Described as a musician of ‘real intelligence and richly communicative musicianship’ after a sold out solo recital at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, 21-year-old Berniya Hamie studies piano with Dina Parakhina and cello with Hélène Dautry at the Royal College of Music on a full scholarship, currently as an ABRSM scholar and previously as the John and Marjorie Coultate Scholar.
In September 2021, she was selected as one of just six Tabor Piano Ambassadors for the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition, representing the RCM, and she continues to work with the competition in delivering education and outreach initiatives. She joined the RCM Junior Department as a Wolfson Foundation scholar in 2014 and studied there with Ian Jones and Konstantin Lapshin until 2020; during her time at the RCMJD she won many awards including the Senior Recital and Piano Prizes, Marjorie Humby Memorial Competition and Barbara Boissard Junior Concerto Competition, leading to a concerto performance with the RCMJD Sinfonia. She was also selected as a junior recording artist and cover model for the 2017-18 ABRSM Piano Grade 1 Syllabus and gave the world premiere of Karen Tanaka’s ‘Masquerade’ at the ABRSM Spectrum 5 launch. She has won numerous prizes at competitions and festivals around the country and performed at prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Purcell Room and Royal Festival Hall. Her concerto highlights include Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Brighton Youth Orchestra as part of the 2018 Brighton Festival, and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no.2 with the Worthing Philharmonic in March 2023.
An incredibly versatile musician, she is also the cellist of the Fiora Quartet, who are mentored by the Sacconi Quartet. They were second prize winners in the RCM’s 2022 String Quartet Competition, leading to a performance at the Chipping Campden Festival in May 2022. She has also sat as principal cello of the RCM Philharmonic, and will perform Haydn’s Cello Concerto no.1 with the Mid Sussex Sinfonia as part of the Hurstpierpoint Festival in September 2023. Berniya is grateful for the support of the Westdene Fund.
ASTATINE TRIO 