The Talent 2026 Season 2 Episode 1 - Oscar Xu & Leonardo Hawco
Episode 2 of The Talent features french horn player Oscar Xu, followed by pianist Leonardo Hawco. Read on to find out more about them as well as our guest mentors for this week! Roman Ponomariov joins the show as french horn mentor, with Yiyun Gu stepping in for Kevin Tamanini as piano mentor.
Oscar Xu
French Horn
Oscar Xu is a Year 11 student at Camberwell Grammar School in Melbourne. He was awarded both his AMusA and LMusA with Distinction and achieved the highest mark in Victoria for VMTA Theory Grade 6. As a member of the school orchestra, concert band and choir, he won First Prize in the inaugural Camberwell Grammar School Concerto Competition and is honoured to perform on 3MBS The Talent.
Leonardo Hawco
Piano
Leonardo is a 16-year-old pianist who is in Year 10 at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. He studies piano under Glenn Riddle and actively competes in Eisteddfod piano competitions, recently receiving First Place in the MSV 18 Years and Under section. In addition to classical piano, he studies jazz and enjoys performing both styles. He also actively composes and has a passion for writing ragtime music.
Guest Mentor - Roman Ponomariov
French Horn
Roman Ponomariov is a performer, pedagogue, and academic whose work is shaped by a commitment to artistic excellence, thoughtful teaching, and the development of young musicians.
He has performed with all major Australian symphony orchestras and appears regularly with Orchestra Victoria and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Since 2018, Roman has served as Head of Brass at Monash University.
His contributions to music education have been recognised through multiple awards and nominations, such as the Monash Student Association Award for Teaching Excellence and the Vice-Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, as well as the Monash University Arts Faculty Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education.
Guest Mentor - Yiyun Gu
Piano
Yiyun Gu is a Melbourne-based pianist acclaimed for her versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. A graduate of the University of Melbourne (Master of Music, under Stephen McIntyre AM). Her solo recital series at the Melbourne Recital Centre between 2018 and 2022—‘From Peking Opera to Don Giovanni’, ‘Tales of the Wind, the Night & the Far East’, and ‘East Meets West’—highlight her cross-cultural artistic voice. She was a finalist in the Australian National Piano Award (2012, 2014), and has also competed in the China International Piano Competition and the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition. She has participated in masterclasses in the UK and Italy with leading pianists and musicians. She has also worked with the Chief Conductor of the Shanghai Opera. She collaborates closely with fellow musicians and performs chamber music regularly throughout Australia. In addition to her music qualifications Yiyun holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Master of Applied Commerce, and a Master of Teaching.