Symphonia Concerts 6 September
Contrasts and Conversations
An afternoon of violin and piano repertoire spanning more than two centuries, featuring Moldovan violinist Dominic-Lucian Drutac and New Zealand pianist Catherine Chang. The programme moves from Beethoven and Saint-Saëns into Eastern European voices including Weinberg, Enescu, Pärt and Bartók, drawing out the contrasts and conversations between the two instruments.
Dominic-Lucian Drutac — Violin
Born in Chisinau, Moldova, Dominic-Lucian Drutac is a violinist from a musical family. From a young age, Dominic has been a member of the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra, and he has performed in many countries, such as Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Malta, Germany, Portugal and Georgia. In 2020, Dominic decided to continue his studies at The Purcell School and Junior Guildhall in London, England. As of September 2024, Dominic studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a full scholarship under David Takeno’s class. Dominic is grateful to have been aided by trusts such as the Albert Cooper Trust and the Arthur Felsenstein Trust.
Some of Dominic’s most significant achievements are winning 1st place at the International Violin Competition in Nedeyalka Simeonovna in 2019, being a finalist at the Lutine Prize Competition in both 2023 and 2024, and winning 1st place, in addition to the Virtuosic Prize for Strings, at the New Talent Festival Competition in 2023. In his final year at Junior Guildhall and The Purcell School, Dominic was the concertmaster of the String Ensemble and Symphony Orchestras. More recently, he was part of the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra 2025 at Tsinandali Festival.
A keen chamber musician, Dominic has had the opportunity to perform at Wigmore Hall on multiple occasions. This past year, he had the chance to perform alongside the renowned violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky in Malta and Sumina Studer in London. Dominic enjoyed being invited to join the Portuguese Youth Orchestra in 2023 to play in a baroque-style chamber orchestra, where he led the 2nd violins. In 2024, Dominic performed Brahms Double Concerto with the Watford Symphony Orchestra, and he was also one of the winners of the Purcell School Concerto Competition. Dominic has performed Sibelius Violin Concerto in July 2025 with Purcell Symphony Orchestra in Milton Court, with a violin kindly borrowed by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.
Catherine Chang — Piano
Catherine Chang is a New Zealand pianist currently pursuing her MMus/MPerf in Piano Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she studies with Ronan O’Hora and Carole Presland.
Since moving to London, Catherine has received 2nd Prize at the Liszt Society International Piano Competition and won the Una Clark Young Artist Competition.
She has gone on to perform with the Croydon Symphony Orchestra, Guildford Symphony Orchestra, and the Sampson Orchestra of Cambridge. Future performances also include Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the South London Sinfonia in 2026.
She regularly performs in the Guildhall School’s public masterclasses and concerts, the ‘Keyboard @ 8’ series at Milton Court Concert Hall, and gives regular lunchtime recitals at venues including Alyth Church, St Lawrence Jewry, and St Mary-le-Bow Church. She also recently made her debut at LSO St Luke’s.
She graduated top of her year from the University of Auckland in Classical Piano Performance under Richard Liu. In 2021, she made her concerto debut with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.
In New Zealand, Catherine has been awarded prizes at all major competitions, including the National Young Performer of the Year, National Piano Competition and National Junior Piano Competition.
Catherine has worked with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Youth Orchestra, Auckland Youth Choir, NZ Opera, and Chamber Music New Zealand.
Catherine is grateful for the generous mentorship of Steven Osborne OBE since 2023.
Concert Programme
Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30 No. 3
Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
— Interval —
Mieczysław Weinberg: Moldavian Rhapsody
Enescu: Ballade
Pärt: Fratres
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Contrasts and Conversations
An afternoon of violin and piano repertoire spanning more than two centuries, featuring Moldovan violinist Dominic-Lucian Drutac and New Zealand pianist Catherine Chang. The programme moves from Beethoven and Saint-Saëns into Eastern European voices including Weinberg, Enescu, Pärt and Bartók, drawing out the contrasts and conversations between the two instruments.
Dominic-Lucian Drutac — Violin
Born in Chisinau, Moldova, Dominic-Lucian Drutac is a violinist from a musical family. From a young age, Dominic has been a member of the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra, and he has performed in many countries, such as Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Malta, Germany, Portugal and Georgia. In 2020, Dominic decided to continue his studies at The Purcell School and Junior Guildhall in London, England. As of September 2024, Dominic studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a full scholarship under David Takeno’s class. Dominic is grateful to have been aided by trusts such as the Albert Cooper Trust and the Arthur Felsenstein Trust.
Some of Dominic’s most significant achievements are winning 1st place at the International Violin Competition in Nedeyalka Simeonovna in 2019, being a finalist at the Lutine Prize Competition in both 2023 and 2024, and winning 1st place, in addition to the Virtuosic Prize for Strings, at the New Talent Festival Competition in 2023. In his final year at Junior Guildhall and The Purcell School, Dominic was the concertmaster of the String Ensemble and Symphony Orchestras. More recently, he was part of the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra 2025 at Tsinandali Festival.
A keen chamber musician, Dominic has had the opportunity to perform at Wigmore Hall on multiple occasions. This past year, he had the chance to perform alongside the renowned violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky in Malta and Sumina Studer in London. Dominic enjoyed being invited to join the Portuguese Youth Orchestra in 2023 to play in a baroque-style chamber orchestra, where he led the 2nd violins. In 2024, Dominic performed Brahms Double Concerto with the Watford Symphony Orchestra, and he was also one of the winners of the Purcell School Concerto Competition. Dominic has performed Sibelius Violin Concerto in July 2025 with Purcell Symphony Orchestra in Milton Court, with a violin kindly borrowed by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.
