Glen Innes Arts Council Inc presents
A Cancer Council Fundraising Concert
“Champagne and Chopin”

featuring

Ambre Hammond - Concert Pianist

Ladies & Gentlemen

Don your suits and gowns, heels and hats, for a night of elegant splendor

Join us for a night of tempting tastes and champagne, followed by the sublime sounds of Ambre Hammond as she performs a beautiful program of music including pieces by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, and Liszt.

Saturday, 30 October, 2010
The Chapel Theatre, Glen Innes
7.30pm Champagne & Hors d’oeuvre
8pm Concert
Tea and Coffee provided afterwards

Tickets — Carelles Young World or at the door
$40 Adults
$35 School student

Money raised to be donated to the Cancer Council Host No: 217742

AMBRE HAMMOND - CONCERT PIANIST

Born in Cairns, Australia in 1977. Ambre began piano studies at the age of 3 and gave her first public concert at age 5.

In 1989, at age 11, Ambre achieved a World Record, which she still holds, when she received the Associate and Licentiate Diplomas of music in the same year. At 16 she received the First Prize in her first International Music Competition held in Argentina, South America.

The following year Ambre was invited to return to Argentina to perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 as her debut with the Cordoba Symphony Orchestra. This performance was recorded live, released as a CD and has been acclaimed by the Rachmaninoff Society of USA as one of the finest interpretations of this piece.

At 16, Ambre recorded and released a CD of music by Franz Liszt titled 'Devotion' which was funded by Australian artist Arthur Boyd who was astounded with Ambre's natural ability and also invited her to be first Artist-In Residence at his Shoalhaven Property 'Bundanon' on the South Coast of Australia.

Ambre has performed both solo and with Orchestra throughout Switzerland, England, Italy, Spain, Poland, North and South America, New Zealand and China.

Ambre performs not only the great classics but showed a flair for jazz and blues by combining talents with James Morrison in a series of concerts displaying a fusion of musical styles. One of these performances was with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra in New Zealand at which she delighted audiences playing the magical Rachmaninoff 2nd piano concerto as well as teaming up with James Morrison for some blues and other jazz standards.

In 2006 Renowned Hollywood film writer and composer Lalo Schifrin was commissioned to write a unique Double Concerto for Jazz Trumpet, Classical Piano and Symphony Orchestra especially for Ambre and James Morrison. Ambre traveled to Schifrin's home in Los Angeles where she played the piece to Lalo who has dedicated the Concerto to her. The World Premiere performance was held in Sydney at the Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Schifrin Conducting in July 2007 to great acclaim from both critics and public alike.

In January 2008 & 2009 Ambre took on the position of Artist-In-Residence at the Launceston University. It is important to Ambre to give back to the community through her ability as much as possible and she has been named Ambassador of the Brain Foundation of Australia and has performed at their Annual Awards at the Great Hall of Sydney University with the NSW Governor for 3 years running. Ambre is also Youth Ambassador of the National Trust and will commence a Tour of their Historic Properties in 2010.

In 2008, Ambre traveled to New York to record the music of outstanding American composer, Patrick Zimmerli at the legendary Studio's of Rudy Van Gelder, working with Producer Don Sickler and Van Gelder himself. Ambre’s new CD ‘Reverie’ is a compilation of Romantic compositions written for piano, by various composers including Rachmaninoff, Granados, Debussy, Bach and Hammond.

"Flawless technique, beautiful sound, exquisite repertoire... all these are in abundance on this recording but they are not why one listens to this music time and time again. The reason you'll immerse yourself in these sublime sounds more than once is the passion that Ambre brings to everything she does." James Morrison 2009

Watch Ambre with James Morrison, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Lalo Schifrin;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOK1D7QmaCc