Evolution of the Piano

Stephanie McCallum & Erin Helyard, piano

Image Brett Boardman

Generously supported by Leading Patron Ulrike Klein AO. With thanks to Judith Neilson and Phoenix Central Park for the loan of the 1853 Érard piano.

About Stephanie McCallum 
Stephanie McCallum is a piano soloist, known internationally for her work on the reclusive Romantic composer, Alkan. Her live solo performances of Alkan have been described by critics as "titanic", "awe-inspiring", "stupendous", "virtuosic pianism of the highest calibre" and "one of the glories of Australian pianism". Stephanie has collaborated with major Australian orchestras and ensembles and she duets with Erin Helyard on historic instruments. Her many recordings range from Weber and Liszt, to Xenakis and including many premier recordings of newly transcribed Beethoven, Alkan, Boëly and Ropartz, as well as Kats-Chernin and other Australian composers. She is currently an Associate Professor of Piano at Sydney Conservatorium, University of Sydney.

About Erin Helyard
Erin Helyard has been acclaimed as an inspiring conductor, a virtuosic and expressive performer of the harpsichord and fortepiano, and as a lucid scholar who is passionate about promoting discourse between musicology and performance. As Artistic Director and co-founder of the celebrated Pinchgut Opera and the Orchestra of the Antipodes (Sydney) he has forged new standards of excellence in historically-informed performance in Australia. He has received two Helpmann Awards for Best Musical Direction (2017, 2019) and an ARIA for Best Classical Album (2020). Erin is a Senior Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and appears courtesy of Pinchgut Opera.