Tonya Lemoh

A grand piano tuned within a day of the performance

Tonya is a keen educator and happy to discuss engagement activities including masterclasses, lessons, coaching, and public speaking/talks.  

Australian/Sierra-Leonean pianist Tonya Lemoh has made a career of championing forgotten composers. Labelled a ‘pianist archaeologist’ by a leading critic, her concert appearances and recordings have consistently garnered critical acclaim. Her breakthrough on the international stage came with the release of her solo recording of piano works by Austrian composer Joseph Marx for Chandos records. She was recently appointed Head of Keyboard at WAAPA. 

A passionate advocate of Australian music, her doctoral research resulted in a world premiere recording of the complete piano works of Raymond Hanson. The album was awarded five stars and Editor’s Choice in Limelight Magazine. Tonya was the recipient of a Creative Fellowship Award from the National Library of Australia in 2022, where she pursued research into the musical legacy of Henry Handel Richardson. She has presented research findings on Australian music history at the National Musicological Society, Sydney Conservatorium’s Musicology Colloquium and in lecture recitals in Australia and Scandinavia. 

A prize winner in international piano competitions, she has performed in solo and chamber recitals, international festivals and concerto performances in Australia, Africa, America and Europe. She has released numerous solo CDs for international labels Chandos, Naxos, Dacapo, Danacord and, most recently, a disc of music by Henry Handel Richardson for Toccata Classics. Tonya has written articles for Limelight Magazine and been a guest on Australian and Danish radio/television as performer and interviewee, including a recent appearance on Andrew Ford’s The Music Show for ABC Radio National. 

She was a lecturer on the piano faculty of Copenhagen University in Denmark for ten years, where some career highlights include winning the prestigious Danish Radio P2 prize for best solo recording of the year and performing concertos with Danish orchestras. Tonya has given international masterclasses in Europe and acted as jury member in piano competitions in Denmark and Australia. 

Current performance research is centred around the composers of African descent, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Florence Price, as well as original compositions based on Sierra-Leonean melodies, which will be featured in a solo recording for ABC Classics this year.