Bridges Collective presents Visionaries featuring: Brenna Wee, Piano, Associate Artist, Linda Lin, Cello and students of Brenna Wee.
Rose Copsey - Sonny Chua: Around the World in 2 minutes... or less
Emma Zhao - Frederic Chopin: Nocturne in F major, Op 15, No 1
Suwan Liu - Frederic Chopin: Revolutionary Etude, Op 10, No 12
Linda Lin, Cello and Brenna Wee, Piano:
Ludwig van Beethoven: Seven Variations in Eb major, WoO46
Dmitri Shostakovich: Sonata in D minor for Cello and Piano, Op 40
Niccolo Paganini: Variations on One String on a theme by Rossini
Brenna Serrenti Wee, Pianist
Brenna Serrenti Wee is a highly regarded pianist, collaborative artist and educator. She holds two Masters’ degrees from the University of Melbourne, with specialisations in Collaborative Pianism and Piano Pedagogy. A versatile pianist, she also studied Jazz Piano performance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Scholarships from both the Singapore and Australian governments funded her musical studies and her Graduate Diploma in Education.
Having grown up in South-East Asia and lived in many countries, Brenna founded Bridges Collective, a fine art ensemble which facilitates cross-cultural interaction through music-making. As Artistic Director of the ensemble, she was awarded multiple grants and awards from the Australia Council for the Arts, the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in recognition of the ensemble’s valuable work in bridging cultures. These awards have enabled Brenna to take the ensemble on musical exchanges to Canberra, Melbourne, Singapore and West Malaysia where the ensemble has a well-established artist residency and composition workshop program.
Brenna continues to share the joy of music-making in her work, both in performance and education. She currently holds a position as an accompanist at Monash University, as Deputy Head of Keyboard at Haileybury College and is engaged in regular visits to Singapore and Malaysia as a pianist, associate artist and educator. She is excited to be part of the Stretto Festival and believes that the availability of alternate-sized keyboards will facilitate future generations of young and established pianists with smaller handspans to engage in music-making with ease and confidence.
Linda Lin, Cellist
Linda Lin is one of the most innovative and dynamic cellists of her generation, praised for her “penchant for flamboyance.” At just 15, she won Young Artist of Australia and made her debut with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Melbourne’s ABC Iwaki Auditorium, broadcast live on ABC Classic FM and 3MBS FM. Since then, she has built an international career as a soloist and recitalist across the UK, Asia, and Australia.
Linda has performed at many prestigious venues including Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall, and St Martin-in-the-Fields. Her Wigmore Hall debut followed her win of the Derek Butler Award and included an appearance on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. She has received numerous honours, including the Sir Edward Cooper Prize, Florence Hooton Concerto Prize, Leverhulme Trust Scholarship, and Associated Board International Scholarship.
As an orchestral musician, Linda has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra and English Chamber Orchestra, collaborating with conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sir Colin Davis. She has also performed for members of the British Royal Family, including at Princess Diana’s Memorial Service in London, broadcast worldwide.
Linda studied at the Royal Academy of Music with David Strange, Colin Carr, and Felix Schmidt, graduating with first class honours before joining the Academy as a Leverhulme Fellow. Alongside her classical career, she composes cello fusion music inspired by Latin tango and jazz and released her debut CD with pianist Ian Brown in 2013.
Rose Copley, Pianist
Rose has been playing piano for approximately three years and has developed a particular love for classical music. She especially enjoys playing Mozart and is drawn to technically challenging pieces that help her grow as a musician and performer. In addition to solo piano, she enjoys performing in school ensembles, bands and community events, and has recently taken up the clarinet, further expanding her musical interests. She has also participated in Eisteddfods, achieving prizes and Honourable Mentions in the Graded and U12 sections.
Outside of music, Rose enjoys writing and is an active participant in both soccer and taekwondo. She loves opportunities to perform and is delighted to be performing in this year’s Stretto Festival and looks forward to sharing her music with the audience.
Emma Zhao, Pianist
Emma Zhao is a piano student at Haileybury College where she has been under the guidance of Brenna Serrenti Wee for four years. In 2023, she was awarded an Honourable Mention in the Geoffrey McFerran Young Victorian Piano Competition. She enjoys participating in school concerts and performance seminars, VMTA concerts and Eisteddfods, and is currently preparing for her AMEB Grade 8 piano exam. Through her study, Emma has developed a special appreciation for the lyrical and expressive characteristics of the Romantic period repertoire. Her performance piece, Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in F major, Op. 15 No. 1, is a work recognized for its graceful melodies, contrasting middle section, and poetic style and she is excited to share her performance with the audience. Outside of music, Emma enjoys badminton and reading.
Suwan Liu, Pianist
Already participating in concerts and recitals at the age of four, Suwan Liu has been playing the piano for eight years, and knew from the start that she had a true passion for the vivid, beautiful art of music.
She has performed at the Victorian Music Teachers Association (VMTA)’s concerts and participated in the Boroondara Eisteddfod 2026 Under 12 section, earning herself an Honourable Mention. Suwan has also achieved first place in the Great Composers Competition Series, Bartók Category among contestants from Europe and the USA. Despite entering these larger competitions, she still loves performing at school and in front of smaller crowds.
Other than piano, Suwan has played the cello for five years, and been part of various ensembles and choirs since the age of five. Suwan also enjoys collaborating with other instruments and accompanying ensembles. When she isn’t engaging in music, Suwan enjoys learning languages, mountain biking, and travelling.