Piano Flute Duo at Lichfield Festival

Flute Daniel Shao
Piano George Todica

Programme:

Debussy Syrinx

Mozart Violin Sonata in B-flat major K378 (arr. Flute)

César Franck Violin Sonata in A minor (arr. Flute)

Philharmonia Associate Daniel Shao appears courtesy of the Royal Over-Seas League, after winning the 2024 ROSL wind final. He will be joined by former Festival Young Artist, George Todica, to perform works by performs Debussy, Mozart and Franck.

Daniel is a British-Chinese flautist, who studied at the Purcell School, Oxford University, and Royal Academy of Music, graduating from both universities with first class honours and a DipRAM, and training as a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra. He now enjoys a varied freelance career, performing and recording with ensembles including the Philharmonia (having been Associate Member 2019-2021), London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. His solo performances have been described as presenting ‘virtuosity, charm, and charisma in abundance’ (Ivan Hewitt, The Telegraph), and he has won awards including the Royal Over-Seas League Woodwind Prize, British Flute Society Young Artist and the Oxford Philharmonic Concerto Competition. As a founding member of Tangram, he works with other Chinese-associated artists to explore issues of diasporic identity.

Romanian concert pianist George Todica completed an Artist Diploma degree from the Royal College of Music in 2019 and a Masters of Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2017. George made his Wigmore Hall debut in October 2018 as a Tillett Trust Young Artist, and his recent competition successes include the Keyboard Prize in the 2022 ROSL Annual Music Competition, first prize at the Norah Sande Award in England, The ‘Stefano Marizza’ Piano Competition Italy, the Moray Piano Competition in Scotland, the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales, 2nd prize at the International Piano Campus Competition in France, and 3rd Prize at the International Piano Competition Istanbul in 2020. A former Young Artist at the Festival, he has also performed at the Trento Philharmonic Hall, the Mozarteum Salzburg, the Dôme de Pontoise in France, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge, and at the Buxton and King’s Lynn Festivals.