What was Mother's Day like in your household growing up? 

We always made sure we would do something for Mother’s Day - my mum loves flowers and also handmade things so drawing a card for her was an annual ritual. She also would rather us write her a song or compose a song rather than buy a present so that occurred several times haha! 

Most people know you for your virtuosity and versatility as a pianist and your incredible ability to fuse classical with pop tracks. How did your mum inspire and nurture your creativity and passion for music?

Mum was the biggest supporter and nurturer, from taking us overseas almost every year to have masterclasses with amazing teachers, ensuring we had the best possible exposure to different cultures. She is an opera singer herself so she sacrificed her career to nurture ours. 

As the famous adage goes, "Mothers know best." What would you consider to be the best piece of advice that your mum has given you?

I have two - one was her advising me to choose piano over ballet since with a career in piano, the longevity on stage is much longer (and she knew I loved performing on stage). The second is, don’t wait for someone else to do it for you or wait for an opportunity, create the opportunity! 

If you could play one song for your mum this Mother's Day, what song would you dedicate to her?

She’s an absolute opera lover so probably Puccini’s O Mio Babbino Caro.