Monday, January 23, 2023

Yuval Admony



Teaching Languages : English, Italian, Hebrew
Teaching Period : Aug.16 (arrival) - 22 (departure)


Pianist Yuval Admony is a Professor of Piano Duos, Piano Solo and Chamber Music in the following establishments. Piano Duos: The Buchman-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv University, The Tel Hai International Piano Master Classes in Israel and The Jerusalem Music. Piano Duo Master Classes abroad include the Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory in Saint Petersburg, PTNA - Japan National Piano Teachers Association in Tokyo, KNUA - The Korean National University of Arts in Seoul, Piano Fest in Subotica, Serbia. Piano Solo: Taught at Ramat Hasharon and Givatayim Conservatories, and in international courses such as: Primavera Pianistica in Belgium, Euro Arts in Halle, Germany, Perugia MusicFest in Italy, Poros International Academy in Greece, The Norwegian National Academy of Music in Oslo, The Pacific Rim Festival in the Vancouver Island, Academia Valdarnese, and Trieste Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Tartini in Italy, World Piano Teachers Association in Novi Sad in Serbia.

Mr. Admony has been a jury member in National & International Competitions including The America–Israel Foundation, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Academies Chamber Music and Concerti Competitions, The Concerto Competition in Tel Hai Piano Master Course, Qualified Musicians in the Israeli Defense Force, IBLA GRAND PRIZE in Sicily, Piano Duo Competitions Duettissimo and Take Two in Israel, New Immigrants Competition, and others. His students have been prizewinners in national competitions such as the National Piano Duo Competition and The Glitter of the Baroque, The Pnina Zalzman Competition, audition winners to play with the Israeli philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and award recipients of the American Israeli Foundation. His students participated in Summer Courses in Israel & abroad: Perugia Italy, Vlasti Greece, Castle D’Úrsel Belgium, EuroArts in Germany, Poros Festival in Greece and Piano Fest in Serbia.

Mr. Admony directed for a decade the concert series: Around the Piano hosting leading musicians from Israel and abroad. In 2003 he co-founded and was the Artistic Director of: The 1st International Piano Duo Festival in Israel presenting duos from 10 countries in The Israel Opera House and The Jerusalem Theatre – hosting Israeli Chamber Orchestra. Member of the Music Committee in Israel Ministry of Culture, and Chair of Israel Piano Teachers Association. He is the author of the book: "THE WONDERS OF MUSIC", 4-hand pieces for Teacher & Pupil based on music theory topics (The Scale ~ Tone & Semitone ~ Intervals ~ Chords ~ Chord Degrees ~ Clefs ~ Note Values ~ Grand Finale) along illustrated music fables.

Yuval Admony holds a Masters Degree from the Tel Aviv Academy of Music and an ArtistDiploma from the Royal Academy of Music in London. After his studies, he joined the Mozart European Foundation and performed in chamber music festivals in Krakow, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw and Florence. His live concerts of Enescu’s 2 Piano Quartets in the Slowazki Theatre in Krakow were released with EMF label in Salzburg. Other solo releases: the CD: Towards 2000 recorded by the Israeli Composers League in the Anthology: “Psanterin” –100 years of Israeli composition for piano solo.

In 1996 Yuval formed The Kanazawa-Admony Piano Duo with Japanese pianist (and wife) Tami Kanazawa. Since then, the Duo has been conducting an active career in Israel and abroad. First prizewinner of 5 international piano duo competitions: The 2008 Oslo Prize in Grieg Concours, The 2005 Menuhin Gold Prize in Osaka International Competition, the 2002 IBLA GRAND PRIZE in Sicily, The 2001 Rome Prize and The 2000 Tokyo Competition. Recipients of The Israel Minister of Culture Award for a Permanent Ensemble.

 They have been described in terms of: “heights of virtuosity and fantasy” [BNN Germany], “Astonishing coordination and refined musical taste” [Jerusalem Post] “real artistic sentiment” [Odessa Reporter] and Unity and musicality that is above criticism" [Music Today, Japan]. 

Kanazawa-Admony have performed in over 30 countries. Prestigious halls include Carnegie Hall, New York, Argentina Theatre in Rome, Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall, Warsaw National Radio Hall, Budapest Congress Hall, Jerusalem Theatre and others. International Festivals include The Budapest Spring Festival, Baltic Piano Duets Festival in St. Petersburg, The Pacific Rim Festival in Canada, Klavierduo Festival in Germany, Odessa Dialogues, Asian Music Festival, Piano Fest in Subotica, Serbia, Felicja Blumental Festival, Upper Gallilee Festival and The Israel Festival. 

