UNSW’s 2025 Concerto Winners: A Celebration of Talent, Friendship and Collaboration

The Music Performance Unit is proud to present the 2025 Concerto Winners, an exceptional group of students who will be performing alongside the UNSW Orchestra in Term 2. These talented musicians—Alex Yuen, Harry Pritchard, Brian Ee and Calder Yeung—have earned this opportunity after a highly competitive audition process that showcased their artistic proficiency, repertoire choices, and collaborative spirit. This year, they will be performing as a wind quartet, the first movement of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major, exemplifying both individual skill and ensemble harmony.

We caught up with these four student musicians to hear about their preparation, personal musical journeys, and what being a part of the Concerto performance means to them. Here’s a glimpse into their world of music, study, and everything in between.

Alex Yuen: French Horn

A French horn player originally from Hong Kong, Alex began learning piano at age six, but it was the horn that truly captured his heart. "I started playing French horn at 8, mainly to escape studying," he recalls. "At first, I wasn’t passionate—until I randomly heard a CD by Hermann Baumann, a legendary German horn player. His expressive singing tone moved me in a way I couldn’t explain. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to keep playing—to chase that same feeling again."

Now in his second year at UNSW, Alex is thrilled to have the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the UNSW Orchestra. "This ensemble performance feels like a real milestone in my university journey," he shares. "It represents the friendships I’ve built and how music has helped me feel at home in a new environment. I’m especially looking forward to the rare opportunity of performing as a soloist on stage as a French horn player—an experience I never imagined when I first arrived."

When asked about balancing music with his studies, Alex encourages his fellow student-musicians to hold onto their passion, no matter how busy life gets. "As a student, it’s easy to get caught up in a busy schedule and feel tempted to give up music," he advises. "But if you truly love it, there’s always a reason—a moment that first made you fall in love with it. Hold onto that feeling and let it drive you."

We finished off our chat with Alex with a top campus food recommendation: “I’d recommend Pho House on upper campus—their Vietnamese beef pho is legit.”

Brian Ee: Clarinet

Brian Ee’s unique blend of talents in both science and music has shaped his approach to both disciplines. As a PhD student in Biomedical Sciences, Brian’s research focuses on enzyme biochemistry and biosensors, but music has always been a central part of his life. A clarinettist and bass clarinettist, Brian started his musical journey on the piano before falling in love with the clarinet. He’s been a mainstay in the UNSW Wind Symphony and Orchestra for nearly a decade and now brings his years of experience to this Concerto performance.

For Brian, the concept of performing as a wind quartet came to life when Alex invited him to join the ensemble for the concerto auditions. "Last year, I had considered preparing the Copland or Artie Shaw (soloist) clarinet concertos for the concerto audition," he shares. "However, when Alex asked me if I’d like to join a wind quartet for the concerto auditions, I instantly loved the idea of performing as a group of soloists, and we started putting together the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante."

His studies and music life seem worlds apart but Brian tells us this is not always the case, “I do recall one time during my honours year when I was processing X-ray scattering data and was struggling to grasp the concept of the Fourier transform. Another student framed it in the context of music, and it clicked—it’s a way to transform a signal in time (e.g. the sound of some music notes played together) to the frequency domain (e.g. the name of the notes being played together)."

With a passion for both biomedicine and music, Brian encourages fellow students to find balance. "I am looking forward to performing as a soloist with the UNSW Orchestra, after playing with the orchestra and wind symphony at UNSW for the last 10 years and looking forward to sharing the spotlight with Alex, Harry and Calder," he says. Additionally, Brian shares in his free time that he plays a very unique sport called underwater rugby!

Harry Pritchard: Bassoon

Harry Pritchard’s path to music wasn’t immediate. He recalls a time when he wasn’t particularly interested in music, until one high school evening when a bassoon performance caught his attention. "The sound of the bassoon and the complexity of its keywork really intrigued me," he says. "It was that moment that changed everything for me."

A student of Civil Engineering, Harry finds music to be an essential balance to his rigorous academic schedule. "Tuesday afternoon rehearsals have become a very normal part of my routine” he shares. "Aside from the regular LIME concerts, I am sometimes lucky enough to have the occasional call-in gig with another group – some with Willoughby Symphony, sometimes North Sydney Symphony, and even once with Bankstown Theatre."

Harry sees collaboration as the heart of his wind quartet’s success. "As far as any general technical concerns, all of that takes place at home before rehearsals," he explains. "Rehearsal time, for us, is about learning how to move with each other and listen to each other—when you are playing well together, the music takes on a life of its own, and you can feel it pulling all of you around as if it is some greater force than any of you."

"The concerto, on the other hand, is a very different beast," he says. "As much as the conductor is important, being one of the four soloists is an entirely different endeavour, and I’m really excited to find out what it feels like playing such a piece with an orchestra supporting."

Apart from his studies and music activities, Harry also finds time to participate in Sunday league soccer, along with a love for reading, “I have been taking advantage of the light rail and train ride to and from campus as an opportunity to learn a few new things.”

Calder Yeung: Oboe

For Calder Yeung, music has been a lifelong passion. "I started with music at the age of 7 playing the recorder and joining my school choir," he recalls. "I began oboe at age 10, to join the school band, and since then I've been a part of many bands and orchestras and even being a solo item at the Sydney Town Hall in 2022."

A student in the Engineering/Computer Science program at UNSW, Calder views music as an essential part of his university life. "Music has been one of my main hobbies for most of my life," he says. "Playing with the UNSW Orchestra is such a rewarding experience, and it’s always something I look forward to."

Collaboration is at the heart of Calder’s approach to performing. "For me, collaboration is the most fun part!" he shares. "This is the first time I’ve played in a chamber group, and it’s been so exciting to perform with such a talented team. We spend time discussing musical ideas, listening to recordings, and refining our performance."

For Calder, performing is all about the thrill of sharing the music with others. "I love the thrill of being on stage and showcasing the love and effort for the music that I perform," he says. And when it comes to his hobbies, Calder shared a curious side. "I really enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together, sometimes even my oboe!"

Looking Ahead to an Exciting Performance

As the performance date draws near, these four musicians are united in their excitement to share the stage. Their preparation, camaraderie, and passion for music will undoubtedly make for a memorable concert, one that showcases not just their individual talents, but the power of collaboration in ensemble music-making. For each of them, this performance is not only a milestone in their academic and musical journey at UNSW but also a celebration of the friendships and creative connections they’ve fostered along the way.

Be sure to catch these exceptional students performing with the UNSW Orchestra in Term 2. More details to come closer to the date.