GUEST ARTIST ANDREA KATZ

Andrea Katz is one of Australia's most outstanding pianists. She joins us as guest artist for the second program of our 2023 performance season ‘Songs of the Sea’ on May 20-21 in both Ballarat and Melbourne. Learn more about Andrea's work below.

A pianist, accompanist and vocal coach of extraordinary versatility, Argentine born Andrea Katz is equally at home with Chamber Music, German Lieder and Grand Opera.

She studied piano with Vlado Perlemuter in Paris, Alexander Tamir in Jerusalem and specialised in the interpretation of German Lieder with Graham Johnson in London.

Since becoming an Australian resident in 1990, she has worked with all major musical organisations in the country: Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Sydney Symphony, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane Festivals, Sydney Music Conservatorium and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Internationally, she has worked regularly with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Aldeburgh Festival (UK) and Auckland Philharmonia.

A prolific recital pianist, she performs regularly with prominent Australian and international singers and ensembles, including a yearly season at the Art Gallery of New South Wales Resonate Series, in recitals with Yvonne Kenny, Peter Coleman-Wright, Emma Matthews, The Sydney Omega Ensemble, The Sydney Soloists, cellist David Pereira, and violinists Pekka Kuusisto and Gil Shaham.

She is the founder and Artistic Director of Songmakers Australia, one of Australia’s foremost vocal chamber music ensembles. The ensemble celebrates their 10th anniversary with performances in Victoria (Gippsland Fine Music Festival, MRC, Tempo Rubato and Hawthorn Arts Centre), Canberra (Art Song Canberra) and Tasmania (Epsom House). During 2020, the ensemble was part of the launch of the newly created Melbourne Digital Concert Hall and the first online Port Fairy Spring Music Festival.

The ensemble’s education project, Young Songmakers Development Program, has been nurturing and training young singers and pianist interested in the German Lieder and Art Song repertoire since 2017.

She recently established a new vibrant chamber music ensemble, Klara Quartet, with colleagues Rachael Beesley, violin, Simon Oswell, viola, and Luke Severn, cello.

Since 2006 she is the Director of the Vocal Ensemble at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. In 2018 she was appointed Tutor in Music-Répétiteur. Since 2020, she is the Convenor of the MCM Art Song Festival.

She has released 2 CDs with soprano Merlyn Quaife, "Lest we Forget" (TP185) and "Fortune my Foe" for Move Records. Together they have raised more than $35,000 for their choice charity, ACRATH.

Highlights from 'A Night at the Opera' (2021) from Australian Boys Choir on Vimeo.