They were broadcast on the radio stations of BBC London, CBC Canada, Tokyo FM, NHK Japan, BNR Bulgaria, Warsaw Radio 2, Budapest National Radio, Radio New Zealand and Israel “Voice of Music”. 

As guest duo soloists they appeared with Israel's leading orchestras amongst which; The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. The Israel Symphony Orchestra, Rishon Lezion, Israel Chamber Orchestra Tel Aviv, Israel Kibbutz Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva, and others. Their CD featuring The Symphonic Poems by Liszt with NAXOS Label, received claim in the music magazines Fanfare and International Piano. Other releases include: Rhapsodies for Two Pianos with Romeo Records Label, Ami Maayani Double Concerto with Fons Music Foundation Label. 



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Ya-Fei Chuang

Teaching Languages : English, German, Chinese

Teaching Period : July 19 (arrival) - 25 (departure)


Ya-Fei Chuang’s performances have been hailed by the New York Times, Gramophone, Fanfare Magazine, and the Berlin Tagesspiegel. Her mentor, Alfred Brendel, has praised her as “a pianist of extraordinary ability, intelligence, sensitivity and command …”  Commenting on her newly released Chopin/Liszt recording, he stated, “If you want to listen to Chopin and Liszt with different ears, Ya-Fei Chuang's ecstatic performances cannot leave you cold, and her pianism is staggering;” ...

and Remy Franck called it “...masterful...thrilling...phenomenal” (Classical Music Journal).  Reviewing her live recording of the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1, Fanfare Magazine hailed her “delicacy and fluidity of touch ... this version now sits at the top of the pile of Mendelssohn Firsts, alongside Perahia, [Rudolf] Serkin, and John Ogdon.”

Ya-Fei Chuang’s international appearances as a soloist include the orchestras of Berlin, Boston, City of Birmingham, Israel, Malaysia, and Tokyo.  Having performed in over 20 countries, more recently she has appeared in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Norway, Poland, Taiwan, Tokyo, Boston, Florida, New York, Rhode Island, San Francisco.  She has performed at the festivals of Verbier, Ruhr, Schleswig-Holstein, the European Music Festival (Germany), Bach Festival (Leipzig), the Mozartwoche (Salzburg), the Mozart Festival (Romania), Beethoven Festival (Warsaw and Krakow), Shannon (Ireland), Oulu (Finland), and in the US at Gilmore, Grand Piano Series, Nevada, Newport, Oregon Bach Festival, Ravinia, Sarasota, Tanglewood, and at the Taipei International Music Festival, Taiwan International Music Festival, and Taiwan Maestro Piano Festival. She has performed in the Celebrity Series in Boston, at the Fromm Foundation concerts at Harvard, the Harvard Musical Association, the International Music Sessions in Prussia Cove, England, and with the New York Philomusica.  She performs frequently with the Spectrum Ensemble Berlin, and has appeared in duo performances with Pierre Amoyal, Alban Gerhardt, Clive Greensmith, Kim Kashkashian, Mark Kosower, Gabriel Lipkind, Boris Pergamenschikow, Andreas Schablas, and is a frequent partner of Steven Isserlis and Robert Levin.  She has collaborated in duo and chamber music performances with concertmasters and principal players of the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra.

She is equally adept at playing the fortepiano and has performed with leading ensembles on period instruments, including the Academy of Ancient Music, Boston Baroque, Concerto Köln, Handel & Haydn Society, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Philharmonia Baroque. She recently gave a concert at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, on a newly restored 1820s Fritz fortepiano; and she has performed and recorded as soloist the three Mozart double and triple concertos with Robert Levin, Laurence Cummings, and the Academy of Ancient Music in London to great critical acclaim.

Chuang's mastery of the most challenging solo and chamber music repertoire is complemented by her passionate commitment to contemporary music. She has premiered numerous works by international prize winners Thomas Oboe Lee, Alexander Müllenbach, Stanley Walden, MacArthur and Pulitzer Prize winner John Harbison and Pulitzer Prize winner Yehudi Wyner. She has presented contemporary music at many important venues, including in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, at the Ruhr Piano Festival, in New York, Boston, Salzburg, at Yale University.  She performed contemporary works as a soloist with orchestra for the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, and she taught at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau (France), where she performed contemporary music.

Ya-Fei Chuang has recorded for AAM Records, ECM, Harmonia Mundi, Le Palais des Dégustateurs, Naxos, and New York Philomusica Records.  The Klavierfestival-Ruhr has released a number of her live recordings, including a solo recital distributed as a premium by Fono Forum Magazine in Germany.  Her recording of Hindemith chamber works was awarded a special prize by the International Record Review.

