BIOGRAPHY
BONNIE BROWN is a Franco-Australian concert pianist. As a soloist and collaborative musician she has performed across Europe, Asia, North America and Australia, in prominent music festivals and performance venues, including Wigmore Hall, London, the Sydney Opera House, Australia, on Broadway, New York, across France, as well as with Australia's leading orchestras and on the radio internationally.
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At the invitation of the French Government, in 2008 Bonnie Brown was Australian Artist in Residence at the Cité internationale des arts, Paris. To assist with her performance research in Europe, she was the recipient of over 20 grants and scholarships. These include, from France, the 2nd Prize internationally from the Fondation Nadia et Lili Boulanger (Paris) for 2009-2010, and from Australia, the prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, the Australia Council for the Arts Project Fellowship, to name a few (full list of prizes a and scholarships here)
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Her mentors and teachers include celebrated concert pianist Cristina Ortiz (2008-2018), renowned French pedagogue and concert pianist France Clidat (2008-2012) and her assistant Paul Blacher at the Ecole normale de musique de Paris, Professor Alexandr Satz (2003-2004) at the Universität für music und darstellende kunst, Austria and Professor Ronald Farren-Price A.M., Australia. She holds the Diplôme supérieure d'enseignement (6ème niveau) from the Ecole normale de musique de Paris, as well as a Master of Music (performance) from the University of Melbourne, Australia, which she completed with a full post-graduate scholarship. She attended the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in Melbourne, Australia where she graduated Dux of the school, her exceptional results at the end of her schooling afforded her a full scholarship for her undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne.
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A passionate chamber musician, Bonnie Brown regularly collaborates with instrumentalists, vocalists and small ensembles. She is laureate of the special prize for romantic interpretation from the International Concours Grieg for piano duo in Oslo, Norway (2008). In 2011 she formed The Brown & Breen Piano Duo with fellow Australian concert pianist Louisa Breen and are now considered one of Australia's most prominent piano duos. Dedicated to promoting Australian music and musicians by commissioning new music and championing their distinctly Australian musical voice both locally and internationally, their concert tours include France, Australia and North America (the latter with Steinway Artist status).
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With the support of the Australia Council for the Arts, the duo commissioned great Australian composer vale Peter Sculthorpe to create his only work for two pianos, his last major work, which they premiered at the Australian Embassy in Paris in 2014. They have also commissioned and premiered two new major works by Ross Edwards, with whom the duo share a special bond. Brown & Breen are internationally recognised for their commitment to the dissemination of Australian musical talent and released their first album, Songs of Home, devoted entirely to the music of Australia and with almost exclusively world premier recordings. The disc has been received to critical acclaim and is frequently played on North American, ABC national and local Australian radio.
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In 2018 Bonnie Brown founded Concerts sans frontières, an international chamber music series for which she is also artistic director, which launched at the Australian Embassy in Paris.