Pianist

“An immaculate pianist whose performances combine strength, agility, and expressive clarity.”

A woman with long, wavy black hair and red lipstick standing outdoors with greenery in the background.

Nicole Chao is a New Zealand–Taiwanese pianist active as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative artist. Her performances are distinguished by clarity of structure, interpretative precision, and ensemble sensitivity, with a repertoire spanning solo, chamber, and collaborative works.

She is the founding member of the piano duo Duo Enharmonics, which toured extensively across New Zealand and appeared at major festivals and concert series. In 2025, she appeared as a double piano soloist with Duo Enharmonics in collaboration with the Wairua Sinfonietta in Auckland.

Her work is focused on musical communication, interpretative clarity, and collaborative engagement, with a particular emphasis on chamber music performance.

Her performances have been described as “complete,” with critics noting her instinctive musical understanding, responsiveness, and ensemble cohesion.

New Zealand–Taiwanese pianist Nicole Chao completed her graduate studies at the New Zealand School of Music Te Kōkī, Victoria University of Wellington, under the mentorship of American pianist Prof. Thomas Hecht. She is a laureate of numerous national and international awards and scholarships, including top prizes at the Kapiti Coast National Piano Competition (New Zealand) and the North Queensland Piano and Instrumental Concerto Competition (Australia). Nicole has established herself as a versatile and expressive performer, both as a soloist and a collaborative artist.

Education & Recognition

Nicole Chao is an active solo and chamber musician. Her performances are distinguished by expressive control and interpretative depth.

She has received critical acclaim for performances distinguished by expressive control and interpretative depth, with reviewers highlighting a “dazzling display of speed, agility, and clarity” and “a sense of high romanticism that was deeply rewarding.”

She regularly collaborates with members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the New Zealand String Quartet, and Orchestra Wellington, and is active in repertoire-driven chamber music projects.

Her work has been presented in concert series, festival contexts, and radio broadcasts throughout New Zealand.

Performances

Alongside her performing career, Nicole is a dedicated teacher, coach, and mentor committed to fostering the next generation of musicians. Her teaching emphasises musical independence, collaboration, and long-term artistic development. She has coached multiple ensembles to the national finals of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest, including prize-winning groups and recipients of the Joan Kerr National Award and the National Adjudicator's Award. She also serves as an adjudicator for the contest, contributing her experience and insight to support and inspire young musicians across Aotearoa.

Teaching & Mentoring

  • “Chao’s instinctive capacity for mutual understanding... [turned] Beethoven’s simplest of phrase-resolutions into a precious kind of homecoming, complete with a ‘grandstand finish’!”

    — Peter Mechen, Middle C

  • “We couldn’t have asked for anything more satisfying from two musicians in absolute accord with one another and with the music!”

    — Peter Mechen, Middle C

  • “Two masterpieces for the ‘cello-and-piano repertoire, delivered by a pair of musicians regarded as among the country’s top players of their respective instruments... a dream prescription for a concert!”

    — Peter Mechen, Middle C

  • “Chao’s sense of high romanticism was rewarding, producing impassioned playing.” “A performance distinguished by an atmospheric, finely-detailed, and splendidly volatile touch.”

    — Lindis Taylor, Middle C

  • "A performance of high musical intelligence and impressive virtuosity." "Nicole gave an authoritative performance, demonstrating a subtle and tonal refinement across a range of keyboard colourings."

    — Lindis Taylor, Middle C

  • “An immaculate pianist” who “displayed great strength”

    — Kāpiti Observer

  • "A COMPLETE performance!"

    — Peter Mechen, Middle C

Reviews

  • Masterpieces from masterly musicians – A St. Andrew’s lunchtime concert, from Rolf Gjelsten and Nicole Chao

    18th March 2026 by Peter Mechen

    St.Andrew’s on The Terrace, Wellington  – Lunchtime Concert Series

    Rolf Gjelsten (cello) and Nicole Chao (piano)

    BEETHOVEN – Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major Op.69
    TCHAIKOVSKY (arr. Fitzenhagen) – Variations on a Rococo Theme Op.33

    A pairing of two masterpieces from the cello-and-piano repertoire, brought together by cellist Rolf Gjelsten, formerly of the New Zealand String Quartet, and pianist Nicole Chao. The review praised the duo's instinctive rapport in Beethoven's Op.69 Sonata, describing playing that turned even its simplest phrase-resolutions into "a precious kind of homecoming," and called the performance "a COMPLETE performance." The Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, more often heard with orchestra, were given "simply gorgeous treatment," with the review noting a preference for the intimacy of the cello-and-piano version. The concert closed, in the reviewer's words, leaving nothing more to be asked "from two musicians in absolute accord with one another and with the music."

