Faculty Bios

Christian Altenburger
Christian Altenburger studied at the Music University of his hometown Vienna and with Dorothy DeLay at the Juillard School New York.
At the age of 19, he made his debut as a soloist at the Vienna Musikverein. This was quickly followed by engagements with top international orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Christoph von Dohnányi, Bernard Haitink, James Levine, Lorine Maazel, Zubin Metha, Václáv Neumann, Sir Roger Norrington, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Franz Welser-Möst. In addition to his solo activities, chamber music developed into a special focus of his artistic work. Christian Altenburger not only concentrates passionately with colleagues and friends such as Bruno Canino, Patrick Demenga, Heinz Holliger, Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Melvyn Tan, Lars Anders Tomter and Lars Vogt, but is also involved in the planning of high-profile programmes. From 1999 to 2005 he served as artistic director of the Mondseetage Festival together with actress Julia Stemberger. Since 2003 he has been the artistic director of the chamber music festival Schwäbischer Frühling and since 2006 he has been the artistic director of the music festival Loisiarte, where he also defined the programme concept.
After many years as a professor at the Hanover Conservatory, Christian Altenburger was appointed professor at the Vienna University of Music in 2001.

Dean Anderson

Dean Anderson is frequently engaged as a guest conductor with professional orchestras around the globe. Most recently, he has conducted orchestras such as the  Orquesta del Festival Gaudix Clásica in Spain, and the Orchestra Filarmonica Campana in Italy. He will soon be making his debut in Zhengzhou, China and in several cities in Belarus. He has been the Music Director and Artistic Director for the Dana Point Symphony for almost a decade. He continually strives to champion a diverse blend of repertoire - ranging from the beloved works of Beethoven and Brahms, to newly commissioned works by local and international composers. His international engagements include concerts with professional orchestras in Europe, Asia, and South America. He has served as cover conductor for the San Diego Symphony and has performed with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition, he has worked with such artists as Cho-Liang Lin, Andres Cardenes, Yizhak Schotten,  Smokey Robinson, David Archuleta, Manhattan Transfer, John Tesh, Lincoln Mayorga, Arlo Guthrie, and Dick Dale.

​A versatile and collaborative conductor, Mr. Anderson’s performances include major ballet works such as the Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, and La Cigale with ballet companies such as the Anaheim Ballet, Nouveau Chamber Ballet, and the Montage Dance Theater. He has also conducted numerous operas such as The Magic Flute, Il Segreto di Susanna (Wolf-Ferrari), Hansel and Gretel, I Due Figaro (Mercadante), Daron Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland and more. One of the highlights of his career was his Walt Disney Hall debut performance of Marcos Galvany’s O My Son. He was the first American citizen to conduct the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Orchestra in Vietnam. He also led the Southern California Chamber Ensemble performance of traditional chinese and japanese music for pipa and erhu with Tu Shan Xiang and George Gao in Nagoya, Japan.

In addition to his professional engagements. Mr. Anderson enjoys working with students and community members to help them strive for higher levels of artistic excellence. He constantly bridges the gap between professional organizations and educational institutions.  He serves as part of an international jury for the Hong Kong International Music Festival and is often invited as guest clinician with local school districts, including those in Riverside, Santa Ana, and Irvine. He has initiated collaborative events between his orchestral ensembles and local schools and churches in order to help fund their special programs. Mr. Anderson is also the Artistic Director for Symphony Irvine and the Director of Orchestral Studies at La Sierra University. He recently completed his fifth season as the Music Director for the Montecito International Music Festival Orchestra, where he has performed with world-renowned artists and with gifted student musicians from all over the globe.

​Mr. Anderson completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at UCLA under the mentorship of Neal Stulberg. He studied conducting with Edward Dolbashian and violin with John McLeod at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Additionally, he has participated in conducting workshops with Gustav Meier, Mark Gibson, Marin Alsop, Mihail Agafita, Don Thulean, and Lawrence Golan.

Jonathan Bass

American pianist Jonathan Bass appears frequently throughout the United States and around the world as soloist and chamber musician.  Of his 1994 Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall debut, New York Concert Review wrote, “A technical presence to be reckoned with…soaring with a feeling of lyrical discovery.” Bass was awarded First Prize in the 1993 Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, the 1984 American National Chopin Competition, the 1989 American Pianists Association Beethoven Fellowship Competition, and the 1983 National Arts Club Competition.  He also received the Bronze Medal and Mozart Prize at the 1987 Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition.  He is a regular presence at Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall in Boston, and at Tanglewood. His solo and chamber music recording have received high acclaim from Gramophone Magazine. Internationally, he has performed in China, Israel, Japan, Poland, Spain, and Russia.  A Steinway Artist, he has been featured on many radio programs throughout the United States, including National Public Radio’s ‘Performance Today’.  Bass has performed as concerto solo soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Boston Pops and the North Carolina Symphony.

Collaborative highlights include multiple guest appearances with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, and recitals with violinist Joseph Silverstein.  He also partners with his wife, BSO violinist Tatiana Dimitriades, in the Boston Duo.  For more than 20 years, as the pianist and a founding member of the Walden Chamber Players, he has performed on a variety of chamber music series and residencies across the United States and Canada.

A graduate of the Juilliard School as a student of Adele Marcus and Sasha Gorodnitki, Jonathan Bass holds a Doctor of Music degree from the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied with, and was teaching assistant to, Menahem Pressler.  He also studied at the Moscow Conservatory in Russia.  Bass is a Professor of Piano at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. His students have won many competition prizes, and he has given numerous master classes across the country.

Katerina Beranova
born in the Czech Republic Katerina Beranova started studying classical singing with the age of 14 at the conservatory in Brno. 

After she passed her final exam with the age of 20 with honor she started to sing in the choir of  "Accademia di Santa Cecilia" in Rome. Meanwhile she kept studying with Stefania Magnifico and later had finished her diploma of Lied and Oratorium at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Vienna with Walter Moore. 

During these studies she became soloist of the "Accademia di Santa Cecilia" and was able to sing under conductors such as W.Sawallisch, Ch.Thielemann, V.Spivakov, D.Gatti and many more. 

From 1996 to 2002 she regularly sang at Bayreuther Festspiele as 1. Blumenmädchen under the conductors Giuseppe Sinopoli, Christoph Eschenbach and Christian Thielemann.  

Further Engagements were: Clorinda in Cenerentola (G.Rossini) in Dublin. With the conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli "Die Frau ohne Schatten" (R. Strauss ) in Turin. Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung as Woglinde, as well as in Siegfried the Waldvogel at the Teatro dell` Opera di Roma.  

Invited by Placido Domingo she sang in "La Findta Giardiniera" (W.A.Mozart) Sandrina at the Kennedy Center of the Washington National Opera.  

With Martin Haselböck and the Wiener Akademie Orchester she sang during the Carintische Sommer in Ossiach in Mozart's "Die Schuldigkeit des 1. Gebots/Barmherzigkeit", at the Theater an der Wien in Mozart's "Il Re Pastore / Tamiri und Elisa", at the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus Wien Mozart's "Il Sogno Di Scipione /Fortuna", as well as Ännchen in Freischütz (Sommerfestspiele Reinsberg). Furthermore she took part in various concerts and tours in Los Angeles, Spain and Germany with the Händel Operas: "Il Trionfo Del Tempo" , " Radamisto" , "Messias", And J.S.Bach "h-moll Messe", etc.  

At the Passionstheater Oberammergau she sang J.S. Bach's "Matthäuspassion" with the Hamburg Ballett. 

2002 she was part of an Operetta-Tour in Japan in Tokyo (Suntory Hall), Toyama, Saporo and other cities with the Tenor Herbert Lippert and the Symphonieorchester of the Volksoper Wien. 

She was praised by the audience and the press for her role debut at the Tiroler Landestheater in W.A. Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (Contessa) as well as for her Donna Anna in "Don Giovanni".  

A great success was the europe-tour with the Venice Barock Orchestra with Andrea Marcon, where she sang Cassiope in Vivaldis "Andromeda Liberata" at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Barbican Center London. This piece was also recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon. 

As Emira in Händels "Siroe" she was celebrated at the Theatre des Champs Elysèes/Paris, in Hamburg as well as in New York and San Francisco. 

Beethovens "IX. Symphonie" in the Wiener Gesangsverein with Riccardo Chailly as conductor in the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and in the Barbican Center in London was broadcasted live on MDR and recorded by Decca Records  

J.S.Bachs "Johannespassion" at the Gewandhaus at Leipzig also with Riccardo Chailly.  

G.F.Händels "Il Trionfo del Tempo" with Allessandro de Marchi in Turin. 

Dvoraks "Requiem" in Brüssel and Rotterdam. 

Carl Orff`´s "Carmina Burana" at the Dresdner Philharmonie with the conductor R. Frühbeckde Burgos. 

G.F.Händels "Rinaldo/Almirena"at the Händel Festspiele Halle with the Lauten Kompagney Berlin. 

W.A.Mozart's "Zauberflöte/1.Dame" at the Internationale Herrenchiemsee Festspiele under the direction of conductor Enoch zu Guttenberg.  

2012 Beethovens "9. Symphonie" under the direction of conductor Matthias Georg Kendlinger and his K & K Philharmonikern in Lemberg(Kiev)/Ukraine, Laeiszhalle Hamburg (26.5.), hr-Sendesaal Frankfurt (27.5.) and the Konzerthaus Berlin (28.5.)  On January 25th 2013 there was a live broadcasting at the ORF from the historical Assembly Hall of the Austrian Parliament of the modern opera "Im Spiegelgrund" from Peter Androsch, which was also performed at the Bruckner Festspiele in autumn 2013 in Linz. 

06.10.2013 Carl Orff`s "Carmina Burana" at the Goldener Saal of the Musikverein Wien. 

Since 2007 Katerina Beranova teaches Lied, Oratorium and Opera singing at Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz, where in 2016 she habilitated and achieved the title Univ. Doc.. 

Regularly she organizes and holds international master classes particularly in the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Italy, Austria, etc., with students and singers from all over the world.  

She was a jury member in the INTERNATIONAL SINGING CONTEST OF ITALIAN OPERA "Competizione dell`Opera" 2014 in Linz/Austria and Taschkent/Usbekistan as well as in the BAROCK COMPETITION in Olomouc/Czech Republic, Linz/Austria, Italy and more. 

Foreign languages: German, Czech, Italian – spoken and written fluently                                                                 Basic knowledge: Russian, English

SVEN BIRCH

was born in Denmark. He received his pianistic education in Aarhus, where he obtained the soloist diploma. Several scholarships enabled him to study in Vienna with Prof. Alexander Jenner. Masterclasses with distinguished pianists Tatjana Nicolajewa, Conrad Hansen, John Lill, Leonid Brumberg, Peter Feuchtwanger.   Birch is a much asked for musician with a broad repertoire from Bach to contemporary music. He is a soloist, chamber music player, accompanist and conductor.   Concert tours took him to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, the Tschech Republik, Greece, Cyprus, Iran, Slowakia, Serbia, Turkey, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, India and Japan.  Birch is a member of the `George Crumb Trio´ Linz, and the flute and piano duo Georgiadis/Birch.  Sven Birch is teaching piano at the Anton Bruckner University of Music and is head of the keyboard Institute. He has also taught in the Royal Conservatory Copenhagen and Mozarteum Salzburg.  He is frequently invited to give Masterclasses all over the world and has made several CD-, TV-and Radio recordings (BBC, NDR, WDR, DR, NRK, SR, ORF)

István Bonyhádi
Born in 1972 in the Hungarian city Nagyatád, István Bonyhádi began his musical career aged ten playing the piano. He first visited an elementary music school and the music high school in Pécs and in 1990-2000 majored in piano performance with Paul Badura-Skoda, Ludwig Hoffmann and Oleg Maisenberg at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. 

Since 2002 Bonyhádi teaches as a piano accompanist at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (Department of singing and music theater), as well as since 1998 at the Department of solo singing of Privatuniversität Konservatorium Wien“. He is regularly an invited guest of several master classes, such as "Internationale Sommerakademie Wien-Prag-Budapest", or "Wiener Meisterkurse", as well as "Pro Musica" and "Musik Ohne Grenzen" in Hungary. Master classes have led him to Asia several times (Thailand, Vietnam). 

In 2009 he received an invitation from the "Mahidol University College of Music Bangok" and 2008 the "Hanoi National Academy of Music" as a lecturer and director of masterclasses for song (Lied) accompaniment and interpretation. 

Bonyhadi was the official accompanist of singing competition "International Kärntner Sparkasse Wörthersee Musikstipendium" in 2005 and 2008. He also took part in competitions such as "Musica Juventutis" and "Belvedere" in Vienna, "Ferruccio Tagliavini" in Deutschlandsberg, "Robert Schumann" in Zwickau or "Richard Tauber" in London. 

He was accompanist great singers such as Sylvia Geszty, Christa Ludwig and Roman Trekel. 

Numerous recitals and concerts led István Bonyhádi to places ranging from Vienna, over to London and New York to Bangkok.

Dirk D’Ase
Dirk D’Ase - Curriculum Vitae The Austrian Composer Dirk D’Ase has studied composition with Luciano Berio, Friedrich Cerha and Krzysztof Penderecki. His most important compositions include 7 Operas, 4 Solo Concertos, Orchestral Songs, Orchestral Music, 1 Symphony and Chamber Music. He has been named Composer in Residence at the Musikverein Vienna, Composer Of The Year at Brussels Opera "La Monnaie" (Gerard Mortier), Composer in Residence for the Flanders Festival and the Conservatory of Music in Vienna. 2008 a CD with three solo concertos, performed by Sylvain Cambreling / Klanforum Wien, Ulf Schirmer / Wiener Concert Verein and Peter Burwik / ensemble XX. jahrhundert with recordings from the Vienna Musikverein and Vienna Konzerthaus was released by the Austrian Broadcast (ORF) and VMS Musical Treasures. 2008 the Bregenz Festival dedicated a portrait concert to the composer, which also will be released on CD. D’Ases music was performed among others by Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Klangforum Wien, Radio Symphonieorchester Wien, Janacek Philharmonie, Radio Symphonieorchester Bratislava, Hugo Wolf Quartett and Ensemble Kontrapunkte, commissioned by Vienna Musikverein and Vienna Konzerthaus, Bregenz Festival, Klangforum Vienna, Hugo Wolf Quartet, Brussels Opera, Ulmer Theater, Neue Oper Wien, Wiener Concert-Verein and The Cultural Capitol of Europe, Antwerp'93. For his Cello Concerto, which has been performed at the Bregenz Festival, he was granted the scholarship of the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra. For the Wiener Mozartjahr 2006 Dirk D'Ase wrote his sixth full-length Opera "Joseph Herzog". D'Ase travelled extensively in the southern part of Africa and subsequently wrote a thesis on South-East African traditional music. His travels and research in Africa have deeply influenced his approach to composition. He is Department Chair for conducting and composition and leads a composition class at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna.www.dirkdase.com Der österreichische Komponist Dirk D'Ase studierte Komposition bei Luciano Berio, Friedrich Cerha, und Krzysztof Penderecki. Seine Oper AZRAEL wurde bei Wien Modern gespielt und seine siebente Abendfüllende Oper „L’intruse“ im Auftrag der Vlaamse Opera - zur 100 Jahrfeier der Nobelpreisverleihung an Maurice Maeterlinck - in Gent, Antwerpen und Rotterdam uraufgeführt. Das Münchner Rundfunkorchester spielte unter der Leitung von Ulf Schirmer „Okavango Raincolors“, das Radio Symphonieorchester Wien „Gegenwartsplitter“ sowie das Ensemble Kontrapunkte „Silberfluss, Feuermond…“ und sein Klarinettenkonzert “blue note” als Auftragswerke des Wiener Musikvereins. Eine ORF CD mit drei Solokonzerten mit Sylvain Cambreling / Klanforum Wien, Ulf Schirmer / Wiener Concert Verein und Peter Burwik / ensemble XX. jahrhundert, mit Aufnahmen aus dem Wiener Musikverein und Konzerthaus erschien und die Bregenzer Festspiele widmeten ihm ein Portraitkonzert, das ebenfalls auf CD erschienen ist. Für sein Cellokonzert, das bei den Bregenzer Festspielen erklang, wurde ihm das „Wiener Symphoniker Kompositionsstipendium“ verliehen. Im Auftrag des Wiener Mozartjahres 2006 schrieb er seine sechste abendfüllende Oper „Don Juan wird sechzig“. D’Ase unternahm ausgedehnte Reisen durch den südlichen Teil Afrikas. Seine Forschungen in Schwarzafrika haben einen fundamentalen Einfluss auf sein kompositorisches Denken. Er ist Institutsleiter für Musikleitung und Komposition und leitet eine Kompositionsklasse an der Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien. 

Christian Dallinger

Prof. Christian Dallinger ist 1957 in Wels, Oberösterreich, geboren.  

Er studierte Konzertfach Violine und Instrumentalmusik-Pädagogik an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien in der Klasse von Univ.Prof. Michael Frischenschlager und beendete seine Studien mit der Lehrbefähigungsprüfung im Jahr 1982 und dem Konzertfachdiplom 1985. Prof. Dallinger spielte von 1983 bis 1991 im Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper. Er unterrichtet seit dem Jahr 1990 Geige (Konzertfach) an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. 

Meisterkurse in Österreich, Estland, Griechenland, Polen, Spanien, Portugal, Ukraine, Kanada etc. 

 Der Schwerpunkt des Unterrichts liegt im mentalen und körperlichen Bereich.  Durch spezifische Übungen soll der/die StudentIn: - besser die Fehler und Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten erkennen und dadurch durch effizienteres Üben schnellere Fortschritte erzielen,  - das Verständnis und die Interpretation des Notentextes weiterentwickelt werden, - die Nervosität bei Aufführungen verringert werden - und durch die vorher genannten Punkte auch die Technik am Instrument verfeinert und weiterentwickelt werden. 

 Neben seiner Tätigkeit als Lehrer gilt sein spezielles Interesse Projekten, die junge Menschen für klassische Musik und das Erlernen eines Instrumentes begeistern sollen. Er organisierte von 1995 bis 2003 gemeinsam mit der "Europäischen Kulturinitiative für die junge Generation", unterstützt vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Kultur, das Projekt "Kinder musizieren für Kinder" (Konzerte junger Musiker in Wiener Volksschulen).  

Seit 1999 leitet er das Projekt "Orchester live". Im Rahmen dieses Projekts hält er Workshops als Dirigent mit ausländischen Jugend- und Studentenorchestern an Wiener Gymnasien, um einerseits den jugendlichen Orchestermusikern den Wiener Klangstil näher zu bringen und andererseits den zuhörenden österreichischen Schülern die Strukturen eines Musikstückes zu zeigen.

Peter Edelmann

Born in Vienna. Singing lessons with his father Otto Edelmann and at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Vienna. After finishing with the diploma he debuted in the role of Herrufer in Wagner's Lohengrin at the Stadttheater Koblenz. In 5 seasons he sings more than 25 rolls of purely baritone repertoire. In addition, he gives guest performances in Dortmund, Pforzheim, Mannheim, Trier, Saarbrücken and Krefeld. 1989 winner of the Grand Prize, the Mozart Prize and 7 special prizes at Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. 1990 he becomes part of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. His debut there is given as Figaro in "Il barbiere di Siviglia". Other roles in Berlin include .: Tsar Peter I, Papageno, Guglielmo, Count Almaviva, Marcello, tungsten, Melot, Valentin, Morales, Pluto, Master Ford, father in "Hansel and Gretel", Albert, Mercutio. live guest performances at the Vienna Volksoper, Mörbischer Seefestspiele, Semperoper in Dresden, the Theater am Gärtnerplatz München, Hamburg Staatsopeer, Wiener Staatsoper Opera, the Schwetzingen Festival, Komische Oper Berlin. Since 2001, Peter Edelmann is working freelance and lives in Vienna. He sings at the Staatsoper Stuttgart, Wiesbaden State Theatre, State Theatre Karlsruhe, Berlin State Opera Berlin, Zurich Opera, Stadttheater Bern, Grand Theatre Geneve, Graz Opera, Teatro San Carlo Napoli, Teatro la Fenice Venezia, Opéra Royale de Wallonie Liège, Antwerp, Gent, the Theatre de la Monnaie Brussels, Paris, Opéra National Nancy, Opéra Toulon, Theatre du Capitole Toulouse, Opera Festival Las Palmas, Festival San Sebastian, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, New Israeli Opera Tel Aviv, Washington Opera, Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera , Orlando Opera, Opera Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Macau Festival, Moscow, Prague National Opera. He expands his repertoire that includes more than 75 roles with roles such as: Faninal, Orest, Onegin, Escamillo, Don Alfonso, Don Giovanni, Figaro, Leporello, King (The Wise), Gyges (King Candaules)
He is Professor at the University of Music and Perfomance Arts for voice where he also was Deam between 2014 and 2017 and Artistic Director of Seefestpiele Mörbisch since 2017.

Christoph Johannes Egger
Born in Linz (Austria) in 1972, Christoph had his first piano lessons in his home village St. Florian at the age of eight. He continued taking piano lessons at the age of twelve at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz where he graduated with distinction in 1990. 

In 1990 he entered the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna where he studied with Paul Badura-Skoda, Akira Imai, Ludwig Hoffmann and Oleg Maisenberg. From his class he graduated with distinction in 1999 and has been his assistant from 2000 till 2014. Moreover he studied with Brigitte Engerer and Michel Béroff at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris.

He gave his first solo piano recital at the age of sixteen, was prize winner in several competitions nationwide and received a scholarship from the Alban Berg Foundation.

Since 2011 he is Senior Lecturer for Piano Chamber Music at the mdw (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Wien)

Christoph Eggner has given recitals and chamber music concerts in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Luxembourg, Thailand and Turkey.

During the last years Christoph Johannes Eggner has also been president and jury-member of piano and piano-chambermusic-competitions.

Furthermore he is the pianist of the Austrian Eggner Trio which is one of the most recognised and well-known of today's leading piano trios. 

Founded in 1997 by three brothers - Georg (violin), Florian (cello), and Christoph (piano) – the trio regularly performs in such distinguished venues as Wigmore Hall in London and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. 

The Eggner Trio has appeared throughout Europe, in Japan, Argentina, Uruguay, the USA and quite frequently in Australia and New Zealand. International festivals in which they have performed include the Kissinger Summer, the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, the Heidelberg Spring and the Chamber Music Festival in Lockenhaus. 

The trio received international recognition in 2003 when they won the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in Australia. 

In 2006, through the European Concert Hall Organisation “Rising Stars” series, they played concerts in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, the Philharmonie in Cologne, the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Musikverein in Vienna. 

Besides playing chamber music, the three brothers have played as soloists in the triple concertos of Ludwig van Beethoven and Bohuslav Martinu, performing with the Orchestra Filharmonica dell‘Umbria (Italy), the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (Australia), the South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic of Budweis (Czech Republic), and the Tonkünstler Orchestra (Austria). 

