Stefano Bagliano studied with Frans Bruggen, Kees Boeke, Walter Van Hauwe and Pedro Memelsdorf in recorder and ancient music and with Fabrizio Dorsi in orchestral conducting. He performed as a soloist 500 concerts for prestigious festivals in USA, Asia and Europe, such as Carnegie Hall of New York, Moscow Conservatoire, Gasteig of Munich, Società del Quartetto of Milan, Amici della Musica of Florence, Emilia Romagna International Festival, always with a great success.

He works with the famous singers Emma Kirkby and Roberta Invernizzi and performed with conductors such as Alan Curtis, Rudolf Barshai, Anton Nanut and Vladislav Bulakhov. He is the founder and the director of the ensemble Collegium Pro Musica and has made several recordings, achieving thus enthusiastic appreciations from the European and the American critics. He is the art director of the International Festival of Chamber Music of Genoa and Savona, of “Le Vie del Barocco” of Turin and consultant member of “Musica di Corte” of Campobasso.

He is professor of recorder at the Conservatory “Piccinni” of Bari. He also graduated in Law.

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Gianluca Capuano was born in Milan; in 1992 he took a diploma in organ and organ composition at the Conservatory of his native town, where he studied with Eva Frick-Galliera.
He improved his knowledge on the period music (orga n and continuous bass) at the Scuola Civica di Musica with Lorenzo Ghielmi, and he also attended music interpretation courses in Italy and abroad.
Since 1997 he has been artistic and musical director of “I Madregalisti Ambrosiani”, an ensemble of professional singers specialized in the music of the European baroque, which took part in the most renowned period music festivals.

He has recorded for Stradivarius and the Italian broadcast Company, Rai-Radio tre.

Cesar Carcopino was born in Monaco in 1979. After studying the piano, he took up percussion with Isabelle Cornelis and Nicolas Martynciow at the Hector Berlioz Music Academy in Paris. After receiving his DEM (Diploma of Music Studies) in Chamber Music and Orchestra as a percussionist, he began an advanced cycle at the Boulogne CRR (Regional Music Conservatory) with Christophe Brédeloup, then with Frederic Macarez at the Paris CRR, and received a DEMS (Advanced Music Diploma) summa cum laude with the unanimous agreement of the board of examiners.

His diverse musical background gave him the opportunity to play and work with different personalities, e.g. Gilbert Amy, Xavier Gagnepain, Daniel Kavka, Eric Serra, Yann Maresz, David Liebman and with ensembles like the Picardy Chamber Music Orchestra, Itinéraire, 2E2M and others.

He also works as a studio musician or on stage in jazz, variety, popular music, etc. He won an award in 2009 from the Ensemble Music Challenge of FNAPEC, with the Argillos Percussion Group.

In 2009, he created the Ensemble Acouphène, and has remained its artistic director since then.

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David Cohen was born in 1980 in Tournai, Belgium, into a family of musicians and started to play the cello when he was seven. In 1991 he won First Prize in the Young Soloist Competition and First Prize with Distinction in the Senior and the Junior International Competition in Wathrelos, France. He then went to the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. In 1994 David joined the Yehudi Menuhin School for four years, thanks to a grant from the Menuhin Foundation, before going on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Oleg Kogan. On graduation, David was awarded the GSMD’s most prestigious award, the Gold Medal, joining the list of previous winners including Jacqueline du Pré, Bryn Terfel and Tasmin Little.

David began an international career as a soloist aged just 11, performing with the Flemish Orchestra of Brussels, the Orchestra from Grenoble and the Polish Philharmonic Orchestra under Lord Menuhin’s direction, and in 1996 he toured England and Scotland with the Symphonia of Warsaw. In 1997 he had a masterclass with Mstislav Rostropovich and after listening to David, Rostropovich asked him to play in his cello sextet. The same year he was also offered a tour in Germany with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. David has also appeared at several international cello festivals including Kronberg (Germany), Manchester, Cambridge (UK), Beauvais (France) and the Gstaad Festival (Switzerland). In 2005, he became Artist in Residence at Peter House, Cambridge.

David was appointed Principal Cello of the Philharmonia Orchestra in March 2002 (the youngest cello principal ever) and currently teaches at the Royal Conservatoire de Musique de Mons in Belgium. He plays on a magnificent cello by Dominico Montagnana circa 1735, thanks to Mrs Pat Morton and the Razumovsky Trust.

David’s solo recordings are available on the Forlane, Classic FM, Cypres-Records and LPO labels.
“…David Cohen, one of the most talented young cellists I know. He was a student at my School for some years, and is altogether a remarkable young man, a remarkable performer and already an outstanding cellist.”
Lord Yehudi Menuhin, 1998

Scholarships of excellence from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, winner of several competitions, including the first prize in the François Shapira competition, the Tel Aviv Music Academy competition and the Clermont awards. As a concert pianist, he has performed in numerous major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, New York; Beethoven Halle, Bonn; Alte Oper, Frankfurt; Musikverein, Vienna; and London’s Wigmore Hall. Arnon Erez currently teaches at the Rubin Academy of Music, Tel Aviv University.

