Estelle Shircore Barker is an Australian pianist establishing a growing reputation for artistic excellence, both as a soloist and collaborative musician.
Having performed internationally as a soloist across Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Estonia, Estelle gave her concerto debut performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Narva Symphony Orchestra. She has undertaken masterclasses with renowned artists such as Dmitri Alexeev, Nikolai Demidenko, Sandra Shapiro, Thomas Hecht and Andreas Groethuysen. She maintains an active career as a recitalist in Australia.
Estelle is a passionate chamber musician and has performed alongside members of the St. Petersburg Quartet in both Tallinn and Narva in Estonia. Estelle is also member of the Forelle Ensemble, whose debut was described by Limelight as both “tremendously polished” and “an auspicious start.” Her interest in chamber music has led her to work with a wide variety of ensemble, from those comprising of the more common assortments of instruments to those lesser seen. Similarly, her chamber repertoire stretches from the staples of the cannon to rarely heard gems, and she has debuted various new chamber works by Australian composers. She also performs as an orchestral pianist, most recently with Ensemble Apex. Estelle enjoys collaborative piano and was awarded second place in the Sydney International Song Prize. She has extensive experience performing song and opera repertoire as well as instrumental works with piano, and alongside her freelance work has worked with various groups including Concordia Ensemble and the Con Lieder Series. Estelle’s work with singers has also led to an interest in repetiteurship, leading her to work with groups such as Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. During her time at the Sydney Conservatorium, Estelle also undertook harpsichord studies.
An Honours Graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Estelle studied with Clemens Leske and was awarded numerous merit scholarships including the Myron Kant Bequest, David and Nhilla Dumbrell Scholarship, the George Henderson Scholarship, the Brian Abel Piano Scholarship, the Clarence Addison Turril Scholarship and a Global Mobility Scholarship.
Prior to university, her formative piano lessons were undertaken in Munich, Germany under Alexandra Troussova. As one of the top music students in her state, Estelle was selected to perform as a soloist the Melbourne Recital Centre as part of the VCE Season of Excellence. During this time, also Estelle performed and found success in various Australian competitions and completed her AMusA.
In 2023, Estelle relocated from Australia to Europe to commence studies with Nikolai Demidenko at the Escuela Superior Musical Arts, Madrid, Spain. She was also awarded the Henderson International Graduate Scholarship for Piano by the University of Sydney.