David McGregor and Sarah Watkins (clarinet and piano)
Enjoy dazzling and lyrical clarinet/piano duos by Saint-Säens, Finzi, Debussy and Bernstein, performed by David McGregor, the dynamic principal clarinetist of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and acclaimed New Zealand pianist (and recent Nelson local) Sarah Watkins.
Camille Saint-Säens Sonata for clarinet and piano op. 167
Gerald Finzi Five Bagatelles
Claude Debussy Première Rhapsody
Leonard Bernstein Sonata for clarinet and piano (1941-42)
David McGregor, clarinet
Dynamic clarinetist David McGregor has been Principal Clarinet of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra since 2018. In this role he works across the Canterbury region as both an exciting performer and dedicated educator. He notably appeared as a soloist with the CSO performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in 2020, and most recently with Hawke’s Bay Orchestra in 2024.
With over a decade of orchestral experience across New Zealand and Australia, David was selected as a Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellow in 2017, which involved frequent performances with the orchestra as well as chamber music, education and outreach work around Sydney and greater NSW. He has performed with other leading Australasian orchestras and ensembles, including the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Southern Cross Soloists, Orchestra Wellington, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band.
He studied with Francesco Celata at the University of Tasmania, and with Philip Green at Te Kōki – New Zealand School of Music.
Sarah Watkins, piano
Sarah’s passion for accompanying and chamber music has led to an impressive and busy career as a collaborative pianist. She performed across Australasia, Asia, the USA and Europe as a founding member of NZTrio, and now enjoys a wide variety of collaborations with musicians throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
A three-time winner of Classical Artist of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards (most recently with Robert Ashworth in 2022, and Andrew Beer in 2020 for their CDs “Moonstone” and “11 Frames”), Sarah has been an official pianist for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition since its inception in 2001 and regularly appears as a freelance player in the Auckland Philharmonia. In 2014 Sarah recorded Chris Watson’s SOUNZ Contemporary Award-winning “sing songs self” for solo piano and orchestra with the NZSO.
Sarah is a graduate of the University of Canterbury (NZ) and went on to earn both MM and DMA degrees from the Juilliard School (NY). In 2023 she was appointed Senior Lecturer in piano at the University of Auckland.
