Wednesday Lunchtime Concert: Talented Students from the Studio of Elena Nikulina

Talented Students from the Studio of Elena Nikulina

On Wednesday 29th May from 12.40 to 1.20pm, the Wesley Lunchtime concert series is pleased to present four outstanding students from the studio of Elena Nikulina. Hannah Ni, Oscar Wu, May Li and Simon Wu will perform works by de Falla, Bartok, Chopin, Glinka and Chaminde.

Hannah Ni is a Year 9 student at Canberra Grammar School and has been playing piano ever since she was 6 years old. Oscar Wu is 15 years old and is currently in Year 10 at Canberra Grammar School on a music scholarship. He began playing violin aged seven and took up piano a year later. He is currently preparing for his AmusA piano exam in June. May Li, aged 14, is a versatile young musician who is exploring various instruments: piano, cello and clarinet. She has studied piano under Elena Nikulina for 8 years, achieving high distinction in her recent AMEB Certificate of Performance exam. She has won numerous awards in piano competitions, including the Australian National Eisteddfod and the ACT Keyboard Association. She is now preparing for her AMusA piano exam. Simon Wu’s musical journey commenced in 2015 aged seven. Having completed his CMusA, he is now preparing for the prestigious AMusA certification. He has garnered accolades at the National Eisteddfod piano competitions, and enriches the musical landscape at Radford College as a member of the Bernstein concert band and the Little Jazz Band.

The students’ teacher, Elena Nikulina, has striven to maximise the potential of each and every individual student since opening her studio seventeen years ago. Based on her unique and evolving teaching methodology, all students are exposed to a range of music that allows them to develop the skill of playing, a deep musical understanding and a lifelong joy in music, while their development is enhanced through competitions and public and studio concerts. Elena welcomes anyone who will work hard and enjoy their musical journey. In 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) awarded Elena a Certificate of Distinction as one of the ten most outstanding music teachers in the ACT and NSW. In 2017, 2022 and 2023, Elena gained the prestigious AMEB award as the ‘Most Outstanding Teacher – Keyboard category, Preliminary to   Grade 6’.