In 2016 Benjamin Baker won 1st Prize at the Young Concert Artists auditions in New York. The 2016/17 season saw him make his debuts with the Royal Philharmonic and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestras. Daniel Lebhardt won 1st Prize at the Young Concert Artists auditions in both Paris and New York in 2015. In 2016 he won the Most Promising Pianist prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition.

‘Baker's was a finely observed interpretation, with a perfectly proportioned cadenza and a soulful Canzonetta showcasing the burnished tone of his 1709 Tononi instrument.’ New Zealand Herald, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Concerto, October 2016

‘He brought narrative sweep and youthful abandon to [Liszt’s Sonata in B minor], along with power, poetry and formidable technique.’ New York Times, Merkin Concert Hall NY, March 2016