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Born in Benaguasil (Valencia). He studied music at the Conservatory of Music in Valencia with Manuel Thomas, Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid with Enrique Llácer “Regoli” Joan Iborra, Javier Benet, and J. Maria Martin Porras and Rotterdams Conservatorium (Netherlands), Robert Van Sice marimba.

He has collaborated with various orchestras and chamber ensembles Spanish. Founding member of Perku-Va. He has participated in recordings and radio and television programs in Spain, Croatia, Mexico and Argentina. He has attended and participated in courses in Spain, France, England, Belgium, Holland, Slovenia, Croatia, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, with international high-quality teachers.

His teaching was developed at the Professional Conservatory Ribarroja Municipal del Turia (Valencia) from the current 1988, creating the group which is Perkumanía Ensemble director.

With PERKUMANÍA ENSEMBLE, and participating in numerous meetings, conferences and exchanges of state and international, where he has been getting due recognition, is the organizer of the successive editions of the “International Seminar of Percussion in Riba-roja de Turia” in the who have participated percussionists and teachers, internationally recognized.

Also in the field teaching and dissemination, has developed an ongoing activity providing teacher training courses (Zephyr Godella and Valencia, Ministry of Education of the Generalitat Valenciana and Universitat Jaume I de Castellón) and concerts for school children through various institutional programs in collaboration with the Generalitat of Valencia and the Valencia.

In the field of production has made several first performances in Spain and several premieres of works for percussion group. It has produced the show “Around the World with 80 percussion instruments,” “PERKUMANICÓMIC” and “PERKUTRUM”, “Once upon a time … percussion “with an outstanding success and acceptance by the public. He recorded the CD of carols “Perkutiendo and singing Christmas” with the Choir of Trinity in Valencia with an outstanding success and acceptance by the public.

He has taught classes and workshops in different music schools, conservatories in Spain, Croatia and Argentina.

Toni Flores is sponsored by Sabian, Vic Firth drumsticks Subtracts Pierre Francois percussions, NP (Nova Percussió) and ADAMS

Paul Gulda started to play the piano at the age of 8. His first teachers were Jazz pianists: Fritz Pauer and Roland Batik as well as his father, Friedrich Gulda, who inspired him with his absolute dedication towards music. Leonid Brumberg, longtime assistant of the great Heinrich Neuhaus, taught him the principles of the “Russian School”. At last, Rudolf Serkin gave him the gift of true goodness and support in the realm of music.

“I strive to draw the conclusion from all of this, and to go beyond by my own means.“

Since 1982, Paul Gulda plays and appears internationally as a soloist, chamber player, improviser and composer. He devised and co-produced several programs combining music and literature, and even painting. Starting in 1998, he teaches regularly at masterclasses in many countries. From 2001-2003, he was guest professor at the Vienna Music University. Among the many renowned musicians he worked with are: Pianists Martha Agerich, Chick Corea, Japanese Jazz pianist Makoto Ozone as well as the conductors Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Yehudi Menuhin. He recorded about 20 CDs with a wide-ranging repertoire.

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His works as a composer include compositions for the International Ecumenical Meeting in Graz, Graz 2003 – the cultural capital of Europe, music for the screening of W. Ruttmann’s movie “Berlin-Symphony of a City”, opening music for “Interfaith Europe” and a concert for E-guitar and chamber music, performed in June 2004 with the Jazzit Stage Orchestra in Salzburg.

He is the founder of the “Improvised Music Nights” in Vienna. He was teacher of the University of Music in Graz and jazz piano teacher at King’s College in London. Stefan Heckel participated with Ensembles as the Stefan Heckel Group, Blaubauer, Dawn Chorus.

Weblink: www.ohmsk.net

(Photo: © bigshot / Christian Jungwirth)

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Anna-Maria Hepberger began playing the violin when she was five years old. With twelve years she got her first lessons in percussion. After finishing the Musikgymnasium in Feldkirch (Austria), she began studying percussion at the Landeskonservatorium Feldkirch by Prof. Wolfgang Lindner.

Anna-Maria has a long lasting experience in playing in different orchestras. So she plays amongst others in the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg and is member of the Symphonic Wind Orchestra Vorarlberg and the Wiener Jeunesse Orchester.

Anna-Maria is also a successful participant and price winner in different international competitions.

Claus is currently one of the most in demand drum coaches and clinicians; in addition to his teaching and playing activities he is also contributing articles and columns to the German drum magazine “drums & percussion”, Australia’s “Drumscene” and from Fall 2010 also for “Modern Drummer”. His first and long awaited educational book “Open Handed Playing Vol. I” (co-written with Dom Famularo and including a foreword by Billy Cobham) has been released worldwide with Alfred Publishing and earned international recognition. Fall of 2010 will see another release in Germany with “Daily Drumset Workout” while Volume II of “Open Handes Playing Vol. II” is likely to be released spring 2011. Other future book projects include taking care of Jim Chapin’s idea about collapsed rudiments and a rudimental playalong project with alternate versions of traditional fife and drum tunes.