Recordings with Live Classics include the Beethoven Trio in D Major op. 70 Nr. 1 (Ghost Trio), the Archduke Trio in B-flat Major op. 97 (for which they were awarded “Best Recording 2008” from Klassiek Centraal), and Mendelssohn’s Trio in d minor, op. 49, and Trio in c minor op. 66. With Gramola they have recorded both piano trios by Shostakovich, the Ivan Eröd Trio op. 21, the CD “Kaleidoskop” with modern works by Austrian composers (Johannes Berauer, Sascha Peres, and Gerrit Wunder), Brahms’ Trio Nr. 2 in C Major op. 87, and Clara Schumann’s Trio in g minor op. 17 (for which they were awarded “Pasticciopreis” in Radio Oesterreich 1) and a CD with all pianotrios composed by Werner Pirchner.

Adrian Eröd

The young Austrian Baritone Adrian Eröd is already a great favorite of public and press at his base, the Vienna State Opera, with his tremendous diversity, whether as Figaro in Rossini’s Barber of Seville, as Valentin in Gounod’s Faust, as Billy Budd or as Lescaut in Massenet’s Manon.

His magnificent success with Christian Thielemann as Sixtus Beckmesser in Wagner’s Meistersinger von Nürnberg led to an invitation to sing the role at the Bayreuther Festspielen. Since that time he sang the role of Beckmesser also in Zurich, Cologne, Leipzig, Tokyo and Amsterdam.
 His performance of Loge in the Vienna State Opera production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold had attracted international attention, his creation of the role of Shylock in the World Premiere of André Tchaikovsky’s “The Merchant of Venice” at the Bregenz Festival was highly acclaimed, and in 2014 he debuted at the Salzburg Festival as Faninal in Harry Kupfer’s production of Strauss’ Rosenkavalier.

Since his debut 2001 at the Vienna State Opera as Mercutio in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Adrian Eröd has been cast in such roles as Guglielmo, Conte Almaviva, Eisenstein, Frank/Fritz (Die tote Stadt), Albert (Werther) and Olivier (Capriccio). The leading male role of Jason in Aribert Reimann’s Medea was written for him and he performed the world premiere and recently he was Propero in the Austrian Première of Adès’ The Tempest.

He has also appeared at the Semperoper in Dresden (Olivier, Faninal, Ottokar), the Scala di Milano (Faninal), the Teatro Fenice in Venice (Harlekin), at the Hamburg State Opera (Pelléas), at the Oper Frankfurt (Prospero), the Tokyo National Opera (Don Giovanni, Guglielmo, Eisenstein, Albert), the Paris Opera (Olivier), the Houston Grand Opera (Don Giovanni) and the Chicago Lyric Opera (Dr.Falke).

Following his education at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Vienna, where he was a student of Walter Berry, Adrian Eröd was engaged at the Landestheater Linz, then Wiener Volksoper and finally the Vienna State Opera, which, alongside his forthcoming international engagements, will continue to be a central base in his artistic future. In the coming years he will be appearing at the New National Opera in Tokyo (Fledermaus) and among others in Sevilla and Marseille.

Parallel to his opera career, Adrian Eröd is also extremely successful on the concert stage. He has appeared sang under Riccardo Muti and Nikolaus Harnoncourt with the Vienna Philharmonic, with Sir Simon Rattle and Christian Thielemann at the Berlin Philharmonic, with Fabio Luisi and Rafel Frühbeck de Burgos in Orff’s Carmina Burana, with Helmut Rilling in Bach’s Magnificat and Brahms’ Requiem, he performed Bach’s Johannespassion with Philippe Jordan, Fauré’s Requiem under Myung-Whun Chung with the Staatskapelle Dresden and Mendelssohn’s Elijah under Marek Janowski in Berlin.

He has also appeared at the Suntory Hall Tokyo, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, the Lucerne Festival, the Salzburg Easter Festival and Mozart Woche, the Styriarte Graz and the Beethoven Festival in Bonn. He has worked with Maximilian Schell, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Uri Caine, Andris Nelsons, Ingo Metzmacher, Thomas Hengelbrock, Marcello Viotti and the ensemble Modern.

He is particularly fond of Lied, and has given recitals in the Vienna Musikverein, the Linzer Brucknerhaus, the Lisztzentrum Raiding, the Tokyo Spring Festival and 
the Carinthian Summer. He recorded CDs with Songs by Franz Liszt and Schubert’s Winterreise for the Label Gramola.

Inna Faliks 

 “Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks has established herself as one of the most exciting, committed, communicative and poetic artists of her generation.  Faliks has made a name for herself through her commanding performances of standard piano repertoire,  as well genre-bending interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers.  After her acclaimed teenage debuts at the Gilmore Festival and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages, with numerous orchestras, in solo appearances, and with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin and Keith Lockhart.  Faliks is currently Professor of Piano and Head of Piano at UCLA.   Critics praise her “courage to take risks, expressive intensity and technical perfection” (General Anzeiger, Bonn), “remarkable insight” (Audiophile audition) “poetry and panoramic vision” (Washington Post), “riveting passion, playfulness” (Baltimore Sun) and “signature blend of lithe grace and raw power” (Lucid Culture.) Her October 2014 all-Beethoven CD release on MSR classics drew rave reviews: the disc’s preview on WTTW called Faliks “High priestess of the piano, concert pianist of the highest order, as dramatic and subtle as a great stage actor.”   Her previous, critically acclaimed CD on MSR Classics, Sound of Verse, was released in 2009, featuring music of Boris Pasternak, Rachmaninoff and Ravel. Her discography also includes a recital recording for the Yamaha Disklavier label, Chopin solo and cello sonatas recording with cellist Wendy Warner, and well as “Polonaise-Fantasie, Story of a Pianist” for Delos – a recital of short piano works from Bach to Chopin and Carter, combined with autobiographical essays written by Faliks.

Ms. Faliks’s distinguished career has taken her to thousands of recitals and concerti throughout the US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  Highlights  of the recent seasons include performances in Ravinia Festival and the National Gallery in DC, recital tours of China, with appearances in all the major halls such as Beijing Center for Performing Arts, Shanghai Oriental Arts Theater and Tianjin Grand Theater, as well as acclaimed performances at the Festival Intenacional de Piano in Mexico,  in the Fazioli Series in Italy and in Israel’s Tel Aviv Museum, at Portland Piano Festival and with the Camerata Pacifica, with the modern dance troupe Bodytraffic at the Broad Stage Santa Monica, and Jacaranda Series in Los Angeles, where she performed Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated. Faliks has been featured on WQXR, WNYC, WFMT and many international television broadcasts, and has performed in many other major venues, such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Concert Hall,  Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paris’ Salle Cortot, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and in many important festivals such as Verbier, Newport, Portland International, Music in the Mountains, Mondo Musica Cremona, Brevard, Taos, International Keyboard Festival in NYC, Bargemusic, and Chautauqua.

She is regularly engaged as a concerto soloist nation-wide: recent appearances include Beethoven 4th with Minnesota Sinfonia, Peninsula Festival , where she played the 1st and 3rd Prokofiev Concerti in the same half of the program with Victor Yampolsky,  Rachmaninoff 2nd concerto with Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Greensboro Symphony Gershwin Project with Daniel Meyer and the Erie Symphony, Clara Schumann Concerto at Wintergreen Festival, Robert Schumann Concerto with Miami Symphony. Her chamber music partnerships include work with Gilbert Kalish, Ron Leonard, Fred Sherry, Ilya Kaler, Colin Carr, Wendy Warner, Clive Greensmith, Antonio Lysy, and others. Faliks is a founding member of the Hollywood Piano Trio, with Roberto Cani, Concertmaster of LA Opera, and Robert deMaine, Principal Cellist of the LA Philharmonic.

Faliks is the founder and curator of the of the Manhattan Arts Council award winning poetry-music series Music/Words, creating performances in collaboration with distinguished poets.This has been described as “surreal, impactful, and relevant” (Lucid Culture). Her long-standing relationship with WFMT radio has led to multiple broadcasts of Music/Words, which she had produced alongside some of the nation’s most recognized poets in performances throughout the United States. An artist known for his versatility, Faliks is equally at home with standard repertoire, rare and new music, and interdisciplinary performances.  She recently co-starred with Downton Abbey star Lesley Nicol in “Admission – One Shilling” ,a play for pianist and actor about the life of Dame Myra Hess, the great British pianist.  Most recently, she is touring with her autobiographical recital-monologue, “Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist” throughout the US and Canada.  Constantly in dialogue with today’s composers, she has had works composed for her by Timo Andres, Billy Childs, Richard Danielpour, Paola Prestini, Ljova, Clarice Assad, Peter Golub, and many more. She was the winner of many prestigious competitions, including Hilton Head International Piano Competition and International Pro Musicis Award.

Faliks is internationally in demand as an Artist Teacher, and frequently adjudicates competitions gives masterclasses and travels to Artist Residencies in major conservatories and universities around the world. In March 2019, Faliks was Artistic Director of Classical Music for YoungArts LA, programming and workshopping a program with the nation’s top young musicians and composers, as well as directing a number of panels and masterclasses. Her past teachers included Leon Fleisher, Boris Petrushansky, Gilbert Kalish, Ann Schein, and Emilio del Rosario. Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist. 

Holger Falk

„Holger Falk is in any case one of the most intellectually and vocally versatile singers on German stages“ writes the Opernwelt magazine, while the Washington Post admires: „Falk has an extraordinarily flexible baritone, with a warm, confiding lower and midrange (…) and (…) is able to characterize every word so vividly that, if he were singing in Vedic Sanskrit, you’d get the message“. The colourfulness, flexibility and authenticity in his expression are the artistic foundation of his international career as an opera singer as well as an interpreter of art song. Along with his repertoire of early and classical music, Holger Falk has a great passion for works from contemporary music theatre. He has premiered works by Peter Eötvös, Beat Furrer, Georges Aperghis, Michael Wertmüller, Benoît Mernier, Miroslav Srnka, Vladimir Tarnopolski, Jan Müller-Wieland, and Steffen Schleiermacher and has sung classic roles ranging from Monteverdi’s Orfeo to Wolfgang Rihm’s great operas. Invitations have taken him to the Teatro Real in Madrid, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Frankfurt Opera, and many other opera houses. Holger Falk is an enthusiastic singer of Lieder and has performed at the Kölner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Konzerthaus Berlin, Heidelberger Frühling, Schwetzingen SWR Festival, Dresden Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Palais des Beaux-Arts Bruxelles, Franz Liszt Academy Budapest, Wiener Konzerthaus, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Megaron Athens as well as at the Frick Collection NYC and Phillips Collection Washington i.a.. For his recording of Hanns Eisler Lieder Vol. 1, the first part of a 4-CD collection of songs by Eisler (MDG), Holger Falk was honoured with the renown German Record Critics’ Award 2017, CD of the month (Opernwelt) and the Gramophone Editor´s Choice Award. He also received the ECHO Klassik Award 2016 for his recording of Erik Satie: Intégrale des Mélodies et Chansons and released three CDs of his Francis Poulenc’s complete oeuvre of all 115 Mélodies for male voice (MDG). In 2017/18, his latest recordings of Hanns Eisler Lieder Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 have been released to great acclaim, for Vol. 3 he has even been nominated for the Opus Klassik 2019 as Singer of the Year and best solo-recording vocal: Lied. In the current season 2019/20, Holger Falk will sing recitals and concerts at the Niedersächsische Musiktage, Schwetzinger SWR Festival, Musikfestspiele Potsdam, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Cité de la Musique/ Festival d’Automne Paris and at the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Jekaterinburg i.a.. He will also premiere the new monodrama „Ein Brief“ by Manfred Trojahn with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn at the Oper Bonn and at the Theater an der Wien, and he will make his debut at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin in Himmelerde by Musicbanda Franui and Familie Flöz. Holger Falk is professor of Lied interpretation/ Oratorio and performance practice for contemporary music at the renowned University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.

Daniela Fally

Daniela Fally has trodden the boards since she was nineteen years of age, at first in straight theatre, later in musical comedy and eventually in opera.

In June 2006 she was awarded the Eberhard Waechter Medal for Singing for her interpretation of Adele (Die Fledermaus).

She has been under contract to the Vienna State Opera since the 2009/10 season, where she has performed such roles as Zerbinetta (Ariadne), Sophie (Rosenkavalier), Oscar (Ballo in maschera), Rosina (Barbiere di Siviglia), Fiakermilli (Arabella), the Italian singer (Capriccio) and as Adele (Fledermaus. Before this she was a member of the Volksoper ensemble for four years (2005-2009), which gave her the opportunity of working through a wide-ranging repertoire in the house.

Guest engagements have taken Daniela Fally to many other houses, including the Bregenz Festival, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf, the Opera Royal de Wallonie in Liège, the Klagenfurt Stadttheater, the Bavarian State Opera Munich, the Zürich Opera House, the Semperoper in Dresden and the Hamburg State Opera.

She has sung in concerts and recitals at the Lucerne Festival and several times at the Vienna Musikverein, also at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Stefaniesaal in Graz, the Salzburg Arena, the Grosser Kongresssal in Innsbruck, the Hamburg Musikhalle, the Prinzregententheater in Munich, and in Switzerland, Japan, China and Dubai.

Daniela Fally has worked with renowned conductors, including Adam Fischer, Asher Fisch, Leopold Hager, Julia Jones, Philippe Jordan, Simone Young, Ulf Schirmer, Peter Schneider, Nicolaus Harnoncourt and Franz Welser-Möst.

Aside from her extensive repertoire in lied, her most important roles in opera include Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Marie (La fille du régiment), Norina (Don Pasquale), Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Fiakermilli (Arabella), Oscar (Ballo in Maschera), Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and the role she was born to play, Adele (Die Fledermaus).

Renate Faltin

Born in Parchim, Germany · Voice studies at Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin followed by postgraduate studies in education with Prof. Freiwald-Lange from 1976 · From 1979 to 1992, Lecturer for Voice at Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin · Engagements with Staatsoper Berlin, Metropol-Theater Berlin, Staatsoperette Dresden, Opernhaus Leipzig, Nationaltheater Weimar, Landestheater Halle, Volkstheater Rostock, Landestheater Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg State Theater Schwerin and Hans Otto Theater Potsdam with diverse parts such as Blondchen, Adele, Konstanze, Traviata, Butterfly and Königin der Nacht · Broad concert experience with works by Handel, Bach, Haydn, Schubert, Mozart, Saint Saëns and Brahms · Guest performances and Lied recitals in Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Japan and China · Participation in master courses in Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Italy, Egypt, Japan and China · Co-direction of the Berliner Gesangswissenschaftlichen Tagungen at Charité Berlin with Prof. Wolfram Seidner; presentations at the 8th Berliner Vorträge und Gesprächsrunden “Stimmerkrankungen bei Schauspielern und Sängern”, the Internationale Stuttgarter Stimmtage and the Wiener Gesangswissenschaftliche Tagung · Publication of the book “Singen lernen? Aber logisch!” in 1999 · In 1992, appointment as Professor at Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin · Since 2010, Guest Professor at the International Summer Academy Mozarteum Salzburg · Since 2011, Emeritus Professor for Voice at Hanns Eisler.

Elena Fillipova    

Elena Filipova wurde in Bulgarien geboren. 

Ihre Musikalische Ausbildung begann sie mit dem Studium der Instrumente Oboe und Klavier, die sie jeweils mit Diplom abschloss.

Ihre Gesangs- und Schauspielausbildung erhielt sie am Konservatorium von Sofia, die Sie mit dem Magister-Grad erfolgreich absolvierte.

Ihre weitere Gesangsausbildung setze sie bei den berühmten Tenören Mario del Monaco und Franco Corelli in Italien, sowie bei Ks. Prof. Hilde Zadek in Wien fort. 

Sofort nach ihrem Examen wurde sie in Deutschland engagiert. 

Kurz darauf gewann sie den „Herbert v. Karajan - Wettbewerb“ in Salzburg. 

Gleich darauf wurde sie von Herbert von Karajan für die Salzburger Festspiele engagiert.

Eine ihrer ersten Partien war die Amelia in „Simone Boccanegra“ (G. Verdi ). 

Aufgrund des großen Erfolges folgten zahlreiche Engagements im Repertoire des italienischen Fachs.

Seit dem sang sie an allen großen Opernhäuser der Welt.

In Deutschland hat sie als Auszeichnung den Titel einer Kammersängerin erhalten.

Ihr amerikanisches Debüt gab sie als Tatjana („Onegin) in Philadelphia.

Ihr italienisches Debüt gab sie als Aida in einer Inszenierung Franco Zeffirellis in Rom. Hier trat sie im Anschluss auch als Tosca und Manon Lescaut auf.

1997 gewann sie den „Premio Puccini“ neben Jose Carreras und Placido Domingo.

Auf dem Konzertpodium war sie nicht weniger erfolgreich.

Sie sang unter den wichtigsten Dirigenten unserer Zeit: Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti,W.Sawalisch, N. Harnoncourt, Cl. Abbado, Ch. Thielemann, D. Runicles, F. Luisi, M. Viotti, A. Fischer, S. Soltez, D. Oren, P.Steinberg, R. Abbado, Simone Yang u.a.

Sergiu Celibidache holte sie für das Verdi-Requiem zum 150- jährigen Jubiläum der Münchener Philharmonie. (Live - Aufnahme- EMI).

Die Aufnahme des Verdi-Requiem bei Naxos wurde als eine der beeindruckenden Aufnahmen der Schallplattengeschichte gewürdigt.

R. Zandonai - “Francesca da Rimini“- Bregenzer Festspiele ( Live- Aufnahme- Koch Schwann)

Sie Gewann der Preis für Filmmusik 2007 mit der „Libera me“- Requiem Verdi in dem Film „Queen“.

Elena Filipova hat bis heute in diversen Radio- und Fernsehproduktionen mitgewirkt.

Seit vielen Jahren ist Elena Filipova auch pädagogisch tätig. Im Jahre 2004 wurde sie von der medizinischen Hochschule in Santiago de Chile zu dem „1-er Congreso International del uso professional de la voz“ als einzige Expertin für Gesang eingeladen. ( Kooperation mit der Universität Madrid)

In den USA, Südamerika, und Europa wird sie regelmäßig zu Meisterkursen für Lied, Oratorium und Oper eingeladen, sowie viele in den Rahmen des „Erasmus“ Programm.

Elena Filipova spricht fließend – Deutsch, Englisch, Italienisch, Russisch, Bulgarisch.

Ab September 2011 hat Elena Filipova eine Lehrverpflichtung  für Hauptfach Gesang in der Wiener Privatuniversität - Konservatorium übernommen.

Seit Herbst 2013 ist sie Professor für Hauptfach Gesang an der Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien. (Ab 03.11.2015- Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität genannt.)

Viele Ihre Studenten sind Preisträger bei internationalen Wettbewerbe oder freuen sich über Engagements an verschiedene Opernhäuser weltweit.

Ihre Studentin Anna Nekhames gewann der Ersten Preis bei dem Internationalen Gesangswettbewerb „Hilde Zadek“ -2019

Der Ersten Preis bei dem Internationalen Wettbewerb -„Belvedere“ 2019, bekam ebenfalls Studentin von  Ks. Elena Filipova - Valeriia Savinskaia und Vertrag in der Staatsoper Wien kurz zuvor.

Viele Ihrer Studenten  sind im Engagement - einige in der Staatsoper Wien, Theater an der Wien, in Deutschland, sowie als freischaffende Künstler mit internationalen Auftritten.

Andreas Fröschl
Andreas Fröschl stands for musical versatility at the highest level. In 2019 he won the 2nd prize at the renowned Bösendorfer Competition in Vienna and in the same year released his first solo album Warum nicht. on Preiser Records, a double CD on which he presents both classical piano works and self-composed cabaret.
Andreas Fröschl was born in Munich in 1988, grew up in Landshut and has lived in Vienna since 2008. He studied at the mdw with Oleg Maisenberg, Stefan Arnold, David Lutz and Charles Spencer and graduated with distinction in both concert piano and piano vocal accompaniment. In addition to numerous recital programmes in recent years, his great passion is the Lied genre, in which he has performed with Daniel Johannsen, Robert Holl, Theresa Dax, Nina Bernsteiner, Christoph Filler and Jan Petryka, among others, on numerous stages in Europe and South America. In 2014 he was awarded the prize for best Lied accompanist at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach.
In 2016 the CD #talesoflove with the baritone Georg Klimbacher was released by Preiser Records and was awarded the Bank Austria Art Prize. In 2013 Andreas Fröschl made his debut as a solist at the Vienna Musikverein and in 2014 as a Lied accompanist at the Vienna Konzerthaus. From 2017 to 2020, Andreas Fröschl taught piano as an assistant professor at the mdw, from October 2020 in the Course for Gifted Children and the Preparatory Programme.

Günter Fruhmann

Born 1963 in Graz/Austria

Beginning with piano, clarinette and choral-conducting at the Conservatory in his hometown, he completed his studies in conducting with honors at the Academy of Arts in Graz with Milan Horvat.

With Fabio Luisi, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Rudolf Bibl he collaborated at various festivals in Austria and Italy.

Since 1991 he is head of music at the opera Graz where he also conducted a wide range of  opera-, operetta-, ballet- and musicalproductions.

As concert- and guest-conductor Günter Fruhmann has appeared at Marburger Philharmonic Orchestra, Savaria Symphonic Orchestra, Slowenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Grazer Symphonic Orchestra, Grazer Philharmonic Orchestra, Singapur-Symphonic-Orchestra, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale in Reggio Calabria and Festival Orchestra Mörbisch.

At the University of Music and performing Arts Graz he teaches since 1991 at the conducting department. In 2004, there he was appointed Professor of Opera Coaching for Conductors and Pianists.He is also a welcome member of jury in various competitions like „Internat. Belvedere-Competition for Opera Coaching“ in Vienna,  „Internat. Singing-Competition Ferruccio-Tagliavini“ -Deutschlandsberg, „Crossover Singing Competition Baden/Wien“, „Meistersinger – AIMS Singings-Competition Graz“.

  

Reiko Fueting 

Reiko Fueting was born in 1970 in Königs Wusterhausen, just outside of Berlin in the former East Germany. He studied composition and piano at the Academy of Music Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden before moving to the United States to pursue graduate degrees at Rice University and Manhattan School of Music. Fueting's primary teachers include Jörg Herchet and Nils Vigeland (composition) and Winfred Apel (piano).

Fueting has been a faculty member at Manhattan School of Music since 2000. He teaches composition and has served as chair of the music theory division since 2005. In 2015, New Focus Recordings released names, erased, a full-length album of Fueting's music.

Jeannie Gagné
Jeannie Gagné M.A. is Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music, an acclaimed author of vocal publications, and professional performer and songwriter for over three decades. She teaches a wide variety of styles including jazz, R&B, blues, pop/rock, singer/songwriter, and classical. She’s worked with Philip Glass, Bare Naked Ladies, Cher, Patti Austin, George Duke, and many others; appeared on television, radio, movie soundtracks, recordings, and international tours. Ms. Gagné’s holistic method features healthy vocal technique, mastering styles, performing skills, and leadership. Her popular YouTube series The Vocal Genie reaches viewers around the world.