    READ THE FULL REVIEW

  • A Cornucopia of musical delights and pianistic thrills from Duo Enharmonics

    7th July 2024 by Peter Mechen

    Wellington Chamber Music – Sunday Afternoon Concert Series 2024

    J S BACH – "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit" (from Cantata BWV 106, arr. György Kurtág)
    FRANZ SCHUBERT – Fantasy in F Minor D.940
    MAURICE RAVEL – La Valse (arr. Lucien Garban)
    JOHN PSATHAS – Fragment (2001)
    SERGEI RACHMANINOV – Six Morceaux Op.11
    J. STRAUSS Jnr. – Blue Danube Fantasy (arr. Greg Anderson)

    This concert marked a further chapter in the reviewer's growing appreciation of Duo Enharmonics, following an earlier, memorable performance of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Particular praise was given to the Ravel transcription, with the review describing how the duo's touch brought the ghostly opening of "La Valse" to life, gradually revealing its dancers and drama before its chaotic, apocalyptic close. The wide-ranging programme, from Bach and Schubert through to Rachmaninov and a virtuosic Blue Danube finale, was said to reveal a depth of musicianship that made the duo's performances something to be treasured.

    READ THE FULL REVIEW

  • DUO ENHARMONICS Piano Duo – a Blockbuster of a Concert!

    2nd October 2022 by Peter Mechen

    WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART – Piano Sonata in D, K.381 (1772)
    FELIX MENDELSSOHN – Andante & Allegro Brilliante Op.92 (1841)
    JOHN PSATHAS – Motet (1997)
    FAZIL SAY – Night (2017)
    HANNA KULENTY – VAN…. (2014)
    IGOR STRAVINSKY – The Rite of Spring (1913)

    A wide-ranging programme spanning Mozart through to contemporary works by John Psathas, Fazil Say, and Hanna Kulenty, closing with a four-hand piano transcription of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The review praised Duo Enharmonics' command of the Stravinsky in particular, describing a performance of real attack, edge, and richness of tone that stood comparison with orchestral versions of the work, alongside finely balanced playing throughout the earlier repertoire, including a specially introduced performance of Psathas's Motet with the composer present.

    READ THE FULL REVIEW

  • An exhilarating piano duet concert from Duo Harmonics at St Andrew’s

    30 September 2020 by Steven Sedley

    MOZART — Sonata for four hands in D Major, KV 381
    RACHMANINOV — Six Morceaux Op. 11
    RAVEL — La Valse (transcription for piano four hands)

    By 2020, Duo Enharmonics had become regular performers at the St Andrew's lunchtime concert series. This programme moved from a youthful Mozart sonata through Rachmaninov's nostalgic Six Morceaux to a grand, orchestrally-scaled arrangement of Ravel's La Valse. The review praised the duo's energy and brilliance in the Mozart, their sensitivity and depth in the Rachmaninov, and a Ravel performance of great force that never lost sight of the work's coherence, concluding that the duo played "with unanimity as well as virtuosity."

    READ THE FULL REVIEW

  • Exhilarating piano duet delight at St Andrew’s lunchtime concert

    3 April 2019 by Steven Sedley

    Duo Enharmonics (piano music for 4 hands)

    DEBUSSY — Petite Suite
    IGOR STRAVINSKY — The Rite of Spring
    STRAUSS / ANDERSON — Blue Danube Fantasy

    Duo Enharmonics formed after both members studied with Thomas Hecht at the New Zealand School of Music, going on to study further overseas before returning to New Zealand to continue performing together. This programme opened with Debussy's Petite Suite, playful and cleanly phrased, before a demanding four-hand version of the first movement of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, praised for its forceful energy and its capturing of the ballet's magic. The concert closed with Greg Anderson's radical, genre-bending arrangement of the Blue Danube Waltz. The review concluded the performance left the audience exhilarated, calling for more from "this talented pair."

    READ THE FULL REVIEW

Broadcasts

  • RNZ Music Alive: Wellington Chamber Music, Duo Enharmonics

    9 June 2026

    A broadcast recording from RNZ's Music Alive programme, featuring Duo Enharmonics performing works for piano four hands by Mozart and Mendelssohn, contemporary works by John Psathas, Fazil Say, and Hanna Kulenty, and closing with a transcription of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

    Recorded live at St Andrew's on the Terrace, Wellington, 2 October 2022. Producer/Engineer: Darryl Stack.

    Listen on RNZ

  • Duo Enharmonics plays Mendelssohn (RNZ Three to Seven)

    4 September 2025

    An interview with RNZ Concert host David Morriss ahead of a performance of Mendelssohn's Concerto in E for two pianos with the Wairua Sinfonietta, conducted by Elizabeth Lau. The concert, Between Shores: A Journey Through Time and Sound, was a charity performance in support of the Child Cancer Foundation, held at St Matthew-in-the-City, Auckland, on 7 September 2025.

    Listen on RNZ

  • Duo Enharmonics (RNZ Upbeat)

    28 May 2021

    An early profile of Duo Enharmonics, in which Nicole spoke with RNZ about the duo's history as students of Prof. Thomas Hecht, their 2017 reunion after pursuing separate careers, and the particular closeness of piano four-hand playing, described as being like inviting a friend onto your own desert island.

    Listen on RNZ

A selection of performance recordings is available on Nicole Chao’s YouTube channel.

Watch on YouTube channel

Upcoming Performances

View calendar