Competition 2012

David Guerchovitch, violin
Andriy Ostapchuk, violin
Valentyna Pryshlyak, viola
David Gergely Tuske, cello

The Lumiere Quartet began as the IMMA Quartet, made out of the students of the International Menuhin Music Academy.

They began their concert activities in October 2011, and after a range of successful concerts in the Geneva Canton as the Academy quartet, they decided to become an independent ensemble.

They are now expanding their potential with such teachers as: Johannes Eskar, Niall Brown, Ettore Causa, and Maxim Vengerov.

Bryan Hernandez-Luch, violin
Karla Donehew-Perez, violin
Christopher Jekins, viola
Karlos Rodriguez, cello 

Hailed by the New York Times at their Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetiv and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor”, the Catalyst Quartet is comprised of top lauerates and alumni of the internationally acclaimed Sphinx Competition for your Black and Latino string players. Having been featured in the Strad and Strings magazines, as well as on Detroit Public Radio, with recordings to be released later this year on the White Pine label, the Catalyst Quartet maintains an active performing 13

schedule and will be leading the Sphinx Virtuosi on their national tour in the fall of 2012, which includes a return to Carnegie Hall. The Catalyst Quartet proudly endorses Pirastro strings.

Maxim Bandurin, piano
Robert Stepanyan, violin
Vakery Verstyuk, cello 

The Classicus Trio consists of winners of international competitions who formed the trio at the Moscow Conservatory in October 2007. From the beginning of its existence, the trio successfully participated to a variety of projects of the Moscow Conservatory, and to international and Russian festivals. During the period of its activity, the Classicus Trio became a laureate of international chamber music competitions: Donostia Hiria Ciudad de San Sebastian (Spain, San Sebastian, 1 award, 2008), the International Chamber Music Competition Sergey Taneyev (Kaluga, 2 prize and two special prizes, 2008). The trio is also a Fellow of the Foundation “Russian Performing Art” and received the medal of the Fund Irina Arkhipova, and the diploma “For Achievements in Musical Art” from the Internatinal Academy of Creative Endeavors. Trio concerts are heald in various concert halls of Russia and Europe. Trio’s live performances have been broadcasted by TV and radio. On January 22nd 2010 it debuted at the Carnegie Hall.

Juraj Tomka, violin
Andrej Matis, violin
Veronika Prokesova, viola
Pavol Much, cello 

It was established in 2003 at the Conservatory in Bratislava. The first lessons were given by Mgr.art. Stanislav Mucha, the father of the cellist and the 1st violin of the Moyzes Quartet, that used to bear the name Mucha Quartet in its student years. The members of the present Mucha Quartet are studying at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava in the class of doc. Ján Slávik, ArtD.

They have participated to various music festivals and cultural events in Slovakia – Orpheus, Presentation of Young Composers, Chamber Music Days of J.N. Hummel, chamber cycle of the Slovak Philharmony, the official visit of theEnglish Queen Elisabeth II to Slovakia (2008), Albrechtina. They have also actively performed at their own chamber recitals, such as: Sunday Matinée in the Mirbach Palace (2010), at the Nitra Music Autumn (2010), Confrontations (2011), Music Salons in Regions in Banská Bystica (2011). In June 2010 the quartet performed the Mendessohn String Octet op. 20 in cooperation with the Moyzes 14

Quartet at the Cik-cak Centre in Bratislava. In October 2010 they attended the Humilitas Masterclasses in Bratislava with members of the Orchestra Mozart – Simone Jandl, Francesco Senese and Giacomo Tessini. In November 2010 the ensemble has been awarded the 2nd prize at the International Bohuslav Martinu Competition in Prague. In November 2011 they presented themselves in the Luxembourg Philharmoy, they performed the Introduction and Allegro for string quartet and orchestra by Edward Elgar. In February 2012 they participated to the prestigious international Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna.

At present the ensemble is preparing for the International Summer Academy in Reichenau (A) under the artistic lead of Johannes Meissl (Artis Quartet Wien) and they were also invited to take part in masterclasses in Schwarzenber (A) led by Günter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartet). The Mucha Quartet plays an important role in many artistic productions of the Academy in Bratislava and belongs to the young promising chamber ensembles in Slovakia.