Ya-Fei Chuang is University Professor at Mozarteum University in Salzburg. She was visiting professor at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University (2022~2023). She was associate professor of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and has taught a piano performance seminar for nearly two decades at the New England Conservatory. She is a sought-after teacher of master classes throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Since 2008 she has given an annual two-week master class at the International Summer Academy at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. She has served on the juries of international piano competitions, most recently at the Grieg Competition in Norway, the Beethoven Competition in Vienna and Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn.

Prizewinner in the Cologne International Piano Competition at age 18, Ya-Fei Chuang first performed on television in her native Taiwan at the age of eight and gave her first public solo recital at age nine.  She won first prize at the nationally televised ‘Genius vs. Genius’ Competition at age ten, and as a student of Prof. Rolf-Peter Wille she won first prize at the National Competition (Taiwan) at age eleven. The following year she received unprecedented fellowships and scholarships from several prestigious foundations in Germany and Taiwan that enabled her to pursue pre-college, undergraduate, and masters-level studies at the Freiburg Conservatory (Musikhochschule) with Rosa Sabater and Robert Levin, completing the six-year course of study in four.  During this time she was awarded numerous prizes, including the Basel-Colmar-Freiburg Arts Prize, the Mendelssohn Prize (Freiburg) and Parke-Davis Prize (Germany). She subsequently concluded her German studies with Pavel Gililov, receiving a concert diploma (final degree) at the Cologne Conservatory, and earned a graduate diploma at the New England Conservatory in Boston with Russell Sherman.  Her master class teachers included Leon Fleischer, Gil Kalish, Elisabeth Leonskaja, John O'Conor, John Perry, Menahem Pressler, Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, and György Sebök.

Ya-Fei Chuang is a Steinway artist.


William Fong


Teaching Language : English
Teaching Period : July 19 (arrival) - 25 (departure)


William’s international career was launched in 1984 when he won the first prize, gold medal and Rosa Sabater prize at the Concurso Internacional de Piano in Jaén, Spain. His concerto début at St. John's Smith Square with the Philharmonia Orchestra followed soon after.  He subsequently added successes in the Busoni, Cleveland, Iturbi, and Scottish International Competitions.

Performances in New York, Moscow and St Petersburg (under the auspices of the Sviatoslav Richter Foundation), and in Europe have drawn critical acclaim and enthusiastic audiences. Invited to China, supported by Arts Council England, William has performed and given master classes in Shanghai. He has also performed in Australia at the invitation of the Chair of the Australian Piano Pedagogy Conference and was the keynote speaker, giving a recital and master classes, at the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand conference in Auckland.

William maintains a busy schedule of recitals, master classes, teaching and lecturing both in the UK and abroad, as well as regular commitments to some of the finest international piano summer schools.

A musician of wide interests, William has performed with ensembles such as the Brodsky Quartet and members of Guildhall Strings. He has also collaborated with singers Steve Davislim and James Rutherford and has recorded some fascinating and little known repertoire in the chamber music field. His concerts have been broadcast on television and on radio in Europe and the US. William has performed at all of London's major venues.  His concerts have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, and BBC television.

A distinguished teacher, William is in demand for master classes and adjudication in the UK and overseas. He is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music www.ram.ac.uk and Head of Keyboard at the Purcell School for Young Musicians www.purcell-school.org - one of Europe's leading specialist schools for talented young musicians, visiting professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Artistic Director of “Piano Star” – an educational project and festival for young pianists in Romania.

His students’ achievements have included places and scholarships to study at Curtis Institute of Music USA, Universität der Künste Berlin, Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien (MDW), the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Trinity Laban.  His students have also won important international competitions, including Liszt International Competition (Budapest), Weimar Liszt International Competition, Jeunesses Musicales Romania, and Lagny-Sur-Marne International Piano Competition. Students have also established successful careers as recording artists. 









Sunday, January 22, 2023

Roman Zaslavsky



Teaching Languages : English, German, Russian

“Close your eyes, the piano is there”
Pizzicato, Luxemburg

"...a memorable performance of the excellent Russian-Israeli pianist Roman Zaslavsky
...interpreted in the best tradition of Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Giles“

AN Bariloche, Argentina


Born in St. Petersburg Israeli pianist Roman Zaslavsky gained an international recognition after winning the Primer Gran Premio at the renowned “José 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. In the past few years, the pianist has given performances also in Asia during his extensive tours in Taiwan and China appearing among others at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, at the Beijing Concert Hall, at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center etc.

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, then moved to Germany. 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, Ligia Amadio and Ruben Gazarian.

In 2017 Roman Zaslavsky was appointed Professor for Piano at the University of Music and
Performing Arts in Vienna.

