Musical connection hits all the right notes
Renowned cellist Elgee Leung will join his wife and celebrated pianist Josie Yau to perform in Blenheim at the end of the month. Photo: Supplied.
Husband and wife musicians Elgee Leung and Josie Yau have a unique connection, both musically and romantically.
After collaborating on more than 50 concerts around the world, the talented Blenheim-based duo is preparing for a concert closer to home.
This is the couple’s first formal cello-piano duo recital, one they are well prepared for, Elgee says.
“As a husband-wife duo we normally spend more time rehearsing a programme than normal duos would use to prepare for a concert.
“Most professional groups spend two to four rehearsals to get a programme concert-ready, while Josie and I usually have a few more rehearsals to generate musical ideas together.”
Born in Hong Kong to a family where classical music was highly valued, Elgee Leung began learning the Cello at the age of nine.
After studying at the Arts Faculty in Hong Kong University, Elgee continued to study cello performance with Yi-Bing Chu, Catalin Ilea, and Jens Peter Maintz in Berlin and Beijing.
He has worked as a cellist in Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Pan Asia Orchestra, and Hong Kong Bach Choir Orchestra, while remaining a keen interest in chamber music and conducting.
Performing with his wife is very special, Elgee says.
“I found performing and rehearsing with Josie very different from working with other musicians, as we have been struggling to find the balance between musical professionalism and the basic rule of marriage that the wife is always right.
“Now that we have performed together as a duo and worked with other musicians in bigger chamber music groups for over a decade, we have developed a unique musical connection that shaped us both musically and romantically.
Featuring works by Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, the concert is titled Peace in Chaos.
The name reflects how music can help people find tranquillity amid uproar Elgee says.
“I can’t imagine our life without music.
“Like many long-established chamber music groups, having performed together for years allows us to better anticipate each other’s musical directions.”
Josie studied piano performance with renowned Chinese composer and pianist, Shi-Guang Cui, and vocal performance with Jeffie Leung in Hong Kong Baptist University.
After completing her Bachelor’s in arts with honour, she served at the government-run Hong Kong Music Office as a pianist, choral conductor, and musicianship teacher for over a decade, performing regularly in Hong Kong, Austria, Germany, Italy, and China.
The couple will be performing at St Andrews Presbyterian Church on April 29 between 3 and 5pm.
For more details and to buy tickets visit www.eventfinda.co.nz/2023/peace-in-the-chaos-cello-piano-duo-concert/blenheim