The John Barbirolli Memorial Prize for Cello / Wed 19 Nov

Maria Zachariadou adjudicator

Cellist Maria Zachariadou, Principal No.2 of the BBC Philharmonic, was born in Stockholm of Greek parents. After completing her Konzertexamen in 2009 with Johannes Goritzki in Düsseldorf, she joined the Philharmonia orchestra in London . During her time in Düsseldorf her piano trio Melange, won many prizes and they performed extensively in Germany and France. Maria is the founder of the acclaimed Philharmonia Chamber Players that is a successful venture in London’s musical scene that performs at the Royal Festival Hall. With a great passion for chamber music Maria also toured Japan twice with her baroque group La Sfera Musicale to critical acclaim and released the CD “Baroque Dialogues” on Waon Records. Locally, Maria regularly performs recitals up and down the UK with Pia Cello Duo, formed in 2022 with pianist Ugnius Pauliukonis. During the years Masterclasses have included those with Ralph Kirschbaum, Frans Helmersson, David Geringas, Truls Mørk and festivals where she performed; Paxos music festival in Greece, Mendelssohn on Mull in Scotland and Holland Music Sessions. She also obtained a Winter residency at the Banff centre of Arts in Canada and a semester at the University of Bloomington in the US. Maria has taught at the Royal College of Music in London as assistant Professor in Melissa Phelp’s class. Maria plays on a F.Ravatin cello kindly loaned to her from the Jaernaker Foundation in Sweden.

Gabriela Costa Peres

Gabriela Peres is a Portuguese cellist currently studying with Professor Jacob Shaw at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), on a full scholarship awarded by the ABRSM. She has been a prize-winner at numerous national and international competitions, including the Vasco Barbosa National String Competition, the Paços Premium International Music Competition, and the Convimus International Chamber Music Competition. Gabriela performs regularly across Europe in solo recitals and as a chamber musician. She has appeared at major festivals such as the Orlando Chamber Music Festival, Casa del Quartetto Residency, Milano Musica, Diotima Quartet Academy, Kammermusik Festival Stockholm, and Steirisches Kammermusik Festival. A keen orchestral player, she has performed with the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra and Orquestra XXI, and recently won the Manchester Collective RNCM Professional Experience Scheme audition, through which she will join the Manchester Collective Studio 2025/2026. After graduating from her arts high school with a merit award and an exceptional merit scholarship from the Oliveira do Hospital City Council, Gabriela completed her bachelor’s degree in cello performance at the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo (ESMAE) in Portugal, followed by an Erasmus exchange with a full scholarship at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Further studies took place at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria) with Professor Johannes Krebs, alongside masterclasses with renowned musicians including Frans Helmerson, István Várdai, Pieter Wispelwey, Valentin Erben, and Marc Coppey.She performs on a 1778 Sebastian Dallinger cello (Vienna), kindly on loan from a private benefactor.

Claire Lin

Taiwanese pianist Claire Yun-Jou Lin enjoys an active career and has given performances in London, Beijing, and cities across Taiwan, and recently completed a recital tour in Birmingham featuring her recording of Schumann and Clara. Her performances have captivated audience’s heart and received glowing reviews. Claire Yun-Jou has been highly praised by pianist Victor Rosenbaum “Her music is convincing and full of passion and sincerity.” Jacob Fickert “A talented pianist with an exceptional sense of music and enthusiasm.” And John Thwaites “Virtuoso Performance.” As an ambitious pianist, she delves into various realms of music, including jazz, electronic keyboard music, and British contemporary music, and her passion for exploring novel music language and harmonies led to a recital under the theme of Scriabin in Birmingham, where she was highly praised for her exquisite technique and interpretations of great artistic value by John Humphreys and Simon Nicholls. She has recently completed her Advanced Postgraduate Diploma with distinction under Daniel Browell and Margaret Fingerhut at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and was appointed as a Junior Fellow in accompaniment at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2025. Claire Yun-Jou Lin was trained in the Russian music discipline by Adrei Yeh, the pupil of renowned Russian pianist Lev Naumov. Claire Yun-Jou earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees with the Future Aspiring Musicians Cultivation Program scholarships and Academic Excellence Awards during her studies at the National Taiwan Normal University and was selected to a scholarship-supported program at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing under the tutelage of Yang Ming.

 Rhys Nicholson

From South Wales, Rhys Nicholson is currently studying at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) with Professor Jacob Shaw. A dedicated chamber musician, in 2025 he won both the Nossek Prize and the Christopher Rowland Chamber Ensemble of the Year Prize with the Morelia Piano Trio, and was invited to perform at the Stellenbosch International Festival in South Africa performing Schubert’s quintet. He was also the featured soloist at Wigmore Hall for All Shall Be Well by Roxanna Panufnik with the RNCM Chamber Choir. He has a strong interest in orchestral playing, having served as principal cello of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales between 2021 and 2024. He has also taken part in side-by-side projects with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Sinfonia Cymru. During the 2024/25 season, he joined the Manchester Camerata for several concerts through their Professional Experience Scheme, and he is currently participating in the BBC Philharmonic’s 2025/26 scheme. In recent years, Rhys has taken part in masterclasses with internationally acclaimed cellists including István Várdai, Alban Gerhardt, and Bruno Philippe. He plays a Forster cello, kindly on loan from the Royal Northern College of Music.

