Programme

6 Suonatine per violino e cembalo TWV 41, by G.F.Telemann

(All Six Sonatas)

Violin

Junhe Qiu, born in China, is a young musician who has studied and performed in both the U.S. and Europe. He is a violinist, chamber musician, and conductor. 

He began learning the violin at a young age and pursued conducting as a secondary field of study. Graduated from the Music School attached to Xinghai Conservatory of Music, which is one of the top 3 music conservatories in China. In 2016, he was awarded the highest scholarship to study at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he also received the Starling Music Scholarship. In 2019, he continued his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In 2022, he was admitted to the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), where he awarded the Recital Artist Diploma, becoming the first Chinese string player to receive this qualification since the academy’s founding in 1848.

His performance and musical activities span North America and Europe. He has participated in numerous prestigious music festivals, including the Bowdoin Music Festival in the U.S., the Midwest Composers Forum, and the Weimar Master Classes in Germany, Dublin Chamber Festival in Ireland . From 2015 to 2019, he served as assistant at the AMEROPA International Chamber Music Festival in Prague.

In 2022, he served as the associate concertmaster of the RIAM Philharmonic in Ireland. In 2023, he collaborated with conductor Dongke Tu to co-found the Intercontinental Experimental Orchestra (IEO), where he serves as concertmaster. During his career as orchestra performer, he had the opportunity to perform with renowned conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Mihhail Gerts, and Christoph Altstaedt.

 In April 2023, he co-founded the Westland Trio with Naxos-signed pianist Professor Lance Coburn and young cellist Chen Ensheng. The trio successfully completed concert tours of China in 2023.

As a conductor, he has led multiple concerts in China and EU. In April 2024, he has been invited to conduct the Royal Irish Academy of Music W&B Ensemble and Chamber Choir for the 2024 RIAM Asian Music Night. He also regularly serves as a guest conductor for several youth orchestras in China.

Cello

Ensheng Chen, started learning the cello from a young age. In 2014, she was admitted to the Zhejiang Arts School, where she received special scholarships and first-class scholarships. In 2017, she was accepted into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music , which is one of the top 2 music Conservatory in China,  under the tutelage of Professor Xie Guangyu. In 2022, she was awarded the 1848 Scholarship and entered the Royal Irish Academy of Music, studying with British cellist and educator Professor William Butt, as well as Professor Aoife Nic Athlaoich, an expert in Baroque cello. In 2024, she graduated with a master’s degree as an outstanding student.

During her studies, she received guidance from many renowned musicians, including Nicholas Tzavaras, Su Li, Qin Liwei, Wang Lei, Dóra Kokas, and Xandi van Dijk. She performed with prominent Chinese orchestras such as the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and Suzhou Philharmonic Orchestra in concerts like the 2018 Foshan New Year Symphony Concert and Das Lied von der Erde. She also participated in performances like the Bilibili Macro Link 2021 themed offline event, the musicals He Luting and Rachmaninoff in Shanghai, Shaoyang, Beijing, Tianjin, and other cities, as well as in the opening band for Tencent’s annual New Year's event and as a cellist in Angela Zhang's 2018 Journey world tour.

In Ireland, she performed in multiple concerts, including the New Music Dublin Concert, Asian Music Night, Dublin Chamber Festival, and Esker Festival Orchestra concerts. She also took part in opera accompaniment for Spirits Unsurrounded, and performed in chamber groups like the Westland Trio and Desperado Trio in various concerts.

Harpsichord

Celia Yizhen He Chu, born in Spain with ancestral roots in Taiwan, began studying piano and clarinet at a young age.

In 2015, she was admitted to the music program at Taichung Municipal Shuangshi Junior High School, studying under clarinetist Tian Yongnian. In 2018, she entered the music school attached to Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, which is the best music conservatory in China, where she was mentored by renowned clarinet educator Professor Fan Lei. During her time at the conservatory, she actively participated in major music festivals and performance events across China, including the 2019 Qingdao International Clarinet Summer Camp, the Central Conservatory of Music Anniversary Concert, and off-campus science outreach concerts, gaining extensive experience in chamber music performance. She also engaged in music theory and outreach education, delivering lectures on music theory and performance techniques in public art courses on platforms such as the one offered by Sanlian Life Weekly.

After graduating from the music school attached to Central Conservatory of Music in 2021, He Yizhen was awarded the 1848 Scholarship and was accepted into the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), studying with renowned European clarinet educators Professor John Finucane and Professor Paul Roe. While at RIAM, she served as a rotating principal clarinetist for the RIAM Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2022, she distinguished herself in the Sony Music Global Scholarship selection and became one of 50 awarded artists. In 2024, she was invited to participate in the Global Scholar Conference in New York, where she had the opportunity to meet legendary music executive Clive Davis, who discovered Whitney Houston.