Duo was formed in 2014 to perform the NZ premiere of Peter Klatzow's "A Sense of place".
Both players are recognized and their individual strengths form together a dynamic, charismatic duo.
The matching warm sonorities of their instruments inspired both players to explore further repertoire.
Media
Tahu-nui-ā-Rangi by Gareth Farr | SOUNZ
Highlights of Duo col Legno
Sound sample
May 2019 CMNZ Tour
=== Sense of Place ===
New Commission work by Gareth Farr
TAHU-NUI-Ā-RANGI
Programme
Andante Cantabile by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Rose of Sharon by Andrew Beall
Three Japanese Songs arr. Yoshiko Tsuruta
Tahunui a Rangi by Gareth Farr
Fratres by Arvo Pärt
Apres un Reve by Gabriel Fauré
Tanzologia by Atanas Ourkouzounov
Sence of Place by Peter Klatzow
Schedule
04 May Dunedin Planetarium
08 May Dunedin University
12 May 4:00pm Gore, Eastern Southland Gallery
14 May 7:30pm Wanaka, Lake Wanaka Centre
15 May 7:30pm Oamaru, Oamaru Opera House
18 May 7:30pm Whanganui, Prince Edward Auditorium, Collegiate School
20 May 7:30pm Gisborne, St Andrew's Church Hall
23 May 7:30pm Kerikeri, Turner Centre
25 May 4:00pm Warkworth, Warkworth Town Hall
26 May 4:00pm Tauranga, Tauranga Park Auditorium
27 May 7:30pm Rotorua, The Nellie Bud Room, Princes Gate Hotel
Player Biographies
Heleen du Plessis
Cello
Qualified with four post-graduate degrees in performing arts from renowned
institutions e.g. Conservatory of Geneva and Peabody Institute, du Plessis advanced
her talent with esteemed masters, Peled, Grosgurin, Starker, Rostropovich,
Litschauer and Aaron.
Highlights of recent performances include an international concert and CD recording,
premiering Concerto for an African cellist (Huyssen) and A sense of Place (Klatzow) in
South Africa. The CD, nominated by The Violoncello Foundation, for the International
Listener’s Choice Awards (2014), was acclaimed as embodying “the highest standard
of artistry”, and a “genuine attempt to build a meaningful cross-cultural dialogue”.
As soloist with cellists Andrew Joyce, Ken Ichinose and Ashley Brown, Cellists
Aotearoa, a multi media production at the Arts festival Dunedin (2016), was acclaimed as a “superlative performance of a superlative programme and superlative
players…” These formed part of projects supported by research grants investigating
identity and a sense of place by commissioning and premiering works by South
African and New Zealand composers.
She performs in diverse settings and genres with distinguished artists such as
Terence Dennis, Matthew Marshall, Luca Manghi, the Peninlula trio with Trevor
Coleman, Nick Cornish (CD recording PolyKarma, 2017) and the 12 most prominent
cellists at the Adams Festival in Nelson, 2017.
Yoshiko Tsuruta
Marimba
Starting at the age of 9, Yoshiko learned Marimba privately in Japan.
After relocating to New Zealand, she graduated from the New Zealand School of Music in music performance. Then she moved to Austria and has completed her Master’s Degree (1st Class) at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz. There she studied marimba with Bogdan Bacanu and percussion with Leonhard Schmidinger.
Yoshiko has won several prizes, including the 1st prizes in both the New Zealand School of Music Concerto Competition and the New Zealand National Concerto Competition, and the Brass/Percussion Prize in Gisborne Competition. She reached the semi-final of the International Marimba Competition in Salzburg in 2012. Most recently, she received the 2nd prize and all the extra prizes at the International Australian Marimba Competition in 2016.
As a soloist, Yoshiko has performed concertos on marimba with different orchestras, including Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Opus Orchestra, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, Bay of Plenty Symphonia, Lower Hutt Orchestra, Kapiti Concert Orchestra, NZSM Orchestra and Waikato University Orchestra. In 2018, she has world-premiered the new marimba concerto by Gareth Farr with Opus Orchestra as the soloist.
While establishing herself as a marimba specialist, Yoshiko also plays in orchestras. She was the principal Percussion of the National Youth Orchestra in 2008 and currently she is the timpanist of Opus Orchestra.