David Garner 

Composer David Garner (b. 1954) has taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1979, and co-founded Ensemble for These Times in 2007. A composition autodidact, Garner’s works have won two Global Music Awards (Spoon River Songs and Surviving: Women’s Words), and the 2015 American Prize in Composition (String Quartet No. 2), along with several other awards. Garner’s full-length opera, Mary Pleasant at Land’s End, set in 19th-century San Francisco’s Barbary Coast, is an intense drama of historical fiction, is ready for production.

Anna Gutowska
Born in Rzeszów. Graduated with honors from the Conservatoire du Lausanne in Switzerland under Prof.P.Urstein and J.Jaquerod .Afterwards master and postgraduate studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Prof. Edward Zienkowski. Prizes at national and international Music Competitions.Frequent performances &Recitals&Chamber Music Performances and as a soloist  with leading orchestras . Teaching activities in Poland, Slovakia, Austria,Iran,China,Japan,Mexico,Chile Since 2016 has been teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, leading the class for the highly gifted and the preparatory course for violin. She is angagiert inStudent Exchange Programm with Farnad Music Institut in Karaj in Iran and Cultur Exchange Programm in the World.

CD with H.Wieniawski Two Concertos 

Michael Johannes Günther

Michael Johannes Günther, cellist of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, was born in 1975 in Würzburg, Germany.

At the age of 15 he began his studies with Prof. Ksenija Jankovic, a student of Mstislaw Rostropowitsch, at the Musikhochschule in Würzburg. He won several music competitions such as the State prize of the Jugend musiziert and the International Music Competition Caffa Righetti in Italy. He performed in the german Bundesjugendorchester as solocellist at the age of 18.

Günther continued his studies in Stuttgart with Prof. Rudolf Gleißner and in Vienna with Prof. Valentin Erben (Alban Berg Quartett), where he specialised in chamber music. He got a scholarship of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and was selected to play a precious cello by the Landessammlung Baden Württemberg. For 5 years he took part in a masterclass with Prof. David Geringas in Cervo/Italy. In 2005 he finished his studies „summa cum laude“.

After winning the audition for Vienna Symphony in 2004 he played with Wiener Philharmoniker and as solo cellist of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Streichersolisten and the Johann Strauss Orchestra Vienna. He is a founding member of the 8 Cellisten der Wiener Symphoniker and performed as a chamber musician together with Heinrich Schiff, Gautier Capucon and The Philharmonics. Since 2017 he is responsible for the cello section at the Sommerakademie der Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes. 

Günther plays a violoncello of Giovanni Grancino, built in 1690. Because of his orchestral experiences he is well-connected to the big orchestras and to the cello professors at the various academies in Vienna.

Agnes Habereder

Born in Bavaria, she studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (Munich Music University) with KS Prof. Marianne Schech and KS Prof. Raimund Grumbach and in Florence with Maestro Mario Tonelli. As a winner of the Deutscher Musikrat-Competition and the Mozart Competition Würzburg she startet in 1979 her career as Mozart`s Donna Anna at the International Mozart Festival Augsburg. Zubin Mehta revealed here at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Wagner`s Götterdämmerung and Walküre, under him she startet her career and sung at Vienna, Paris, Florence. 1983-86 Sir Georg Solti brought her to Bayreuth Festival, at the same time she became a permanent guest at Zürich and sung all over Europe in concert, recitals and theatres like Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Semperoper Dresden, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Salzburg Festival with conductors like Peter Schneider, Marek Janovski, Lothar Zagrosek, Ferdinand Leitner, Bruno Weil mainly Wagner, Strauss, Wiener Schule and contemporary componists like Wolfgang Rihm,  Krzysztof Penderecki, Udo Zimmermann as well as Bach.

Since 1992 she is teaching at Augsburg (till 2008 Musikhochschule Nürnberg-Augsburg), since 2009 she is chief of the vocal department at the Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum of the University of Augsburg, since 1997 at the Music University of Munich, and she is personal-coach for young singers.

Markus HADULLA

Born in Cologne, Germany, Markus Hadulla was accepted in the class of Liedpianist Hartmut Höll as his youngest student aged 20 and continued his studies at the Paris Conservatoire with Anne Grappotte and Yale University/ School of Music with the Hungarian pianist Peter Frankl. In 1994, he won the prize of the best pianist during the 7th International Hugo Wolf Competition in Stuttgart, which immediately drew the attention of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who invited Hadulla to his Lied Class in Berlin. 

A passionate Liedpianist and chamber music performer, Hadulla’s many artistic partners to date include singers Sandrine Piau, Janina Baechle, Stella Doufexis, Christianne Stotijn, Rainer Trost, Markus Schäfer, Peter Edelmann and the late Udo Reinemann as well as instrumentalists Daishin Kashimoto, Tianwa Yang, Wolfgang Meyer, Sebastian Manz, Claudio Bohorquez, Tabea Zimmermann und Antoine Tamestit.

Being chosen by the series “Rising Stars” (ECHO) together with violist Antoine Tamestit he has appeared in prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Vienna, the Philharmonie in Cologne and the Lucerne Festival. His successful career took him to perform at Music Festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Rheingau Musikfestival, La Roque d’Antheron and the Festival for music and dance Granada. He also performed in the world’s leading concert halls such as London’s Wigmore Hall, l’Auditorium du Louvre Paris, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Philharmonie in Berlin, Lincoln Center in New York and Toppan Hall Tokyo.

Hadulla serves as artistic director of a performance series “wort+ ton” in Winnenden , close to Stuttgart, which associates literature and music and he is artistic advisor for the Académie des Heures Romantiques, an annual series of masterclasses and concerts in Touraine, France.

In addition to numerous live recordings for radio and television, Markus Hadulla has recorded a number of CD’s for the labels Claves, Bayer Records, Naxos, Audite, Marsyas and Naïve, which have won major Awards like Diapason d'or, Choc de Classica, Orphée d'or Prix Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and the Annual Award of the German Record Critics' Award.

After teaching positions at the Hochschule Hanns Eisler in Berlin and Karlsruhe Markus Hadulla is currently University-Professor for Lied and vocal accompaniment at the piano department of the University for music and performing arts Vienna (mdw).

Rafeket Hak
After graduating with excellence in piano performance from the conservatory in her native Israel, Ms. Hak pursued further studies at the Hartt and Manhattan 
Schools of Music on full scholarship. After an apprenticeship as coach/pianist with the Merola Opera program at San Francisco Opera, she joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera and the Metropolitan Opera music staff as one of its youngest members, serving as assistant conductor and coach.
In 2000 she was invited by Placido Domingo to join Los Angeles Opera's music staff as coach and pianist on a variety of productions. In addition, Ms. Hak has worked with the company’s Outreach and Education Department as pianist and Music Director. Additional credits include Seattle Opera, Opera Cleveland,
Spoleto Festival, The New Israeli Opera and Semperoper, Dresden.
She accompanied recitalists in such venues as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York&'s Town Hall, on NPR, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
Center, and at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy.
Ms. Hak has been the Music Director of UCLA Opera Studio since 2004, and a lecturer and principal coach with the USC Thornton School of Music since 2000.

 

Jamie Hart
Jamie Hart is an award winning singer and songwriter and has traveled nationally and internationally as a performer.  In between touring, Jamie coaches singers at Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts as an assistant professor of voice. With bachelors and masters degrees in classical vocal performance, along with extensive research and experience in contemporary vocal pedagogy, Jamie employs a holistic vocal approach tailored to each student. With the ever growing demand for contemporary vocal instruction and the rise of vocal pathologies resulting from the demands of high intensity belt singing, Jamie has developed her speciality in teaching healthy belting and mix voice, making her a sought after presenter and lecturer. Jamie is also a Certified Life Coach and utilizes these techniques to guide musicians through the challenges that arise as they navigate a career in the arts.

Andre Heuvelman

As a child, Andre Heuvelman (1966) already had a great love for making music. By coincidence the trumpet came his way, but due to its handicap (a too short forearm and a weak wrist) this instrument was a great challenge. Due to his down-to-earth approach going for what he wanted to achieve in music, Andre has a special life story to tell. That is why Andre is regularly asked as a key note speaker to move, connect and inspire audiences. With his beautiful music and an infectious vulnerability and enthusiasm, he tells his story and challenges his audience to dare to stand on their own stage.

CHRISTOPHER HINTERHUBER

„Eines der besten, faszinierendsten Klavieralben des Jahres“ schrieb das Fono Forum über seine Aufnahme von Sonaten und Rondos von CPE Bach. Das englische Gramophone-Magazin wählte seine Aufnahme mit Werken für Klavier und Orchester von Hummel zum „Editor’s Choice“, ebenso große internationale Beachtung fand auch die 5 CDs umfassenden Aufnahmeserie aller Klavierkonzerte des Beethoven-Zeitgenossen Ferdinand Ries, unter anderem mit dem New Zealand Symphony Orchestra und Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sowohl durch seine Aufnahmen, die unter anderem bei Naxos, Wergo, Camerata Tokyo und Paladino erschienen sind, als auch mit seiner weltweiten Konzerttätigkeit hat sich Christopher Hinterhuber international als Pianist mit enormer Bandbreite etabliert.

Seine Lehrer waren Axel Papenberg am Konservatorium Klagenfurt sowie Rudolf Kehrer, Avo Kouyoumdjian und Heinz Medjimorec an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Wien, weitere Studien folgten in der Accademia pianistica “Incontri col Maestro” in Imola, Italien bei Lazar Berman und Leonid Margarius. Wichtige künstlerische Anregungen verdankt er unter anderem Oleg Maisenberg und Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Als Preisträger internationaler Wettbewerbe in Leipzig (Bach), Saarbrücken (Bach), Pretoria (Unisa), Zürich (Geza Anda) und Wien(Beethoven) konzertierte Christopher Hinterhuber regelmäßig bei bedeutenden Festivals wie bei dem Schleswig-Holstein- Festival, dem Klavierfestival Ruhr, dem Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus, der Styriarte in Graz, dem Carinthischen Sommer in Ossiach mit Dirigenten wie Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yakov Kreizberg, Sylvain Cambreling, Kirill Karabits, Jakub Hrusa, Christian Arming Bruno Weil, Andrés Orozco Estrada, Dennis Russell Davies, Bertrand de Billy, Ari Rasilainen, Adrian Leaper, Howard Griffiths, Hubert Soudant, Alfred Eschwé oder Beat Fur- rer und Orchestern wie den Wiener Symphonikern, dem Radio-Sinfonieorchester Wien, dem Klangforum Wien, dem Wiener und Züricher Kammerorchester, dem MDR-Orchester Leipzig, der Staatskapelle Weimar, dem Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, dem Orchestre Philharmonique Luxemburg u.a.

2002/03 vertrat er Österreich zusammen mit der Geigerin Patricia Kopatschinskaja in der Reihe “Rising Stars” in der Carnegie Hall und den prominentesten europäischen Konzertsälen.

Ein besonderes Projekt war die Aufnahme in Ton (Schubert, Rachmaninow, Schön- berg) und Bild (Christopher Hinterhubers Hände) für den französisch-österreichischen Film “Die Klavierspielerin” nach Elfriede Jelinek in der Regie von Michael Haneke (prämiert mit dem Grossen Preis der Jury in Cannes 2001).

Ein wichtiger Teil seiner Tätigkeit ist die Kammermusik, so ist er Mitglied des Altenberg Trio Wien, das einen eigenen Zyklus im Wiener Musikverein spielt. Rundfunk- und Fernsehaufnahmen für den ORF, DRS2, NHK, SWR u.a. runden seine künstlerische Tä-tigkeit ab und unterstreichen seinen hervorragenden Rang innerhalb der jüngeren ös-terreichischen Pianisten-Generation.
Er ist Professor für Klavier an der Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien.

David Hojer

David Hojer, pianist, conductor, composer and arranger, born in Copenhagen. He studied piano at the “Royal Danish Academy of Music” in Copenhagen and Aarhus and at “University of Music and Performing Art Vienna” under the tutelage of Paul Badura-Skoda, later he undertook conducting studies at the “Music and Arts University of Vienna” (MUK). There he is since 1990 working as a répétiteur of singers, teacher of vocal ensemble, arranger and conductor of music theatre productions. Frequently playing concerts, broadcast performances in radio and television as well as cd-recordings followed. From 1997 until 2002 répétiteur and conductor at “City Theatre Baden”. Between 2007 and 2019 David Hojer conducted several wind ensembles (concert performances at “Musikverein Wien” and ”Wiener Konzerthaus”), became teacher of a conducting class at Lower Austrian Music school. In recent years arrangements for wind ensembles and compositions for youth symphony orchestra. Since 2014 he is leading the Opera-projects (Bachelor’s programme) at MUK Vienna and continues to be a demanded répétiteur and accompanier of professional singers.



Robert Holzer

The international well known Austrian bass Robert Holzer studied at the Bruckner University Linz and at the Mozarteum Salzburg. His carreer started as a first price winner at the singing competition "young singers of Austria", and his operatic debut at Vienna Chamber Opera. He joined the ensemble of  the opera house Bern (Switzerland) and guest contracts with international opera houses followed. He debuted at  the Vienna State Opera and also was member of the Nationaltheater Mannheim (Germany). His repertoire includes the leading bass roles in german and italian operas from SARASTRO (Magicflute), ROCCO (Fidelio), PHILIPPO (Don Carlos), LA ROCHE (Capriccio) to BARON OCHS (Rosenkavalier), which he sang in many productions, at the Metropolitan Theatre Seoul, the Opera di Roma or at the NCPA Beijing. 

Robert Holzer is also in frequent demand for his interpretation of Wagner roles, like LANDGRAF (Tannhäuser), GURNEMANZ (Parsifal), FASOLT and HUNDING (Ring) and KING HEINRICH (Lohengrin) which he sang successfully under the direction of Peter Konwitschny at Teatro Liceu in Barcelona. Further important opera houses in his carreer are Amsterdam, Athen, Buenos Aires, Brussels, Rome, Torino, Napoli, Catania, Lisbon, Madrid, Monte Carlo, Metropolitan Theatre Seoul, Palermo, Santiago de Chile, NCPA Beijing or Wexford Festival. He worked together with conductors like Arming, Cambreling, A. Fischer, Frühbeck de  Burgos, Hager, Harnoncourt, Hengelbrock, de Billy, Märkl, Schneider, Schoenwandt,   Steinberg, Stein, Viotti, Zagrosek, Weigle, Welser-Möst. He made his North American debut in concerts with the American Symphony Orchestra at New York's Lincoln Center. Mr. Holzer is also in frequent demand as a recitalist and concert singer and his programs cover a wide range of repertoire from barock to contemporary music. He sings in the most famous concert halls of Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Zurich, New York and Japan, where he recently recorded Mahler 8. Symphony and Brahms requiem. He worked with orchesters like Vienna Symphonic, Munich Symphonic, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Orchestre National de Espana, London Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic. His work is also documented by several recordings. The most important are 9. Beethoven (Naxos), Mozart-Requiem (Koch), Magicflute (Naxos), The book with seven seals, L'Apocalypse selon St.Jean, Masses from Haydn and Mozart (Naxos), recordings with songs from Schumann, Wolf  and Pfitzner (Preiser), songs from Schubert and a recent CD with songs from Bruckner and a CD with Ballades (Gramola). Watch Prof. Robert Holzer singing ballads: HERE and HERE 

Since 2006 the artist also is teaching in Austria at the Anton Bruckner University Linz for Masterstudents in the classes of  Opera, Song and Oratory. Since 2011 he is director of the singing department at the Anton Bruckner University. He is in frequent demand as a member of jury for international singing competitions.

Gabriele Kaiser  

Gabriele Kaiser graduated from the Academy of Musik and Drama Munich in 1980 the artistic exam in opera and concert singing vocal pedagogy with distinction.

The most  important teachers had been Prof.Christoph von Sicherer(Munich) and chamber singer Hanne-Lore Kuhse (Berlin). Her most important aktivities as a concert singer up to the present they have led to works by Bach and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy under the conductor Franz Welser-Möst. In addition,she participated in various radio recordings with and had first performances in the context of contemporary music. 

( Schönberg,Ligeti,etc.) From 1981 to 1996 she was a lecturer and later an artistic assistant at the University of Augsburg. Since 1989 she has also been a singing

teacher at the Academy of Music and Theater in Munich.

Gabriele Kaiser has been a voice teacher since 1996,later as chief voice teacher,

at Regenburger Domspatzen with focus on first choir,Soloist training

and mutant voice training. (Dir.:Domkapellmeister Prof.Roland Büchner)

This resulted in the seminar leadership of the training for professional

singers in Copenhagen. Her experience  with the Regensburger Domspatzen brought her into the cooperation with the Austrian Voice Institute Salzburg.

(ENT-doctor Dr.Matthias Weikert and the medical direktor of the

Salzburger Festspiele,Dr.Josef Schlömicher-Thier) There were lectures with teaching demonstration about new ways in the mutant voice support at universities and academies in Munich,Stuttgart,Leipzig, Augsburg and Stockholm.

She also gave a series of lessons ,accompanied by seminars on international

pretation of contemporary music in Copenhagen. In special courses she tought singing and aspiring teachers and professional singer on the training of counter tenors in France (Orleans and Strasbourg ) In 2012 her longtime student Sophia B

Grigory Kalinovsky
Grigory Kalinovsky is professor of violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He, along with violinist Joseph Swensen, holds one of two inaugural Starling Professorships, appointed in fall 2014. 

Hailed by critics as a “superior poet” (Vancouver Sun) and praised for his “heart and indomitable will” (Gramophone), he has performed at some of the world’s major venues, from all three stages of Carnegie Hall in New York to Musikhalle Grosser Saal in Hamburg. As a recitalist and avid chamber musician, he has performed at numerous concert series and festivals, including the Asheville Chamber Music Series, Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York, Lucas Foss’s Festival at the Hamptons, Newport Music Festival, and Pavel Vernikov's festival, “Il Violino Magico” in Italy, collaborating with such renowned musicians as Pinchas Zukerman, Shmuel Ashkeniasi, Ralph Kirshbaum, Miriam Fried, James Buswell, Dora Schwarzberg, and Paul Coletti, among others. 

A devoted educator, Kalinovsky joined the Jacobs School of Music faculty in the fall of 2013 and continues to teach at the Pinchas Zukerman Young Artists Program in Canada and the Heifetz International Music Institute. Previously a faculty member at Manhattan School of Music, he has taught at many summer music festivals, such as Keshet Eilon Mastercourse in Israel, Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine, Soesterberg International Music Festival in Holland, Summit Music Festival in New York, “Il Violino Magico” in Italy, and Manhattan in the Mountains, where he was also one of the founding artistic directors. 

He has presented master classes at many major U.S. festivals and music schools, including New England Conservatory, the Colburn School, Meadowmount, University of Maryland, San Francisco Conservatory, and Seattle Conservatory, and at numerous European and Asian institutions, such as the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Buchmann-Mehta Scool of Music and Jerusalem Music Center in Israel, Lübeck Academy of Music in Germany, Beijing Central Conservatory in China, Seoul National University and Korea National University of Arts in Seoul. 

His students have won top prizes at national and international competitions, including the Menuhin Young Artists Competition in England, Andrea Postacchini Young Violinists Competition in Italy, and Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition in Chicago, and have gone on to study at institutions such as Curtis, Colburn, Juilliard, Yale, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and Indiana University, among others. 

His recording with pianist Tatiana Goncharova featuring Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata and Twenty-Four Preludes transcribed for Violin and Piano by Dmitri Tziganov—with several of the transcriptions commissioned by Kalinovsky from the celebrated composer Lera Auerbach—was released by Centaur Records to great critical acclaim and hailed by the composer's son, conductor Maxim Shostakovich, as “a must-have for any Shostakovich music connoisseur.” The duo’s recording of the complete set of sonatas for violin and piano by Mieczysław Weinberg was recently released on Naxos label. 

Kalinovsky started his music education with Tatiana Liberova in his native St. Petersburg, Russia. After coming to New York, he continued his studies with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec at Manhattan School of Music, where he served as a faculty member shortly after graduating and until his move to Indiana University. 

Anna Kandinsky

Die in Moskau geborene Geigerin Anna Kandinsky absolvierte ihre Musikstudien am Moskauer Konservatorium, an der Musikhochschule Bern und postgradual am Royal College of Music in London bei den Professoren Elisabeth Gilels, Abraham Shtern, Valerij Klimov und Igor Ozim. Aus mehreren internationalen Wettbewerben ging sie erfolgreich hervor, unter anderem gewann sie Erste Preise bei der Münchner Konzertgesellschaft und beim Yehudi-Menuhin-Wettbewerb 1991 in Paris. In der Folge wurde sie von Lord Yehudi Menuhin zur Zusammenarbeit eingeladen; neben regelmäßigem Unterricht bei dem großen Geiger ebneten gemeinsame Tourneen und Konzerte durch ganz Europa den Weg für ihre solistische Karriere.
Als Solistin Auftritte mit renommierten Orchestern wie den St. Petersburger Philharmonikern und dem Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London auf. Sie gastiert in der Londoner Wigmore Hall und im Barbican Centre, in der Philharmonie am Gasteig und in der Münchener Residenz, in der Moskauer und der St. Petersburger
Philharmonie, in der Tonhalle Zürich und im Wiener Konzerthaus ebenso wie bei den Festivals von Schleswig- Holstein, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Kopenhagen, Bad Kissingen und bei der Salzburger Mozartwoche. Auf Einladung von Valerij Gergiev konzertierte sie bei den „Weißen Nächten“ in St. Petersburg sowie im finnischen Mikkeli und brachte dort unter Gergievs Leitung Alban Bergs Violinkonzert zur Aufführung.
Regelmäßige Auftritte mit Yuri Bashmet bei seinem Fetival auf der Insel Elba stehen ebenso im Kalender der Künstlerin wie Konzerte mit dem Moskauer Kammerorchester unter seinem künstlerischen Leiter Alexander Rudin. Viele Jahre gastierte Anna Kandinsky auf Einladung von Natalia Gutman beim Internationalen Oleg Kagan Musikfestival Tegernsee. Gidon Kremer lud sie zu seinem Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus ein. Mit seiner Kremerata Baltica spielte sie solistisch wie auch kammermusikalisch in sämtlichen Konzerthäusern Europas.
Zu ihren Kammermusikpartnern zählen neben Gidon Kremer und Natalia Gutman auch Künstlerkollegen wie András Schiff, Lars Vogt, Mikhail Rudy, Nobuko Imai und Miklós Perényi. In Österreich arbeitet die Wahlwienerin vor allem mit dem Altenberg-Trio und dem Pianisten Christopher Hinterhuber regelmäßig zusammen. Außerdem ist sie Gründungsmitglied des Streichtrios „Impression III“, das sich vorwiegend der Aufführung von Werken europäischer und russischer zeitgenössischer Komponisten
widmet. Anna Kandinsky war 2004 bis 2012 Lehrbeauftragte für Violine an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Wien, seit 2012 ist sie als Professorin für Violine mit der Leitung einer Solistenklasse am Joseph Haydn-Konservatorium im Österreichischen Eisenstadt betraut, weiters hält sie Gastprofessuren am Londoner
Royal College of Music und am Shanghai Conservatory.
Als Dozentin wird sie regelmäßig zu Meisterkursen für Violine von Westeuropa über Russland bis Asien eingeladen, unter anderem an die Hochschule für Musik Saarbrücken, zur Sommermusik Altensteig/Stuttgart und zum japanischen Osaka Music-Festival, Jurorin bei internationalen Wettbewerben in England, Russland
und Italien (u.a. „Concorso R. Lipizer“, „London-Gates-Competition“, „Jampolsky-Competition“ etc.).
Durch die Familie Razumovsky und die gleichnamige Gesellschaft wurde Anna Kandinsky zur Primaria des in Wien beheimateten Razumovsky-Quartetts berufen.
Anna Kandinsky spielt eine Violine von Nicolas Lupot, Paris 1806.

