Violinist Nathan Wayne & Pianist Symphony Shi
The Talent Episode 7 features violinist Nathan Wayne and pianist Symphony Shi, who will perform live-to-air before receiving feedback from guest mentor Sarah Curro and season mentor Kevin Tamanini. Read on to find out more about them!
Nathan Wayne
Violin
Nathan Wayne is a 17-year-old violinist from Camberwell Grammar School, Melbourne. He began violin at age six with Mr Robin Venables and now studies with Dr Elizabeth Sellars. He was awarded AMusA (2023) and LMusA (2024) both with distinction. In 2025, he was invited to perform at the AMEB Conferring of Diplomas Ceremony. Nathan has achieved success in eisteddfods across Australia and in international competitions, and has collaborated with talented young musicians through AYO programs.
Nathan will perform:
- Ernest Bloch—Abodah
- Matthew Hindson—Little Chrissietina's Magic Fantasy
Symphony Shi
Piano
Symphony Shi is a Year 10 Music Scholar at Meriden School, studying with Mr Scott Lam. She has won numerous international and national competitions. In 2025, she won the Sydney Eisteddfod Junior Kawai Scholarship, the Junior Concerto Competition and the KPO NSW Secondary Schools Concerto Competition (Multiple Instrument Section). Symphony also attended the Tianjin Juilliard Piano Festival 2025, where she performed a Mozart piano concerto. Recently, she received 2nd prize at the International Music Festival of Paris Piano Competition and performed Chopin Piano Concerto No.1.
Symphony will perform:
- J.S Bach—Partita No.4 in D major, BWV 828 (II. Allemande)
- Ravel—Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55 (I. Ondine)
Sarah Curro
Guest Mentor
Australian violinist Sarah Curro is a full-time member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, she was awarded the Conservatorium Medal for Excellence before receiving the Dorcas McLean Travelling Scholarship for Violinists in 1997. She went on to study and teach at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 1999–2002. In Australia, she has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Queensland Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria.
Sarah holds a Master of Music Performance from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, where her research explored the history and development of the violin.
Passionate about music education, Sarah has worked with numerous youth orchestras and music programs in Australia and internationally. She is also a strong advocate for contemporary music, commissioning and performing new works through her solo series VOLUME, which has featured more than 40 commissions.