2011 Accompanists

SARAH WATKINS

Sarah Watkins has enjoyed an impressive career as chamber musician, collaborative partner and recording artist, touring widely throughout Japan, England and the US with some of America’s leading instrumentalists. In 2002 Sarah formed NZTrio with violinist Justine Cormack and cellist Ashley Brown, a group which has since become one of New Zealand’s leading music ensembles. Sarah has been an official pianist for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition since its inception in 2001, has performed as a freelance player in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra, and has appeared as concerto soloist with St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra and the APO.

Sarah is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York City, where she earned both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in collaborative piano. Resident in the US for fourteen years, Sarah was a staff pianist at Juilliard, Yale University and the Aspen Music Festival. Among academic highlights was her work as coordinator of the collaborative piano program at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, and several years tenure on the music faculty of Purchase College, New York. During the period 2004-2009 NZTrio was ensemble in residence at the University of Auckland, where Sarah also taught collaborative piano and chamber music.

ROSEMARY BARNES

Rosemary Barnes was one of London’s most sought-after accompanists and vocal coaches for 25 years. When she left New Zealand at eighteen to study piano with Franz Reizenstein at the Royal Academy of Music, she had already appeared on radio & TV, and as concerto soloist with the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra. In London, she developed a career as collaborative artist alongside her voice coaching studio, appearing with many leading British artists on BBC Radio 3, Granada TV, at the Wigmore Hall and throughout the UK. On the music staff of English National Opera from 1980-88, Rosemary also taught pianists and singers at the Royal College of Music. Assistant Conductor on over a dozen Opera Rara recordings in the 1980’s, she worked freelance for Opera Northern Ireland, Musica nel Chiostro in Italy, BBCTV and Glyndebourne Touring Opera. Her recording work includes three CDs for the Continuum label.

Returning in 1993 as founding director of the DipPerfArts(Opera) at the University of Auckland, Rosemary continued her busy concert schedule. She has partnered all our leading singers including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Donald McIntyre, Dame Malvina Major, Simon O’Neill, Helen Medlyn, Margaret Medlyn & Patricia Wright. International artists she has partnered include violinists Chuan Yun Li, Emil Chudnovsky, Yinlin Pan & Miwako Abe, flautists Robert Aitken, Paul Edmund-Davies, Leone Buyse & Elena Duran, clarinettists Murray Khouri, Michael Webster & Mark Walton, German baritone Hans Georg Wimmer, UK mezzo Sally Burgess, US soprano Angela Brown and, in New Caledonia, renowned French male alto Robert Expert. Rosemary also gives many recitals every year with emerging young performers. She is a voice and chamber music coach at the Universities of Auckland and Waikato, and coaches NZ Opera’s Emerging Artists. Rosemary was awarded an MNZM for her services to music in the 2000 Queens Birthday Honours.

RICHARD MAPP

New Zealand born Richard Mapp graduated from the University of Otago, and later undertook postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he also held a teaching fellowship. Following a very successful Wigmore Hall debut, he spent over ten years based in London performing and teaching. From 2000 – 2009 he was Senior Lecturer in Piano at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.

Richard Mapp has given solo recitals, performed chamber music and concertos, and has made radio recordings in more than fifteen countries. His CD of music by Granados for Meridian Records was extremely well reviewed in the BBC Music Magazine. He also appears on CDs with the New Zealand Piano Quartet (Naxos and Kiwi Pacific), the NZ Symphony Orchestra and with flautist Amanda Hollins (Atoll).

Since his return to New Zealand, Richard Mapp has appeared as soloist with the NZSO, the Christchurch Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. He is the pianist in the New Zealand Piano Quartet, and a regular guest performer with other leading New Zealand musicians.