Mekhla Kumar

Mekhla Kumar is an Australian virtuoso pianist and chamber musician.

Early life and education

Mekhla Kumar was born in Adelaide, South Australia.[1] She began studying piano at the age of four.[2]

After graduating from Wilderness School[1] in 2007, Kumar gained a place at the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium of Music, in the class of German-Australian Professor Stefan Ammer, where she completed a Bachelor of Music and graduated with distinction.[3][4] At Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, she studied under Tibor Szász.[1][5][6]

In 2016, Kumar was working on a PhD at the University of Adelaide on Franz Liszt's Sonata in B minor.[7]

Career

Kumar has performed as a soloist with the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and has participated in master classes with Roy Howat, Bart van Oort, Leslie Howard, Imogen Cooper, Bernd Glemser, Claudio Martinez Mahner and Robert Hill, and played alongside Marc-André Hamelin[8][9] and Konstantin Shamray.[10]

Kumar has performed in Germany and Australia, including live radio performances in Germany. Her performances include an arrangement made for her chamber music ensemble of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, the rarely performed Linea by Luciano Berio, a solo recital at the Bach Festival in Adelaide,[11] a solo performance with the Adelaide Youth Orchestra,[12] and a solo performance for the Posthumous Composer in Residence series at Elder Hall in Adelaide.[13]

In 2015, she collaborated with Estonian-born bassoon virtuoso, Martin Kuuskmann, and the Langbein Quartet at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival and at Elder Hall in celebration of the centenary of Scriabin's death, alongside Konstantin Shamray, Ashley Hribar, and master pianist, Stefan Ammer.[14]

Recognition and awards

Kumar has been a recipient of the Principal's Scholarship, the Patrick Cecil Greenland Scholarship, the EMR travelling Scholarship and was awarded the Rotary Club of Burnside's "Carpe Diem" Trust.[15] Other awards and recognition include:

References
  1. "Play for the heart". The Advertiser. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via Gale.
  2. Spain, Katie (13 September 2014). "Introducing Mekhla Kumar, pianist". The Advertiser – via ProQuest.
  3. Graham Strahle (1 November 2016). "Mekhla Kumar: expertise and eclecticism on Firm foundations". The Australian. Retrieved 15 May 2022.(subscription required)
  4. Tyler Peterson. "The Firm to Welcome Mekhla Kumar". BroadwayWorld.
  5. Profile, Pianist Mekhla Kumar (27yrs) (Australian National Piano Awards, 2016)
  6. Walters, Melanie (November 2016). "Connections through time". The Advertiser. Adelaide.
  7. "Dante at TVC".
  8. "Adelaide Town Hall - Celebrating 150 Years of music at the Adelaide Town Hall". Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  9. "Mekhla Kumar – Pianist at Noel Stockdale Room, Flinders University, Adelaide". allevents.in. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
  10. Silsbury, Elizabeth (27 July 2015). "Mekhla Kumar, Konstantin Shamray lead the way for superb Schubertiade at Elder Hall". The Advertiser. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  11. Silsbury, Elizabeth (5 October 2015). "Langbein Quartet show why they're Firm favourites". The Advertiser. Adelaide.
  12. Smith, Rodney (26 June 2016). "Youth orchestra proves rhythm is king at Town Hall 150th gala". The Advertiser. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  13. Walters, Melanie (1 November 2016). "Mekhla Kumar plays works for solo piano for The Firm at Elder Hall". The Advertiser. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  14. "Excerpts from 'I am GOD'- the complete piano sonatas by Alexander Scriabin performed by Ashley Hribar, Mekhla Kumar, Konstantin Shamray and Stefan Ammer with visual projection of natural free form opals".
  15. "Adelaide Summer Orchestra: A Scandinavian Summer: Norwood Concert Hall, 17 January 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  17. Nguyen, Justine (20 September 2019). "Mekhla Kumar has won the 2019 Geoffrey Parsons Award". Limelight. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
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