Blaz Kemperle, soprano saxophone
Erik Nestler, alto saxophone
Alan Luzar, tenor saxophone
David Brand, baritone saxophone 

The Signum Saxophonquartet unites four different characters merging into one homogenous body of sound. Next to an enormous range of dynamics and its outstanding musicality, it is also the thrilling joy of making music that distinguishes the quartet from others.

The ensemble still continues its education by seeing renown musicians such as Raphaël Merlin (Quatuor Ebène), Friedmann Weigle (Artemis Quartett) and Gerhard Schulz (Alban Berg Quartett).

The quartet plays concerts in France, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Thailand and Russia, and is regularly invited to festivals in Germany and abroad (Best of NRW, Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern, International Music Festival A Tempo in Podgorica/Montenegro, Musical Olympus International Festival in Saint Petersburg, Vitzauer Begegnungen in Lucerne, Classic Young Stars International in Konzerthaus Berlin, Young Artists Bayreuth, Usedomer Musikfestival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele etc.). The individual members are gread demanded substitute players in notable orchestras such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Dresden, Staatskapelle Weimar and Gürzenich Orchester Köln.

In September 2011 the quartet won the First Prize at the competition Torneo Internazionale di Musica in Verona/Italy in the category Chamber Music and in March 2011 it was awarded with a coveted scholarship of the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb in Berlin and was admitted to the 56th Bundesauswahl Konzerte Junger Künstler. In September 2011 it received the prize of the Usedomer Musikfestival sponsored by the Okar and Vera Ritter Foundation.

The CD “Debut” was released in May 2011 by the label “Ars Produktion”.

Since its foundation in 2006, the Ensemble lives and works in Cologne.

Gianni Bergamo was born in Milan, Italy in 1941, attended primary school in Italy and Liceo in Switzerland. After a degree in Economy (1964) at the Catholic University of Milan, he dedicated himself to the study of music with Tissoni (harmony and composition), D. Maffeis (organ) and N. Sanzogno (orchestra conducting) at the Conservatory of Bergamo, Italy.
From 1964 to 1994 has been a businessman with his own import-export, real estate and finance companies, though at the same time he has remained close to music and to its world.
In 1990 he created the Cultural Association “Gli Amici Cantori”, first as a chorus alone, then later accompanied by an orchestra. He has given many concerts in Italy with them, preferring the symphonic-sacred repertoire (masses, oratories, passions, etc.). At present, he lives in Santiago del Chile.

Nora Doallo was born in Buenos Aires and studied piano with Juan Salomon at the Music High School of the Cuyo National University where she received her diploma in 1959. She then continued her studies with Vincente Scaramuzza, one of the most important teachers of the time. In 1960 she was unanimously awarded first prize at the “Mozart” competition in Argentina.

She performed in Latin America, Italy and Germany. Since 1978, she has been teaching piano at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana – University of Music.
She regularly holds masterclasses in Switzerland and Argentina.
 

Gerhard Hildenbrand was born in Heidelberg (Germany) on May 1, 1940. He studied at the Universities of Music in Berlin, Stuttgart and Freiburg, receiving a Concert Diploma in flute performance. His instructors included Karl-Friedrich Mess, André Jaunet and Aurèle Nicolet.

Co-founder of the Music Institute in Erlangen in 1966, he was its director until 1979.
In addition to having performed numerous concerts in chamber music groups and as a soloist, Hildenbrand has also made many radio recordings.

From 1979 to 2011, he was director of the Musik-Akademie Basel, where he also taught flute and chamber music. In 2001 he became co-founder of the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) and was its president from 2007 to 2011.
He initiated the research project “Musik und Raum“.

Since 2006, he has been a guest professor of chamber music at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna (Joseph Haydn Institut).

Marcello Parolini was born in Milan, and received his diploma at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory of Milan in piano (with the highest marks) with L. Leonardi and in composition with S. Gorli and U. Rotondi. He is active above all as chamber musician in different formations, dedicating himself to the diffusion of contemporary music. He is conductor of the “Ensemble Traiettorie Sonore” in Como and has been invited to conduct the “Ensemble Musica XX”, the choir of the “Nuova Polifonica Ambrosiana” and collaborates with the “Coro Filarmonico” in Brescia and the “Coro Orlando di Lasso”.

