free, and all are welcome.