Catherine Chang — Piano
Catherine Chang is a New Zealand pianist currently pursuing her MMus/MPerf in Piano Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she studies with Ronan O’Hora and Carole Presland.
Since moving to London, Catherine has received 2nd Prize at the Liszt Society International Piano Competition and won the Una Clark Young Artist Competition.
She has gone on to perform with the Croydon Symphony Orchestra, Guildford Symphony Orchestra, and the Sampson Orchestra of Cambridge. Future performances also include Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the South London Sinfonia in 2026.
She regularly performs in the Guildhall School’s public masterclasses and concerts, the ‘Keyboard @ 8’ series at Milton Court Concert Hall, and gives regular lunchtime recitals at venues including Alyth Church, St Lawrence Jewry, and St Mary-le-Bow Church. She also recently made her debut at LSO St Luke’s.
She graduated top of her year from the University of Auckland in Classical Piano Performance under Richard Liu. In 2021, she made her concerto debut with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.
In New Zealand, Catherine has been awarded prizes at all major competitions, including the National Young Performer of the Year, National Piano Competition and National Junior Piano Competition.
Catherine has worked with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Youth Orchestra, Auckland Youth Choir, NZ Opera, and Chamber Music New Zealand.
Catherine is grateful for the generous mentorship of Steven Osborne OBE since 2023.
Concert Programme
Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30 No. 3
Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
— Interval —
Mieczysław Weinberg: Moldavian Rhapsody
Enescu: Ballade
Pärt: Fratres
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Description
Contrasts and Conversations
An afternoon of violin and piano repertoire spanning more than two centuries, featuring Moldovan violinist Dominic-Lucian Drutac and New Zealand pianist Catherine Chang. The programme moves from Beethoven and Saint-Saëns into Eastern European voices including Weinberg, Enescu, Pärt and Bartók, drawing out the contrasts and conversations between the two instruments.
Dominic-Lucian Drutac — Violin
Born in Chisinau, Moldova, Dominic-Lucian Drutac is a violinist from a musical family. From a young age, Dominic has been a member of the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra, and he has performed in many countries, such as Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Malta, Germany, Portugal and Georgia. In 2020, Dominic decided to continue his studies at The Purcell School and Junior Guildhall in London, England. As of September 2024, Dominic studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a full scholarship under David Takeno’s class. Dominic is grateful to have been aided by trusts such as the Albert Cooper Trust and the Arthur Felsenstein Trust.
Some of Dominic’s most significant achievements are winning 1st place at the International Violin Competition in Nedeyalka Simeonovna in 2019, being a finalist at the Lutine Prize Competition in both 2023 and 2024, and winning 1st place, in addition to the Virtuosic Prize for Strings, at the New Talent Festival Competition in 2023. In his final year at Junior Guildhall and The Purcell School, Dominic was the concertmaster of the String Ensemble and Symphony Orchestras. More recently, he was part of the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra 2025 at Tsinandali Festival.
A keen chamber musician, Dominic has had the opportunity to perform at Wigmore Hall on multiple occasions. This past year, he had the chance to perform alongside the renowned violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky in Malta and Sumina Studer in London. Dominic enjoyed being invited to join the Portuguese Youth Orchestra in 2023 to play in a baroque-style chamber orchestra, where he led the 2nd violins. In 2024, Dominic performed Brahms Double Concerto with the Watford Symphony Orchestra, and he was also one of the winners of the Purcell School Concerto Competition. Dominic has performed Sibelius Violin Concerto in July 2025 with Purcell Symphony Orchestra in Milton Court, with a violin kindly borrowed by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.
Catherine Chang — Piano
Catherine Chang is a New Zealand pianist currently pursuing her MMus/MPerf in Piano Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she studies with Ronan O’Hora and Carole Presland.
Since moving to London, Catherine has received 2nd Prize at the Liszt Society International Piano Competition and won the Una Clark Young Artist Competition.
She has gone on to perform with the Croydon Symphony Orchestra, Guildford Symphony Orchestra, and the Sampson Orchestra of Cambridge. Future performances also include Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the South London Sinfonia in 2026.
She regularly performs in the Guildhall School’s public masterclasses and concerts, the ‘Keyboard @ 8’ series at Milton Court Concert Hall, and gives regular lunchtime recitals at venues including Alyth Church, St Lawrence Jewry, and St Mary-le-Bow Church. She also recently made her debut at LSO St Luke’s.
She graduated top of her year from the University of Auckland in Classical Piano Performance under Richard Liu. In 2021, she made her concerto debut with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.
In New Zealand, Catherine has been awarded prizes at all major competitions, including the National Young Performer of the Year, National Piano Competition and National Junior Piano Competition.
Catherine has worked with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Youth Orchestra, Auckland Youth Choir, NZ Opera, and Chamber Music New Zealand.
Catherine is grateful for the generous mentorship of Steven Osborne OBE since 2023.
Concert Programme
Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30 No. 3
Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
— Interval —
Mieczysław Weinberg: Moldavian Rhapsody
Enescu: Ballade
Pärt: Fratres
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