Vladimir Kiradjiev
After graduation with honours from the State Academy of Music in Sofia for conducting, composition and choral conducting, he continued his education with Prof. Kurt Mazur (Weimar - Leipzig), Prof. Franco Ferrara in Siena (Italy) and Prof. Karl Oesterreicher (Vienna). In 1984 he became Artistic Director of the Opera in Sliven and also permanent guest conductor of almost all philharmonic orchestras in Bulgaria. In 1990 he relocated to Vienna and became first conductor and later principal conductor of Vienna Residence Orchestra. 
Mr. Kiradjiev is currently permanent guest conductor at numerous opera houses, for instance Stadttheater Luzern, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin, Berlin Metropol Theatre, Latvian National Opera Riga, National Opera Bulgaria Sofia, Tatarian National Opera Kazan, Krakow Opera Poland.  He has been conducting several symphony orchestras in Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Poland, Mexico, Colombia, South Korea, and China. He has been cooperating with stars such as Anna Netrebko, Elina Garanca, Maija Kovalevskaja, Mati Salminen, Marcelo Alvarez, Rafal Blechacz, Rudolf Nureyev, Rene Kolo, Guy Touvron, Sharon Kam and many others.  Since season 2008 till 2013 he has been Artistic Director of State Philharmonics in Rzeszow, Poland and Artistic Director of the Music Festival in Lancut, Poland. Since the season 2013 – 2014 he is first guest conductor at Opera na Zamku in Szczecin, Poland.
Vladimir Kiradjiev has made the following recordings: 1996 - works by Schoenberg and Lutoslawsky, 1998 - "Tosca" by Puccini, 1999 - live recording of composers’ seminar in Boswil with Klangforum Wien, 2000 - contemporary Austrian composers’ works, 2001 - waltzes and polkas by the Strauss family.  
Since the summer term 1994 - 1995, he has been a docent at the Institute for Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Since 2017 he is professor for opera conducting in the same University.

Vladimir Kiradjiev has developed from leader of various symphonic orchestras and ensembles for contemporary music to one of the most sought after opera conductors in Central and Eastern Europe.  

Reinhard Karger

Born 5-3-1953 in Tübingen (Germany) 

Studies in composition, electronic music and theatre with Erhard Karkoschka (Musikhochschule Stuttgart),  Gottfried Michael Koenig(Instituut voor Sonologie Utrecht), Morton Subotnick (California Institute of the Arts Los Angeles) and Brian Ferneyhough (Musikhochschule Freiburg) 

Main fields of activity:  Compositions for chamber ensembles and all kinds of vocal settings, multimedia, concert and theatre projects in the field of language - voice - scenical display. 

From 2005 to 2008 professor for contemporary music and music theatre at the University in Kassel (Germany), From 2008 to 2019 professor for composition with emphasis on new media at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, from 2011 to 2013 head of the  Institute of Composition and Electroacoustics.  

Since 2006 concerts, workshops, lectures and masterclasses at the Music Academies of Gothenburg (Sweden), Poznan (Poland), Freiburg i.Br. (Germany), Sofia (Bulgaria), Hsinchu (Taiwan), Gran Canaria and Tenerife (Spain), Shanghai (China) and Taipeh (Taiwan). 

Wonji Kim

Wonji Kim, native of Seoul, Korea, started to play the violin of the age of five, and she studied with Prof. Chong-Suk Li and later in Switzerland with prof. Max Rostal and prof. Igor Ozim. 1994 she received her soloist-diploma at the "Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Bern" with distinction. She also took part in master courses with Donald Weilerstein, Sylvia Rosenberg and Yfrah Neaman. Since winning several national and international prizes, she has appeared as a soloist with Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Berner Sinfonie Orchester, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Hungarian National Chamberorchestra and the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra (conductor: V. Fedosejev). Since 1996 she has taught as an assistant of prof. Igor Ozim at the "Hochschule für Musik  in Vienna" and "Hochschule für Musik und Theater" in Bern and at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg/Austria. Currently she is teaching at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg. 

Regine Köbler

Univ.-Prof. Regine Köbler Mezzosopran mdw Vienna / Austria Curriculum Vitae 

Vocal studies at the Hochschule für Musik Leipzig under KS Prof. Christa Nowak Debuts at the International Handel Festival in Halle and the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig Prize winner at the VIII. Young Opera Singers of the Theatres of the DDR singing competition 

Member (1987-2008) of the Chemnitz Opera company Roles (about 70) include Octavian, Komponist, Carmen, Dorabella, Orlofsky, Suzuki, Muse/Niklas, Cherubino, Hänsel, Olga, Erda, Flosshilde, 1. Norn, Siegrune, 3. Dame, Magdalene, Maddalena and Marcellina 

Guest appearances at the Dresden State Opera, the Leipzig-, Hannover-, Mannheim-, Heidelberg-, Linz-, and Weimar opera houses, the State Operetta Dresden as well as in Brazil, Israel, Italy, Russia, the USA and Spain 

Concert performances of the major oratorio roles for alto, lieder recitals Collaboration with Conductors such as Igor Markevich, Michail Jurowski, John Carewe, Oleg Caetani, Niksa Bareza, Ludwig Güttler, Thomaskantor Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Thomaskantor Georg-Christoph-Biller and stage directors such as Brigitte Fassbaender, Steffen Piontek, Carl Riha and Sir Peter Ustinov Active as a voice teacher from the beginning of the solo career Vocal trainer (1996-2002) at the chamber choir of the St. Pauli-Kreuz Church in Chemnitz Teaching assignment for singing (2002-2009) at the Hochschule fuer Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden 

Professor of singing (since 2009) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, frequent invitations to give master classes 

2014 Masterclass and Jury member at the I. National Singing Competition „German Lieder“ at National Conservatory of Music, Peking/China 

 2014 / 2019 Masterclasses ISA/Austria 

After pursuing a successful career she has devoted herself exclusively to teaching 

Her methods are founded on the Italian Bel Canto tradition

Anna Korondi

Born 1969 in Budapest, Hungary · Voice studies at Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music Budapest from 1987, subsequent studies at Vienna Conservatory as soloist with Prof. Margarete Bence and in Lied and oratorio with Prof. David Lutz from 1989, graduation with honors in 1993 · Simultaneous engagement with the Österreichischer Rundfunk Choir Vienna with solo duties focusing on contemporary music from 1989 to 1993, ensemble member at Komische Oper Berlin until 1997 as well as at Bonn Opera until 1999 · Guest performances at renowned festivals such as Salzburg Festival (“Die Fledermaus”), Schwetzingen Festival (“Figlio del selve”), Bayreuth Festival (“Parsifal” under the direction of Christoph Schlingensief), Budapest Wagner Festival (“Das Rheingold”), Herrenchiemsee Festival (“Falstaff”) and Vienna Schubert Festival (“Alfonso and Estrella”), as well as at numerous theaters such as Bavarian State Opera (including “The House of Bernarda Alba“ under Zubin Mehta, “Arabella”), Theater Münster (“Der Rosenkavalier“),Turku Concert Hall (“Don Giovanni”), Komische Oper Berlin (eminent Mozart rolls) and Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (“Parsifal”) · Regular guest at prominent European orchestras such as Chapelle Royal, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Westdeutscher Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Hessischer Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Concentus Musicus Vienna, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Royal Flemish Philharmonic amongst others · Diverse concert and Lied performances throughout Europe, Asia and South America · Collaboration with directors such as Christoph Schlingensief, Harry Kupfer, Christine Mielitz, Hans Neuenfels, Manfred Beilharz and Andreas Homoki, and with conductors Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Phillipe Herreweghe, Helmut Rilling, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Adam Fischer, Peter Schneider and Herbert Blomstedt amongst others · Numerous radio, television and CD productions with labels Farao Classics (“Vineta – Ein Liederabend” by J. Brahms, “Requiem” by W.A. Mozart, “Matthäuspassion” by J.S. Bach), Hungaroton (first recording “Il Gelsomino” by G.F. Händel with solo cantatas, “Z. Kodály – Complete Edition for Voices and Piano”), Capriccio (“Athalia” by F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Die letzten Dinge” by L. Spohr), BIS Records AB (“Forest of the Amazon”) amongst others · Awarded 3rd prize at Erkel-Kodály Singing Competition Budapest in 1990, the International Prize at Mary Garden Singing Competition Aberdeen in 1991, 2nd prize at Grand Prix Franz Schubert Vienna in 1991 and winner of the ARD International Music Competition in 1996 · Lecturer at master courses in Stavanger 2004, Sao Paulo 2007 and at Liszt School of Music Weimar 2012 · Since 2007, Lecturer at Berlin Academy of the Arts and since 2010 at Liszt School of Music Weimar · Since winter semester 2013, Professor for Voice at Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin

Wolfgang Kornberger
Musikalische Grundausbildung bei Prof. Josef Pöttler in Pöllau, Steiermark.
Konzertfachstudium bei Prof. Peter Schmidl, Ernst Ottensamer, Johann Hindler an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. Lehrbefähigungsprüfung (1994), Künstlerisches Diplom (1997), Stipendium der Wiener Philharmoniker (Stiftung WANAS), Meisterkurse bei Prof. Alois Brandhofer und Manfred Preis.
Konzerte mit: Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsoper, Radio Symphonie Orchester Wien, Wiener Volksoper.
1994 bis 1997 Mitglied im Trio Clarin
Konzerte u. a.: Salzburger Mozartwoche, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Rheingau Musik Festival
Tourneen nach Italien, Polen, Kroatien, Slowakei, Deutschland.
5 CD-Einspielungen.
1995 Gründungsmitglied der Vienna Clarinet Connection.
Mit diesem Ensemble Konzerte u. a.: Musikverein Wien, Konzerthaus Wien, Brucknerhaus Linz, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Carinthischer Sommer, Berliner Hofkonzerte.
Tourneen nach Norwegen, Schweden, Finnland, Deutschland, Polen, Spanien, Türkei, Griechenland.
6 CD-Einspielungen
Entwicklung einer Bassklarinette in Zusammenarbeit mit der Firma Tutz, Innsbruck.
Lehrt seit Wintersemester 2003 an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst.

Elisabeth Kropfitsch

She received violin lessons from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Alfred Staar at a very young age. In 1975 she began her studies at the then Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts in the master class of Professor Wolfgang Schneiderhan.
She studied violin as a concert subject until 1985, and after passing her diploma examination with distinction, she continued her studies with this world-famous Austrian violinist for two more years (including graduation from the Lucerne master class: "particularly outstanding").
She passed her final examinations at the Realgymnasium for music students with excellent results. In 1986 she graduated as Magistra artium at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
She won several first prizes at the Austrian national competition "Jugend Musiziert" and won the international violin competition "Citta di Senigallia" in Italy.

Elisabeth Kropfitsch performs as a soloist under renowned conductors with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg (Brahms), the Festival Strings Lucerne (Martinu), the Niederösterreichisches Tonkünstlerorchester (Mendelssohn), the Bohuslav Martinu Symphony Orchestra (Mozart), the Ljubljana Philharmonic Orchestra (Beethoven), the Basel Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven), the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra (Beethoven), the Nagoya Symphony Orchestra (Mendelssohn) and others.
In addition, she has given numerous convincing concerts as primaria of the Jess-Trio-Wien, formed with her brothers Johannes Kropfitsch and Stefan Kropfitsch, and has performed worldwide in the Berlin Philharmonie, the Palau de Musica Barcelona, the London Wigmore Hall, the Warsaw Philharmonie, the New York Carnegie Hall, the Jerusalem Rebecca Crown Hall, in Tel Aviv, Beijing Concert Hall, Nagoya Concert Hall, Lincoln Center New York, Tonhalle Zurich and many others.
Concerts at international music festivals are a constant companion of her career, such as Wiener Festwochen (with Giorgio Strehler), Carinthischer Sommer, Bregenz Festival, Copenhagen Music Festival, Martinu Festival Prague, International Music Festival Lucerne, etc.

The violinist Elisabeth Kropfitsch, who is both an artist and a teacher, has had her own concert cycle at the Vienna Konzerthaus with her siblings for many years, in the framework of which she has played more than a hundred concerts as a soloist, in duo, trio (Jess-Trio-Vienna), quartet (Jess-Quartet-Vienna) and quintet. The 6-part subscription cycle, which takes place in the Mozart Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus, will continue.
An 8-part television series with works by Fritz Kreisler on ORF, broadcasts of television performances on ARD, ZDF, RAI, 3-SAT, BBC and others complete her artistic curriculum vitae.

Stefan Kropitsch

Stefan Kropfitsch began playing the cello at the age of 6 with Prof. Tobias Kühne, a student of André Navarra. After years in the preparatory class studying concert violoncello, he unanimously received the diploma at the Vienna Academy of Music as well as the appreciation award of the Ministry of Education. Continues his studies up to the Magister artium.  Subsequently, intensive guest years with Prof. Herzer (solo cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) within the framework of postgraduate studies at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts.
2004 Habilitation in the central subject "Violoncello" at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
1975 First prize in both solo and trio at the "Jugend musiziert" competition.
1976 1st prize in the Dr. Karl Böhm Prize of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Already at a young age he begins an international career with the Jess-Trio-Wien, in parallel as a soloist.  Stefan Kropfitsch is a guest in almost all music centres. 
His cellist solo career runs parallel to the Jess-Trio-Wien and is sometimes inseparable from that of the trio. 

Prof.Dr.Michail Lanskoi 

Born in Moscow Graduated with High Distinction from the Russian Academy of Music Gnessiny, Moscow by Prof.David Varshamov and Prof.Nina Delizieva Ph. D in Music at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire of Music, Moscow Studied in Germany, Austria and Italy with Fedora Barbieri, Jakob Stämpfly, Walter Berry and Pavel Lisitzian Successes with major baritone roles in important opera houses and international music festivals in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, UK, Russia Worked with well-known conductors such as H.Rilling, W.Gönnewein, V. Gergiev, D.Kitayenko and G.Rozhdestvensky, E.Boncompagni and with singers including H. Harper, R.Bruson, N.Gedda, C.Colombara, M.Rowland, M.Malagnini Principal roles in operas including Evgeniy Onegin, Queen of Spades, Iolanta, Faust, Don Pasquale, Don Sebastiano, La Cenerentola, Equivoco stravagente, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, La Bohéme, Manon Lescaut, Madame Butterfly, Boris Godunov, Prince Igor, Maria Stuarda, Luisa Miller, I Masnadieri, La Traviata, I Pagliacci, Xerxes, A Midsummer Night's Dream, L´Incoronazione di Poppea. Numerous CD, DVD and Video productions, Radio and Television Broadcasts Univ.-Prof. of Singing at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna and at the Hanns Eisler University of Music, Berlin Since 2019 permanent vocal consultant at Mascarade Opera Studio in Florence, Italy (President Mariella Devia, Parton Sir Thomas Allen) M. Lanskoi's students and alumni include 19 important International Singing Competition winners. Numerous Graduates perform principal roles in the world's most important opera houses incl. Teatro Alla Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Wiener State Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Arena di Verona, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra Bastille, Bayerische Staatsoper, English National Opera, Semperoper Dresden, La Fenice

Sharan Leventhal, violin, has toured four continents as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. She has received grants from the NEA, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and the Fromm and Koussevitzky Foundations, and has premiered well over 130 works. Leventhal has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, is a founding member of the Kepler Quartet, Marimolin, and Gramercy Trio, and can be heard on the New World, Northeastern, Newport Classic, Naxos, Parma, Navona, GM and Catalyst labels. She is a professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music, and is founder and director of Play On, Inc., a non-profit supporting chamber music programs for children.

 D R . M ARTIN L ICHTFUSS  
1985-1989 pianist, conductor and chorus director at the Tiroler Landestheater , Innsbruck, Austria 1989-1993 deputy chief conductor at the Stadttheater WŸrzburg , Germany 1993-1995 conductor at the Staatstheater Braunschweig , Germany 1995-2008 professor (music theory, composition) at the Tiroler Landeskonservatorium , Innsbruck, Austria Since 2005 professor (music theory, composition) at the University of Music and Performing Arts , Vienna From 2008-2011 also head of department 1 at the University of Music and Performing Arts ,  Vienna Since 2008 chairman of Kraftfeld Neue Musik Tirol (association of Tyrolian composers) Since 2016 board member of ECSA (European composer and songwriter alliance) Concerts as pianist and conductor 

Cassandre McKinley 

A native Bostonian, Cassandre McKinley started a career in film and television upon entering her freshman year of high school. By 16, she had already signed with a New York talent agent, begun taking weekly private voice instruction, and attended a long series of intensive music programs that specialized in vocal performance. After high school, she attended the Boston Conservatory, majoring in musical theater and voice. She has now had an accomplished career spread over three decades as a professional singer, dancer, actress, voiceover artist, and print model.

McKinley is best known for her powerhouse voice, stylistic versatility, and ability to cross genres effortlessly. Renowned for her spirited, emotional performances, she has a presence on stage that is exuberant and passionate, yet warm and disarming. She has shared the stage and recorded with greats such as Dick Johnson, James Cotton, Clay Obsorne, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, and J. Geils, among others. She has toured nationally and internationally, and her music can be heard on more than 500 radio stations and cable and internet music outlets.

After the release of several well-received, straight-ahead jazz albums, McKinley released a soul-inspired jazz cover album in remembrance of Marvin Gaye. It generated local buzz and attracted the attention of MAXJAZZ, a St. Louis, Missouri, label that signed McKinley and rereleased (and retitled) the album Til Tomorrow: Remembering Marvin Gaye. The work was hailed by JazzTimes magazine as “a rich, sensual salute,” and the album's steady success in straight-ahead and crossover markets, both nationally and internationally, cemented her career as a prominent artist. 

Salomon Minkowsky

Cited as “one of the world’s most sought-after artist teachers, for reasons that are not hard to come by” (Clavier, USA), Solomon Mikowsky is renowned for his “magical ability to develop his piano students into artists” (Sur Exprès, France). He is also featured in Benjamin Saver’s The Most Wanted Piano Teachers in the USA and in leading music journals in China, South Korea, Japan, Spain, Cuba and the US.

His students have won over 150 international piano competitions, including the Rubinstein in Tel-Aviv (Gerstein, Moutouzkine, Sinkevych); Tchaikovsky in Moscow (Arrieta); the Gilmore Artist Award and Avery Fisher Career Grant (Gerstein); Richter in Moscow, Beethoven in Bonn and Santander (Yungwook Yoo); Rachmaninoff in Moscow (Jae-Hee Kim); Astral in Philadelphia (Dinnerstein and Moutouzkine); Schumann in Leipzig (Nara); Dublin (Gerstein); Vianna da Motta in Lisbon (Sinkevych, Yungwook Yoo); Iturbi in Valencia (Arrieta, Cruz, Melikyan, Moutouzkine,); Canals in Barcelona (Akagi, Cho, Cruz, Diaz-Jerez, Gerstein, Kookhee Hong, Méndez, Moutouzkine, Sinkevych,); Jaén (Cruz, Diaz-Jerez, Jung-Eun Lee, Yuan Sheng, Sinkevych, Chun Wang, Jingjing Wang); Pilar Bayona in Zaragoza (Cruz, Diaz-Jerez, Gerstein, Youngho Kim, Méndez, Moutouzkine, Soderberg);  Bachauer in Utah (Floril); Chopin Kosciuszco in New York (Brewster, Floril, Gerstein, Rexa Han, Kent, Youngho Kim, Namirovsky, Yungwook Yoo,); Chopin Munz at MSM (Beliakovich, Floril, Kosmieja, Namirovsky); Rubinstein Award, Cervantes in Cuba and China International (Yuan Sheng); Cherkassky Award (Ren Zhang); Van Cliburn (Special Prize); Naumburg, Cleveland, New Orleans, Montreal, Cervantes in Cuba and China International (Moutouzkine); and Panama (Beliakovich, Buxton, Darias, Kookhe Hong, Khanina, Khoowon Kim, Moutouzkine, Neeman, Sinkevych, Chun and Jingjing Wang, Yungwook Yoo); among many others.

They have appeared as soloists with the New York, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Minnesota, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles symphony orchestras in the US; with the Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Dresden, Vienna, London, Amsterdam, Moscow and St. Petersburg orchestras in Europe; and the Israel Philharmonic, under such noted conductors as Barenboim, Dudamel, Eschenbach, Fisher, Jurowsky, Masur, Metha and Maazel.

They have also been guests of the Aspen, BBC Proms, Blossom, Bowdoin, Caramoor, Edinburgh, La Roque d’Anthéron, Lucerne, Lincoln Center´s Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Salzburg, Tanglewood, Vail and Verbier summer festivals.

Mikowsky has adjudicated many of the most important international competitions. He has also conducted master classes at the leading conservatories in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Budapest, Warsaw, Salzburg, London, Paris, Leipzig, Rotterdam, Madrid, Tel Aviv, and throughout Asia and Australia. During summers, he has directed his International Piano Festivals in Spain and in Cuba, with dozens of his students performing with the leading symphony orchestras of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Tenerife, Las Palmas and Havana.

Solomon Mikowsky was born in Cuba to a Belorussian father and a Polish mother. His early training was with César Pérez Sentenat, who had studied in Paris with Joaquín Nín, a student of Liszt’s eminent pupil, Moritz Moszkowski. He was granted scholarships by the Cuban government and the Juilliard School to study in New York with Sascha Gorodnitzki, foremost pupil of the legendary Russian virtuoso Josef Lhevinne.

He also studied composition with Persichetti, orchestral conducting with Mester, choral conducting with Kaplan, chamber music with  Persinger (pupil of Ysaÿe and teacher of Menuhin), as well as organ, trumpet, clarinet and violin. He later received a doctoral degree from Columbia University. His dissertation, Ignacio Cervantes and the XIX-Century Cuban Danza, as well as an article for Américas, the journal of the Organization of American States, have been published in various languages.

