Biography
New Zealand pianist Lorelle McNaughton was born and raised in South Auckland and is of Māori-Chinese and Scottish descent. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Auckland where she studied with Rae de Lisle, Natalia Ricci, and Read Gainsford. Lorelle then embarked on further study overseas and began to specialise in the Spanish piano repertoire. She graduated with both First Class Honours and a Master of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium, winning numerous scholarships, competitions, and awards such as Creative New Zealand's Jack McGill Music Scholarship, the AMP National Scholarship, the prestigious Australian Postgraduate Award, and the Anne Reid Memorial Trust Scholarship. These awards took Lorelle to Spain where she continued her studies at the Academia Marshall and Liceu Conservatori under renowned pianists and pedagogues including Marta Zabaleta, Albert Attenelle, and Carlota Garriga.
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Through her growing reputation as a Spanish music specialist, Lorelle has presented lecture-recitals at Melbourne, Avondale, Sydney, and Wollongong Conservatoriums. She has performed extensively throughout New Zealand, Australia, and Europe, including mastering Isaac Albéniz's complete Iberia suite, one of the most complex and challenging works of the piano literature. Recent appearances include a tour of Aotearoa as part of Chamber Music New Zealand's In Partnership Series (see review), performing as special guest at the 'Oceania' Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, performing in 'Cantos de España' (Songs of Spain) for the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, and as soloist with the Hawke’s Bay Orchestra performing Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor.
"...a truly accomplished advocate, in whose hands all this music is fabulously evocative."
"...kept an entire roomful of people transfixed with enchantment for a whole evening."
Lorelle is also a founding member of successful piano quartet 'Estrella' which has given concerts throughout New Zealand and the UK, and whose debut album Tui, comprised of works by NZ composers for eight-hands, reached No.1 on the RadioNZ Classical Charts on its release.