Dong Jun (‘DJ’) Ha – Piano
Korean-born pianist Dong Jun (‘DJ’) Ha is an artist whose musicianship and resilience have inspired audiences across Australia and beyond. DJ began studying piano as a toddler and later trained with the late Alexandra Vinokurov in Sydney and the late Aleksei Nasedkin in Russia, developing a strong foundation in the great classical piano tradition. He also studied at the prestigious Moscow Conservatorium before settling in Australia, where he built a career as both performer and teacher.
In his late twenties, DJ’s life changed dramatically when he suffered a major stroke. Doctors told him he would never play piano again. The stroke left him unable to speak and without movement on the right side of his body. Refusing to abandon music, DJ began the long process of rehabilitation and relearned the piano using only his left hand.
Today, DJ specialises in transcribing and performing traditional piano repertoire for the left hand alone, creating performances of remarkable depth, colour, and virtuosity. His interpretations reveal not limitation, but reinvention — a unique artistic voice shaped by determination, imagination, and perseverance. ‘I still remember thinking, I have five fingers, that’s enough,’ DJ recalls. ‘Music should have layers, and that doesn’t change whether you have one hand or two.’
Supported throughout his recovery by his wife, also a pianist, and their two children, DJ rebuilt his life through years of therapy, discipline, and unwavering commitment to music. In 2024, he won the Shine Ability Competition, and in 2025 his story was featured on ABC’s The Piano. He was subsequently invited to perform for ABC Classics Countdown 2025 at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. ‘DJ’ joins Mosman Symphony Orchestra for its second concert of the year, playing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in B-flat major, a four-movement work composed in 1931 specifically for the Austrian one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein.
Ellie Malonzo – Violin
16-year-old Australian violinist Ellie Malonzo commenced her violin studies aged 5 and is studying under Winthrop Professor Paul Wright.
At 13, she was accepted into the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK, and at 14, was accepted into the full-time Bachelor of Music program at the University of Western Australia, where she recently completed first year with a perfect GPA, and is now in second year. At 15, Ellie auditioned for Bachelor of Music programs in the UK, at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Despite policies restricting underage entry, she was accepted to both institutions; Guildhall having only eight violin places and Ellie receiving one of them.
Ellie made her solo debut in 2022 at age 12, as the youngest soloist to have performed with the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, and has won first prize in 13 international competitions, and placed in 9 others.
Ellie has performed as a soloist with the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, UWA Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, MetSO Chamber Orchestra, Mosman Symphony Orchestra (Sydney), Wiener Stadtorchester (Vienna, Austria), South Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Melbourne), Orchestra of the NSA, and the Vienna Pops Orchestra.
Her solo engagements include performances of three of her own violin concerti, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Scottish Fantasy, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Barber’s Violin Concerto, Mozart’s Violin Concerti No. 4 and 5, Sinding’s Suite in A Minor, Dvorak’s Romance, Beethoven’s Romance, Vivaldi’s Concerto RV516, Waxman’s Carmen Fantasy, and several recital programs.
She has performed in masterclasses with David Takeno, Jennifer Pike, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Robin Wilson, and Boris Kuschnir at the Lac Leman Masterclasses in Switzerland.
A composer as well as a violinist, Ellie began composing for chamber ensembles at 6. She has since written four concerti, three of which were commissioned by the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, with several upcoming commissions for premiere in May and November 2026. She is mentored by Stewart Smith and previously by Holly Broadbent. Ellie was interviewed by ABC Classic and had one of her compositions aired on Classic Breakfast in 2023.
In 2026 Ellie will join MSO for its first program of the year, playing on a 1921 violin by Giuseppe Pedrazzini, Milan, and a 1910 bow by Eugene Sartory, Paris, both generously on loan from Dr. Lawrence L. Yu.