A member of the Manhattan School of Music faculty since 1969, he was awarded the School’s Presidential Medal and  honored with a tribute to his 50 years of teaching with a concert that featured some of his outstanding students, including the 7 alumni who have joined him on the piano faculty. He has also received the Cintas award by the Institute of International Education and a Doctor Honoris Causa from the Instituto Superior de Arte of Cuba. The Solomon Mikowsky Recital Hall was inaugurated in 2010 and expanded in 2018 in conjunction with the school’s centennial. The adjacent Studio and Gallery feature the many prizes won by his students throughout his teaching career.

Mikowsky has also gifted halls and Steinway pianos to the Chicago College of Performing Arts, where he also taught, and to Havana, his native city.  The Piano Teaching Legacy of Solomon Mikowsky, a book by his long-time student Kookhee Hong, has been published in Germany in English by Lambert Publishers and is also available in Spanish, Chinese and Korean editions.

Priya Mitchell

Priya Mitchell grew up in Oxford and studied with David Takeno at the Yehudi Menuhin School and with Zachar Bron in Germany. She was then chosen as the British representative of the European Concert Halls Organisation ‘Rising Stars‘ Series, this success led to highly acclaimed tours and performances with, amongst others, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Philharmonia. She has worked with many eminent conductors including Sir Andrew Davis, Yuri Temirkanov, Richard Hickcox, Emmanuel Krivine, Heinrich Schiff and Yan Pascal Tortelier. Abroad, Priya has worked with many orchestras including the Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Deutsche SinfonieOrchester. As a recitalist and chamber musician she has performed extensively at international music festivals including Schleswig-Holstein, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Kuhmo, Lockenhaus, Risør, Heimbach, Ravinia, Lugano, Cheltenham, Bath, Stavanger and Trondheim. This year sees the 17th anniversary of Priya’s highly acclaimed Oxford Chamber Music Festival with the Latvian composer Peteris Vasks in residence. Her artistic directorship of this unusual and much acclaimed festival inspired The Daily Telegraph to call it ‚a musical miracle.‘ In the current season Priya performs Mendelssohn Violin Concerto D minor in Stockholm, Philip Glass violin concerto also in Stockholm, Schumann Concerto in Düsseldorf, Mozart Concertos in Munich and Piazzolla’s Four seasons in Mecklenburg Vorpommern festival. She will also return to the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and many others.

Barbara Moser

Barbara Moser received her first piano lessons at the age of five at the University of Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna, which were followed by studies in piano performance with Heinz Medjimorec. In addition, the young pianist took two semesters with Greta Kraus at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and attended master classes with prominent music teachers; after unanimously passing her diploma examination with distinction, she took in-depth studies with Boris Bloch, Rudolf Buchbinder, Oleg Maisenberg and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.
Awarded many prizes and scholarships, today Barbara Moser regularly performs concerts as a soloist in Austria’s most important concert halls and at important international festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein, Flanders, Montreux, the Salzburg Festival, the Schwetzinger Festspiele (Schwetzingen Festival), the Vienna Festival, the Schubertiade in Vorarlberg, Klangbogen Vienna, the Carinthian Summer, the Spring Festival of Monte Carlo etc. Her concert tours to most European countries as well as Japan, South America, Canada and the USA have led to co-operation with many conductors and orchestras of world standing. In 1994, she performed for the first time with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and held her successful Dallas debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Her discography covers eleven solo CDs, the last six of which have all been published by Gramola, as well as several chamber music and song productions, including the duet CD ‘Hommage à Mozart’ (violin: Joanna Madroszkiewicz), awarded the ‘Viennese Flute Clock’ for the best Mozart interpretation of 2002. The CD series Schuberts weltliches Chorwerk, published by Teldec, was awarded the distinguished record prize ‘Diapason d’Or’. Her Duo-production “Ladies’ Night” with violinist T. A. Irnberger was voted BBC-Magazine’s chambermusic-choice for April 2018.
The artist is also interested in co-operating with singers. She has held concerts with such exceptional singers as Natalie Dessay, Plácido Domingo and Michael Schade. She is also much in demand in the field of chamber music, is a member of liszt trio wien and holds concerts in different formations, frequently with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Barbara Moser holds seminars and master classes throughout the world and has taught at the University of Music and Performing Arts since 1999, where she was appointed to professorship in early 2012. In 2007, the pianist completed her doctorate with a dissertation on ornamentation in Bellini’s opera La Sonnambula. In the meantime, the dissertation has been published by VDM-Verlag and was distinguished with a ‘Best Publication Award’ in 2010.
 

Jan Müller-Wieland
is one of the most productive composers of his generation. A highly personal curiosity and an intimate, thoroughly knowledgeable relationship with musical tradition permeate his entire oeuvre. Music as a performing art of both passionate and quiet, but always vital sonic experiences form the centre of his creativity. His versatile catalogue of works is notable for fifteen full-length music-theatrical works, 26 vocal works and 42 chamber compositions. These are joined by numerous orchestral works (including four large symphonies) and concertos for first-class international orchestras, ensembles and soloists. In 1991 Müller-Wieland was a Composer/Conductor Fellow of the Leonard Bernstein Foundation of the Tanglewood Music Center near Boston (USA). He had previously studied at the Academy of Music in Lübeck (with Friedhelm Döhl) and in Cologne and Rome (with Hans Werner Henze). In 1992 Henze opened the Munich Biennial for International New Music Theatre with Jan Müller-Wieland, then just 26 years old. The comic opera DAS GASTSPIEL (based on Wedekind’s “Der Kammersänger”, production: Claus Guth) scored a sensational success and has been performed numerous times since then. During that same year Müller-Wieland made his debut as composer/conductor at the Hamburg State Opera with the chamber opera KAIN (production: Claus Guth, Artistic Director: Peter Ruzicka). The cantata SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE for soloists, choir and large orchestra was composed in 1993 at the Villa Massimo in Rome, where the composer also wrote his frequently performed Cello Concerto for Jens-Peter Maintz in 1994. There followed in 1995 the chamber opera DIE NACHTIGALL UND DIE ROSE and in 1996 an extended String Octet for the Panocha and Prazak String Quartets lasting half the length of a programme. 1997 saw the world premiere of the music theatrical work KOMÖDIE OHNE TITEL for the Deutsche Staatsoper Unter den Linden. In 1998 a large opera based on Peter Weiss received its world premiere: DIE VERSICHERUNG. In 1999 there followed the world premiere of DAS MÄRCHEN DER 672. NACHT (Vienna Chamber Opera), in 2000 TÄNZERIN (Expo – Hannover), in 2001 the Violin Concerto BALLAD OF ARIEL (Berlin Konzerthaus, Daniel Hope) and the opera NATHANS TOD (based on George Tabori). 2002 saw the premiere of BEETHOVENS EGMONT-OUVERTÜRE (Gstaad, Menuhin Festival) as well as the Percussion Concerto LUFTSTÜCK (for Peter Sadlo); in 2003 the Piano Trio SCHLAFLIED for the Amsterdam Concertgebouw (Beaux Arts Trio) received its world premiere. 2004 saw the world premiere of the music theatrical work DIE IRRE ODER NÄCHTLICHER FISCHFANG (Bonn Opera, production: Werner Schroeter), and in 2005 the comic opera DER HELD DER WESTLICHEN WELT (Cologne Opera, production: Karoline Gruber, director: Markus Stenz). IM KRIEG – HOCHHAUSLIED (Berlin, Scharoun-Ensemble, Claudia Barainsky) received its world premiere in 2006. 2007 saw the premiere of DER KLEINE RING (Regensburg Children’s Opera) and in 2008 music theatrical scenes in connection with Ligeti entitled AVENTURE FAUST (Munich). The love drama FANNY UND SCHRAUBE was premiered in Berlin in 2009 and the melodrama DER KNACKS received its premiere by the Ensemble-Resonanz under Roger Willemsen in 2010. In 2011 the chamber opera DER FREISCHUSS was premiered in Berlin. 2012 saw the world premiere of the THIRD STRING QUARTET by the Joachim Quartet. 2013: Double Concerto for two pianos entitled ZÄRTLICHE KRÄFTE performed by the Grau/Schumacher Piano Duo, Nuremberg, cond: Marcus Bosch. 2014 saw two major world premieres: the drama KÖNIG DER NACHT (Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, cond: Thomas Hengelbrock, speaker: Klaus Maria Brandauer) and EGMONTS FREIHEIT ODER BÖHMEN LIEGT AM MEER for soloists, choir, organ and large orchestra (Munich Philharmonic, cond.: Jan Müller-Wieland, soprano: Claudia Barainsky, speaker: Klaus Maria Brandauer). 2016: FÜNF STÜCKE UM JESUS for soprano and five baroque instruments (cond.: Christine Schornsheim, Munich), DER HEIMKEHRER for tenor and piano (Tenor: Frieder Lang), CAPRICCETTI (2nd cycle) for piano (UA 2017: Jan-Philip Schulze). Works being planned and in progress: DER STURM (Zürich, Klaus Maria Brandauer), DER WELTVERBESSERER (based on Thomas Bernhard), HIOB ! – NACH JOSEPH ROTH (opera), MARIA-SZENEN (with Johanna Wokalek), FOURTH STRING QUARTET, Concert Drama for electronics, contrabasson/bassoon and large orchestra (NDR-Hannover, cond.: Andrew Manze, soloist: Malte Refardt), ESSENBECK SARABANDE for cello and piano (based on Luchino Visconti’s THE DAMNED).

Niels Muus

The Viennese conductor with Danish and American roots, Niels Muus is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Denmark. He further his studied at the Conservatorio San Martino (Bologna), the Mozarteum (Salzburg), the Ecole Normale de Musique (Paris), as well as with maestri Franco Ferrara, Carlo Zecchi, Tatjana Nikolajewna and Jakob Gimpel. 

Between 1992 and 1999, Niels Muus was a principal conductor at the Tiroler Landestheater, Innsbruck, and between 1999 and 2003, conductor and casting director at the Volksoper Wien. Recognized as an expert in the field of opera, Niels Muus has conducted some major productions worldwide. Among others, notable was a televised production by RAI of Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'amore" from the MacerataOpera Festival (ARTHAUS MUSIK, DENON, RAI-TDK VIDEO,TDK ASIA, ZWEITAUSENDEINSEDITION)- (“critics pick”,New York Times), Rossini`s "L`Assedio di Corinto" for the Culture Olympics inGreece, Dvorak's "Rusalka" for the international H.C. Andersen Year in Moscow and Denmark andVerdi`s "Aida" at the Worker`s Stadium in Beijing (broadcasted by CCTV). 

As a symphonic conductor, Niels Muus has given performances in concert halls such as Berliner Philharmonie, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Chicago Symphony Hall,National Arts Center Ottawa, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Tokyo Opera City, and TivoliCopenhagen conducting orchestras such as MDR Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Symphoniker,Orchestra Arturo Toscanini, Chicago Philharmonic, Tokyo MetropolitanSymphony Orchestra, Kanazawa OIK ,Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, Vancouver Opera Orchestra,Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. Since 2007 Niels Muus every year represents Austria at the Salute to Vienna concerts in US and Canada. 

2008-2011; music director of the international research project "The World Opera" which is in collaboration with major international research institutes such as, Stanford University, McGill University (CIRMMT), New York University, Tromsö University and KTH Stockholm. 

Since September 2013 Niels Muus is professor and director of the international highly prestigious OperaMasters Program at the MUK (Musik and Art University Vienna). 

Niels Muus is an internationally renowned specialist for the music of W.A.Mozart. He is currently co- director of the MOZART PROJECT – an annual collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,He gives regularly master classes with institutions such as Conservatorio Monteverdi (Bolzano),Netherlands Opera Studio (Amsterdam), Opera Studio New National Theater Tokyo, Opera AcademyKorean National Opera, Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, Opera Academy ofCalifornia (San Francisco), Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava and State Opera of Stara Zagora.The discography with Niels Muus include CD and DVD productions for the following labels: DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON, ARTHAUS MUSIK, GRAMOLA, DANACORD, DYNAMIC, DENON and PREISSER RECORDS WIEN, SOREL RECORDS. 

2015 Niels Muus was nominated for the prestigious PULITZER PRIZE (recording: Zaimont 4.symphony) and for the GRAMMY AWARD 2006 (La Pastorella) and 2016 (recording: Prokofiev Pianoconcertos 1+2).

Akiko Nakajima - soprano

Winning first prize in the Australian Singing Competition of 1990 marked the beginning of an international career for the Japanese soprano Akiko Nakajima. There followed in quick succession her debut for Opera Australia and her European debut at the Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli as Musetta, La Bohème.

Following on from this, her international career as both opera and concert singer flourished. She made her Austrian debut in the title role of Händel's Alcina for Innsbruck's Festwochen der Alten Musik – a production that received the European Broadcasting Union Award. Her sensational triumph as Lucia di Lammermoor at the Staatstheater Darmstadt led her to be nominated as the best new generation singer of the year by the Opernwelt magazine in 1999.

Her stunning debut as Sonja in Der Zarewitsch at the Vienna Volksoper in 1999 was followed by other successes: Violetta in La Traviata, Anne in The Rake's Progress and Annina in Eine Nacht in Venedig. In 2007 she made her debut at the Hamburg State Opera as Donna Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia. At the same time, her career has continued to develop in her native country, Japan, where she frequently performs with various symphonic orchestras as well as opera institutions.

The celebrated conductors with whom she has appeared include Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Herbert Blomstedt, Charles Dutoit, Kazushi Ono, Myung-Whun Chung and Thomas Hengelbrock.

Akiko Nakajima's first solo CD La Pastorella (PR90647) was nominated for the Deutschen Schallplattenkritik list. Female Portraits (PR90691) was followed by another recording, Plaisir d’amour (CDS556) for the Italian label Dynamic in 2008. A DVD recording of a live concert of Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream with Seiji Ozawa was documented by NHK Enterprise in 2009. In early 2011, she recorded her much awaited operetta CD, Wien, Stadt meiner Träume (Gramola 98908) at the famous Musikverein for the Viennese label, Gramola.

Highlights from her recent engagements include a newly commissioned opera written for her voice, Taki no Shiraito, by the Ishikawa Music Foundation, her appointment as the artistic leader for a new festival, “Mozarthaus in Japan 2014” at Otemachi Hall in Tokyo, as well as the first overseas performance of her stage production, Mugen Noh - Pierrot Lunaire, at Sion Festival in Switzerland in 2016, in which she directed and performed the principal role. Forthcoming appearances include the NHK live broadcast performance, the 60th NHK New Year Concert, as well as Cio-cio san in Madama Butterfly in Kanazawa, Osaka, Takasaki and Tokyo under the direction of the legendary director Yoshi Oida in 2017.

Akiko Nakajima is the general director and chairman of the board of Noura Opera Foundation in Gunma Japan, and music director of Österreichisch-Japanische Gesellschaft in Vienna. She is a professor in the faculty of Performing Arts - “Voice and Opera” at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK) since 2017.

Website: www.akikonakajima.org

Libor Novacek
Libor Novacek was born in Prague, Czech Republic, and his early studies were at Teplice Conservatoire. In 1998 he was awarded a full scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, graduating with a MMus and a Fellowship. He studied with Professor Joan Havill and participated in masterclasses with Lazar Berman, Murray Perahia, John Perry, Jean Efflam Bavouzet, Dmitri Bashkirov, Dominique Merlet and others. During his studies in London he won numerous national and international awards and was recipient of several major scholarships. Internationally recognised for his interpretations of Liszt, Brahms and Janacek, Libor Novacek’s playing is said to possess ‘exceptional poetic verve and inwardness’ and his recordings (Landor Records, UK) are said to have ‘set new benchmarks’ and offer ‘compellingly beautiful and narrative performances’.   Four CDs to date have received outstanding reviews in the classical music press: Liszt’s Années de Pèlerinage – Italie and Mephisto Waltz, was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Magazine and awarded the 'Diplôme d’Honneur' by Liszt Society in Budapest. His recording of music by Brahms marked him as an ‘artist of vision and phenomenal sound control, offering readings of radiant sensitivity’. It was highly praised in the Guardian, Gramophone and International Record Review and was selected as the BBC Magazine’s ‘Instrumental Choice’ in August 2008.   Libor’s latest CD featuring works by Liszt (Années de Pèlerinage- Suisse and Consolations), received the greatest critical acclaim, including 5 stars in the Guardian, International Record Review, Gramophone and Pianonews.   Libor is sought after as a recitalist and chamber musician and the founding member of the Prague Piano Trio. He also gives masterclasses and lecture recitals. His performances have taken him on major international concert stages (Barbican Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall in London, Rudolfinum in Prague, Hamburger Musikhalle, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Kennedy Centre in Washington DC) and have performed on tours and in festivals throughout the USA, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, India, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Czech Republic and others.   Currently Libor is Gastprofessor of piano at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz in Austria and holds a full time teaching position at Prague Conservatoire. 

 
Aimo Pagin
Aimo Pagin is one of the most important French pianists of his generation and is at home with solo and orchestral concerts on the largest podiums in the world. He was born in 1983 and received lessons at the age of seven at the Conservatory of Strasbourg with F. CLAUSTRE. Later he moved to the Conservatory of Colmar in the class of RENA SHERESHEVSKAYA.
In 2001 he came to the Conservatoire Superieur de musique de Genève, where he studied for three years with DOMINIQUE MERLET and graduated with a soloist diploma. He then went to the USA to work with the legendary pianist and piano pedagogue LEON FLEISHER.
He received further inspiration from RADU LUPU, MURRAY PERAHIA, ANDRAS SCHIFF, DAVID ZINMAN, DIMITRI BASHKIROV, MARIA TIPO, VLADIMIR FELTSMAN, PASCAL ROGE, and after graduating in 2004 began his continual rise to the world elite. At the age of 14 he won the 1st prize of the CONCOURS MUSICAL DE FRANCE. Since then he has won numerous prizes and awards in international piano competitions. Worthy of mention are the 3rd prize in the ENESCU international competition (Bucharest 2005), the 1st prize in the “Pemio pianistico PAUSILYPON” (Napoli 2006), the 3rd prize in the international competition “SULMONA” (2007), the 2nd prize in the ” Concorso pianistico di Tolmezzo »(2009) 2nd prize in« FERROL »international competition (Spain 2007), 2nd prize in« Premio Fausto Zadra »(Abano Terme 2010), 1st prize in« PREMIO PALMA D’ORO »(2010) ..
His interpretations of the classical, romantic and repertoire of the 20th century are always well received by the press and the public. Since then, Aimo Pagin’s career has been accelerating rapidly.

He performs in New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Asterdamer Concertgebouw, the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, the Societa dei Concerti Milano, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Palais des Beaux-Arts Bruxelles, the Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore) and plays numerous renowned festivals such as the Festival de Radio-France Montpellier, Nuits musicales en Armagnac, Chopin Paris Festival, Musicales du Lubéron, St-Jean Cap Ferrat Festival, Ushuaia International Music Festival, Chopin Society Hannover, Mendelssohn Music Week Wengen, Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, Tibor Varga Festival Sion.
He performs with internationally renowned orchestras such as the Bucharest Philharmonic, Orchester National de Montpellier, NSO (New Symphony Orchestra), Berliner Symphoniker. With his mother, the great violinist SILVIA MARCOVICI, he gives regular chamber music concerts. Aimo Pagin recently jumped for the sick RADU LUPU in a concert with the Bucharest Philharmonic.
He has also recently performed the Swiss premiere of the Liszt Piano Concerto n.3, with the Symphony Orchestra Biel / Solothurn under Kaspar Zehnder.
Radio recordings were made in collaboration with Südwestrundfunk and the BBC London.
In September 2011, his first CD appeared in the trade, and contains piano pieces by the Norwegian composer Martin ROMBERG.
He now lives in Vienna and has officially become a Bösendorfer artist since May 2019, and in collaboration with the renowned piano house, French label PARATY (Paris) publishes Aimo Pagin’s second solo album with all the waltzes by F. Chopin.

Barbara Palmetzhofer
Barbara Maria Palmetzhofer was born in Krems (Austria), and began voice studies at 13 years old under Univ. Prof. Mag. Ingrid Doll (vocal specialist for children and youth).

After graduating from High School in Lower Austria, Barbara commenced her studies of Musical Education and Vocal Pedagogy at the Vienna University of Performing Arts, focusing on elementary music education. After completing her master’s degree with honors, she continued her studies with Adele Haas.
Since 2002 she has taught at the Vienna Boys Choir where she focuses on vocal coaching for children and teenagers. Barbara teaches members of the touring choirs as well as the young men and women from Vienna Boys High School.

Together with her students she produces operas for children such as E. Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel, Dornröschen and G. C. Menotti’s Amahl.

Barbara holds workshops in Austria. She also held workshops in India and China (Dehli, Calcutta, Beijing, Shenzhen, Pengzhou Youth Festival).  Additionally, she has sat on the jury for the Harbin International Children’s Chorus Festival, China 2019.

Besides teaching Barbara enjoys performing in concerts at the MuTh in Vienna (J. S. Bach’s St John Passion, Joseph Haydn’s The Creation, A. Lortzing’s Die Opernprobe, B. Britten’s The Little Sweep with the Vienna Boys Choir).

Igor Petrushevski

Igor Petrushevski Is one of the most successful violin teachers in Europe. His students are winners of many international violin competitions including P.I. Tchaikovsky, T. Varga, Indianapolis, Long-Thibaud, N. Paganini, J. Joachim, Sion, B. Britten, Canetti, G. Enescu, H. Wieniawski, Valsesia, A. Khachaturian and many others. Prof. Petrushevski’s students have performed as soloist with M. Vengerov, V. Jurowski, C. Jarvi, K. Penderecki, S. Mintz, M. Maisky, G. Guerrero and with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, Simon Bolivar, the Hamburg Philharmonic, the Vilnius State Philharmonic, the Transylvania State Philharmonic, the George Enescu Philharmonic, the Slovak Radio, the MDR Sinfonieorchester, the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Youth State of Armenia and many others. Over the last 25 years Prof. Petrushevski has given masterclasses and played in the major halls of North and South America, Korea (Korean National University), Japan, China (Beijing and Shanghai Conservatory) and Europe including UK (Royal Academy of Music), Spain (Reina Sophia), Italy, Austria, France, all the Former Yugoslavia and Russia (the Moscow Conservatory). Some of his students are leading important orchestras in the USA, the UK, Russia, and are playing in the orchestras such as the Wiener Philharmoniker, Covent Garden Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra etc. Some of Prof. Petrushevski’s students have prominent solo international careers and are holding teaching posts in major universities throughout the world. Prof. Petrushevski is regularly working in some of the most important festivals such as the Salzburg Summer Academy, The Santander Festival, The George Enescu Festival, The Northern Lights Festival, The Allegro Vivo Festival and many others. Igor Petrushevski is professor at the Richard Wagner Konservatorium in Vienna and honorary professor at the Ipolito Ivanovo in Moscow and Yerevan State Conservatory. He started his teaching career at the Trinity College of Music after which Prof. Petrushevski worked at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Documentary film about him was broadcast in more then 20 European countries. Prof. Petrushevski has been jury member of the international competitions including the George Enescu, the Aram Khachaturian, the Young Tchaikovsky and the Osaka competitions. In 2019-2021 he accepted invitations to be jury member of the the George Enescu, Jeunesses Musicales in Belgrade, the Aram Khachaturian, The Osaka competitions and the Vienna Classic Strings competitions. Prof. Petrushevski is the artistic director of the Vienna Classic Strings competition which is the largest prize fund competition in Austria. He is International Development Director of the Vienna based IMK Society for the Promotion of Music and Culture that manages over 200 concerts world - wide.

