2026 Auckland Chamber Music Contest

The Auckland Chamber Music Contest was held during the first week of June at the Diocesan School for Girls Performing Arts Centre. This year there were five trios from BDSC participating.

Chicken Noodle Soup

On Wednesday 3 June, our Chamber Music Group competed in the NZCT Chamber Music Contest, held at Diocesan School for Girls. Our trio, Chicken Noodle Soup, includes Rick Zhao 12J5 (violin), Yoyo Yang 10J11 (cello), and Ivy Liong 13J11 (piano), performing Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17 by Clara Schumann.

We were proud to represent our school and perform alongside many talented young musicians from across Auckland. The experience was both rewarding and inspiring, allowing us to develop our ensemble skills and share our passion for music with a wider audience.

We would like to thank Ms Treneman for her guidance and for making this opportunity possible.

We are excited to continue growing as a group and look forward to future opportunities to perform and share our music.

~ Ivy Liong 13J11

Triplet

Jacob Wu 12D3 (alto saxophone), Ivan Chen 12B7 (flute), Ethan Ling 12D3 (piano) performing Merry Go Round of Life by Hisaishi arranged by Ivan Chen.

The Chamber Music Contest this year was an amazing experience for all of us, for some it's our first time - like my group. Being able to listen to all the other schools’ performances inspired us to keep thriving on with our music and we hope to participate here again.

Although my group didn't make it to Auckland district Finals, we will continue to work on our music, improve our skills and cheer on our peers who made it. Massive thanks to our music teacher, Ms Treneman, who gave us this opportunity to perform at the annual Chamber Music Contest, preparing all the transport and overall giving us a great chance to interact with amazing musicians from all around Auckland.

~ Ethan Ling 12D3

Alice and the Chipmunks

Alice Quan 10D3 (flute), Emily Bai 10K6 (flute), Vicky Gong 10K6 (piano) performing Blumen-Walzer by E Kohler.

Our trio thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Chamber Music Contest this year. Preparing for the performance helped us develop our ensemble skills, musical communication, and confidence as performers. It was rewarding to share our music with an audience and hear the performances of other talented groups. The experience was both challenging and enjoyable, and we learned a great deal from it.

~ Vicky Gong 10K6

Mung, Soy and Red Beans

Yena Wang 12S10 (violin), Wei En Huang 12J5 (violin) and Rachel Ly 12J5 (piano).

This is the second year this trio have been together. They performed the second movement of the Suite in G minor for Two Violins and Piano by Maurice Moszkowski.

They performed extremely well at the Autumn Showcase Concert, the Chamber Music Contest and the Uxbridge Friday’s@12 Series.

CCO

We are CCO, a name derived from the initials of our three members: Cici Wang 12K6 (trumpet), Cyrus Yim 10K6 (trumpet) and Oscar Qi 12K (piano). Together, we performed Eric Morales' Concerto for Two Trumpets Movement 3 in this year's Chamber Music Competition.

Throughout the competition, we had the privilege of performing alongside many outstanding ensembles. Listening to and learning from such talented musicians was an inspiring experience that broadened our musical perspectives and motivated us to continue improving. Every performance taught us something new, and we look forward to applying what we have learned in future competitions.

We feel honoured to have represented our school in the regional final. We dedicated countless hours to rehearsals and carefully prepared every aspect of our performance, taking this opportunity very seriously. This competition was not only a chance to refine our ensemble skills and musical expression, but also an opportunity to build our confidence as performers and grow through the experience.

I realise that this achievement is not solely the result of our team's effort, but also of the guidance, encouragement, and support we received from our instrumental teachers and APO mentor. I am sincerely grateful to Mr Cook for his continuous guidance, valuable feedback, and encouragement throughout our preparation. I would also like to thank Ms Treneman for her support and for believing in us throughout this journey.

Participating in this competition has been a truly rewarding and memorable experience. It has strengthened our passion for music and inspired us to continue striving for excellence. We are confident that, with even more dedicated practice, commitment, and teamwork, we will achieve even better results in future competitions.

~ Oscar Qi 12K6