TREGYNON: Gregynog Hall

Monday 29th April, 2024

6:30pm

Event information

Ezo Dem Sarici and Finlay Hay were a duo as schoolmates. Now they have reunited to share their musical heritage and
passion. Together again for a brief series, they blend traditional melodies from their homelands with
the sultry rhythms of tango, coming together for a harmonious celebration of a shared joy in music.

At the age of 4, Ezo Dem Sarici embarked on her musical journey at the Royal Academy
of Music through the "First String Experience" program. Continuing her studies at Junior Guildhall
for an additional five years, she further honed her skills at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School.
Ezo's captivating performances have graced esteemed concert halls, including The Royal Festival
Hall, Barbican Centre, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Wales Millennium Centre, St John's Smith
Square, Windsor Castle, and Buckingham Palace.

With a musical presence extending across Europe, Ezo has undertaken numerous solo
engagements in countries such as Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, and
the Czech Republic. Her talent has been showcased in international masterclasses with renowned
mentors, including Ani Kavafian, Pierre Amoyal, Ning Feng, and others. Noteworthy achievements
include reaching the semi-finals of the Lipizer International Violin Competition and receiving the
prestigious Most Artistic Performance and Temperament prize and was the winner of the Strings
and Piano Duo Prize 2023 at the Royal Academy of Music.

Beyond her prowess as a violinist, Ezo displayed her versatility as a multi-instrumentalist
by assuming a guest principal viola role in the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast in October 2022. She also
took center stage at the London Jazz Festival alongside Nick Smart, the head of Jazz at the
Academy. Ezo's creativity extends to composition, with her piece "A Bagatelle for Beethoven,"
dedicated to the maestro's 250th birthday, premiering at the Beethoven House in Bonn.
At the age of 17, Ezo established the Apollo Philharmonic Orchestra in London, marking
their debut concert in October 2019 with performances of Schubert's 5th and Beethoven's 7th
symphonies. Her achievements include winning the Strings and Duo Prize 2023 at the Royal
Academy of Music with pianist Junyan Chen. Currently pursuing studies at the Royal Academy of
Music on a scholarship under the guidance of LSO principal Roman Simovic, Ezo recently
concluded her U.K Recital Tour in January 2024. Her dedication to musical excellence continues to
shape her promising career.

Finlay Hay is a young artist studying in the University of the Arts, Berlin. He first started
learning guitar, piano and voice at Portobello Music School, and during these early years won the
Mary Moore Medal resulting in a performance at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. Finlay went on to
study with Laura Snowden and Richard Wright, and at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with
Prof. Allan Neave.

Finlay has been awarded a Eurostrings Scholarship, 3rd in the Altamira International
Guitar Competition, scholarship of the Cantilena Ensemble, and performed his concerto debut
alongside members of the Scottish Opera.

He is a founding member of both the Taproot Ensemble and Quartet Malamatina, which
after playing at the UN’s 2021 Climate Conference was awarded a residency at the Royal
Conservatoire of Scotland. Away from the guitar, Finlay enjoys working as an educator, arranger,
continuo player, trad-mandolin player and lutenist.

He has performed internationally in venues such as Mansion House (England), Fromista
Cathedral (Spain), Bilkent University (Turkey), Joseph-Joachim-Konzertsaal (Germany), St.
Andrew’s Toronto (Canada) and Yellow Barn (U.S.) often alongside his duo partner Hattie
McGregor.
Finlay plays on a 2016 Angelo Vailati guitar and on a Miodrag Zerdoner romantic guitar
with the generous support of a local donor.

Venue information

TREGYNON: Gregynog Hall

0	Gregynog Tregynon Near Newtown Powys SY16 3PL
>	www.gregynog.org
!	01686 650224
`	Level access and one accessible toilet Parking onsite £3 - limited accessible parking Bar on the night