Roberto Plano

Italian native ROBERTO PLANO performed all over the world appearing with prestigious orchestras under the direction of renowned conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, James Conlon, Pinchas Zuckerman, Miguel Harth-Bedoya; as a recitalist he played at Lincoln Center, Sala Verdi, Salle Cortot, Wigmore Hall, Herculessaal and at the internationally acclaimed Newport Festival, Portland Piano Festival, Ravinia Festival, Gilmore International Keyboard Festival (USA), Chopin Festival (Poland), Gijon International Piano Festival (Spain), Bologna Festival (Italy)... An avid chamber musician as well, Mr. Plano played with some of the most prestigious string quartets in the world such as the Takacs, Cremona, Jupiter, St. Petersburg, Fine Arts, Muir. 

First Prize Winner at the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition, Prize Winner at the Honens, Dublin, Sendai, Geza Anda and Valencia competitions and Finalist at the 2005 Van Cliburn, Mr. Plano’s engaging personality has made him a favorite guest on radio programs such as NPR’s “Performance Today,” and on TV shows for PBS, France’s Mezzo and Japan’s NHK. He has recorded for Decca, Brilliant, Azica, Arktos, Sipario, DaVinci, Concerto, being awarded the maximum 5-star rating by several music magazines. In January 2018 he has been awarded the American Prize in the solo professional division.

In Italy Mr. Plano has won First Prize in 15 National and International Competitions, has appeared twice on the cover of the most important music magazine, Amadeus, and has been awarded several prizes, including the Lumen Claro, previously assigned to influential people like soprano Barbara Frittoli, stylist Ottavio Missoni and economist Mario Monti. 

Mr. Plano has been described by The Chronicle in Glens Falls, NY, as the “Pavarotti of the Piano” for his lyricism. NY Times music critic Anthony Tommasini has written: “This Italian pianist showed artistic maturity beyond his years… there was a wonderful clarity and control of inner voices in his performances…”

Recent events include soloist appearences with Kremerata Baltica in Italy and with the Royal Camerata in Bucarest (Romania), solo recitals in Russia, including 2 concerts at the Kremlin State Palace in Moscow, and a 10 concerts chamber music tour in the major Concert Halls in China with violinist Laurie Smukler and cellist Darrett Adkins (members of the faculty at Juilliard School in New York).

Mr. Plano studied at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, the Ecole “Cortot” in Paris and the Lake Como Academy. Previously on the faculty at Boston University, he joined the piano faculty as Associate Professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington in 2018. His students win regularly major Prizes in prestigious competitions around the world.

Simeon Pironkov

Born 1965 in Sofia, Bulgaria 

High school studies in Sofia  

From 1985 to 1989 continuation of his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (composition with Erich Urbanner, conducting with Karl Österreicher) 

From 1989 to 1992 freelance activities as conductor of numerous opera productions and collaboration with several European operas, contemporary music ensembles and independent stages, as well as many orchestras and young symphony orchestras in Europe (performances in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria   a.o.) 

In 1992 he founded PHACE | contemporary music (former ensemble on_line vienna) which became in his position as artistic director and first conductor one of the most important ensembles for contemporary music in Austria today  

From 2000 to 2003 board member of the Austrian section of ISCM. During this time, he established and curated the chamber music series “FOKUS” at the Alte Schmiede – Hall in Vienna. Numerous world premieres and Austrian premieres of the most important composers of the international contemporary scene had taken place during this time. 

Since 1992 he is appointed to professorship at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna at the conducting department. Since 2002 Professor in conducting. 

He was present at many major festivals and venues in Austria, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Germany, Hong Kong, China and Japan (a.o. in the frame of “generator – series” at Wiener Konzerthaus, Wien Modern, Wiener Festwochen, Jeunesse Festival, Klangbogen, Sofia Music Weeks, Musica Nova Sofia, March Music Days (Rousse, Bulgaria), ZeitTon Festival, Steirischer Herbst, Musikforum Viktring/Carinthia, Nuovi Spazi Musicali (Rome), Salzburg Festival, MaerzMusik Berlin, Monmartre en Europe (Paris, France), bludenzer tage zeitgemaesser musik (Bludenz, Austria), pianissimo (Sofia), WDR (Essen Philharmonie), INMM Darmstadt, ISCM World Music Days (Tokyo, Hong Kong, Vienna) and many more. 

As composer and as conductor he collaborated with ensembles such as Klangforum Wien , die reihe, Ensemble Wiener Collage, Newton ensemble, ensemble recherche (Freiburg, Germany), ensemble 2r2m (Paris), Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian Radio, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra Bratislava, Symphonic Orchestra of the City of Gdansk/Poland, Orchestre Symphonique Pro Arte de Paris, Orchestra Filarmonia Veneta, Orchestra del Teatro Olimpico Città di Vicenza, Orchestra of the APA, Hong Kong, Wiener Taschenoper, among many others. 

For his work he received several scholarships, promotions and prizes such as the Gottfried-vonHerder-Preis , Richard Wagner scholarship, the scholarship of the Alban Berg Foundation, the Working – Scholarship of the City of Vienna, the mention prize of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Austria, the Promotion Award of the City of Vienna, the Government Scholarship a.o. 

He released (as composer and conductor) several CD’s with works of the XXth and XXIth century and realized many broadcast transmissions and productions for the Austrian Radio 

Broadcasting ORF, the Bulgarian National Radio Broadcasting, Deutschlandfunk, Radio Municipal de Buenos Aires… 

He gave many guest lectures at the Institute of the Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires), and the Conservatorio Nacional de Buenos Aires, the Sofia State Academy of Music and INMM Darmstadt. 

He published several texts in the music magazines “TON” of the Austria ISCM Section and in the editions of the Society of Music & aesthetics (Freiburg i. d. Br.) 

He is very active as a pedagogue and gives master classes in conducting in Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Colombia, Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy a.o.  A large number of his students won several competitions and are nowadays active (also in leading positions) at various orchestral and opera stages in Europe and USA. 

For his last CD – Production as composer skin.double he received the publicity award  of SKE austro mechana.  

His second CD as a composer appeared on the label Orpheus in 2018. 

Aleksandr Poliykov is a Ukrainian pianist, conductor, and pedagogue. A piano faculty member of Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

The winner of more than 20 international competitions, Poliykov has performed in the major venues of the United States, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Estonia, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia and Brazil. An active chamber musician, his numerous collaborations with symphony orchestras include Radio-Philharmonic Orchestra of Holland, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and Brockton Symphony. 

Poliykov's expertise is recognized around the globe and has been compared to that of “Daniel Barenboim and Alfred Brendel with tremendous virtuosity of Martha Argerich” (Nordbayerischer Kurier). “Technical difficulties seem to disappear under his hands,” notes the Boston Musical Intelligencer. 

In addition to his career as a performer, Poliykov has worked with 17 orchestras as a guest conductor, frequently leading opera productions and collaborating with vocalists. As an active educator, Poliykov provides concert-lectures, appears on television, and gives master classes in the United States, Europe and China. He is frequently invited to music festivals and to judge competitions. As part of his common teaching practice, Aleksandr introduces his students to the key elements of piano technique and expressiveness using the speed and convenience of a modern world technology, offering online and pre-recorded consultations via email. 

Poliykov earned a B.M. and M.M. in piano performance/education as well as a B.M. and M.M. in orchestral conducting from the P.I. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine. He also received an artist diploma in piano performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
His most recent engagements included guest conducting G.Puccini's Boheme and G.Bizet's Carmen in Romania, 9 performances of Tchaikovsky Piano concerto #2 with Boston Ballet Orchestra, teaching at Music Fest Perugia in Italy and giving masterclasses in China.
 

Joanne Polk 

Pianist Joanne Polk was catapulted into the public eye with her recordings of the complete piano works of American composer Amy Beach (1867-1944) on the Arabesque Recordings label.  Ms. Polk celebrated the centennial of Beach’s Piano Concerto by giving the work its London premiere with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Barbican Center under the baton of Paul Goodwin.  A few days later, Ms. Polk performed the Piano Concerto with the Women’s Philharmonic in San Francisco with conductor Apo Hsu in a performance described as “brilliant” by critic Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  He went on to describe Ms. Polk’s performance as, “an enormously vital, imaginative reading.  Her playing was expansive in the opening movement, brittle and keen in the delightful scherzo.  She brought a light touch to the foreshortened slow movement and fearless technical penache to the showy conclusion.”  

The first recording in the Beach series, by the still waters, received the 1998 INDIE award for best solo recording.  Empress of Night, the fifth volume of Ms. Polk’s survey of Beach’s piano works, includes the Piano Concerto with the English Chamber Orchestra, Paul Goodwin conducting.  The sixth volume of the series, Morning Glories, joins Ms. Polk with the Lark Quartet in three outstanding chamber music works by Amy Beach.  Two all-Beach performances at Merkin Concert Hall, which featured Joanne Polk and the Lark Quartet, were applauded by the New York Times, as they deemed Polk’s performances “polished and assured.”  The American Record Guide reported, “Polk and the Larks played their hearts out.  We in the audience shouted ourselves hoarse with gratitude.”

Prior to recording the complete piano music of Amy Beach, Ms. Polk recorded Completely Clara: Lieder by Clara Wieck Schumann, her debut CD for Arabesque Recording, featuring Metropolitan Opera soprano Korliss Uecker.  This CD was selected as a “Best of the Year” recording by The Seattle Times and was featured on Performance Today on New York Public Radio.  Ms. Polk’s CD for Albany Records, Callisto, features the solo piano music of Judith Lang Zaimont.  Her CD titled Songs of Amy Beach, recorded with baritone Patrick Mason for Bridge Records, was nominated for a Grammy Award.  In 2010, Ms. Polk’s two-CD set of solo piano music by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Songs for Pianofore, was released on the Newport Classic label.  Ms. Polk’s solo piano CD, titled Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, was released in June, 2012 on the Bridge Records label.

In September, 2014, Ms. Polk’s CD titled The Flatterer, solo piano music of French Romantic composer Cécile Chaminade, was released on the Steinway and Sons Label.  The CD was a “Pick of the Week” on New York’s classical radio station WQXR, and debuted at number 1 on the Classical Billboard Chart.  In September, 2017, Joanne Polk’s CD, Gershwin & Wild, was released on the Steinway and Sons Label and features Earl Wild’s transcriptions of Gershwin songs, as well as Wild’s Piano Sonata.  American Record Guide called Ms. Polk’s playing on this CD, “plush and dreamily attractive…”In December, 2014, Joanne Polk was named as one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year in an article titled, “Profiles in Courage.”  Ms. Polk’s profile focused on her work promoting the music of women composers.

Ms. Polk received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees from The Juilliard School, and her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Manhattan School of Music.  She has given master classes at many summer festivals and universities across the country, including Summit Music Festival, New York Summer Music Festival, Montclair State University, Kutztown University, and at the University of Minnesota.  In August 2012, Ms. Polk was one of three directors launching Manhattan in the Mountains, a three-week summer music festival in the Catskill Mountains, devoted to chamber music, solo performing, and community engagement.

Ms. Polk recently completed a five-city, three-week concert and master class tour of Taiwan and China.  As well, in 2019, two of Ms. Polk’s CDs were included on New York City’s classical radio station WQXR’s Essential Piano Recordings. Ms. Polk is a member of the piano faculty of Manhattan School of Music, and is an exclusive Steinway artist.

Dr. Pantelis Polychronidis
is a collaborative pianist, educator and scholar who performs regularly in both the U.S. and Europe. Since 2014, he is Senior Lecturer at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna at the Department of Voice/Opera. Previously, he served as Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Nevada, as Visiting Professor of Music at the University of Michigan, as faculty member at Vienna Konservatorium and at the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) in Vienna.

He received his Bachelor in Musical Studies from the University of Athens with emphasis on ethnomusicology and historical musicology. He obtained his M.A. in Solo Piano and Collaborative Piano with Maxim Mogilevsky from Bowling Green State University, Ohio. Next, he studied with Martin Katz at the University of Michigan where he was awarded his Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) in Collaborative Piano (opera coaching, Lied accompaniment and chamber music). While at Michigan he accompanied the studio classes of the late Shirley Verrett. During his U.S. studies Dr. Polychronidis was supported by a Fulbright and an Onassis scholarship. He has completed two Postdoctoral Programs at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, in Lied accompaniment and Chamber music, with Charles Spencer and Roswitha Heintze respectively.

His artistic development was strongly influenced by Eric Schneider und Deen Larsen, by masterclasses with the pianists Nicolai Petrov, Bernard Ringeissen, Paul Badura Skoda, Lazar Berman, Martino Tirimo, Helmut Deutsch und Wolfram Rieger; as well as with singers like Elly Ameling, Rudolf Piernay, Edith Wiens, Christa Ludwig und Edda Moser. 

Combining the best elements of the European and American musical traditions, he is equally at home in the art song and the operatic repertoire as well as in chamber music. Highlights of his career were performances in the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts in Washington D.C, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Musikverein in Vienna and at the European Cultural Centre in Delphi.

He is in demand as a collaborative pianist and coach, and as such plays regularly at the “International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition”, the Internationalen Hilde Zadek Singing Competition and the International J. Brahms Song Competition, as well as the Weimar Lyric Opera Studio and at the Festival of the Aegean in Syros. He regularly collaborates with such artists as Grace Bumbry, Annely Peebo, Anita Hartig, Lena Belkina, Raehann Bryce-Davis and Miriam Albano. 

 
Markus Prause
Markus Prause is a native of and has studied in Vienna. He graduated from the Conservatory for Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna, under the guidance of Dir.Horst Leichtfried. He continued his musical training in master classes and private lessons with important artists, such as A.Harasiewicz (Poland), J.Dichler (Wien), S.Maltsev (Petersburg) and W.Fleischmann (Vienna).During his studies he was awarded several prizes in national and international competitions .
Markus Prause has been appointed as a professor of piano performance at The Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna. His students are actively concertizing and some have won awards in international piano competitions. Markus Prause is frequently invited to hold master classes throughout Europe and to participate as juror in international piano competitions. Markus Prause performs as a piano soloist and chamber musician in Europe, South Americaand East Asia. He played in several festivals, like the Vienna International Festival, IGNM-Festival, 20 th century festival Prague, Spring-Festival Korea, Bach-Festival Salzburg, Chopin-Festival Gaming, Festival of contemporary music Lower Austria and others. He performed
with orchestras (amongst them the National Philharmonic of Venezuela, Caracas), he played solo recitals in the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus.
In 2005 Prof. Prause and his wife, pianist Chen Chin-Lin, founded the Music Forum Vienna West, where he serves as artistic director.The mission of the forum is to support and further the artistic and musical development of highly talented children. The Forum also provides a platform for concerts at an international level for the local public.

Leonard Prinsloo

The South African born director and choreographer Leonard Prinsloo, has staged and choreographed more than 60 operas, operettas, dance performances and musicals internationally. Having completed his training as classical dancer as well as attaining the Master of Music degree, he initially started a career as ballet soloist in companies in South Africa, Germany and Italy. He is presently the House Director of the Lehár Festival in Bad Ischl, as well as the Artistic Director of the theatrical youth project “Etterepo” in Bad Ischl. As of 2017, he will be the House Director for the opera house in Baden. Apart from the classical repertoire, Prinsloo has staged several world premieres in Vienna (Burgtheater Wien, Neue Oper Wien), Linz and Klagenfurt. Apart from professional productions he has directed several operas for the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien) as well as the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (Die Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien)

Matti Raekallio

Finnish pianist Matti Raekallio studied in his home country, and thereafter in London, Vienna, and St.Petersburg. He finished his Doctorate at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

He has enjoyed a 40-plus years’ career, performing cycles of the complete Sonatas of Beethoven, Scriabin, and Prokofiev, and 62 concertos. He has made about 20 CDs, including the complete Prokofiev Sonatas.

Mr. Raekallio first taught at the Sibelius Academy, and has held professorships in Sweden, Germany, and USA. In 2007 he was invited to join the faculty of The Juilliard School in New York. 

He is a juror in many international competitions, and his students have won many of them. He gives master classes in the USA, Europe and Asia. 

The recipient of several national and international grants and awards, Mr. Raekallio has also conducted research, and served in the Finnish Academy of Sciences. He is Honorary Doctor of the Estonian Academy of Music.

Giuseppe Ravì
Respiro e Movimento® [Breath and Movement] isan innovative technique that aims at maximising the performance of professionals helping them to achieve their full potential.

Designed by Giuseppe Ravì, Respiro e Movimento®  has helped hundreds of professionals to successfully optimize their performance for over twenty years.

Giuseppe Ravì works in several countries including Austria, where he is currently Lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, MDWrecently ranked  as the world’s n. 1 University by subject Performing Arts:
Giuseppe Ravì has been working with many students in several Departments such as:

- SINGING DEPARTMENT

Institut für Gesang und Musiktheater

- PIANO DEPARTMENT

Institut für Konzertfach Klavier

- CHAMBER MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Joseph Haydn Institut für Kammermusik, Alte Musik und Neue Musik
- ACTING DEPARTMENT
Max Reinhardt Seminar, Institut für Schauspiel und Schauspielregie
- ISA 2019
Internationale Sommerakademie der mdw

Stephan Rehm

Stephan Rehm, born in 1956 in Kassel, received his training in Munich at the State Music Academy for opera and concert singing and as a spokesman from Bavarian Radio. His first engagement took him to the Municipal Theatre of Würzburg  for three years, where the young singer made first experiences as a classical opera  (Sarastro, Gremin, Coline, and others) as well as operetta, musicals and drama bass. 

This was followed by years with free guest appearances in opera and concert area, the Stephan Rehm and Others led by Japan, to Brussels, Frankfurt and Los Angeles, to Salzburg for Mozart Week and the Summer Festival in Italy, Israel and Switzerland, the Kassel Music Days, to the Leipzig Gewandhaus, ans Dortmund Konzerthaus, the Gächinger Kantorei, the Wien Modern festival and the festival pèlerinages in Weimar. Stephan Rehm opportunity, under the conductor Howard Arman, Sylvain Cambreling, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Ingo Metzmacher, Helmut Rilling, Markus Stenz had amongst other things make music, and to work with directors like Nicolas Brieger, Ursel and Karl Ernst Herrmann, Peter Mussbach and Werner Schroeter. 

At current City Wien Stephan Rehm joined in recent years at the Festival Wien Modern, at the Volksoper, the Schoenberg Center, the Musikverein and always in productions of the Neue Oper Wien on. As spokesman known Stephan Rehm from many Ö1 radio productions of the ORF, at the University of Music and Performing Arts and at the Vienna Conservatory, he is a teacher of elocution and speech formation. 

Since 1990 Stephan Rehm also works as a language coach for German pronunciation and dialogue in shaping German opera productions, among others nei the Salzburg Easter and Summer Festival, the Festival Aix-en-Provence (2005 to 2009 "Ring des Nibelungen" with Sir Simon Rattle), at the Opera National de Bordeaux, at the Vienna Volksoper and the United Stages Vienna

Yossi Reshef

Yossi Reshef is an international Concert Pianist, Piano Pedagogue, Conductor and Composer. His performances have been received with an outstanding critical acclaim. He performed in Britain, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Spain, Bulgaria, Russia, South Africa, Azerbaijan,The Philippines, Taiwan, and a number of venues in the United States including Los Angeles, Boston, San Diego, Santa Fe, and Carnegie Hall in NY. He is also the founder of the Berlin International Master Class which hold place yearly in Berlin. Reshef holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California, where he was the student and teaching assistant of Norman Krieger. At his graduation he was announced the winner of the University of Southern California Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. He previously studied in Israel with the legendary Pnina Salzman, at the Tel Aviv University. Other teachers include Mrs. Martha Even-Shushan and Prof. Jonathan Zak. Reshef is an established international piano pedagogue, with unique teaching methods. At the early age of 23, he was invited to teach at the Apple Hill Chamber music festival in New Hampshire and following that he taught as a professor at the “Upbeat Hvar” International summer school in Croatia. His passion for sharing and teaching talented young professionals has brought him to lead over 30 international master classes in the United States, Europe, the Far East and South Africa, teaching hundreds of students, focusing on interpretation and practicing methods. He has given master classes in such prestigious venues as the Gnessin Conservatory in Moscow, the Lodz Academy in Poland, the Baku Academy in Azerbaijan, the Zagreb Academy in Croatia, and in all the leading higher education music institutes of South Africa and Taiwan. Following his Doctorate degree, he taught as a Visiting Professor at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Reshef is also establishing himself as an orchestral conductor. He was one of only 4 conductors at the prestigious USC Masters Conductors program, where he regularly conducted the USC Orchestras. He later on pursued conducting as part of his Doctoral degree. His main Conducting teachers include Prof. Hans Beer and Dr. Magen Solomon. As a chamber musician he has collaborated with many artists such as the cellist Nino Ruzevic, violinist Nikolaj Znaider, violist Yuval Gotlibovich, cellist Jonathan Gotlibovich, violinist Dora Schwarzberg, the Serenata of Santa Fe wind players, the cellists Timan Kanitz and Damien Ventula, the oboist Amari Barash, and the Apple Hill chamber players.

Isabel Rey

Born in Valencia, Spain, soprano Isabel Rey is internationally known for her exquisite expressivity, vocal technique and her outstanding acting skills. During her distinguished career she has performed in the most important musical capitals of the world such as Vienna, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Zurich, London, Edinburgh, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Los Angeles, Washington, Stockholm, Athens, New York, Brussels, Moscow, Tokyo, Rome, Venice, and Amsterdam

With an extensive repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Stravinsky, this very versatile singer has performed more than 65 different operas over the course of her career to date, notably Le nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor, Così fan tutte, Alcina, Die Fledermaus, Die Zauberflöte, Rigoletto, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Carmen, Don Pasquale, L'elisir d'amore, Idomeneo, Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Der Rosenkavalier, La Boheme, La Fille du Regiment, Dialogues des Carmelites, Pélleas et Mélisande, Faust, Les Contes de Hoffmann, Die Königskinder, Otello, Simone Boccanegra and The Rake's Progress, always working with great conductors such as Harnoncourt, Noseda, Santi, Lopez Cobos, Welser-Möst, Koopman, Chichon, Tebar, Frühbeck de Burgos, Plasson, Viotti, Fischer, Marriner, Lombard, Zedda, Hager, Corboz, Christie, Minkowski, Biondi, Luisi and Maazel.

