The Talent Season 1 2026 Finale - Diego, Lieun, Gabriel
Introducing our three finalists for The Talent Season 1 2026 - Deigo Yu, Lieun Park and Gabriel Liu!
These three talented musicians will battle it out in the Finale episode on the 26th of May for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Read on to find out about the amazing prizes on offer, and all about the performers and their repertoire.
Tune in to hear their performances and the annoucement of winners, mentors commendation awards, and the Audiene Prize!
Audience Prize voting is still open, so get your votes in before the Finale!
The Finale will be hosted by our amazing host Kyla Matsurra-Miller with season mentor Daniel Le and guest mentor Howard Penny.
Prizes
This season, we are thankful to have prizes contributed by CutCommon Magazine, Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva, Cinema Nova and 3MBS. The winner will recieve prizes from all of these wonderful music-centered organisations, with second, third, mentors commendation award winners and the audience prize winner recieving smaller selections from some of these organisations. We are proud to have such a fantastic range of prizes on offer!
Gabriel Liu
Cello
Fifteen-year-old Melbourne-born cellist Gabriel Liu began playing the cello at the age of seven. He currently studies with David Berlin, Principal Cello of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and Rachel Atkinson, Head of the Music Academy at Camberwell Grammar School. Gabriel is a full music scholar at Camberwell Grammar School. He has participated in masterclasses with internationally acclaimed cellists including Li-Wei Qin, Danjulo Ishizaka, Howard Penny, Eduardo Vassallo, Ben Davies and Nick Trygstad.
He has received prizes in numerous eisteddfods across Victoria, including Monash, Boroondara and Ringwood, and was joint winner of the Ringwood Eisteddfod Grand Final. He was also a top three finalist in Season 1 (2024) of The Talent, presented by 3MBS. In June 2024, he was awarded the LMusA Diploma with Distinction and was invited to perform at the 2025 AMEB Conferring of Diplomas ceremony. He was also a finalist in the Preston Youth Concerto Competition in 2025.
In September 2025, Gabriel attended the Cello Akademie Rutesheim in Germany, where Professor Danjulo Ishizaka selected him as the sole outstanding student in his masterclass to perform in the festival’s solo concert.
Gabriel has performed with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra flagship ensemble since the age of 11. In 2026, he served as Associate Principal Cellist of the Australian Youth Orchestra’s Amadio Chamber Orchestra and, at the age of 14, was among the youngest musicians selected for the AYO flagship orchestra.
As a member of the Kingussie Trio alongside David Chon and Dillon Chan, Gabriel was awarded Second Prize in the Australian national youth chamber music competition Strike A Chord 2025. In 2024, the trio was also a finalist in Strike A Chord 2024, receiving the 3MBS Prize. The trio also won the Boroondara Chamber Music Competition and the MSV Chamber Music Competition in 2025.
In addition to cello, Gabriel is a passionate pianist. He has studied with Len Vorster since the age of five and was awarded his AMusA Diploma in Piano with Distinction in 2023. He enjoys exploring a wide range of musical styles, has a strong interest in music production and film scoring, and is also an avid singer.
In the Finale episode, Gabriel will perform:
- Bohuslav Martinů: Cello Concerto No. 1, H. 196 – I. Allegro moderat
Lieun Park
Cello
Lieun Park is a 17-year-old cellist from Melbourne, currently studying with David Berlin, Principal Cellist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated young musician since the age of seven, Lieun was awarded her LMusA with Distinction in 2023 and AMusA in 2021. She was the winner of the 2024 3MBS Victorian Young Performer Award and a finalist in the National Young Virtuoso Award, as well as other national competitions including the Strike A Chord chamber competition, Preston Youth Concerto Competition, and the Baroque competition, where she received the Encouragement Award numerous times. Furthermore, she is also a committed orchestral player and has toured Europe as principal cellist of the Melbourne String Ensemble in 2024, while continuing to be an active participant of the Australian Youth Orchestra, whom she also toured Europe with last year. Lieun continues to develop as a well-rounded musician through her dedication to solo and orchestral performance.
In the Finale episode, Lieun will perform:
- Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata in G minor, 1st movement
Diego Yu
Piano
Diego Yu is a 15-year-old piano student of Glenn Riddle. In May 2024, he made his concerto debut, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major with the Dandenong Ranges Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carlos del Cueto, and in April 2026 he has been invited to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.9, K 271 in Eb major with the Mozart Festival Chamber Players at 45 Downstairs for the 2026 Mozart Piano Concerto Festival. Diego has presented solo recitals for the Austral Salon, St. Paul's Cathedral and for Scot’s Church Music Matinees. In 2025 Diego was awarded his LMusA with Distinction, and as a result has been invited to perform at the 2026 AMEB Graduation Ceremony. Other awards include 2nd prize in the national PolMusicA Competition and being selected as a semi-finalist in the 2024 Young Lev-Vlassenko Piano Competition. Diego is a member of the LED Piano Trio, which won multiple prizes in the 2025 Strike-A-Chord Chamber Music Competition. He enjoys both playing as a soloist and in a chamber ensemble, and some of his other hobbies include table tennis and chess.
In the Finale, Diego will perform:
- Carl Vine - Piano Sonata No. 1, Mvt. I - 8’30"