Claus is currently one of the most in demand drum coaches and clinicians; in addition to his teaching and playing activities he is also contributing articles and columns to the German drum magazine “drums & percussion”, Australia’s “Drumscene” and from Fall 2010 also for “Modern Drummer”. His first and long awaited educational book “Open Handed Playing Vol. I” (co-written with Dom Famularo and including a foreword by Billy Cobham) has been released worldwide with Alfred Publishing and earned international recognition. Fall of 2010 will see another release in Germany with “Daily Drumset Workout” while Volume II of “Open Handes Playing Vol. II” is likely to be released spring 2011. Other future book projects include taking care of Jim Chapin’s idea about collapsed rudiments and a rudimental playalong project with alternate versions of traditional fife and drum tunes.Besides the wide stylistic range of his playing Claus’ unique and individual style of drumming comes as a mixture of his incredible technical skills, open handed playing and ostinato work that never gets into being “just drums”. He teaches at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt, the “Berufsfachschule für Musik” in Dinkelsbuehl and maintains a busy schedule of clinics and private teaching. As the first German respectively European drumset artist he also was invited to the „Drummer’s Collective“ (New York) and the University of Performing Arts / Ju Percussion Foundation in Taipei (Taiwan). His workshops and clinics are known for a very special mixture of education and his unique musical and drumistic qualities likewise. As a clinician he works exclusively with SABIAN cymbals, VIC FIRTH sticks. MAPEX drums and REMO drumheads.

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www.claushessler.de

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Erich Oskar Huetter studied with Hildgund Posch at the University of Music in Graz and Reinhard Latzko at the Musikakademie in Basel where in 1999 he gained the soloist’s diploma and teachers diploma (both with highest distinction).

Further studies with the exceptional cellists Janos Starker at Indiana University and Ralph Kirshbaum at the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK.

He performed as a soloist under important conductors like Daniel Barenboim and played with the following orchestras as a soloist: Basler Symphoniker, Radio Symphonie Orchester Basel, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Members of West Eastern Divan, Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, Collegium pro Musica Genova, Moscow Chamber Orchestra and L’Orchestre de Region Avignon. As a soloist Erich Oskar Huetter performed in major concert halls including Musikverein (Vienna), Mozarteum (Salzburg), Beethoven-Haus (Bonn), Royal Castle (Warsaw), Wahington (Kennedy Center), UN-Headquarter (New York City), Gonfalone (Rom), Jin Mao Concert Hall (Shanghai), Casino (Basel), Philharmonie (Berlin).

He is regularly giving master classes at various universities, as well as at the International Summer Academy Stift Admont. Between 2003 and 2006, Erich Oskar Huetter was directing the cello class of Daniel Barenboims music project in Ramallah.He is a member of the Arcus Ensemble Vienna, Hyperion Ensemble and Trio Arverni Jerusalem and is founder and artistic director of the renowned “Styrian Chamber Music Festival”.

Weblink: www.erichoskarhuetter.at

(Photo: © bigshot / Christian Jungwirth)

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Florian Längle was born in 1991 in Thüringen (Austria). He received his first piano lessons at the „Musikschule Walgau“ at the age of five. Aged eight he started to play percussion with Franz Münsch. 2005 Florian attended the „Musikgymnasium Feldkirch“ and gained percussion lessons from Prof. Wolfgang W. Lindner at the Konservatorium in Feldkirch.

He received several awards at Austrian’s music competition „prima la musica“ soloistic as well as in a group. He played concerts with the chamber orchestra „Arpeggione“, the youth symphony orchestra Dornbirn, the Konservatoriumsorchester Feldkirch and the percussion ensembles „VorAllPercussion“ and „perClunia“ in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Magali Léger began her lyrical studies with Christiane Eda-Pierre. She was subsequently admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she also worked with Chrisitiane Patard. On 1999, she was awarded first prize at the institute.

On 1999, she was invited to the Opéra de Nantes to play Philine in Ambroise Thomas’s Mignon. The following year, she played Curly’s wife in the European production of Carlysle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men. Meanwhile, she also performed for the first time under Marc Minkowski in the Belle Hélène at the Théatre du Châtelet, and Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, staged by Laurent Pelly at the Opéra de Lyon. Next she sang inWilliam Chrisite’s production of Cesti’s Il Titio at the Opéra de Rhin, the Nozze di Figaro (Barberine) at the Aix-en-Provence festival in 2001, and then Norina in Don Pasquale, again at the Opéra de Lyon, directed by Maurizio Benini, on 2002. On 2003 she would be heard in Schonberg’s Jacob’s Ladder, directed by Eliahu Inbal with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France.

Magali Léger is equally successful in her engagement with the baroque repertory, working with, amongst others, Emmanuelle Haim and the Concert d’Astrée at the Lincoln Centre in New York, as she is with contemporary creation; her role as Glaucée, for instance, in Raoul Ruiz’s production of Michèle Reverdy’s Médée, or Laurent Petitgirard’s Elephant Man, staged by Daniel Mesguich. Stunning collaborations with prestigious heads of orchestras and directors would follow, occurring as much at the heart of festivals as on French or international stages.

