12.30pm Music recital with Bonnie Liu – voice and Irina Chagunava – piano
Music recitals in St George's Church Beckenham
FACES OF LOVE
Songs of Passion, Longing and Laughter
1. Schumann — Widmung
2. Hahn — À Chloris
3. Hahn — L’heure exquise
4. Berlioz — Le spectre de la rose
5. Purcell — Dido’s Lament
6. Berlioz — D’amour l’ardente flamme
7. Jake Heggie — A Route to the Sky
Bonnie Liu, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Bonnie Liu, winner of the Janet Price Opera Prize 2025, is currently part of Glyndebourne’s Pegasus Mentoring Programme.
She has performed leading opera roles in the UK and Hong Kong, including Leila (Manifest Destiny), Sifare (Mitridate, re di Ponto), Annio (La clemenza di Tito),
and Giacinta (La finta semplice), and has covered the role of La Vecchietta (La bella dormente nel bosco) under Maestro Carlo Rizzi.
She will perform the title role of Dido in Dido and Aeneas with St Albans Chamber Opera this November.
She is also active in contemporary opera, having performed in Hong Kong Arts Festival productions including Heart of Coral, Datong, and Women Like Us.
As a concert soloist, she has performed with Sir Bryn Terfel, and her repertoire includes Bach’s Mass in B minor, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Schubert’s Mass No. 5.
She holds a Master’s degree in Music Performance with Distinction from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama,
supported by Help Musicians and college scholarships.
Irina Chagunava, piano
Irina Chagunava is a Georgian pianist based in London. Her musical journey started at the age of six at the Paliashvili Central Music School, one of the most prestigious institutions in Georgia. Within a year, she had the opportunity to perform with an orchestra which marked the beginning of her performing career.
From a young age, Irina has also been collaborating with opera singers and instrumentalists.
Irina continued her education at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, where she completed her Bachelor’s degree, under the guidance of professor Alexander Garber. Later, she moved to the UK to pursue her Master’s at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, studying with professors John Thwaites and Alasdair Beatson.
Irina graduated with distinction in 2021 and received several prestigious awards, including the John Campbell Prize,
the Denis Matthews Memorial Trust Award, the Beryl Chempin Beethoven Prize, and the RBC Piano Prize.
After graduating, Irina started an active teaching career. She finds great joy in helping students of all ages and abilities thrive. Along with teaching, Irina had the opportunity to work as the principal accompanist for the Alcester Male Voice Choir and participated in numerous events and concerts, including the choir’s 50th anniversary concert at Ragley Hall.
