Making its Festival debut with a young and brilliant showcase of classical musicianship, the city’s oldest chamber orchestra presents not one but three concertos and the world premiere of a specially commissioned work by 20-year-old Tāmaki Makaurau composer and pianist Henry Meng.
This is a perfect opportunity to encounter the next generation of classical stars within the timeless and welcoming setting of a St Matthew’s concert.
Junyang (David) Zhu on the oboe is a Year 11 student, who began playing the oboe at the age of 10 and made his first concerto debut at 12 with the Auckland Philharmonia. After achievements in NZ and AUS, where he has played with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) plus our regional orchestras, he visited the United States studying with some of the prominent oboists. In addition to oboe, he studies piano with Stephen de Pledge and is working toward undergraduate studies in the USA in the coming year.
Hayden Chiu aged 15, is a violinist from Auckland. Performing at Carnegie Hall aged 8, he went on to join the NZSO National Youth Orchestra by 11. In an Italian violin competition shortly after, Haydn was named a 2024 NZSO Emerging Artist and subsequently won the Michael Hill National String Competition and received the award for Best Interpretation of a New Zealand Work. Hayden was a 2025 Ysaÿe International Music Competition Semi- finalist and performed as soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia.
Shan Liu, a 16-year-old pianist at Westlake Boys High School, is achieving remarkable success here and away, with accolades including top prizes at major international competitions such as the Macao International Piano Competition, winning first Place at the César Franck International Piano Competition (Belgium,) and many more. In NZ he has collaborated with the NZSO, (& will return to the stage with the NZSO as a Featured Soloist in their 2026 season) and claimed First Place at the 2025 National Concerto Competition, becoming the youngest winner in the event’s 57- year history.
Henry Meng is an NZ pianist and composer who studied at the University of Auckland before moving to the USA, to the Eastman School of Music. As a pianist, he has performed with the APO and the CSO. He was the 2023 winner of his university’s Concerto Competition and came second place in NZ’s national piano competition of 2024, winning in 2023 and 2025 National Concerto Competitions.
Touring with clarinetist Julian Bliss in 2024, he has appeared at the Gijón International, the World’s Edge, and Adam Summer School festivals. As a composer, he was the recipient of the NZSO’s TODD Young Composer’s Award; one of his orchestral pieces, Fanfare, was part of the NZSO’s 2024 concert season.
St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, 187 Federal Street, www.smco.org.nz