He has played with the “Ensemble Nuove Sincronie” (with recordings for Radio France, BBC, RAI and discs for the Ricordi and Stradivarius labels), with the “Divertimento Ensemble”, the “Tactus Ensemble”, the “G. Cantelli Orchestra”, the “G. Verdi Orchstra” and the “Orchestra Milano Classica”. For over 10 years, he has been the piano accompanist of the famous harmonica player Willi Burger, with whom he has recorded for Eucled, Agorà e Curci.

He is winner of several competitions and has played for many festivals, foundations and associations in Italy and abroad. He conducted the “Atelier Musicale del XX secolo”, “Officina Musicale”, “Provincia Sonora”, “Merate Musica” and other ensembles.

Beside his vast teaching activity, he is director of the Scuola Civica di Musica in Cassano d’Adda.
 

Danilo Rossi graduated with full distinction in 1985 with and then completed and perfected his studies with Dino Asciolla, Piero Farulli and Yuri Bashmet. At only 20 years-old he was chosen by Riccardo Muti to fulfill the role of first viola solisoist of both the theatrical and philarmonic orchestras of la Scala, so becoming the youngest ever first violista in the history of this world-famous and prestigious Opera House. It is this role in which we still find him.

Having won ten national and international competitions including those of Vittorio Veneto, Stresa and Moscow and being awarded an Honorary Diploma from the Accademy of Chigiana, Danilo Rossi is regularly inited to perform in the major international Asolo, Stresa, Ravenna, Ferrara, Cork, Nijny Novgorod, Elba, Joliette, St. Moritz, Vicenza, Mosca, Settembre Musica di Torino con Azzolini, Brandis, Baschmet, Brunello, Canino, Carmignola, Chung, Gallois, Gerart, Ghiglia, Lucchesini, Muti, Tortelier, il Quartetto Arditti, il Nuovo Quartetto Italiano, il Trio Italiano, il Quartetto Vanbrugh.

Also, he has been for various years a member of the String Trio of La Scala and of the String Quartet of La Scala with which he performed in the most prestigious international halls: Lugano, Monaco, Francoforte, Madrid, Berna e d’oltreoceano, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Montreal.

In his solo repertoire stand out the Concerts of Bartòk and Walton with the Philarmonic of La Scala and Riccardo Muti, with the solo singers of Mosque As a soloist, he performed Der Schwanendrehr by Hindemith with the Venice Orchestra della Fenice and the Orchestra of the Palermo Teatro Massimo, Don Chisciotte by Strauss with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, I Concerti per Viola d'Amore by Vivaldi, several times Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the Cameristi della Scala, the Orchestra della Toscana, the Deutsche Kammerorchester, often collaborating with Franco Gulli and Giuliano Carmignola; he toured Germany with the Virtuosi di Santa Cecilia and performed also the Bartok and Walton Concertos with the Scala Filarmonica conducted by Riccardo Muti, Bach Concertos and Schnittke Monologue with the Moscow Soloists conducted by Yuri Bashmet, Kurtag Concerto per Viola with the RAI Orchestra conducted by Zoltan Pesko, at the presence of the composer.

A musician of great and eclectic experience, he often collaborates with jazz artists such as Ferenc Snetberger, Terence Blanchard, Wayne Marshall etc., which led to the recording of the Cd Bach in Jazz, with the Sante Palumbo Trio and Bruno de Filippi.

He registered for Nuova Era, Fonit Cetra, Agorà, Tymallus and Sony. In 1999 EMI released a CD with the recording of Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the Philarmonic of la Scala, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Within the theatre, he worked with important actors such as Alessandro Baricco, Stefano Benni, Ascanio Celestini, Licia Maglietta, Marco Paolini and Daniela Piccari.

Together with Nanni brothers, Luciano Zadro and Massimo Moriconi, he founded the "Music Train Quintet" ; their first CD, "Did you travel at night", is available in music stores. Danilo Rossi is also a devoted teacher and holds master classes at the most prestigious Academies.

He plays the wonderful viola Maggini of the 1600, which once belonged to the great Dino Asciolla and kindly loaned by Valeria Mariconda Asciolla.

www.danilorossi.it