Hence she played Blondchen in L’Enlevement au Sérail, staged by Jerome Deschamps and Macha Makeieff, and directed by Marc Minkowski, at the festival at Aix-en-Provence, at Baden-Baden, at the Opéra de Rouen, and at the Grand Théatre du Luxembourg; Coraline in Adam’s Le Toréador at the Opéra Comique in Paris; Sophie in Werther at the Teatro Comunale de Bologne, Adina in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore; Minka in Le Roi Malgré Lui by Chabrier, directed by Evelino Pido and staged by Laurent Pelly at the Opéra de Lyon; Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo at the festival in Beaune, directed by Jérémie Rhorer; and Nadia in La Veuve Joyeuse, staged by Macha Makeieff at the Opéra de Lyon. More recently, in Vienna, she sang Crobyle in Massenet’s Thaïs, directed by Michel Plasson, and played La Princesse Laoula in Chabrier’s Etoile at the Grand Théatre de Luxembourg.

The Opéra de Lyon welcomed her once more as Clara in George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, staged by José Montalvo and Dominique Hervieu, and directed by William Eddins. In concert, at the Cité de la Musique, she sings with The English Concert and KennethWeiss on March 2008, and with the ensemble Les Palladins in April, directed by Jérome Corréas. Her first solo recording, of Gabriel Fauré’s Bonne Chanson, is released at the same time, the fruit of collaboration with pianist Michael Levinas.

Last season, she perfomed the role of Leïla in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Thérèse (Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias) at the Feldkirch Festival, Austria.

More recently, she has sung Léonore (Gretry’s Amant Jaloux) at the Opéra Royal de Versailles and at the Opéra Comique and Gabrielle in La Vie Parisienne in Toulouse, Musetta (La Bohème) in Saint-Etienne.

Among her projects, Clara (Porgy and Bess) in Lyon Edimbourg, Levinas’s Métamorphe in Lille…

A first disc recorded with her ensemble RosaSolis, dedicated to Haendel’s Motets and sonates, has been released since March 2009.

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Weblink: www.magalileger.fr

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Efrat holds a B.A. (graduated with honors) in Solo Piano Performance and a M.A. (graduated with honors) in Vocal Repertoire Instruction and Chamber Music from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music.

From a young age, Efrat has performed and appeared with various chamber ensembles as well as in recitals in Israel and abroad.Efrat has participated in numerous master classes and festivals in Israel, Europe and the United States: the Tel-Hai piano master classes, the “Perlman Music Program” and the Academie de Musique de Lausanne master classes with Pierre Amoyal and Bruno Canino. She participated in the ISAM International Music Festival as a pianist and musical director.

Efrat works as a singers’ coach in different studios and productions, examples of which include the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, the “Kibutzit” Orchestra, the Yoram Levinstein Acting Studio, the “Maayan” choir and the New Israeli Opera.  Efrat regularly performs as a piano accompanist in various opera workshops -  the IVAI Opera Program in Tel-Aviv and in Chiari, Italy, and the voice workshop held by Prof. Rita Dams among others.Efrat played in a first CD recording of Czech composer Jaromir Weinberer’s pieces for violin & piano, a Deutschlandfunk Köln production.

At the moment, the French clarinettist Michel Lethiec is considered to be one of the most eminent figures on the world-wide classical musical scene. Besides his numerous concert and festival performances, he is also devoted to teaching and participates actively in the research and the distribution of the repertoire.

Michel Lethiec is a member of the Trio à vents de Paris, together with Vincent Lucas and Philippe Hanon.

He has played with the Barcelona Orchestra, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic, the Stockholm and the Malmoe Orchestras, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Milano Pomeriggio Musicale, the Prague Radio Orchestra, the Philharmonique de Radio France… and is a member of the Trio à vents de Paris together with Vincent Lucas and Philippe Hanon.

Devoted to contemporary music, he has played premier performances of numerous pieces and concertos by composers such as: Penderecki, Corigliano, Denisow, Maratka, Ballif, Landowski, Decoust, Fourchotte, Scolari, Narita, Brotons, Giraud…

Besides his concert performances in Europe and Asia, during the next season, he will give master classes at theAcadémie d’Été of Nizza, the University of Jerusalem, the Conservatoires of  Shangai and Peking, the Academy of Hong Kong, the Conservatoire of Lausanne, the Academy K. Penderecki in Poland.

His recordings include about twenty compact discs, among which are two Grand prix du Disque (“Ascèses” by Jolivet and “Contrasts” by Bartók, with G. Poulet and N. Lee), for Lyrinx, Arion, RCA, Bis, Talent, Actes Sud.

