The 2026 NZSO National Youth Orchestra

FIRST VIOLIN

Lucas de Groot-Tsuji, Co-Concertmaster 
Sponsored by Peter & Kay Squires 

Ambrose Tarrant, Co-Concertmaster 

Justine Hua, Associate Concertmaster 

Vivienne Lim, Associate Concertmaster 

Tristan Dunlop 
Sponsored by Virginia Breen 

Bertil Feng  

Catherine Harrison  

Joshua Hooker  

Alun James  

Fengyao Liu 
Sponsored by Music Futures 

Daniel Loy  

Estella Ritchie  
Sponsored by Bill Moran 

Natalija Sekicki 
Sponsored by Kim & Ian New 

Priscilla Teh 

SECOND VIOLIN

Richard Yeoh, Section Principal 

Olivia Zhou, Associate Principal 
Sponsored by Katherine Teixeira Bender & Eric Bender 

Edgar Watson 
Sponsored by Music Futures 

Anthony Takeda 

Leila Dunlop 
Sponsored by Anonymous 

Isaac Chou 

Samuel Yuan 

Cheryl Teng 
Sponsored by Music Futures 

Michelle Brown 

Indiana Bell 
Sponsored by Anonymous 

Hannah Schulte 
Sponsored by Daniel^ & Kylie Wong 

Elizabeth Vawter 

VIOLA 

Francesca Fong, Section Principal 

Solace Ward, Associate Principal 
Sponsored by Jeff & Marise McNeil 

Haydn Li  
Sponsored by Glenda West 

Milliann Lim 
Sponsored by Kim & Ian New 

Elise Ji  

Teresa Cheung 

Dalton Ma  

Sponsored by Bruce Rae & Magaret Mabbett  

Abigail Zhao 
Sponsored by Daphne & John Wardle 

Ary Son 
Sponsored by Ted & Anne Aspey 

Lilian Qiu  

CELLO 

Elise Tian, Section Principal 
Sponsored by Anonymous 

Howard Lu, Associate Principal 
Sponsored by Anonymous 

Reilly Blennerhassett 
Sponsored by Lesley Ayers 

DJ Hopkinson 

Portia Bell 
Sponsored by Anonymous 

Andrew Wang  

Freya McKeich 
Sponsored by Anonymous  

Juan Lee 
Sponsored by Daphne & John Wardle 

DOUBLE BASS 

Evelyn Patterson, Section Principal 
Sponsored by Claire McDonald 

James Parker, Associate Principal 

Mila Yin 

Emma Tiplady-Scurr 

Ariana Knudson-Hollebon 

Ava Palmer 

Nicholas Brownlie 

WOODWND SECTION 

Supported by Heather Simpson 

FLUTE 

Althea James, Section Principal 

Sponsored by Michael Snowden 

Dingding Pei, Associate Principal  

Alina Chen, Sub-Principal 

PICCOLO 

Dingding Pei, Principal 

OBOE 

Junyang (David) Zhu, Section Principal  
Sponsored by Stacey Dixon 

Alex Wu, Associate Principal 

COR ANGLAIS 

George Guo, Principal 
Sponsored by Stacey Dixon 

CLARINET 

Dennis Liu, Section Principal 

Joseph Craggs, Associate Principal 
Sponsored by Rob Hole & Sue Batley 

BASS CLARINET  

Reuben Allen, Principal 

BASSOON 

Tor Chiles, Section Principal 

Luke Davenport, Associate Principal 

Helena Park, Sub-Principal 

CONTRABASSOON  

Joshua Elrom, Principal 

FRENCH HORN 
Thomas Ferreira-Montague, Section Principal 

Campbell Smith, Associate Principal 

Caspar Adams, Sub-Principal 

Jessica Drury, Sub-Principal 
Sponsored by Pat Hickon & Josie Grace 

Riley Wang, Sub-Principal 

TRUMPET 

Zachary Allen, Section Principal 
Sponsored by E Prof Les Holborow 

Lena Krakowiak, Associate Principal 
Sponsored by Ross Steele 

Hugo Carter, Sub-Principal 
Sposnsored by Deane Endowment Trust 

Tomas Metz, Sub-Principal 

Ned Shaw, Sub-Principal 

 
TROMBONE 

Nicholas Blitch, Section Principal 

Amy Laithwaite, Associate Principal 

BASS TROMBONE 

Jack Erskine-Shaw, Principal 

TUBA 

Kilian Casey, Principal 
Sponsored by David Zwartz 

PERCUSSION 

Sho Kubota, Co-Section Principal  

Keina Rollinson, Co-Section Principal 
Sponsored by Bill Moran  

Hannah Kagawa, Sub-Principal 
Sponsored by John & Elisa Mendzela 

Cameron Smillie, Sub-Principal 
Sponsored by John Dick 

TIMPANI 

Hannah Kagawa, Section Principal 
Sponsored by John & Elisa Mendzela 

Cameron Smillie, Assistant Timpani 

HARP  

Sherry Zhang, Principal 
Sponsored by Anonymous 

Yan Tong Lu, Sub-Principal