Sally Walker and Simon Tedeschi

Simon Tedeschi is one of Australia’s most renowned classical pianists, recipient of prizes such as Symphony Australia’s Young Performer of the Year Award, the Legacy Award from the Creativity Foundation (USA), first prize in the Keyboard division of the Royal Overseas League Competition (UK), and a Centenary of Federation Medal. He has performed in major concert halls and for festivals throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, and for world leaders including former US President George W. Bush and the Dalai Lama. Acclaimed by respected critics and peers as “True greatness” (Sydney Morning Herald), Simon Tedeschi performed his first Mozart piano concerto in the Sydney Opera House at age nine. Based in the USA for several years courtesy of the American Australian Association and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, in 2009 Tedeschi performed in Carnegie Hall, won the ‘New York Young Jewish Pianist Award’ and performed as soloist with the Colorado, Fort Worth and Illinois Symphony Orchestras (USA).

Sally Walker is Lecturer in Classical Performance (Woodwind) at the Australian National University and has a long-standing association as Guest Principal Flute player with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. With a repertoire ranging from early music to works composed especially for her, Sally has performed as soloist with the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra, Klassische Philhamronie Bonn, Accademia Filarmonica de Verona and premiered “Night and Now” concerto, composed for her by Elena Kats-Chernin, with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. Sally was a prizewinner in the Friedrich Kuhlau International Flute Competition (Germany) and has been nominated for an APRA/AMCOS-Australian Music Centre Arts Excellence Award both for an Outstanding Contribution by an Individual and her “Twilight Musical Dialogues” series was nominated for an APRA Award for Arts Excellence in a Regional Area. Recent performances include critically acclaimed recitals with pianist Simon Tedeschi, Sydney International Arts Festival, Adelaide Festival and Canberra International Music Festival. Sally’s performances are regularly broadcast by ABC Classic FM and she has been a guest speaker on SBS German Radio and Radio National.