Artist biography
Natasha is a Melbourne musician who is passionate in exploring the intersection between music and wellbeing. Her background as an award-winning concert pianist has taken her to perform actively around Australia, most notably at the Sydney Town Hall, The Melbourne Edge, National Gallery of Victoria and the Government House of Victoria. As a performer, she is most passionate in collaborative projects, and has performed with numerous community orchestras such as the Ku-Rin-Gai Philharmonic, the Melbourne Lawyers Orchestra and the Australian Asian Orchestra, the latter whom premiered her work, Ghost.
A recipient of several honourary prizes, scholarships and competition awards, Natasha obtained her Master in Music from The University of Melbourne with first-class honours in 2013. Since graduation, Natasha was selected as one of the finalists around the country to participate in the 2014 Australian National Piano Award and in the following year, she was approached by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations for a Unity Project. Her music has been broadcasted nationally on ABC Classic FM and 3MBS, and is known for its passionate energy, riveting imagery and sensitivity in connecting with the essence of the music, descriptions that go beyond what is seen on stage and felt as traits of who she is as a musician.
With years of performing and teaching experiences, Natasha is currently expanding her passion in creating accessible music experiences for community wellbeing. She is the Concert Coordinator for the Friends of Music Series, and has facilitated workshops, seminars and community groups in raising awareness to the power of music as a wellbeing essential. She is currently broadening her musicianship in completing her second Masters in Music Therapy, which is anticipated to be completed later this year. Natasha has also recently been awarded the Jim Marks Scholarship to enable her further exploration in the use of music as a peace-making tool with the Musicians Without Borders network in the US, which is anticipated for 2018.
Personal biography
I spent my early childhood in Tokyo, Japan and grew up in Sydney, Australia, where I received training from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Australian Institute of Music under the tutelage of Professor Viktor Makarov. My intense training as a young concert pianist propelled my performance debut at 12 years old and the performance of the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 five years later. It was an intense adolescent period, competing and performing annually on top of my academic studies.
After high school, I wanted to take a break from music and was offered to study dentistry at The University of Melbourne. With parental encouragement, I accepted this offer and thus began my journey as a Melbournian. Needless to say, the dental studies didn't eventuate - after a few long years of fluffing about and study deferrals, I took the leap of faith and transferred to a double degree in Music and Arts. 5 years later, I received my Bachelors in Music (Honours) and Arts, with majors in Performance and Criminology (respectively). I decided to continue the path of music-giving and pursued further study with a Master of Music. By this time, life experiences have enlightened me to know about my dual passion for music and social awareness - somehow, I will incorporate both in my career.
During my years of study, I taught piano initially as a means of income, which gradually grew as a vocation and a means for me to share my love and knowledge about the instrument to others willing to learn. In 2015, I took a sabbatical in performing and spent one year travelling, and within this time expanded my music teaching into the classroom and on a more academic and general level.
I returned to Melbourne in 2016 to continue performing whilst pursuing studies in music therapy.