Isabel Rey has many DVD’s in the market in which she performs some of her most successful roles such as Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, La Finta Giardiniera, King Arthur and Semele under the baton of Harnoncourt; Die Königskinder with Jonas Kauffman, Don Pasquale with Juan Diego Florez with Nello Santi and Pélleas et Mélisande with Welser Möst. Her varied discography includes a recital with guitarist Ichiro Suzuki, Canciones para la Navidad (Songs for Christmas) with Alejandro Zabala at the piano and The Passion of Spain, a collection of zarzuela arias and duets with José Carreras. 

Passioned for poetry she has published as well her poetry book “Del amor y de la vida”, who has inspired many composers to write songs with her texts.

Over the past two years, she has included in her repertoire new roles such as Tosca, Amelia (Ballo in Maschera) and the title character of Florencia en el Amazonas among others.

Isabel Rey is especially interested in the world of teaching. She is very demanded to teach for her pedagogic skills and has been invited to diverse conservatories around Europe. Her compromise with the young singers has moved her to offer lectures and masterclasses in many european opera houses and music accademies.

Gerald Robbins

Pianist Gerald Robbins has distinguished himself internationally as a soloist and chamber musician having performed throughout the world in virtually every major music center including New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bonn, Munich, Athens, Frankfurt, St. Petersburg, Belgrade, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. In November 2016, Mr. Robbins was a recipient of Armstrong Chamber Concerts’ Lifetime    Achievement Award with the following dedication: “This award is for decades of musical-artistic excellence in concert performances with Armstrong Chamber Concerts and Violinist-Founder Helen Armstrong.”

He has appeared with many major orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and its affiliates, London Mozart Players, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and the Portland Chamber Orchestra, with such conductors as Zubin Mehta, Sir Neville Marriner, Edouard van Remoortel, Harry Blech, Okku Kamu, Jorge Mester, Lawrence Foster, Kenneth Klein, Kypros Markou, Yaacov Bergman, and Louis Fremaux.

A champion of neglected romantic repertoire, Gerald Robbins has received critical acclaim for his solo recordings on the London-Decca, Genesis, Orion, MSR Classics, Bridge, and Black Box labels, among others.  His world premiere Genesis recordings of Litolff and Reinecke concerti, performed in collaboration with the Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra conducted by Edouard van Remoortel, elicited such praise as "Gerald Robbins's technical prowess is phenomenal", "a keyboard voice of true eloquence", "a first class bravura performance."

In addition to his solo activities, Mr. Robbins has distinguished himself as a chamber musician in collaboration with many eminent musicians such as violinists Nathan Milstein, Aaron Rosand, Pinchas Zukerman, Ruggiero Ricci, Mark Peskanov, Bronislaw Gimpel, Kyung-Wha Chung, Mayumi Fujikawa, Haroutune Bedelian, Glenn Dicterow, violists Karen Dreyfus, Walter Trampler, Alan de Veritch, Elizabeth Redgrave, and cellists, Zara Nelsova, Joseph Schuster, Nathaniel Rosen, Stephen Kates, Frederick Zlotkin, James Kreger, and Richard Markson, among many others.  A co-founder with Glenn Dicterow of the Lyric Piano Quartet, Mr. Robbins records and tours with this ensemble.  He is also an accomplished conductor and co-founder with Kenneth Klein, of the Westside Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles now known as the Beverly Hills Symphony. He was also a co-founder of the London Concertante, an ensemble that specialized in 18th and 19th century concerto repertoire. He has appeared as guest artist, several times over the years in Bargemusic, a distinguished chamber music series in Brooklyn, and as a guest artist with members of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center in their celebrated chamber music series.

Mr. Robbins received many important awards throughout his career including a major prize at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.  During his studies at the University of Southern California, where he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees, he assisted as pianist for the string master classes of Jascha Heifetz, William Primrose, and Gregor Piatigorsky.

He is presently living in New York where he is an Artist-in-Residence with the Lyric Piano Quartet at Queens College CUNY, and is on the faculty at the CUNY Graduate Center.  He is also affiliated with the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, NY, and is a member of the chamber music faculty at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

Daniel Sarge

Daniel Sarge, Lebenslauf Der Schwede Daniel Sarge studierte Klavier, Orgel und Dirigieren an der Musikhochschule Stockholm. 1986 wurde er von Rolf Liebermann als Solorepetitor an die Hamburgische Staatsoper engagiert. In dieser Position blieb er bis 2007 tätig und arbeite u. a. mit Dirigenten wie Horst Stein, René Jacobs, Ingo Metzmacher, Kirill Petrenko und Christian Thielemann sowie Regisseuren wie Peter Konwitschny, Götz Friedrich, Jürgen Flimm und Ruth Berghaus, um nur eine Auswahl zu nennen. Er arbeitete regelmäßig für Elisabeth Schwarzkopf als Pianist bei ihrem Gesangsunterricht und bereitete bei ihr verschiedene Liederabende vor. Er trat mit einer Vielzahl von Sängern in Deutschland und im Ausland auf, u.a. mit Simon Keenlyside, Jochen Kowalski und Elena Zhidkova. Ebenfalls in dieser Zeit hatte D.S. eine Professur für die Opernklasse der Hamburger Musikhochschule inne. Von der Opéra National de Nancy wurde er zwischen 2003 und 2007 jährlich als Studienleiter für Produktionen des deutschen Repertoires engagiert. 2007 wechselte D.S. von Hamburg nach Wien, um Studienleiter der Wiener Staatsoper zu werden. Er setzte in Wien seine Tätigkeit als Liedbegleiter fort und trat u.a. mit dem dänischen Bariton Morten Frank Larsen im Wiener Musikverein mit einem Balladenprogram auf. Seit 2010 arbeitet Daniel Sarge frei als Gesangscoach. Diese Tätigkeit führte ihn u.a. an die Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, das Teatro Colòn und an die Royal Opera Covent Garden in der Arbeit mit Sängern wie Anna Netrebko und Elena Zhidkova.

 
Manfred Schiebel

Manfred Schiebel was born in Vienna. At the age of seven, he started to join the "MozartSängerknaben, Vienna", where his first music lessons began. Piano studies with Prof. Thomas Kreuzberger, as well as studies for conducting at the "Hochschule fuer Musik" in Vienna with Prof. Karl Oesterreicher, studies for accompanating with Dr. Harald Goertz. 

Since 1991 he has been teaching at the MUK Privatuniversity of Vienna (former conservatory), where he holds his title Univ.-Prof since 2017, and since 2002 also at University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna (mdw). He has repeatedly worked as an accompanator and coach with famous artists as E. Gruberova, E. Garanca, G. Bumbry, M. Zampieri, M. Erdmann, I. d’Arcangelo, F. Bonisolli, G. Taddei, L. Nucci, F. Furlanetto, S. Ramey, J. Botha, G. Tichy, R. Trost, W. Fink, Miroslav & Peter Dvorsky, Viennese Boys Choir, and many others with whom he gave already concerts on 5 differents continents. He also accompanated different masterclasses and worked with famous singing-teachers as Martha Eggerth, Helena Łazarska, Jewgenij Nesterenko, Krassimira Stoyanova, Leo Nucci, Walter Berry, Hilde Zadek, as well as he gave masterclasses himself for singers and pianists all over Europe as well as in Teheran and Havanna, for example at The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan. 

From 1994 to 2008 he was the art director of the Choral Society „Young-Vienna“. He got big successes in many countries and big concert halls with this choir, up to concerts for the Royal Family in Thailand. He has been working with different choirs, nowadays he leads the choir oft he students in singing at University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. 

Some years ago he founded a piano four-hands duo with the polish pianist Marcin Kozieł, with whom he had concerts at different places in Austria, Poland, Italy and Latvia. 

Since 2011 he has been the musical director of he chamber music festival „Klassik im Advent“ in Austria, which takes place in a big hotel on the top of a mountain almost 2000m high. 

His extensive repertoire, reaching from the classical song and oratorio via opera to operetta and musical, but also including chamber music and the Viennese art and Austrian folk music, makes him  a much sought-after accompanist. Since he was the musical director of the Nestroy-Festival at Burg Liechtenstein with KSCH Elfriede Ott in 1993, he has been dealing with theater music and chansons more intensively. 

Concerts, CD-recordings as choir director, pianist and organist, as well as appearances on TV and radio broadcasting in several continents are rounding off his activities as pianist and conductor

Christian Schulz 

Artistic Director of the Mozart Collegium Vienna and Music Director of the concert series Schwingungen in the Golden Hall of the Wiener Musikverein, originates from a well-known Viennese family of musicians. Christian Schulz started his career as a cellist and performed as a chamber musician and soloist and recently was engaged with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Together with musicians from the Vienna Symphony he found the Ambassade Orchestra Vienna and leads this orchestra as their Chief Conductor. He was Music Assistant of F. Welser Möst, Vladimir Fedosejev and Yakov Kreizberg. The list of orchestras directed by him has meanwhile grown considerably, ranging from the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Tonkuenstler Orchestra NÖ, the George Enescu Philharmonic Bucarest, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the State Philharmonic Orchestra Halle, the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra up to chamber orchestras like the Austro-Hungarien Haydn Philharmonic Orchestra and the Konzert Verein Wien. Since 2001 he conducted every year concerts as well as opera productions at the Bregenz Festival. Highlight of opera engagements were the Magic Flute Premiere at the Vienna Volksoper 2007/2008, Don Carlos at the Arad New Opera Productions and the Little Vixen, Protagonist and Royal Palace in 2003, 2004 and 2008 at the Bregenz Festival. He was Principal Conductor of the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Arad and since 2005 he is Chief Conductor of the Mozart Collegium Vienna. Some of his CD productions were price winning in Canada, USA and Europe. 2006 he started to work as Music Director of the concert series Schwingungen in the Golden Hall of the famous Wiener Musikverein. Since 2010 he works as the Music and Artistic Director of the OKF Teheran music education program. Since 2013 Chief Conductor of the orchestra WIENER MEISTER, members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Since 2014 CEO of the Vienna Symphony Limited SYMPHONIA. President of the record label VIENNA SYMPHONY. Since 2016 Music Director and Chief Conductor of the EntArte Opera Festival in Vienna. 2017 and 2018 Price Winning production “Baruch’s Schweigen”, an opera by Ella MilchSheriff, at the EntArte Opera Festival. Since 2016 Professor for Conducting and Opera Studio at the Richard Wagner Conservatory in Vienna. Since 2017 Music Director of the Vienna Summer Music Festival.(2017 Don Giovanni, 2018 Magic Flute and La Boheme) 2018 premiere Guest conductor of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Brazil in Brasilia.

Britta Schwarz 

In Neubrandenburg (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) geboren, begann die Sängerin Britta Schwarz ihr Gesangsstudium zunächst an der Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin bei Christa Niko, wechselte aber später nach Dresden zu Prof. Christian Elßner und Prof. Hartmut Zabel. Anschließend erhielt Sie ein vierjähriges Engagement am Studio der Staatsoper Dresden (Semper-Oper).

Bei internationalen Wettbewerben in Karlovy Vary (Antonin Dvorak), Zwickau (Robert Schumann) und London (Walter Gruner) errang sie Preise.

In zahlreichen Konzerten mit renommierten Orchestern u.a. den Berliner Philharmonikern, der Staatskapelle Dresden, der Dresdner Philharmonie, dem Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, dem Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, den Stuttgarter Philharmonikern, der Academy of St. Martin in the Fields und der Cappella Andrea Barca konnte sie ihr umfangreiches Repertoire mit großem Erfolg zur Geltung bringen. Dabei arbeitet sie mit so namhaften Dirigenten wie Philippe Herreweghe, Milan Horvat, Michel Plasson, Helmuth Rilling, Kent Nagano, Jörg-Peter Weigle, Bruno Weil Marek Janowski, Peter Schreier und Gustavo Dudamel.

Hervorzuheben ist die regelmäßige und sehr inspirierende Zusammenarbeit mit András Schiff.

Im Jahr 2000 initiierte Sie einen eigenen Liederzyklus LIED ZWEITAUSEND in Dresden (12 verschiedene Liederabende) mit sehr großem Erfolg, eine viel beachtete Fortsetzung mit drei Abenden gab es im Jahr 2003, sowie mit sieben Abenden 2007 und drei Konzerten 2012.

Konzerte und Liederabende führten Britta Schwarz in fast alle Länder Europas, nach Israel, Japan, Kanada, in die USA und nach Südamerika. Weiterhin wirkte sie bei internationalen Festivals mit, so u.a.: Spoleto Festival in Charleston (USA), Festival für Alte Musik Utrecht, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Blyth Valley Chamber Music ( England ), MDR- Musiksommer, Rheingau Musikfestival und den Passauer Europäischen Wochen, sowie dem Menuhin Festival Gstaad. Zum wiederholten Male war sie im Jahr 2014 beim Lucernefestival mit der Missa Solemnis von Ludwig van Beethoven unter der Leitung von András Schiff zu Gast.

Seit vielen Jahren widmet sich Britta Schwarz ganz intensiv der Barockmusik. Dies führte zu vielen Begegnungen mit bedeutenden Barock-Ensembles, z.B. dem Freiburger Barockorchester, mit Cantus Cölln, mit Musica Antiqua Köln, dem Concerto Köln, der Batzdorfer Hofkapelle, der Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, dem Rias Kammerchor und einer sehr anregenden und prägenden musikalischen Zusammenarbeit mit so renommierten Musikern wie Reinhard Goebel, Marcus Creed, Pierre Cao, Gustav Leonhardt, Ludger Rémy, Hans-Christoph Rademann und in jüngster Zeit sehr intensiv mit Michael Schönheit.

Mit dem Lautenisten Stefan Maass, Schloß Batzdorf, hat Britta Schwarz zahlreiche Programme für Solostimme und Basso Continuo erarbeitet.

Im Januar 2001 erschien bei berlin classics eine Solo-CD mit weltlichen italienischen Barockkantaten. Beim gleichen Label erschien 2012 eine Gesamtaufnahme des Weihnachtsoratoriums von J. S. Bach sowie 2015 Bachs "Hohe Messe in h-moll".

Ihr Repertoire ist in mehreren Rundfunkproduktionen und CD-Einspielungen bei verschiedenen Labels (CPO, Carus, Raumklang, Kammerton) zu erleben.

Seit einigen Jahren verbindet Britta Schwarz eine Lehrtätigkeit mit der Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" in Dresden, wo sie den Interpretationskurs für Oratorium leitet. 

Im April 2010 wurde sie als Gastprofessorin für Gesang an die Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin berufen und zum Oktober 2015 wurde sie am selben

Thomas Selditz
Thomas Selditz comes from a family of musicians and studied at the famous Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule in Berlin with Alfred Lipka.  Before being appointed professor of viola at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in 2010, he taught as professor in Hanover 1999-2014 and in Hamburg 2004-2010. He gave up his engagement as 1st solo violist of the Berlin State Opera in favour of his strong passion for chamber music and love of teaching in 1999. For almost 30 years Thomas Selditz has appeared as a chamber musician in international concert life. At the beginning of the 1990s he founded the Gaede Trio with which he performed in Europe, Asia and the USA. The most important works for string trio were recorded on CD with this ensemble. In 2013 he ended this work and was violist in the Hugo Wolf Quartet until summer 2016. Since then he has devoted himself increasingly to solo projects. Over 20 CD recordings document the versatility of his solo and chamber music projects on the Audite, Tacet, Largo Records/London, SONY, CPO, MDG, VMS and Megadisc classic labels. Some of these have received the highest awards from the specialist press (including Diapason d'Or, 2003 German Record Prize, Pasticcio Prize). In 2018, Thomas Selditz recorded Walter Braunfels' Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola with the BBC Concert Orchestra for a CD production. His concert activities have taken him to concert halls such as the Wigmore Hall London, Frick Collection and Carnegie Hall New York, Cité de la Musique Paris, Auditorio Nacional de Música Madrid, Philharmonie Berlin, Kioi Hall Tokyo, to festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Kissinger Sommer to name but a few. At the beginning of 2018 he was appointed president of the International Instrumental Competition Markneukirchen/Germany for string instruments.
Andreas Stoehr

Andreas Stoehr is an extremely versatile conductor and has held major posts at Opera Graz, Theatre St Gallen, the Prague State Opera and the Opéra Comique in Paris. He has enjoyed a long relationship with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf where he introduced historically informed playing techniques and original instruments to the resident Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, and where he took charge of a critically acclaimed cycle of the Monteverdi operas before moving on to Scarlatti, Handel and Mozart. 

Stoehr studied piano and conducting at the Vienna Music Conservatory while subsequently reading music history at the University of Vienna – a dual interest in researching and performing which has continued into his career. He created the first modern performance of Meyerbeer’s Emma di Resburgo, which was broadcast all over Europe from the Vienna Konzerthaus. He has unearthed and performed operatic rarities including Schubert’s last opera Der Graf von Gleichen and the Prague version of Gluck’s Ezio, which was issued as a world premiere recording by Coviello Classics. 

Andreas Stoehr enjoys a growing reputation in the Nordic countries where he has appeared at the Royal Danish Opera and the Royal Swedish Opera in repertoire ranging from Händel’s Serse to Berg’s Wozzeck. He made his debut at the Grand Théâtre de Genève with Cavalli’s La Calisto and at Opera Leipzig with Peter Konwitschny’s production of Così fan tutte. 

As Music Director of the Opéra Comique in Paris, Stoehr conducted the Mozart operas while dedicating himself to the standards of the French opera repertoire by Bizet, Ravel, Poulenc and Offenbach. He also established a thriving home for modern opera, giving the French premieres of both Luciano Chailly’s La Cantatrice chauve and Victor Ullmann’s The Emperor of Alantis. 

As guest conductor, Andreas Stoehr has appeared with the Vienna and Munich Symphony Orchestras, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de Lille, the Residenz Orchestra in The Hague, Orkest van het Oosten, the Brabant Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. In a concert project with the Liège Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000, he conducted Robert Schumann’s complete orchestral works.

Rainer Trost 

The German tenor, Rainer Trost, was a member of the Stuttgarter Hymnus-Chorknaben for ten years. From 1987 to 1991 he studied at the High School for Music in Munich, with Prof. Adalbert Kraus. Between 1991 and 1995, Rainer Trost was a member of the Niedersächsische Staatstheater in Hannover.
At the beginning of 1992, when he was only 26, Rainer Trost burst onto the international stage, singing performances of Ferrando in the new production of Cosi fan Tutte at the Hamburg State Opera. Immediately after his Hamburg début, he took part in a three month tour with the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra (John Eliot Gardiner) in Lisbon, Amsterdam, Ludwigsburg, Ferrara and Paris, in further performances of Cosi fan Tutte. The final performances were recorded live by Deutsche Grammophon for CD and also for television and video by Cameras Continentales.
Invitations to all the leading European opera houses soon followed and over the following years Rainer Trost's career began increasingly to gravitate around the axis Vienna-Salzburg-Munich, gradually establishing him among the leading Mozart tenors of his generation. In early 1993, he sang performances of Ferrando in another new production of Cosi fan tutte, this time at the Cuvilliestheater in Munich and in the summer of 1993, repeated the role in further performances at the Munich Opera Festival. In July 1993, he sang the role of Don Ottavio at the Semper Oper in Dresden, in a new production of Don Giovanni by Willy Decker. Another important miletone during the 1992-1993 season for Trost was his highly-successful debut, as Don Ottavio, at the Vienna State Opera. In the 1993-1994 season, Rainer Trost sang Tamino in the Geneva production of Die Zauberflöte. In the same season, he also sang guest performances in Dresden and Munich and, in the 1994-1995 season, performed the roles of Tamino and Ferrando at the Hamburg State Opera. In the autumn of 1994 Rainer Trost sang performances of Die Zauberflöte at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and in the summer of 1995 he made his début in the role of Eginhard in Schubert's Fierrabras at the Maggio Musicale in Florence.
On the concert platform during 1994-1995, Rainer Trost appeared with the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra (Mozart's Mass in C Minor); the Philharmoniker Hamburg (Die Schöpfung); NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg (J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248)); Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244)); WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln (Die Schöpfung). At the beginning of the 1995-1996 season, he sang Tamino, in a new production of Die Zauberflöte by Andreas Homoki at the Cologne Opera and he made his début at the Opera National in Paris in the role of Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte at the Paris Opera National de Paris. A new production of Idomeneo (produced by Andreas Homoki), Don Giovanni and Cosi fan tutte at the Munich State Opera, Die Zauberflöte at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Hamburg State Opera and Don Giovanni at the Dresden State Opera.
In the 1996-1997 season Rainer Trost sang performances of Don Giovanni and Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Hamburg State Opera, further performances of Idomeneo, Cosi fan tutte and Die Zauberflöte in Munich, Don Giovanni for the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam and he made his long-awaited début at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte. During the 1997-1998 season, Rainer Trosts' engagements included performances of Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni and Entführung at the Vienna State Opera, Don Giovanni and Zauberflöte at the Hamburg State Opera, Cosi fan tutte in London and Munich and the world premiere of Mannfred Trojahn's Was ihr wollt at the Munich State Opera. In the summer of 1998 Trost sang the role of Kudrjasch in a new production of Katja Kabanowa at the Salzburg Festival. In the 1998-1999 season, Trost returned to Munich (Was ihr wollt), Vienna (Entführung, Don Giovanni, Zauberflöte), Dresden (Zauberflöte), Hamburg (Don Giovanni), Paris (Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni), concert performances of Tristan und Isolde with the Berlin Philharmonic (Claudio Abbado). In the 1999-2000 season, performances include Zauberflöte and Fidelio in Munich, Cosi fan tutte at the Salzburg Festival (with Claudio Abbado) and at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva, Katja Kabanowa for the Netherlands Opera and concert performances of Die schöne Müllerin for the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna and Mozart's Mass in C-Minor at the Salzburg Easter Festival.

