The Westland Trio Baroque Ensemble is a Dublin-based Baroque chamber group, founded as part of the Westland Trio, established in 2023 by internationally renowned pianist and Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) professor Lance Coburn. Building on the Westland Trio’s commitment to excellence and artistic exploration, the Baroque Ensemble specializes in historically informed performances of 17th- and 18th-century works.
The ensemble currently features violinists Junhe Qiu and Chang Liu, cellist Ensheng Chen, and harpsichordist Celia Yizhen He. Junhe Qiu, Ensheng Chen, and Celia Yizhen He are graduates or current students of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, with additional academic backgrounds from leading music institutions in China and the United States. Violinist Chang Liu is also a regular member of the Dublin City Chamber Orchestra, actively performing across Ireland’s major stages.
Since its founding, the Westland Trio Baroque Ensemble has successfully presented a series of concerts at prominent historical and landmark venues in Dublin, including performances fully supported by the Dublin City Council. Their concerts have been warmly received by both critics and audiences alike.
With meticulous artistry and a dedication to authentic Baroque performance practices, the Westland Trio Baroque Ensemble aspires to bring the timeless charm of early music to a wide audience, enriching the classical music scene both in Ireland and internationally.
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Bio of performers:
Violin:
Junhe Qiu, born in China, is a young musician who has studied and performed in both the U.S. and Europe. He is a violinist, chamber musician, and conductor.
He began learning the violin at a young age and pursued conducting as a secondary field of study. Graduated from the Music School attached to Xinghai Conservatory of Music, which is one of the top 3 music conservatories in China. In 2016, he was awarded the highest scholarship to study at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he also received the Starling Music Scholarship. In 2019, he continued his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In 2022, he was admitted to the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), where he awarded the Recital Artist Diploma, becoming the first Chinese string player to receive this qualification since the academy’s founding in 1848.
His performance and musical activities span North America and Europe. He has participated in numerous prestigious music festivals, including the Bowdoin Music Festival in the U.S., the Midwest Composers Forum, and the Weimar Master Classes in Germany, Dublin Chamber Festival in Ireland . In 2022, he served as the CO-Leader of the RIAM Philharmonic in Ireland. In 2023, he collaborated with conductor Dongke Tu to co-found the Intercontinental Experimental Orchestra (IEO), where he serves as concertmaster. During his career as orchestra performer, he had the opportunity to perform with renowned conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Mihhail Gerts, and Christoph Altstaedt.
In April 2023, he co-founded the Westland Trio with Naxos-signed pianist Professor Lance Coburn and young cellist Chen Ensheng. The trio successfully completed concert tours of China in 2023.
As a conductor, he has led multiple concerts in China and EU. He has been invited to conduct the Royal Irish Academy of Music Winds Ensemble and Chamber Choir for the 2024 and 2025 RIAM Asian Music Night at Dublin Whyte Recital Hall. He currently serves as the Principal Conductor of Irish Chinese Youth Choir.
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Chang Liu, based in Dublin, Ireland, is a violinist with a unique dual career in banking and classical music performance. She began studying the violin at an early age, developing a strong foundation in classical training. Liu has performed with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in Finland and is currently a regular violinist with the Dublin City Chamber Orchestra.
In 2024, she joined the Westland Trio Baroque Ensemble, focusing on historically informed performances of Baroque repertoire. Balancing her professional and artistic pursuits, Liu brings a refined musical sensibility and deep understanding of early music traditions to stages across Ireland and Europe.
Cello:
Ensheng Chen, started learning the cello from a young age. In 2014, she was admitted to the Zhejiang Arts School, where she received special scholarships and first-class scholarships. In 2017, she was accepted into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music , which is one of the top 2 music Conservatory in China, under the tutelage of Professor Xie Guangyu. In 2022, she was awarded the 1848 Scholarship and entered the Royal Irish Academy of Music, studying with British cellist and educator Professor William Butt, as well as Professor Aoife Nic Athlaoich, an expert in Baroque cello. In 2024, she graduated with a master’s degree as an outstanding student.
During her studies, she received guidance from many renowned musicians, including Nicholas Tzavaras, Su Li, Qin Liwei, Wang Lei, Dóra Kokas, and Xandi van Dijk. She performed with prominent Chinese orchestras such as the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and Suzhou Philharmonic Orchestra in concerts like the 2018 Foshan New Year Symphony Concert and *Das Lied von der Erde*. She also participated in performances like the *Bilibili Macro Link* 2021 themed offline event, the musicals *He Luting* and *Rachmaninoff* in Shanghai, Shaoyang, Beijing, Tianjin, and other cities, as well as in the opening band for Tencent’s annual New Year’s event and as a cellist in Angela Zhang’s 2018 *Journey* world tour.
In Ireland, she performed in multiple concerts, including the New Music Dublin Concert, Asian Music Night, Dublin Chamber Festival, and Esker Festival Orchestra concerts. She also took part in opera accompaniment for Spirits Unsurrounded, and performed in chamber groups like the Westland Trio and Desperado Trio in various concerts.
Harpsichord:
Celia Yizhen He Chu, born in Spain with ancestral roots in Taiwan, began studying piano and clarinet at a young age.
In 2015, she was admitted to the music program at Taichung Municipal Shuangshi Junior High School, studying under clarinetist Tian Yongnian. In 2018, she entered the music school attached to Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, which is the best music conservatory in China, where she was mentored by renowned clarinet educator Professor Fan Lei. During her time at the conservatory, she actively participated in major music festivals and performance events across China, including the 2019 Qingdao International Clarinet Summer Camp, the Central Conservatory of Music Anniversary Concert, and off-campus science outreach concerts, gaining extensive experience in chamber music performance. She also engaged in music theory and outreach education, delivering lectures on music theory and performance techniques in public art courses on platforms such as the one offered by *Sanlian Life Weekly*.
After graduating from the music school attached to Central Conservatory of Music in 2021, He Yizhen was awarded the 1848 Scholarship and was accepted into the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), studying with renowned European clarinet educators Professor John Finucane and Professor Paul Roe. While at RIAM, she served as a rotating principal clarinetist for the RIAM Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2022, she distinguished herself in the Sony Music Global Scholarship selection and became one of 50 awarded artists. In 2024, she was invited to participate in the Global Scholar Conference in New York, where she had the opportunity to meet legendary music executive Clive Davis, who discovered Whitney Houston.