Lunchtime Recital - Cherry Wei Ge (piano)

Programme:

L. Janaçek: Sonata 1.X.1905, "From the Street"

M. A. Hamelin: Toccata on l’homme armé

R. Schumann: Humoreske op.20 (Selections)

In association with Talent Unlimited

Free Entry. No ticket required. Retiring collection - suggestion £5

https://www.stpancraschurch.org/donations

Biography:

A versatile musician, Cherry Ge began playing the piano at a young age, quickly earning numerous accolades following her debut at eight years old. She has since performed at renowned venues such as Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Southbank Centre. In addition to her piano work, Cherry also pursued a professional career as a solo and orchestral harpist for many years, leading harp sections of NYOGB and Barbican Youth Orchestra among others - experiences that has enriched her musical perspective and creative approach. Her diverse background in solo, chamber, and orchestral performance gives her a unique ability to play with instinctive spontaneity, a quality that has led to praise from figures such as Julian Lloyd Webber OBE, who described her playing as “incisive”.

Cherry’s career has been marked by numerous accolades, including her recent First Prize in the Chung Nung Lee Piano Prize at the Royal Academy of Music. She has also received the Beckenham Young Musician of the Year Prize and the Tom and Pat Sowerby Award in 2014. Notable earlier achievements include 1st Prize in Category A at the Young Pianist of the North International Competition (2011), as well as Ist Prize and the special “Citta di Taurisano” award at the 12th European Grand Prize of Music in Italy (2012).

With a passionate interest in contemporary music, Cherry has worked alongside composers such as Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CBE and Thomas Adès CBE, and has more recently collaborated with Dan Trueman on his Cantata in Doublespeak: Olagón. Her musical development has been further shaped by masterclasses with distinguished professors, including Steven Osborne, Tamara Stefanovich, Yevgeni Sudbin, and more.

In addition to her performance career, she has dedicated much of her time to community outreach, seeking to make classical music more accessible to broader audiences. Notably, she appeared on the CBeebies program Melody and Friends, where she helped spark young children’s imaginations through music and the arts.

Cherry is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Piano at the Royal Academy of Music. She continues her studies with the Emeritus Head of Keyboard, Christopher Elton, who has mentored her since her time at The Purcell School of Music where she was generously supported by the Austin and Pilkington Trust. She is also an artist of the Talent Unlimited Foundation. Beyond her musical achievements, Cherry recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Princeton University with a degree in Anthropology.