Two to Tango

Ezo Dem Sarici and Finlay Hay were a duo as schoolmates. Now they have reunited to share their musical heritage and passion. Together again for a brief series, they blend traditional melodies from their homelands with the sultry rhythms of tango, coming together for a harmonious celebration of a shared joy in music. At the age of 4, Ezo Dem Sarici embarked on her musical journey at the Royal Academy of Music through the "First String Experience" program. Continuing her studies at Junior Guildhall for an additional five years, she further honed her skills at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School. Ezo's captivating performances have graced esteemed concert halls, including The Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Centre, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Wales Millennium Centre, St John's Smith Square, Windsor Castle, and Buckingham Palace. With a musical presence extending across Europe, Ezo has undertaken numerous solo engagements in countries such as Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, and the Czech Republic. Her talent has been showcased in international masterclasses with renowned mentors, including Ani Kavafian, Pierre Amoyal, Ning Feng, and others. Noteworthy achievements include reaching the semi-finals of the Lipizer International Violin Competition and receiving the prestigious Most Artistic Performance and Temperament prize and was the winner of the Strings and Piano Duo Prize 2023 at the Royal Academy of Music. Beyond her prowess as a violinist, Ezo displayed her versatility as a multi-instrumentalist by assuming a guest principal viola role in the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast in October 2022. She also took center stage at the London Jazz Festival alongside Nick Smart, the head of Jazz at the Academy. Ezo's creativity extends to composition, with her piece "A Bagatelle for Beethoven," dedicated to the maestro's 250th birthday, premiering at the Beethoven House in Bonn. At the age of 17, Ezo established the Apollo Philharmonic Orchestra in London, marking their debut concert in October 2019 with performances of Schubert's 5th and Beethoven's 7th symphonies. Her achievements include winning the Strings and Duo Prize 2023 at the Royal Academy of Music with pianist Junyan Chen. Currently pursuing studies at the Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship under the guidance of LSO principal Roman Simovic, Ezo recently concluded her U.K Recital Tour in January 2024. Her dedication to musical excellence continues to shape her promising career. Finlay Hay is a young artist studying in the University of the Arts, Berlin. He first started learning guitar, piano and voice at Portobello Music School, and during these early years won the Mary Moore Medal resulting in a performance at the Queen?s Hall, Edinburgh. Finlay went on to study with Laura Snowden and Richard Wright, and at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Prof. Allan Neave. Finlay has been awarded a Eurostrings Scholarship, 3rd in the Altamira International Guitar Competition, scholarship of the Cantilena Ensemble, and performed his concerto debut alongside members of the Scottish Opera. He is a founding member of both the Taproot Ensemble and Quartet Malamatina, which after playing at the UN?s 2021 Climate Conference was awarded a residency at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Away from the guitar, Finlay enjoys working as an educator, arranger, continuo player, trad-mandolin player and lutenist. He has performed internationally in venues such as Mansion House (England), Fromista Cathedral (Spain), Bilkent University (Turkey), Joseph-Joachim-Konzertsaal (Germany), St. Andrew?s Toronto (Canada) and Yellow Barn (U.S.) often alongside his duo partner Hattie McGregor. Finlay plays on a 2016 Angelo Vailati guitar and on a Miodrag Zerdoner romantic guitar with the generous support of a local donor.