He has just recorded the three Concertos by Penderecki (with the Saint-Petersburg Camerata conducted by K. Penderecki and E. Leducq) as well as a CD devoted to the chamber music works of the same composer (Naxos), the Concerto by Vanhall (Talent) and the Préludes et Danses by Lutoslawski (Arion),  “Luminarium” by Maratka (Arion, with the Talich Orchestra Prague) the Duos by S. Giraud (with A. Noras), the Sonatas by Auric, Honegger and Poulenc (with C. Ivaldi).

He will shortly record the Concertos by Baermann and Mendelssohn (Talent) and the “Porgy and Bess” Suite for clarinet and strings (Naxos).

He teaches at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and at the Nice Conservatoire and he also participates regularly in international competitions (Geneva, Leipzig, Prague…) as a jury member.

He is the Artistic Director of the Festival Pablo Casals in Prades.

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Born in Rama Village-Galilee; A talented Qanoun player. As a child he studied Eastern Music and Qanoun under the instruction of Mr. Elias Joubran. Mahran got his Qanoun specialization B.Mus degree from the Academy of Music and Dance- the Hebrew University-Jerusalem and now he is completing his second degree studies under the surveillance of professor Taiseer Elias.

Mahran performed in many important festivals, including the “Oud Festival- Jerusalem”, “Yabous Festival” of Eastern-Jerusalem, “Les Voix des Pays”- France.

As Qanoun, Bozok, Saz player Mahran preformed, recorded and featured as a guest artist with top International and national musicians, including Moneim Adwan- France, Haytham Safia- Holland and Taiseer Elias-Israel.

Currently teaches Qanoun and is an assistant tutor in the Academy of Music and Dance- the Hebrew University-Jerusalem.

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He was born in Santomera (Murcia). Barchelor’s degree from Conservatory of Music of Murcia. Studied at “Creative School of Music” in Madrid, and Berklee School of Music in Boston (USA). He took the master course “Educative Research: Curricular and Professional Development”.

He has taught numerous courses on Percussion all over Spain: in Schools of Music, Associations of Music, Youth Orchestras, Universities and Teacher Training Centres. He has also given courses and held clinics both in America (Mexico and Puerto Rico) and in Europe (Croatia and Slovenia).

He has been a member of numerous national and international symphonic orchestras playing as a percussionist and as a timpanist both as a student and as a professional musician. Among these orchestras, it is worth mentioning the Orchestra of Schools of Music of Berlin (Germany), the Youth Orchestra of Tirana (Albania) and the Youth Orchestra of the European Community. He was a soloist timpanist at the Symphonic Orchestra of the Region of Murcia (Spain) from 1990 to 1994 with the head conductor Mr. Manuel Hernández Silva. He participated in a good number of contests and festivals with many Music Bands of the regions of Alicante, Murcia and Albacete (Spain).

As a percussionist, he accompanied soloists of great stature, for example, Luis Julio Toro (Venezuela), Kebin Bobo (USA), Kai Stensgaard (Denmark), Bogdan Bacanu (Romania), Christoph Sietzen (Germany), Samuel Takye (Ghana) among others. As a drummer, he accompanied prestigious artists such as Ute Lemper (Germany), Swingle Singers (France), Robert Bonfiglio (USA), Ira & Claudia Thomas (USA), Lou Bennet (USA), Jorge Pardo (Spain), Carlos Benavent (Spain), Carlos Piñana (Spain), Rosa (TV Operación Triunfo – Spain), Diego Martín (Spain); also percussion bands, some of them are: PERCUSIÓN-PLUS, ETNOS-PERCUSIÓN and PERKUMANIA.

He composed works and made musical arrangements for the percussion groups N’cayman, Alia and Alpaky.

He carried out a great number of recordings for The Symphonic Orchestra of Murcia, The Symphonic Orchestra of Cordoba, The Big Bands of Murcia, Alicante and Albacete, and also for bands of percussion, contemporary music, Jazz-Fussion, Salsa, Flamenco, New Musics, Pop-Rock, Latin Rock, etc. Among these, it is noteworthy to mention the ones done together with Jorge Pardo, Carlos Benavent, Carlos Piñana and for the well-known Spanish singer Rosa (Operación Triunfo), as well as for RNE (National Radio of Spain) and TV. He has performed demonstrations of percussion instruments in Frankfurt Fair (Germany) for the trademarks Consolar de Mar and Jimbao.

In 2003 and 2004 he was on tour with the singer Diego Martín; in 2005 with the singer Angel Rios, in 2008 and 2009 with the percussion ensemble Perku-Va around Mexico, Puerto Rico, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. In 2010 he performed on the TV programme “Homenaje a la Copla” on Canal 7 (local TV channel in Murcia-Spain).

Nowadays, he is a percussion teacher at the Professional Conservatory of Music in Lorca (Murcia), a soloist of the Symphonic Orchestra of Albacete, a collaborator of the Symphonic Orchestra of Galicia (A Coruña- Spain), Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia (Santiago de Compostela-Spain) and Symphonic Orchestra of Córdoba (Spain). Founder member of the percussion band Perku-Va, (with which he toured successfully in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, Croatia and Austria). Founder member and conductor of the percussion band N’Cayman Percussion , with which he was awarded several prizes in Castilla-La Mancha, Alicante and Cádiz. Drummer of Indicco, Ibérica Dixie Jazz Band, Into Jazz, Victor Perona Jazz Projetc and Big Band of Albacete.

