Instrument: Piano

Silvia Lucas is a Spanish pianist and performer, educated up to PhD level at the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, UK), where she was highly commended as a performer in the Gold Medal Weekend (2015). Ever since, she has been a very active performer of new music. As a contemporary pianist Silvia has premiered a large number of piano works, most of them dedicated to her, this includes three piano concertos and over 20 solo works. She has given solo recitals in the United States (Cornell University, New York), Spain, United Kingdom and Germany, amongst others.

As well as a pianist and performer, Silvia enjoys a busy teaching career in various institutions in the North West and is also private piano tutor. She is comfortable teaching a wide range of styles and abilities and tailors her lessons to the individual needs of each student.

Silvia is the artistic director and founder of noisescenes, a concert series which is funded by the Arts Council England, where she features new commissions of electroacoustic music and performance alongside her own performances of older and newer works.

Described as ‘a pianist destined to achieve great things’, Maria Luc is a British Pianist of Japanese and Vietnamese background based in Manchester with local roots in Chichester, West Sussex. A winner of the RNCM Concerto Prize, she has also been a concerto soloist with orchestras such as Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, Chichester Symphony Orchestra, Nottingham Helix Ensemble and the Athenean Ensemble.

A winner of the Norah Sande Award, RNCM Concerto Prize and RNCM Chopin Prize, she also received the Polonsky Foundation Fellowship to travel to, attend and be employed at the Aspen Summer Music Festival in the U.S.A. She has performed in venues in the U.K., Europe and the U.S.A including Wigmore Hall, Tung Auditorium, Stoller Hall and the Wales Millennium Centre.

She regularly performs with other chamber musicians and her collaborations with other instrumentalists won the Paganini Prize for Violin and Piano and the Barbirolli Prize for Cello and Piano. She plays in many chamber groups from duos to quintets. Highlights include performing quintet works in Harris Hall (U.S.A) and songs and cello duo at Wigmore Hall. She also regularly plays in festivals as a piano duo with both Imy Luc and Wyn Chan.  She has enjoyed working with living composers including George Benjamin and Erollyn Wallen. Maria also composes and arranges herself, and has her works played at various festivals.

Her teachers have included Helen Krizos, Ashley Wass, Ron Abramski, Kathryn Stott and Graham Scott at the RNCM. In addition she has worked with pianists such as Andras Schiff, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Stephen Hough. As a teacher who constantly strives for the highest standards, Maria builds on her experience as an established performer and mentor and is also inspired by her other creative endeavours. She has her own private teaching practice in addition to teaching at YYM. She has previously coached junior RNCM students, and was employed to teach at the Aspen Summer Music Festival.

Kristin Lien was born in Taiwan in 1978. She undertook her initial studies at the Kuang-Jen Music School as a pupil of Anita Cheung and won numerous prizes and awards for both piano and cello. In 1995 she was awarded a Music scholarship to Durham School and she later became Durham Young Musician after a recital in Green Palace, Durham.

In 1997, she was awarded an entrance scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music, where she learnt with Carole Presland. During this time, she performed in numerous concerts as both soloist and accompanist, also appearing in Masterclasses with Anne Queffelec, Ronan O’Hora, Martin Roscoe and Renna Kellaway. Kristin was awarded the Gordon Green memorial award and the “Anne Cantelo” Scholarship in 2001.

Between 2002 and 2003, Kristin achieved her Postgraduate Diploma and the Professional Performance Diploma at the RNCM. Since then, she has continued with her professional development training by completing her PGCE and was awarded Certificate of Teaching (CTABRSM) by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in 2012.

As a highly committed teacher, she is now a member of staff at Junior RNCM, Yorkshire Young Musicians, Bowdon Preparatory School and the Bolton School.

John is a graduate of Surrey University where he studied piano with Peter Croser and since then has worked solely in music. He has been involved in music education for thirty years and has considerable experience as both a classroom and instrumental teacher. He has worked as a peripatetic piano teacher for Hull Music Service, held the position of keyboard and musicianship tutor with East Riding College and taught Music Tech A level at Wyke College. His current work includes piano tutor at Pocklington School and A level examining for Edexcel.

Throughout this time John has enjoyed a busy performing schedule as a freelance pianist / synthesiser player, and has an artist management contract with The Animal Farm Music (London) for his original compositions.

John also maintains a private studio, teaching classical and jazz piano plus music theory and music technology / recording. He was recently awarded a diploma in piano performance.