Alena Baeva is one of the brightest stars of violin playing today. Currently Alena Baeva appears to great critical acclaim at the world’s finest concert venues, among them the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, the Great Hall of the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Suntory Hall (Tokyo), the Sala Verdi Hall (Milan), the Louvre Concert Hall, the Salle Gaveau, the Théâtre des Champs Élysées and the UNESCO Hall (Paris), Carnegie Hall (New York), Victoria Hall (Geneva) and the Herkulessaal (Munich). Continue reading “Alena Baeva (violin)” »
18 year old American violinist, Chad Hoopes, has been appearing with numerous ensembles throughout the world since he won the first prize at the Young Artists Division of the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. His exceptional talent and magnificent tone are acclaimed by critics worldwide. He is a violinist possessing vibrant virtuosity “with an inspiring blend of emotional expression and technical ease” (Press Democrat), and his mastery is described as “way beyond his years” (Press Democrat). During the 2011-12 season, he was the third Artist-in-Residence in the history of the Classical Minnesota Public Radio. Continue reading “Chad Hoopes (violin)” »
“A genuine musician” – Isaac Stern
An outstanding international musician of our time, Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son was propelled to the forefront of the musical world in October 1980, when he was awarded the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Xth International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. It was also the first time that a top international competition was won by an Asian pianist. Continue reading “Dang Thai Son (piano)” »
With his extraordinary pianistic talents, Fazıl Say has been touching audiences and critics alike for more twenty-five years in a way that has become rare in the increasingly materialistic and elaborately organised classical music world. Concerts with this artist are something else. They are more direct, more open, more exciting; in short, they go straight to the heart. Which is exactly what the composer Aribert Reimann thought in 1987 when, during a visit to Ankara, he had the opportunity, more or less by chance, to appreciate the playing of the seventeen-year-old pianist. He immediately asked the American pianist David Levine, who was accompanying him on the trip, to come to the city’s conservatory, using the now much-quoted words: ‘You absolutely must hear him, this boy plays like a devil.’ Continue reading “Fazıl Say (piano)” »
Hans van der Zanden – solohorn of Brussels Philharmonic, is regarded as one of the leading french-horn players of Europe nowadays. After graduating from the conservatory he was invited as soloist to the Berlin Chamber Orchestra (Neues Berliner Kammerorchester), conducted by Jacq van Steen where he brilliantly began his career as a solohorn playing with famous hornplayers such as Sarah Willis (Berlin Philharmonic) and Bodo Werner (Komische Oper Berlin). Continue reading “Hans van der Zanden” »
The Gurnee F. and Marjorie L. Hart Chair
Joseph Alessi was appointed Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic in the spring of 1985. He began musical studies in his native California with his father, Joseph Alessi, Sr. As a high school student in San Rafael, California, and was a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony before continuing his musical training at Philadelphiaìs Curtis Institute of Music. Prior to joining the Philharmonic, Mr. Alessi was second trombone of The Philadelphia Orchestra for four seasons, and principal trombone of LìOrchestre symphonique de Montreal for one season. In addition, he has performed as guest principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall led by Pierre Boulez.
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Katherine Broderick was the winner of the 2007 Kathleen Ferrier Award. She finished her studies at the National Opera Studio in London in 2008, having previously studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she won the Gold Medal, and took the undergraduate course at the Royal Northern College of Music, during which time she spent a year at the Mendelssohn Hochschule in Leipzig. She studies with Susan McCulloch and is currently a member of the ENO Young Singers Programme. Continue reading “Katherine Broderick (soprano)” »
Kim Woongsik is one of the most versatile percussionists. Most drummers in Korea specialize in one particular style such as sanjo or pansori accompaniment, percussion ensemble, folk style, or classical style, but Kim is uniquely fluent and proficient in multiple styles, including contemporary crossover styles. He is one of the most sought after sanjo accompanists and performers of new compositions by both Korean traditional style and Western style composers. Kim has been an active member of the ‘CMEK’ since 2003, a group known to frequently collaborate with Western composers and performers. Continue reading “Kim Woongsik (percussionist)” »
Samling Scholar Madeleine Shaw studied at the RSAMD and the National Opera Studio supported by English National Opera. Madeleine was subsequently part of the Young Singers Programme at ENO. Continue reading “Madeleine Shaw (мezzo-soprano)” »
Mark Wilde was born in Scotland and was a chorister at Dundee Cathedral. He went on to study at the University of East Anglia and the Royal College of Music. Continue reading “Mark Wilde (tenor)” »