Alberto Marquina plays with instruments Pearl, Sabian and Adams.

Pei-Jee Ng was born in Sydney and grew up in Adelaide studying at the Elder Conservatorium with Janis Laurs and Barbara Yelland. In 2001 he was Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year and in 2003 entered the Royal Northern College of Music on a full scholarship where he studied with Ralph Kirshbaum, graduating with distinction. He was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2008. 


Most recently, Pei-Jee made his debut at the Wigmore Hall in London and performed with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra with conductor Anu Tali at the Estonian Music Days Festival. Last season Pei-Jee Ng toured the USA as soloist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra appearing at Royce Hall, Los Angeles and Carnegie Hall, New York, made his debut at the Konzerthaus in Berlin as part of the Classic Young Stars International Series and gave a critically acclaimed recital at the Purcell Room. He gave the world premiere of the Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits Helios Helios with the Adelaide Symphony at the Adelaide International Cello Festival and the Australian premiere of Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger. In 2008 Melba Recordings released his debut CD, featuring works by Chopin and Kats-Chernin. Future plans include recitals at Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and appearances at the Winchfield and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festivals.



Pei-Jee Ng has performed widely in Australia, Asia and Europe, including appearances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic (Tchaikovsky), Oulu, Melbourne (Saint-Saens), Sydney (Tchaikovsky), West Australian (Haydn), Tasmanian (Kabalevsky) and Queensland Orchestras; Sinfonia ViVA and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. He has worked with conductors Arvo Volmer, Rumon Gamba, Paul Mann, Frederico Cortese, Peter McCoppin, Nicholas Kok and Graeme Abbott.



His recital work has included concerts at the Lincoln Centre New York, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, the Newbury International Spring and Gower Festivals, a three-city tour of Germany, sixteen-city tour of Australia and an appearance in the opening recital of the 2007 Manchester International Cello Festival.



Passionate about contemporary music, Pei-Jee and his twin brother Pei-Sian, also a cellist, have commissioned new works for two cellos by acclaimed Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin and Daniel Kidane, and given the Asian and Australian premieres of double cello concertos by the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho, Italian composer Giovanni Sollima, Australian composer Graeme Koehne and Tõnu Kõrvits. Future plans include a new double concerto by Brian Howard and a new work for two cellos entitled ‘Dioscuri’ by the British composer Gary Carpenter. 



He is a member of the Tate Piano Trio with pianist Chiao-Ying Chang and violinst Sulki Yu.


Born in Bucharest into a a family of musicians, Razvan Popovici studied in Salzburg, Paris and Freiburg with Peter Langgartner, Jean Sulem and Wolfram Christ. His other mentors were Tabea Zimmermann, Paul Coletti, Wifried Strehle, Thomas Riebl, the Hagen Quartett and Peteris Vasks.

As a soloist he has appeared in the Théatre-dés-Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Cologne Philharmony and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

As a chamber musician he has performed with Konstantin Lifschitz, Rainer Kussmaul, Alexander Lonquich, Thomas Brandis, Daishin Kashimoto, Baiba Skride, Carolin Widmann, Alina Pogostkina, Mihaela Ursuleasa, David Cohen, Adrian Brendel, Gilles Apap, members of the Amadeus Quartet, casal and Voces Quartets at the Wiener Festwochen, Schwetzinger Festspielen, Harrogate Festival, Open Chamber Music in Prussia Cove, Ferrarra Musica, Oxford Chamber Music Festival, Boswil Sommer and Kobe Music Festival, as well as in halls like the Wigmore Hall and the South Bank Centre in London, the Atheneum in Bukarest, the Essen Plilharmony and the Prinzregententheater in Munich.

As a member of the Ensemble Raro, he tours regularly Europe, Japan and North America. In the season 2009/10 he performed in the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Musashino Hall in Tokyo and both in the Konzerthaus und Musikverein in Vienna.

Razvan played as an extra player with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and has been guest principal violist in many orchestras including the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Essen Philharmonic and the Kobe Chamber Orchestra.

He recorded extensively for radio and television including BR, SWR, BBC Radio 3, MTV, RFI, DRS2, TVR and RRM.

Razvan gave master classes in the Czech Republic, Japan, Italy and Romania.

Razvan is founder and director of the Chiemgauer Musikfrühlingin Traunstein and chamber music series Pélerinages in Munich, Germany and of SoNoRo Festival in Bucharest, Romania.

The young British violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky was born in Moscow in 1983 into a family with an established musical tradition and at the age of eight Alexander made his debut performance as a soloist with the chamber orchestra in Montpellier, France, and later that same year he was invited to become a pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin School. His other teachers were Lord Menuhin, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Georgy Pauk, Maya Glezarova and Maxim Vengerov. Currently Alexander is studying with Professor Pavel Vernikov in Vienna.