Yiting Zhang

Yiting Zhang was born into a musical family; her mother was a ballerina, and her father and grandmother shared a deep appreciation for classical music and Chinese opera. Growing up in such an artistic environment, she developed a natural sensitivity to sound and expression from an early age. Yiting is currently undertaking her postgraduate studies at the RNCM under the guidance of Jeremy Young, having completed her BMus with Prof. Adam Swayne. Equally devoted to solo performance and collaborative piano, she has developed particular strengths in instrumental collaboration, where her refined musicality and instinctive sense of dialogue are especially recognised. In 2023, Yiting performed with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra as part of the college’s 50th-anniversary celebrations. In 2024, she appeared with Kathryn Stott in a two-piano performance of Venus from The Planets. She has also participated in masterclasses with two leading pianists of the international stage—Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Bernd Goetzke—experiences that have profoundly shaped her artistic direction and interpretative depth. Since moving to the UK in 2017, Yiting has explored a wide range of academic interests, but it was music that ultimately became central to her life. Her playing is distinguished by a warm tonal palette, thoughtful phrasing, and a strong sense of musical narrative—qualities she hopes to bring to every performance as she continues to grow as a versatile and expressive musician

Finn Anderson-Hendra

British cellist Finn Anderson-Hendra, aged 17, has been playing the cello since she was three. She is currently studying with Professor Jacob Shaw at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and as an SCS Young Artist at the Scandinavian Cello School in Denmark. A laureate of numerous national and international competitions, this year she won 2nd Prize at the David Popper International Competition, the Scarborough Symphony Orchestra Concerto Prize, the Julius Isserlis Memorial Scholarship, and the Nigel Hirst Prize for Cello (Junior RNCM). Finn’s recent concerto performances include appearances with Britten Sinfonia (at the Barbican), the Oxford Symphony Orchestra, the JRAM Senior Strings Chamber Orchestra (conducted by Suzie Collier), and at the RWCMD “Big Strings Weekend” with RWCMD Strings. She previously studied with Ben Davies at the Junior Royal Academy of Music (JRAM), during which time she was a quarter-finalist at BBC Young Musician of the Year, won the JRAM cello and concerto prizes, and served as principal cello of the National Youth String Orchestra. A passionate chamber musician, she has also attended Music Works and Beare’s Chamber Music. In 2026, Finn will be featured in an internationally released documentary film (produced by Danish Emmy-nominated Good Company Pictures), following her development over recent years at the Scandinavian Cello School. In addition to classical cello, Finn enjoys folk music – her playing was featured on the podcast of Ian Lynch (of the Irish folk band Lankum) – and this autumn she organised a multi-genre concert in London which sold out, raising over £4,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians. She plays a Joseph Hill cello, kindly on loan from the Royal Northern College of Music.

Stanley Butcher

Stanley Butcher is a pianist and composer from Norwich and based in Manchester. He is now studying with Kathryn Stott at the RNCM and previously studied with David Parry. He has given solo and chamber recitals across the UK, including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Southport, Norwich and performed in many venues across Norfolk such as the Assembly House, John Innes Centre, Yorke Trust Chapel, Overstrand Arts Centre, and St Andrews Eaton. More recent appearances have been at St John’s Renfield in Glasgow and Forsyth Piano Showroom where he played Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for two pianos. At RNCM he has received extensive coaching in solo playing, accompanying, and chamber music from Philippe Cassard, David Owen Norris, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Nico de Villiers, Helen Krizos and many more. In his first year he won the Elsie Thurston Prize for singer and piano duo. Attending Chetham’s Piano Summer School in 2023 gave him lessons with Joanna MacGregor, Leon McCawley, Adam Swayne and others. In 2024, he was the first person to join the Southrepps Festival Young Artist scheme as a pianist, receiving tuition from Tom Primrose and Ben Johnson. He has composed for the King’s Lynn Festival multiple times including a commission from the Mitsu Trio and workshops with Michael Finnissy and Sir James MacMillan. He has premiered multiple pieces including Jonathan Dove’s ‘Sunday Morning in Siena’, and his own paraphrase on Offenbach, both in piano duo recitals with David Parry, whom he assisted on Offenbach’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’ and Dove’s ‘Marx in London!’. He has also conducted his school orchestra and taught many of his own students and played the French horn in the Royal Albert Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall. Stanley is generously supported by the Norfolk Youth Music Trust.