Ten years ago, Modi Deng and Annabel Drummond were high school pupils playing in the same trio; now the pair are forging their own international careers.
The Dunedin pair showed their musical talents early — Deng was 11 when she played her first concerto with an orchestra, while Drummond was just 8 years old when she gave her first concert at Marama Hall playing a Vivaldi concerto with a string orchestra.
Growing up, each appeared numerous times in the Otago Daily Times and The Star as their talents on piano and violin respectively were recognised by wins in competitions, including playing together in a trio that won the open chamber ensemble class in the Dunedin senior instrumental competition back in 2010 and 2011.
Drummond, now 25, is back home for a break from a busy life as a freelance violinist in London while Deng, now 22, is visiting family before completing her master’s studies at the University of Auckland this year and then moving to London to take up a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music.
When Drummond realised they would both be at home in Dunedin for the summer, she suggested putting their talents together again for a concert.
‘‘We’ve called it a homecoming concert, as it’s a long time since we’ve been back with enough time to do something like this,’’ she said.
The pair have combined their ideas and favourite works to create a programme that allows each to showcase their talents in solos as well as together in duos.
Both are enjoying spending time with their family and looking forward to better summer weather before they return home, but are also preparing for the concert.
‘‘I’ve been trying to keep up my technical ability and stay in shape and over the next few weeks will be doing short, focused practices; they seem to work better for me with lots of cups of tea — very British,’’ Drummond says.
For Drummond, the visit is a break from the fast-paced London lifestyle she is getting used to.
‘‘It’s nice to come home for a couple of months and wind down and de-stress.’’
She left Dunedin after finishing Columba College to study at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.
Then, in 2015, she headed to Germany to do her master’s degree at the College of Music and Theatre in Leipzig.
‘‘It was amazing. It’s where Bach is from, Mendelssohn. The city is full of history and really inspiring.’’
The different language and culture of Germany challenged her at first, even though she learned some German at school.
‘‘The school was very international, though, so I didn’t speak a lot of German at school.’’
While she admits to suffering bouts of homesickness, she enjoyed the school’s atmosphere and ‘‘loved’’ her teacher.
When she completed her studies, Drummond moved to London, where she joined the Southbank Sinfonia, a chamber orchestra aimed at training young musicians, for a year.
‘‘It gave me the opportunity to work with a lot of big orchestras and opportunities to play solo too.’’
That included a violin solo in Dunedin composer Anthony Ritchie’s World War1-themed oratorio Gallipoli to the Somme at its Oxford performance alongside City Choir Dunedin members who travelled to the United Kingdom to take part.
She also got to perform The Lark Ascending at the Southbank Centre in London.
‘‘Its one of the best loved British pieces so it was nice to play that in England with my orchestra friends around me. It was special and lots of fun.’’
Since her stint with the sinfonia ended she has been freelancing and taking up opportunities to trial with orchestras in the hope of establishing herself and securing a full-time job.
‘‘It can be stressful at times. London is full of musicians and it’s really competitive. It’s also an expensive city to live in but it is rewarding at the same time.’’
She found she settled into life in London easier than in Germany and knows it is where she needs to be to pursue her career.
‘‘There are so many more opportunities in Europe. It’s where I have to be.’’
Drummond has had a chance to perform with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra while on ‘‘trial’’.
‘‘It’s quite stressful, as you are constantly trying to do things right and you are sitting next to others doing the same.’’
Having performed with a variety of orchestras, she now knows she would be more comfortable in one where its musicians get on with each other and are friends as well as colleagues.
‘‘The big difference between New Zealand and British orchestras is the amount of work they do. British ones work constantly, there is a lot of concerts, a lot of rehearsals.’’
But it has not been all stress for Drummond. One of her freelance gigs was a United Kingdom tour with 1980s rock band ABC. With only its lead singer remaining, it took along a small orchestra to perform alongside the band.
‘‘It was something different to what I’d done before. A lot of fun.’’
Deng, a Columba College old girl also and an Otago Daily Times Class Act recipient, will soon be joining Drummond in London, having accepted the scholarship to study for her post-master’s professional diploma in the city.
‘‘It’s very exciting.’’
But for Deng, a piano-playing career has not always been a given. She studied English alongside music at Auckland University.
‘‘I was quite open. I was not sure where I would end up.’’
Moving to Auckland for study has proved to be a good decision.
‘‘It was really good to be independent, to live in a bigger city. I think I’ve grown a lot. I’m thankful for growing up in Dunedin, as I had a lot of chances to perform that I might not have had otherwise.’’
She has returned to the city to play with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra a few times in recent years.
A period of reflection near the end of her Auckland study had her weigh up her future.
‘‘I’ve invested a lot in the piano and I decided I really wanted to give it a go. I do love it so it will be interesting to see where it leads.’’
Deng has been playing the piano since she was 6 and viewed her playing during high school as something she did ‘‘on the side’’.
‘‘You do have to have a lot of resilience. It has made my world richer and I know how much I have to learn, have yet to learn. That is what kept me going, persevering.’’
Studying piano at university was harder but also more rewarding, she says.
So she is not put off by the thought of further study when she finishes her master’s mid-year and heads to London.
‘‘I’m really excited. The teaching is of such a high standard there. I have a lot more to learn.’’
She got a taste of what was to come when she toured the United Kingdom with her chamber trio last year. The tour was the prize for winning the Pettman/ROSL Arts Chamber Music Arts scholarship. They performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
‘‘I did some lessons there and really enjoyed it.’’
Before she headed to Europe last year she received first prize in the National Concerto Competition, performing Rachmaninov’s Concerto No 3 with Benjamin Northey and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
Deng also travelled to Beijing to take part in her first truly international piano competition.
‘‘It was nerve-racking, as there were players from all around the world. A lot of people there have been going to competitions since they were young. It was a good experience.
‘‘All of it has been building up to going overseas.’’
TO SEE
Homecoming Concert, Marama Hall, February 1, 7.30pm