Since their first meeting in Moscow in 1990, Lord Menuhin became a great inspiration for Alexander and supported him through his school years. Together they performed the Bach Double Violin Concerto in France and Belgium, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in Budapest as well as Bartok’s Duos at St James’s Palace in London.
Alexander has performed in many international music festivals throughout Europe, including the Radio France Festival in Montpellier, the Music Festival in Oldenburg  and at the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island, USA.
He has been featured as a soloist at many famous venues throughout Europe, including The Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Salla Verdi in Milano and the Barbican London. The Strad magazine has featured Alexander as one of the “Stars of the New Century”. He was featured as a soloist in an important Tchaikovsky documentary by BBC Television in 2007.

He has released two CD recordings for Angel Records (a part of Capitol/EMI Classics group).
He has given a solo recital at London’s Royal Festival Hall, as well as debut performances in New York where he appeared at the Frick Collection Series partnered by Bella Davidovich.

His 2005-2006 schedule included engagements in the USA with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Constantin Oberlian, Germany, Italy, Russia and Japan.

During the 2006-2007 season he will be giving further performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in St Petersburg. Alexander also made his debut with the English Chamber Orchestra,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and BBC Concert Orchestra.

Ensemble Raro was formed in 2004 by four extraordinary young musicians. Their goal is to create unforgettable musical moments and to combine innovative approach with the rich European tradition of intimate and genuine chamber music making.

The inspiration for the ensemble’s name comes from Robert Schumann’s invented alter ego, Master Raro – a member of the Davidsbund and a mediator between Florestan and Eusebius, the two characters that were Schumann’s musical doubles, the contrasting voices of his creative psyche. Master Raro was, therefore, something of a balancing force and represented sound judgment and a need to find unconventional ways of going forward.

In this sense, Ensemble Raro is constantly looking for new contrasting programme forms, in which they establish fresh cultural, musical and literary connections. Since the members of Ensemble Raro are also in great demand as solo artists, it gives them even more possibilities to create different programmes, ranging from solo pieces to quartets.

Ensemble Raro is the ensemble in residence at the Chiemgauer Musikfruehling Festival in Traunstein, SoNoRo Festival in Bucharest, Kobe International Music Festival, Pèlèrinages in München and Le Faure/Bordeaux. By creating these festivals the ensemble has full artistic liberty: they have improvised with DJ’s, created multimedia shows with VJ’s from Japan and Romania and developed literary soirées on love, Paul Wittgenstein and Bulgakow’s Master and Margarita with the actor Karl Markovics and the writer Lea Singer.

Ensemble Raro is actively involved in performing contemporary chamber music repertoire. They gave the British and German premieres of Peteris Vasks’s Piano Quartet. Their performances of Walter Braunfels’ and George Enescu’s works in Pelerinages series in Munich received critical acclaim.

Ensemble Raro’s partners in various chamber music formations include Daishin Kashimoto, Konstantin Lifschitz, Adrian Brendel, Claudio Bohorquez, Baiba Skride, Carolin Widmann, Alina Pogostkina, Marlis Petersen, Mark Padmore and other celebrated musicians.

The Ensemble recently performed in the Boswil Summer Festival (Switzerland), St.Gallen Festival and Gmunden Festspiele (Austria), Riga Chamber Music Days (Latvia), Schloss Elmau and Schloss Filseck (Germany) and in Music at Plush Festival (UK). Since 2006 the Ensemble Raro has toured annually in Japan.

Besides regular collaboration with the Bavarian Radio, Ensemble Raro’s performances have been broadcast on NHK/Japan, SWR/D, TVR, RRC and RRM/RO, DRS2/CH, LVR/LV and RFI/F.

Last two years the Ensemble Raro released three CDs. The first CD Songs and Dances of Life was described by Radio France International as “an exceptional project”. About the Canti Drammatici featuring piano quartets of Brahms and Vasks, the renowned Gramophone Magazine wrote: “Ensemble Raro bring a feisty application, impeccable polish and lively imagination to Brahms’s stormy C minor Piano Quartet… “. The Seasons was released in autumn 2008 in cooperation with the SoNoRo Festival and features the seasons by Antonio Vivaldi and Astor Piazzolla.

Ensemble Raro regularly gives master classes in Romania, Italy and Japan and developed SoNoRo – INTERFERENCES, an extended educational project dedicated to the most talented young Romanian musicians.

In the season 2009/2010 Ensemble Raro will give debut recitals in Vienna (Konzerthaus and Musikverein), Tokyo (Musashino Hall), New York (Carnegie/Zankell Hall) and London (Wigmore Hall).

Mary Ellen Woodside, violin

Meesun Hong, violin

Alexander Besa, viola

Rafael Rosenfeld, cello

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„..each individual is a musician of the highest technical ability, but what is more impressive is how they create a completely homogenous and harmonious ensemble.  Their honest approach to the works convinces me as intelligent and mature.  If this all sounds too serious, allow me to emphasize the group’s joyful and youthful playing…“

Bernard Haitink on the Merel Quartet, 2006

Since its formation in 2002, the Merel Quartet, resident in Zürich, Switzerland, has received unanimous praise:

“New to the Salzburger Festspiel stage:  the Merel Quartet. This young Zürich ensemble’s music-making is extraordinarily precise and tonally exceedingly well-matched.”

