LiedDuo
ELLA MARSHALL SMITH x JULIA SECKLER
Founded in 2023, the Lied collaboration between New Zealand soprano Ella Marshall Smith and Ukrainian pianist Julia Seckler has swiftly established itself with notable achievements. In April 2024, they secured the first duo prize at the 6th Gustav Mahler Song Competition in Hamburg. This was followed by an invitation to be artists in residence at the Sylt Akademie am Meer. In June 2024, Marshall Smith and Seckler debuted with their programme "Kriegsverluste" at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg and returned for another recital there in February 2025.
In 2025, they were selected to attend the Internationaal Lied Festival Zeist, where they participated in masterclasses with Robert Holl, Christoph Prégardien, Hans Eijsackers, and Susan Manoff, among others. They were also awarded a special prize by the Fürstin Eugénie-Preis for Liedduos for their programme "Kriegsverluste" and have been invited to present a concert at Villa Eugenia in 2026.
The pair met at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, where they connected through their shared interest in French and American song repertoire while pursuing their Konzertexamen studies. Under the guidance of Professor Burkhard Kehring, they refined their partnership. Their collaboration continues to evolve and reflects their mutual dedication to the art of Lied.
Julia Seckler
PIANO
Julia Seckler, born in Odessa, studied at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe under Prof. Michael Uhde. It was there that she discovered her deep affinity for chamber music and Lied interpretation, developing her artistry in close collaboration with distinguished teachers including Angelika Merkle, Markus Hadulla, and Ralf Gothóni. She went on to complete her Konzertexamen (postgraduate concert exam) in Lied interpretation with Prof. Burkhard Kehring at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.
She further refined her artistry in masterclasses with Klaus Hellwig, Susan Manoff, Robert Holl, Christoph Prégardien, Dorothea Röschmann, and Christiane Iven, as well as the German Lied Academy in Trossingen and the International Hugo Wolf Academy in Stuttgart.
At the Gustav Mahler Lied Competition in Hamburg, she received special prizes for piano accompaniment in 2021 and 2022; in 2024, she was awarded the First Duo Prize with her Lied partner Ella Marshall Smith. In the same year, the duo also received a special prize at the Fürstin Eugénie Competition for Lied Duos.
Now active as a Lied pianist, she regularly accompanies singers in recitals, at international festivals, competitions, masterclasses, and academic projects. Her playing is marked by refined stylistic awareness, a keen sensitivity to text, and a deeply collaborative musical approach.
Photo: Matthias Genske
Kriegsbetroffene im Blick
Elegische Stücke, deren Zauber und das Fluidum des lyrischen Tones, gepaart mit Schwermut oder existenzieller Erschütterung, aber auch mit Humor und Ironie, durchzogenden ersten Teil des Abends, in dem die neuseeländische Sopranistin Ella Marshall Smith und die ukrainische Pianistin Julia Seckler musizierten. Sie nahmen bei ihrem Vortrag „Kriegsverluste“ die mittelbar von Kriegsgeschehnissen Betroffenen – Kinder, Eltern und Geliebte in den Blick und gestalteten die von ihnen interpretierten Tonschöpfungen atmosphärisch dicht und detailliert.
- Antonia Lezerkoss, Hohenzollerische Zeitung -
