Mark Walton - From the Heart

The Piano presents 'Play it Forward'. Ōtautahi artists perform in support of the Next Generation Fund.
We’re creating a fund to cover the cost of 1,000 young people to attend concerts at The Piano throughout the year.
Please, come join us for a Play it Forward concert and help us to engage our rangatahi in the musical arts! To learn more, email support@thepiano.nz or visit thepiano.nz/next-generation-fund

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From the Heart is a programme of extraordinarily beautiful music by Bach, Rossini, Bizet and a brand new Suite for Betty composed by Mark. Mark’s colourful mother Betty had such a profound influence on his life.

Mark Walton clarinet and saxophone
Christchurch born Mark Walton is a highly respected and popular figure in the Australian and New Zealand musical scene

For many years Mark held the position of Chair of Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. For a time, Mark was the Musical Director of the Christchurch School of Music where his own musical journey had started.

Mark has performed in many parts of the world, recorded numerous solo albums, and Mark’s recent recordings of the 6 Trio Sonatas of J S Bach have received warm international praise.

In more recent times Mark has become a popular columnist for the Saturday Christchurch Press with his weekly social history column “Our Kiwi Home”.

Mark lives in Sydney but spends as much time as possible back in his beloved New Zealand.

Anna Maksymova piano
Born into a musical household, pianist Anna Maksymova began her formal musical education at the age of six at the Donetsk Music School for gifted children in Ukraine.

In New Zealand she learned from Peter Nagy, Judith Clark and Dr Gao Ping. Anna has completed Bachelor of Music with First-Class Honours with Professor Michael Endres at the University of Canterbury. Anna completed her Master of Music in Piano Performance in the Frankfurt Hochschule fur Musik, studying with renowned Russian pianist and teacher Lev Natochenny, himself a disciple of Lev Oborin. Further musical influences include masterclasses with Pascal Roge, Thomas Hecht, John Perry and Felix Gottlieb among others.

Anna is one of Christchurch’s musical treasures.