Wiener Zeitung on the quartet’s debut at the Salzburger Festspiele (August, 2008)

“… with utmost expressivity and a subtle sense of form, tone and rhetoric.”

Neue Zürcher Zeitung on the Merel Quartet at the Ittinger Pfingstkonzerte (May 2007)

The Merel Quartet performs extensively in Europe in such prestigious venues as the Zurich Tonhalle and Wigmore Hall, and in such important festivals as the Salzburger Festspiele, Lucerne Festival, Kunstfest Weimar, the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, the „Omaggio a Palladio’ series in Vicenza, and are regular guests of András Schiff and Heinz Holliger at the Ittingen Whitsun Festival.

In addition, the quartet has collaborated with such artists as Ruth Ziesak, Juliana Banse, Dénes Várjon, Nobuko Imai, Thomas Demenga, Heinz Holliger, Christoph Schiller, Quatuor Ebène, the Stamitz Quartet, and the Panocha Quartet, among others.

„It is with great pleasure that I recommend the Merel Quartet, as the latest, most welcome addition to the podiums of the chamber music world.  I wish the quartet the recognition they deserve.“

Alfred Brendel on the Merel Quartet, 2006

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Founded in 2004 by four musicians of the Paris “Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse”, the Voce Quartet was soon making its voice heard. After a few short years of existence, with the precious help of the Ysaÿe Quartet, the four artists have established their reputation at the international competitions of Geneva, Cremona, Vienna, Bordeaux, London and most recently at the competition ‘Franz Schubert and the Music of Modernity’ in Graz (Austria), from which they returned with three prizes (Second Prize, Interpretation Prize for the Ligeti quartet, and Audience Prize). These successes have led them to appear all over the world (Japan, Central America, United States, Europe, North Africa) and to share platforms with such outstanding musicians as Miguel da Silva and Pierre Fouchenneret.

The Voce Quartet is conscious of the need to allow listeners to experience classical music outside the conventional concert framework, and has experimented with various types of performance by lending its voice to silent films (by such directors as Murnau, Lubitsch, Keaton and Vidor) and to plays. Its members seize the opportunity to meet all kinds of audiences by providing the musical illustrations for the lectures of Bernard Fournier and the radio and television programmes of Jean-François Zygel (La Leçon de Musique, Le Cabaret Classique) and introducing their work in schools. They also have more personal musical projects such as the artistic direction of two festivals – the Festival de Cordes at La Charité-sur-Loire and Le Coeur en Musiques in the south of the Ardèche département.

The Voce Quartet is supported by the Académie Musicale de Villecroze, and also receives assistance from Cultures France, the Fondation du Groupe Banque Populaire, and Proquartet-CEMC; the last-named makes it possible for the ensemble to receive regular guidance from eminent teachers.

Text: © Nascor
Photo: Sophie Pawlak

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Weblink: quatuorvoce.free.fr

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Founded in 1979 by Günter Meinhart, STUDIO PERCUSSION graz has brought a considerable number of productions to life on various stages in Austria and abroad over the past 30 years. Apart from the constant conservation and expansion of their repertoire of contemporary music, STUDIO PERCUSSION graz also enjoys repeated and exciting cooperation with musicians, composers and organisers from the field of Jazz.

In summer 2006, the percussion theatre WUMM! was performed for the first time at the opera in Graz as part of the LA STRADA festival, which has been cooperating with STUDIO PERCUSSION graz for several years. This production will be the centrepiece of their international guest performances for the next few years.

In summer 2010, STUDIO PERCUSSION will present the new production FACES & PLACES for the first time.

The ensemble also takes great pleasure in producing children’s and youth programmes. These programmes give young audiences an insight into the extensive and partly very exotic range of instruments; and with the help of original literature or adaptations, young listeners are introduced to the development and the repertory of percussion music.

Concerts and music theatre productions in / by:

Styriarte, Wiener Festwochen, Salzburger Festspiele, ars electronica, Seoul Drum Festival, Brucknerfest Linz, Steirischer Herbst, New York – festival mostly modern, Dubrovnik Festival, Music Biennale Zagreb, La Strada, Musikverein Wien, Jazzfestival Izmir, Narodni Dom Maribor, Konzerthaus Wien, Berliner Festspiele – maerzmusik, Journees de la Percussion – Paris, Osterfestival Innsbruck, Budapest, Jazzfestival Burghausen, Festspielhaus St. Pölten, Thessaloniki, Athen, Korfu, Istanbul, Ankara, Konzerthaus Berlin, musica contemporanea – Bolzano, Flute Festival – Pristina, Porgy & Bess – Vienna, Pula, Vienna Percussion Festival, BUM FEST Slovenia, International Percussion Ensemble Week – Croatia, Nomus Festival – Novi  Sad / Serbia,

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www.studiopercussion.com

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