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Three young musicians from The University of Western Australia will perform to a packed house when they compete for a People’s Choice Award at Perth Concert Hall.

Flautist Megan Barbetti, percussionist Jet Kye Chong and cellist Jeremy Garside, accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, will feature in UWA’s Main Stage: Sensation performance.

Jet Kye Chong is a second-year percussion student in the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours).

Jet—a talented musician who began learning percussion in high school, but who also plays piano—will perform Keiko Abe’s Prism Rhapsody on the marimba.

“Within the 15-minute piece, you are taken on a ride through emotional extremes, from graceful melodies to incredibly intense passages. Keiko Abe is a legend in the percussion world as a pioneer of the marimba as we know it, and she doesn’t hold back in her writing,” Jet says.

“The piece has been a real challenge to prepare. But the music is beautiful, rich, moving, and completely worth it.”

Jet, whose dream career would integrate music and mathematics, is hoping to win audience members over to percussion.

“I love percussion for many reasons. First and foremost, I love the sounds of the instruments. Few instruments can challenge the beautiful tones of the marimba, or the character that the percussion section of an orchestra brings to music,” Jet says.

“I also enjoy the physicality of the instruments - playing percussion involves the whole body and a deep understanding of, and familiarity with, each instrument. At times it can almost be like dancing, and I find the expressive capabilities of percussion really invigorating!

“It’s not every day that you get to perform a solo concerto with a fantastic orchestra at a venue like the Perth Concert Hall! It’s a new experience for me, and every step of preparing the concerto has been really exciting.”

The concert will also include Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms performed by the UWA Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus of UWA.

Main Stage: Sensation will take place at the Perth Concert Hall on Monday 22 May at 7.30pm. Tickets range from $18 to $25 and can be purchased online .

Media references

Pip White (UWA School of Music)                                                                      (+61 8) 6488 2054
Verity Chia (UWA Business School)                                                                   (+61 8) 6488 1346