Lana Henchell is spearheading a performance and touring program—Soundboard Music Tour—which aims to promote classical music, offer educational enrichment to aspiring musicians and create awareness of the arts in Alberta.
This concert—part of the second Soundboard Tour—will feature Calgary pianists Lana Henchell and Esther Bing.
Calgary native Lana Henchell, graduated with her Doctoral degree in piano performance from McGill University. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance at the University of Calgary.
Performance highlights include concerts at the Alberta Scene Festival (Ottawa; featured on CBC Radio Two), L’Académie Musicale Internationale (France) and the World Coimbra Piano Meeting (Portugal).
Her First Prize win at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Piano Competition (for contemporary Canadian music) led to a six-week concert tour across Canada. In recent years, her penchant for contemporary music has been shown by numerous performances at the New Works and Happening New Music Festivals in Calgary.
In addition to performing, Lana Henchell teaches privately and sessionally at the University of Calgary. She is an avid adjudicator—giving masterclasses and clinics around the province. In recent years, she has served as a juror for the Honens ProAm Piano Competition and the Canadian Music Competitions, held across Canada.
Esther Bing (M.Mus, B.Mus, ARCT, RMT) is an Off-Campus Piano Instructor for the Conservatory at Mount Royal University (Calgary), and a Piano Examiner with The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). She received a Bachelor Degree in Piano Performance from the University of British Columbia (Henri-Paul Sicsic & Jane Coop), and Master Degree in Piano Performance from The Boston Conservatory (Michael Lewin).
Major accomplishments include: a full scholarship to The Boston Conservatory (TBC) from winning the Open Scholarship Competition; Winner, TBC’s Piano Honours Competition; Runner-up and Finalist at the UBC Concerto Competition, and Richmond Gateway Competition, respectfully; First Prize (silver medal) at the Regina Conservatory of Music, and First Prize in the Regina Kiwanis Festival’s Open Scholarship Competition.
While in university, Ms. Bing was the Orchestral Pianist for both The Boston Conservatory, and UBC orchestras. Since settling in Calgary, she has performed with CPO & ESO musicians at the Columbia Valley Chamber Music Festival, the Instrumental Society of Calgary, and other concerts. She has always been interested in Jazz and recently completed the Gary Burton on-line Jazz Improvisation course, through Berklee College of Music.
Ms. Bing served two years as President, and six years as Vice President of the Piano Diploma Association (Calgary). She was a Piano Instructor at the Calgary Arts Summer School for many years, and has worked as an adjudicator at several music festivals. Ms. Bing is fluent in French, likes reading books, enjoys running, and cooking. She and her husband, Matt, live with a large, white, dog-like cat, named Ziggy.
