Piano Day Celebration feat. Hernandez, Lewis, Hooke, and Bartsch

A diverse line up of Melbourne pianists come together to celebrate Piano Day, the 88th day of the year. Curated by ARIA-nominated pianist/composer Nat Bartsch, this concert presents classical and jazz artists side by side, known for their unique sounds and approach to the instrument. The result will be a night of beautiful music spanning centuries, genres and moods.

Classically trained Cuban pianist Romy Hernandez will perform compositions from her most recent solo album ‘Poems of Bliss and Loss’, drawing inspiration from Latin jazz, classical influences and cinematic music. Georgina Lewis will thread together a thematically connected sequence of 20th/21st century classical works by Nadia Boulanger, Pēteris Vasks, Stuart Greenbaum and Ann Southam. Josh Hooke presents music by Chopin and early-twentieth-century modernist Mompou, a progenitor of much of today’s ambient style. Nat Bartsch will play a selection of her original pieces, including premiering new lullabies ahead of the release of her next album in late 2024.

Profits from the night will be donated to Support Act, a charity providing financial and emotional support to Australian music industry professionals.

Romy Hernandez is a classically trained Cuban pianist who relocated to Australia more than a decade ago. It was in Australia where she discovered her passion for composition, jazz and improvisation as she immersed herself in Melbourne’s dynamic music landscape. Graduating with honours from the Victorian College of the Arts in jazz and contemporary music, she furthered her education with a Master’s in Performance Teaching at Melbourne University in 2022. Known for her roles as a composer, arranger, and pianist in various Latin bands and Latin jazz ensembles, Romy has become a respected figure in the local music community. She contributed as a composer to former Latin jazz ensembles El Numero Perfecto and Ella Trinidad. Her latest released album, ‘Poems of Bliss and Loss’, represents a heartfelt return to her roots and a profound exploration of her first love – the piano.

Georgina Lewis completed her Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2007, studying Repertoire Keyboard with Donna Coleman. She has focused her attention in recent years to contemporary music, especially by female composers. She has earned a reputation for her sensitivity and authentic, ‘unfiltered musicality’, and has had the great privilege of playing music she loves with musicians she admires and adores, in some of the most beautiful spaces in Melbourne. Georgina is interested cultural heritage and by the platform artists have to reflect and shape society, and to amplify lesser heard voices and stories

Josh Hooke is an award winning pianist based in Melbourne, Australia. He performs regularly as a recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician throughout Australia, as well as in Europe and the UK. He has studied with a number of eminent pianists, including Ian Holtham, Imogen Cooper in London, as well as Paul Badura-Skoda in Vienna.

Nat Bartsch is a critically-acclaimed, multi-award-winning pianist and composer who deftly traverses a spectrum between jazz, neoclassical, post-rock and chamber music. Her meditative, lyrical music is enjoyed by people from all walks of life. She has released eight albums of original music and toured domestically and internationally. After several years releasing music for ABC Classic and Jazz, she recently established her own record label, Amica Records, in collaboration with Canadian neoclassical label Moderna Records. She collaborates with artists including Luke Howard, Grigoryan Brothers, Matt Withers, Muses Trio and Inventi Ensemble. She is one of a small handful of artists to be nominated in both jazz and classical ARIA categories, and in 2023 won an Art Music Award for Best Jazz Work.