Louisa Breen

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Louisa Breen is an Australian musician performing and studying in Britain. In 2001 she finished her Master of Music degree at the Royal College of Music in London, and was awarded the Jenny Marsh Chapman Junior Fellowship at the College for 2000-2001, renewed for 2001-2002. At present she is working as a free-lance pianist in London. In February 2004 she won the Coutts & Co Award for Keyboard in the prestigious Royal Overseas League Music Competition, and will compete in the final for the overall winner in June 2004.

Louisa, 26, was born in Melbourne, Australia. After graduating in 1998 from the University of Melbourne Conservatorium with honours, she commenced her studies at the RCM in London, supported by the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Scholarship, an Associated Board International Scholarship, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Clarke Scholarship from Melbourne University, and Youth Music Foundation of Australia.

She completed a postgraduate Diploma in Performance with distinction in 2000, and her Masters in Musical Performance in 2001, studying piano with John Byrne and also having violin lessons with Ani Schnarch. In Australia, Louisa has had considerable success as both a pianist and a violinist, performing many concertos with youth orchestras, appearing is a soloist on several occasions with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and touring as member, soloist and concertmaster of the Australian Youth Orchestra and Camerata Australia.

Since moving to London, Louisa has won several competitions, including the Chappell Gold Medal, the RCM's highest piano prize, the Millecent Silver prize, the Jean Radcliffe-Maud prize, and the Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition. She has performed numerous solo and duo recitals around Britain, including in St Martin-in-the-fields, Winchester Cathedral and St James Piccadilly, and has toured Asia and Australia as a member of the RCM Premier Ensemble.

In March 2001, she performed the European Premiere of the Australia composer Carl Vine's Piano Concerto with the RCM Sinfonietta, and in May gave a performance of Lizst's Piano Concerto in Eb with the Haverhill Sinfonia.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Piano Teachers

Violin Teachers

Awards & Scholarships

Numerous successes in local competitions and Musical Society of Victoria since the age of 8:

Performances

Concerto Performances - Louisa has frequently performed with orchestra since the age of 8. Highlights include performances for the AMEB 75th Anniversary, with MSO in "Quest" 1995, with MSO for Young Artists' Award 1995, and QYSO National Youth Concerto Competition 1995. She will be performing Gershwin's Piano Concerto with Reading University Orchestra in December 1999.

June 1996 - One-hour broadcast, performing both piano & violin, for Young Australia programme on ABC-FM

Melbourne University 1996-8 - performances include lunchtime concerts as solo pianist and in chamber works. Contemporary Menu concert, playing in Penderecki's Clarinet Quartet.

August 1998 and August 1999 - solo recitals for Youth Music Foundation of Australia

August and September 1999 - while in Australia on vacation, Louisa gave 3 full duo recitals with cellist Charlotte Winslade

Royal College of Music 1998-9 - Since moving to London, Louisa has performed frequently in public, as soloist , as associate artist with a number of instrumentalists, and in chamber and orchestral performances. She has performed in public concerts at the College, at other venues in London, and in regional venues. A highlight was performing the solo piano part in Stravinsky's Petrushka with the College orchestra, a performance which won her acclaim within the College. She has also been invited to perform Messiaen's Sept Haikai for piano and orchestra at the College.

She has been invited to give a solo lunchtime recital at St Martin-in-the-Fields, an honour only offered to 2 or 3 students at the College each year.

Most recently, she was invited by the Royal College to participate in an international tour with a small chamber group, visiting Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Auckland and Sydney. She performed as soloist, as pianist in chamber works (piano trios) and as accompanist for the other instrumentalists and singers (October - November 1999).

Louisa has had a large number of professional engagements as an accompanist.

Youth Music Australia

1993-7 National Music Camps,

National Academy of Music

1996 Pianist in the inaugural Academy Programme, Contemporary Music, in Hobart
1998 Piano programme in Melbourne. Masterclasses with Nikolai Demidenko