So far, plans for 2000-2001 include performances of Don Giovanni, Zauberflöte, Cosi fan tutte, Fidelio and a new production of Falstaff in Munich, Entführung and Zauberflöte at the Vienna State Opera, the revival of Cosi fan tutte in Salzburg, a new production of Henze's Boulevard Solitude at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Die Zauberflöte in La Coruna, and concert performances of Tristan und Isolde with the company of the Salzburg Easter Festival on a guest visit to Japan and L.v. Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zürich, a Robert Schumann concert with the Bayrische Rundfunk. In 2001-2002 and beyond, Trost's plans include further performances of Falstaff, Cosi fan tute, Vom Pagen und der Königstochter and Fidelio with the Bavarian State Opera (the latter being on tour in Japan with the company) Katja Kabanowa in Brussels and Barcelona, Don Giovanni at Covent Garden and Barcelona, Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Florence, Die Zauberflöte, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni and Falstaff at the Vienna State Opera and the revival of Cosi fan tutte, L.v. Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and Fidelio (including a recording for EMI) at the Salzburg Festival. In addition Trost will be singing L.v. Beethoven 9th Symphony in Berlin and Vienna, Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and String for the Hamburger Ballet, Capriccio in la Cagliari, La Clemenzo di Titto for the Semper Oper, Lobgesang with the Berlin Philharmonic, Cosi fan tutte in Barcelona and Don Giovanni for the Metropolitan Opera.
To date, Rainer Trost has also sung from his current Mozart repertoire (Tamino, Ferrando, Belmonte, Don Ottavio, Idamantes, Tito) in: Covent Garden, The MET, Operá Bastille, Operá Garnier, Semperoper Dresden, Het Muziekteater Amsterdam, Deutsche Oper Berlin and the maggio musicale in Florenz.
Rainer Trost's future engagements include not only Mozart in Vienna and Munich; but also Alfonso in Schubert's Alfonso and Estrella in Cagliari; Fenton in Munich and in a new production at the Vienna Stateopera. As well as his premiers as Capriccio (Flamand) in Paris, Idomeneo in Tokyo, Meistersinger (David) in Toulouse and the operette Der Graf von Luxembourg at the ‘Theater an der Wien'.
Rainer Trost is an established concert and recital singer, and appears in the world's leading concert halls, with the major orchestras and conductors of our time.
Additionally, he has recorded for DGG and EMI: Cosi fan tutte, Die Lustige Witwe, Fidelio. 

Martin Vacha
Born in Wiener Neustadt; diplomas in Voice, Voice Pedagogy and Solo Voice Performance in Vienna, Arts Management in Hamburg, Doctor of Philosophy, all degrees graduated with high honours; courses in Operetta, Church Music and Adult Education; Masterclasses and private lessons with Prof. Helga Meyer-Wagner, Prof. Cornelius Reid, Prof. Noelle Turner (musical theatre) and Prof. Sebastian Vittucci.
Voice type lyric baritone; first engagements at the Volksoper Vienna and the Salzburg Festival; present main focus on lied and oratorio, performances as a soloist e.g. at the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein, Vienna Konzerthaus, MuTh Vienna, Radiokulturhaus Vienna, Ernst Krenek Forum Krems, Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Alto Adige Festival; oratorio repertoire including Matthäus-Passion, Musikalische Exequien (Schütz), Te Deum (Charpentier), The Messiah (Handel), Carmina Burana (Orff), numerous cantatas (Bach, Telemann), masses (Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Rossini, Dvořák) and requiems (Mozart, Brahms, Fauré); vast lied repertoire including works of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Vaughan-Williams, Korngold, Poulenc, Křenek and Wellesz; premiere first performances, CD productions und radio transmissions; concerts with the pianists Nina Violetta Aichner, Margarete Babinsky, István Bonyhády, Sigurd Hennemann, Ines Schüttengruber, Darya Volkova and with the guitarist Alexander Swete; opera, operetta and musical theatre productions, e.g. Die Fledermaus (Strauß) the role of Falke.
First pedagogical experiences as voice teacher at music schools in Lower Austria; later at the Vienna Conservatory in both departments Voice and Musical Theatre, pedagogy courses as well; since 2002 at the University of Music and Performing Arts – Department for Voice, in 2014 awarded the title of Professor, courses given in research as well; various masterclasses in Austria, Slovenia, Japan, 2020 in the United Kingdom; wide experience as member of academic boards and manager, currently e.g. manager of the Voice Academy Baden/Austria, Vice-President of the European Voice Teachers Association (EVTA) and chairman of the International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT) 2021 in Vienna; continuous activities as researcher, lecturer and writer.

Tomeu Verges

Tomeo Vergés, was born in Spain and  live and work  in Paris as 1980. 

As an interpreter, he has worked with well- known  choreographers like Maguy Marin and Carolyn Carlson (Th. de la Ville-Paris, Teatro de la Fenice-Venice) and also with theatre directors like Jean François Peyret and Jean Jourdheuil (Th. de l’Odeon- Paris, MC93 Bobigny, Festival d’Avignon). He started his career  like a choreographer  with two solos showed in Madrid, Valencia (Spain)  and Modena (Italy) and  founded his own company, MAN DRAKE  in France, in 1992. 

He  conceived his first piece for  the Biennale de Lyon. and he continued  his choreographic work until now, with a dozen of pieces and performances. 

His work, between danse and theatre, has been  shown   in several  festivals and theatres  in Paris (Th. de Chaillot, Th. de la Cité Universitaire, Musée Picasso, Palais de Tokyo…) and in France notably at the festival d’Avignon.   

At the international,  he has showed his work in  Brussels (Th. des Brigittines),  Madrid (Th. Conde Duque, Institut Français..), Barcelona (several times in the Festival Grec, Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Fundación Miró, Museo de Arte de Santa Monica…) London (Mime festival) Birmingham, (Be festival), Prague-Czech Rep. (S.E.S.T.A festival), Seoul-Korea, (Sidance festival), Cairo-Egypt, (D-CAF festival), Otawa-Canada, Lisbon-Portugal, Beirut-Lebanon…

Recently he has collaborated   with  the theatre director Didier Ruiz  for Festival d’Avignon 2017 and 2018 and for his next work, that  it will be showed at Th. de la Bastille in Paris in 2021

These last  years he also works training  and coaching some artists, in Prague and  Paris. 

Actually he works  with his company in a new performance  that will be presented  in may 2021 

Tomeo Vergés has a big experience in the pedagogic area  giving a lot of workshops  and masterclass in Paris  (studio Carolyn Carlson, Micadanses, La Briqueterie..)  and in different cities in France, Spain, Czech Rep., England, Korea, Turkey, Canada, Egypt, Germany…  

Even if his pedagogical work, it’s between danse and theatre his starting point is always the body. His work is not a classical technical training but, from  a variety of sensory and proprioceptive exercises, it puts the emphasis on  the quality of the performer’s presence (singer, musicien actor or dancer) on stage. 

Claudia Visca

Born in New York, soprano Claudia Visca graduated from the acclaimed Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where she studied with Anna Moffo's teacher, Eufemia Giannini.  A Fulbright Scholarship took her to the Hochschule fur Musik Wien where she finished her education under the direction of Ks. Hilde Rossel-Majdan and Anton Dermota.  

During her long stage career, Claudia Visca guested in more than 25 opera houses in Europe, among them those in Amsterdam, Berlin, Cologne, Geneva, Munich, Vienna, and Zürich. In over 2,000 performances, she appeared in more than 75 roles in operas, operettas, and musicals as well as in concerts. Claudia Visca has worked with renowned conductors, stage directors, and artists, including Eugene Ormandy, Gustav Kuhn, Istvan Kertesz, Miguel Gomez-Matinez, Sandor Vegh, Raphael Frühbeck de Burgos, Pina Bausch, Christine Mielitz, Marcel Prawy, Bruno Canino, Rudolf Serkin, members of the Guarneri Quartet, Edith Mathis, Agnes Baltsa and Placido Domingo. A highlight of Claudia Visca's career was to sing Maria in West Side Story conducted by the composer, Leonard Bernstein.

From 1999 to 2003, Claudia Visca was voice professor at the Hochschule fur Musik Cologne.  In 2003, she became a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Professor Visca has given master classes in vocal technique and interpretation in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Serbia, and the United States. Her students are winners of international competitions and are engaged in major opera houses all over the world, including those in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Geneva, Hamburg, London, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich,      New York, Rome, Paris, Prague, Vienna, and Warsaw.

Peter Volpe
Praised for his “stentorian” and “robust bass” by the New York Times, American bass Peter Volpe continually receives critical and popular acclaim across four continents for his powerful command and the rich texture of his timbre. Possessing a vast and ever-expanding repertoire of over 90 roles in six languages in a career encompassing more than 35 years, his captivating style and interpretive skill embraces the depth of every historical and fictional character he embodies. Of his recent portrayal of Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Opera News applauded his ability “to create in his single aria and scene an impressive dignity. His full-bodied bass and great candor of tone, together with his intelligent interpretation, won him a well-deserved ovation.” 

In wide-ranging repertoire that spans from Mozart to Verdi and Rossini to Britten, he has graced the stages of many of the great opera houses throughout the US and abroad, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Oper Stuttgart, Vancouver Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Philadelphia, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Central City Opera, Florentine Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Arizona Opera, Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Kentucky Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Spoleto Festival USA, Palm Beach Opera, Portland Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Saratoga, Mobile Opera, Opera Omaha, Virginia Opera, New Orleans Opera, and the Bard Festival as well as the opera houses of Manitoba, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai, Beijing, Prague, Colmar, Mulhouse, Imola, Riccione, Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Bremen, Dusseldorf, and Saarbrucken.               

Mr. Volpe has performed with some of the most celebrated conductors of his time: James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Sir John Pritchard, Maurizio Arena, Marcello Viotti, Semyon Bychkov, Joseph Rescigno, Vincent La Selva, Richard Buckley, Leon Botstein, and Richard Hickox among others.

Mr. Volpe made his memorable Metropolitan Opera debut in the company’s new production of Prokofiev’s War and Peace,and subsequently returned for 13 seasons with the company for new productions of Berlioz’Les Troyens,Strauss’ Salome, Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov,as well as Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi, Roméo et Juliette, Aïda, I vespri siciliani, Cyrano de Bergerac, Andrea Chenier, and Carmen, and most recently as Idraote in Armida, Angelotti in Tosca, and Dr. Grenvil in La traviata. Recent highlights of Mr. Volpe’s career include three broadcasts for the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series: Puccini's Triptych, Rossini’s Armida, and Verdi’s La Traviata as well as the Verdi Requiem at the Chichester Festival in Chichester, England, and Marcel in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots  with Leon Botstein at Bard SummerScape for which Opera News Hailed “Peter Volpe gave a terrific performance as the querulous old soldier Marcel, incisive and endearing; the decibels he produced were impressive” and the New York Times declared “the bass Peter Volpe brought a robust voice and charismatic presence to Marcel, the count’s stalwart protector.” In 2007, Mr. Volpe created the role of Antoine Deguiche in the world premiere of David DiChiera and Bernard Uzan’s Cyrano for Michigan Opera Theatre. Recordings of the Bard SummerScape Les Huguenotsand Michigan Opera Theatre’s Cyrano, as well as a DVD of the MET’s Armida, were subsequently released and well-receivMr. Volpe made a recent foray into the Wagnerian repertoire, having performed Hunding in Die Walküre with the American Symphony Orchestra at Bard College under Leon Botstein, an All-Wagner concert with North Carolina Opera, and Daland in Der fliegende Holländer at the Glimmerglass Festival in a new production by Francesca Zambello for which Opera News extolled “Peter Volpe, in firm, resonant voice, played Daland not as an old buffoon but as a virile commander in early middle-age.” In addition, has performed Daland to great acclaim with Virginia Opera, Florentine Opera, and Washington National Opera.This season’s engagements include Judge Turpin in new Christopher Alden production of Sweeney Todd at the Glimmerglass Festival, a repeat of Judge Turpin with New Orleans Opera, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Nashville Opera, Daland in Der fliegende Holländer with Austin Opera, Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Florentine Opera, and Gremin in Eugene Onegin with Spoleto Opera.Notable performances for Mr. Volpe include the title role in Don Giovanni with Florentine Opera for which Opera News praised “Peter Volpe's handsome figure and aristocratic bearing made for good casting as Giovanni. His virile bass caressed “Deh vieni alla finestra” sensuously…”, King Philip II in Don Carlo with Vancouver Opera and Austin Lyric Opera to which the Austin Post hailed “The standout performer of the evening was Peter Volpe as King Phillip. His stage presence and deep bass were captivating”, and Méphistophélès in Faust with Vancouver Opera and Palm Beach Opera to which the America Record Guide proclaimed, “Bass Peter Volpe as Mephistopheles seemed in constant motion for each new manifestation of his trickery... his vocal resources are impressive.Other notable roles in Mr. Volpe’s expansive repertoire include Ramfis in Aïda (Palm Beach Opera, Austin Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera), Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni (Arizona Opera), Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Portland Opera), Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette (Vancouver Opera, Austin Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre), Sparafucile in Rigoletto (Arizona Opera, Austin Opera), Gremin in Eugene Onegin (Washington National Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa), König Ludwig in Euryanthe (Bard SummerScape), Marquis of Calatrava and the cover of Guardiano in La forza del destino (Washington National Opera), Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Opera Omaha), Zuniga in Carmen (Seiji Ozawa Opera Project in Japan, Arizona Opera), Banquo in Macbeth(Portland Opera, Arizona Opera), Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Austin Opera), Timur in Turandot (Opera Lyra Ottawa, Portland Opera, Manitoba Opera, Florentine Opera), and Ferrando inIl trovatore(Arizona Opera) as well as productions of Britten’s Billy Budd and Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans (Washington National Opera), Salome, Nabucco,and Roméo et Juliette (San Francisco Opera), and covers of Pistola in Falstaff, Silva in Ernani,and Méphistophélès in Faust (Lyric Opera of Chicago). A consummate concert artist, Mr. Volpe has performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London at The Chichester Festival, the Manhattan Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, The Chattanooga Symphony, L’Orchestra di Imola in Italy, the New Jersey Symphony, Oberlin Conservatory, Arizona State University, Indianapolis Symphony, Queens Symphony, and Augusta Choral Society. In addition, he has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9with the Chattanooga Symphony, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the New York Metropolitan Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, and Augusta Choral Society, Händel’s Messiah with the Edmonton and Louisville Symphonies, Mozart’s Requiem with the Choral Society of Philadelphia, and an all-Verdi concert with the The Washington Chorus at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.   While consistently in demand, Mr. Volpe remains a focused performer, concert soloist, and talented educator who feels an affinity for mentoring developing singers. In this vein, he frequently gives master classes and voice lessons in conjunction with his engagements. A few such venues include Arizona State University, Opera Omaha, Arizona Opera, Portland Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Austin Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. Additionally, he maintains a voice studio in New York City and has frequently been called upon to judge competitions and serve in an advisory capacity for opera companies and opera agencies.  
Mr. Volpe was born and raised in Long Island, NY. A second-generation Italian-American, he was exposed to opera early in life and quickly developed a passion for the art form. He completed his studies at Indiana University under the tutelage of the great Italian basso, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni who took Volpe on as his protegèe and to whom Mr. Volpe attributes his technique and knowledge of the bass repertoire. Shortly after the completion of his studies, Mr. Volpe was accepted into the prestigious Merola Program at San Francisco Opera and subsequently made his San Francisco Opera main stage debut at 26 years of age. He has received awards and mentions from the MacAllister Vocal Awards Competition, the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, and the Sylvia Getzky Competition. 

Elisabeth Werres

Elisabeth Werres Professor of voice at the University of the Arts Berlin u Born in Bonn, Germany / raised in Chicago, Illinois u After graduation from High School in USA she went back to Germany to study with Prof. Dietger Jacob at Cologne University of Music with whom she collaborated until his death over 20 years later. u After her start at Cologne Opera Studio at just age 22 she went on – just a year later - to singing leading roles as ensemble member at Karlsruhe State Theatre and subsequently at such venues as Hamburg State Opera, Hannover State Opera, Cologne Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, State Opera Munich, Opera Gärtnerplatz Munich, Vienna Volksoper, Komische Oper Berlin, Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf, Nationaltheater Mannheim, as well as Opera Essen, Weimar, Erfurt, Bremen, Münster, Augsburg, Dortmund, Leipzig, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Tokio, Hong Kong, Zürich among others… u Television appearances and many concerts followed with Lied, Oratorio as well as Opera and Operetta Galas (Barcelona, Tokio, Lugano, Chicago, Berlin Open Air… WDR, NDR, SWF, ORF) u First recording of the comic opera “Neues vom Tage” by Paul Hindemith, conducted by Jan Latham-König u Her repertoire - in her 40-year career – spans from roles of the lighter “Fach” such as Despina, Susanna, Ännchen, Adele, Musetta, Rosina among others ..…. on to Contessa, Nedda, Elvira, Bartered Bride, Rosalinde, The Merry Widow, Tatjana ….. and further to roles such as Arabella, Freia, Helmwige, Busoni’s Turandot, Sieglinde, Wozzeck Marie, Tosca, Elena (Vespri Siciliani), Milada (Dalibor), Chrysothemis and her all-time favorite: Marschallin. u Elisabeth Werres has been Professor of Voice for the Performing Arts at the University of the Arts Berlin since 2003. u She is on the board of the National Singing Competition Berlin (Bundeswettbewerb Gesang) and a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (BDG). u Master Classes yearly at the IOA (International Opera Academy Bremerhaven) of which she is a founding member. Past Master Classes at the Royal College of Music, London and in Finland (Turku, Helsinki, Tampere, Kuopio, Joutseno…) u Link to website with more i

Birgitta Wollenweber 
Birgitta Wollenweber is born near Cologne /Germany. She studied at the Music Academy in Detmold with Prof. Renate Kretschmar-Fischer. 

After her graduation with honours, she continued her studies with Peter Wallfish in London, where she got her diploma in arts at the Royal College of Music in 1989. In 1990 she received her "Konzertexamen" (performance credentials)

In master classes she worked with Hans Leygraf, Halina Czerny-Stefanska, Bruno Leonardo Gelber as well as in the Beethoven masterclass of Gerhard Oppitz in the house of Wilhelm Kempff in Positano.

The most important awards in her career are the first prize in the Chopin-Competition Cologne, Joy Scott-Prize London, Award in „The German Musiccompetition“ with cooperation of “Deutscher Musikrat“and in the „International pianocompetition Maria Canals, Barcelona with a medal for the best final. 

Festivals like Rheinisches Musikfest, Kunstfest Weimar, International Beethovenfest Bonn, Rheingau-Musikfestival International Musicfestival Dinu Lipatti, Sinaia,(Rumania), 

„La Musica“ - international Festival of chambermusic, Florida, invited her for concerts. 

Her repertoire includes all periods of piano music. She published 15 CD with piano solo and chambermusic with remarkable compositions of Carl Loewe, Julius Weismann, Georg von Albrecht, Joseph Joachim, Salomon Jadassohn, Florent Schmitt and Wilhelm Furtwängler. 

As a Professor for piano she teaches her piano class in the Hanns Eisler school of Music Berlin.

Moni Yakim

Drama faculty member Moni Yakim, born in Jerusalem, Israel, is founder and artistic director of the Performance Theater Center’s P.T.C. Training Center. He was a principal performer with the mime companies of Etienne Decroux and Marcel Marceau. He studied at Le Théâtre National Populaire in Paris and performed with Le Théâtre Franco-Allemande. Yakim directed in Israel and Europe. In the U.S., he directed contemporary and classical plays for Yale Rep., the American Shakespeare Festival, Juilliard Drama Theater, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway. He directed an original production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well ... in Village Gate, N.Y. The production was also produced on Broadway, in Europe, Israel, and throughout the U.S. He has directed operas for American Opera Center, the Metropolitan Opera Studio, Boston Concert Opera, Stonybrook Festival, and Lake George Opera Festival. He has received awards for best director of Jacques Brel, L’histoire du soldat. He created movement for Robocop, Robocop 2, and Robocop 3. He is the author of Creating a Character. Yakim is former head of the movement department at Yale Drama School and has worked at Stella Adler Conservatory, and Circle in the Square. Yakim has been a Juilliard faculty member since 1968.

Roman Zaslavsky

Roman Zaslavsky, pianist “Close your eyes, the piano is there” Pizzicato, Luxemburg "...a memorable performance of the excellent Russian-Isaraeli pianist Roman Zaslavsky …interpreted in the best tradition of Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Giles“ AN Bariloche, Argentina Russian born Israeli pianist Roman Zaslavsky gained an international recognition after winning the Primer Gran Premio at the renowned “Jose Iturbi” International Piano Competition in Valencia, Spain. Since then he performs regularly at the major concert stages around the globe. His tours took him to almost all European countries as well as to Israel, Japan,Columbia, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. Roman Zaslavsky is also a top prizewinner of some other renowned international piano competitions such as the “Vendome Prize” International Piano Competition in Cologne (the only winner) and the “3rd Hamamatsu Academy International Piano Competition” in Japan (second Prize). Having left St. Petersburg and Russia in 1991 Roman Zaslavsky emigrated to Israel, moving then to Germany in 2000. Here he made his debut with the London Symphony Orchestra under the button of Gianandrea Noseda performing then regularly with acclaimed international orchestras in Spain, Italy, Germany, South America in collaboration with Michail Jurowski, Lászlo Kovács, Constantin Trinks and Ligia Amadio. In the past few years, the pianist has given performances in Asia during his extensive tours in

FLORIAN ZWIAUER

Florian Zwieauer studied with Karl Barylli at the Vienna Conservatory and finished his studies in the masterclass of Franz Samohyl at the University of Music in Vienna. As soloist he won first prize at the Jeunesses Musicales Competition in 1969, and in 1978 was awarded second prize at the prestigious International Mozart-Violin-Competition in Salzburg.

1974 he founded the FRANZ SCHUBERT QUARTET of Vienna which was awarded 1st prize at the International String Quartet Competition of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Stockholm, Sweden; being the youngest ensemble and winning this prestigious prize in the first year of its existence caused quite a sensation which led to numerous concerts, Radio- and TV-recordings and a contract with NIMBUS RECORDS in Great Britain. The FSQ had their own concert-series in Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, in the Wigmore Hall, London, in the Salle Gaveau, Paris, and in Washington, D.C. They were invited to perform at all the major festivals like the Salzburger Festspiele, Wiener Festwochen, Schubertiade Hohenems, Carinthian Summer, City of London Festival, Cheltenham International Festival, Turku and Arjeplog Festivals, Istanbul International Festival, and many more.

The FSQ recorded for NIMBUS RECORDS Mozart’s 10 famous string quartets, all quartets and quintets of Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, all 3 quartets and the string sextet of Peter Iljitch Tchaikovsky, the last 3 string quartets of Joseph Haydn, string quartets by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Emil Nicolaus von Reznicek, as well as all the string quartets of Franz Schmidt and Hans Pfitzner.

The FSQ was “quartet in residence” at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK) and at the Music University in Graz, Austria.

As soloist FLORIAN ZWIAUER performed with many orchestras all over the world, among others with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, whose 1st leader he became in 1989, under the direction of Wolfgang Sawallisch, Yakov Kreizberg, Vladimir Fedosejev, Fabio Luisi, Marcello Viotti, Georges Prêtre and Lawrence Foster, to name but a few. He is also regularely invited as  1st guest-concertmaster with the Nederlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam, the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Lisbon and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

FLORIAN ZWIAUER has his own violin class at the Vienna Conservatory for Music (“Konservatorium Wien/Privatuniversität”) since 1983, and is regularly invited to give masterclasses at home and abroad, as well as being a member of the jury of many international music competitions. Since 2005 he also teaches at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Italy.

FLORIAN ZWIAUER was invited by the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon to be artistic director for his own Mozart-Festival, appearing there in the function as soloist, chamber-musician and conductor with the Gulbenkian Orchestra.

FLORIAN ZWIAUER was awarded the “Honorary Cross for Science and Arts” (Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst) in 2000, and in 2007 he was awarded the honorary title “Professor” by the Austrian Federal President.

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