Roman Zaslavsky’s concert appearances in such concert halls as the Berliner Philharmonie, the Philharmonie am Gasteig in Munich, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Palau de la Música in Valencia, the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Oji Hall in Tokyo, the Kitara Hall in Sapporo, the Sala Cecilia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, the Sala Sao Paolo in Sao Paolo and the Jerusalem Theatre are recognized by international audiences and critics alike. 

The Scottish “Herald” was impressed by his performance calling it ”...A touch of dynamite”, “... flamboyant, swashbuckling”, “...A sensation”. The British press praised him in “Strad” magazine, saying that Mr. Zaslavsky is “... a pianist with exceptional virtuosity”, the Canadian “Toronto Star” wrote that his performance was “marvellous”, German “Badische Neueste Nachrichten” referred to him as “... a virtuoso keyboard lion”.

Zaslavsky's discography contains several releases with EuroArts Music International: in 2012 the first Blu-Ray Audio release “Ingenious Opposites Vol.1” featuring works of Robert
Schumann and Franz Liszt received the international Pizzicato Supersonic Award (2013). The sequel “Ingenious Opposites Vol.2”, released in November 2013 on Blu-Ray Audio highly acclaimed by the "Pizzicato International Journal for Classical Music". Zaslavsky’s release of the filmed studio solo recital with works of Sergei Rachmaninov and Sergei Prokofiev was published on DVD in 2016 and his live recorded piano recital with works of Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt was released on DVD in 2017.

Roman Zaslavsky’s new recording for DECCA Classics dedicated to works of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms has been released in December 2020.








Roland Krüger

Teaching Languages : English, German
Teaching Period : August 5 (arrival) - 11 (departure)



Prof. Roland Krüger began his studies with Prof. Oleg Maisenberg and then continued for a long period with Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. From 1999 until 2001 he was one of the very few selected students in the class of Krystian Zimerman in Basel, Switzerland.

In 2001, Roland Krüger was awarded the First Prize and the Audience’s Award at the Geneva Competition (Concours de Genève), being the first pianist after eleven years to receive this prize. As a soloist, he worked with orchestras such as Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre National de Belgique, Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR, Basler Sinfonie-Orchester and Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn under conductors like Fabio Luisi, Dennis Russell Davies, Othmar Maga, Eiji Oue or Marc Soustrot.

He performed Piano Recitals and Concertos in many important international venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Musikhalle (Laeiszhalle) in Hamburg, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Casino in Basel, the Beethoven Hall in Bonn, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Rheingau Musik Festival or the Festival di Ravello in Italy.
Krüger’s repertoire reaches from Baroque to the collaboration with composers of our time. Over the years, he has been especially engaged in the music of Bach, the sonatas of Haydn and Beethoven, the German Romantics (Schubert, Schumann, Brahms) and the music of the 20th century.

Some highlights of his countless Chamber Music activities were performances of Mahler, Korngold and Schönberg at the Brucknerhaus Linz, Mozart/Hummel at the Mozart House Vienna and Messiaen at the Festival de la Habana in Cuba. He has also developed projects in collaboration with distinguished German actors Christian Quadflieg and Bernt Hahn.

In 2002, Krüger started teaching as an assistant of Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, and, from 2004 until 2008, conducted his own piano class at the Music Academy of Kassel. In 2007, he became professor at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Today he is highly known as a very much sought-after professor. Many of his students have regularly won prizes, for example in Aarhus, Barletta, Dresden (Anton Rubinstein), Meiningen (von Bülow), at the “Young Pianists of the North” Competition, in Paris (Ile de France), Sendai or Zwickau (Schumann).
In his class Krüger currently teaches 15 students from 8 nations. He is Head of the “Bachelor of Piano” Programme in Hanover.

Roland Krüger has been teaching in master classes in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, China, Korea and at the Lithuanian Music Academy of Vilnius. He is often invited as a jury member of national (Deutscher Musikwettbewerb, Bundeswettbewerb “Jugend musiziert”) and international piano competitions.

He recorded Debussy’s 12 Études for Ars Musici and received raving reviews. Further recordings include solo works by Schubert, Janacek and Bartók as well as chamber music by Schubert and Brahms together with clarinetist Dimitri Ashkenazy for paladino music. In 2013 he released a CD with music by Joseph Merk on Naxos, together with Cellist Martin Rummel. Another Naxos-CD (Mozart/Hummel).








Roberta Bambace


Teaching Languages : Italian, German, English
Teaching Period : July 25 (arrival) - 31 (departure)
 

Pianist Roberta Bambace graduated with top marks and honours with Maestro Nunzio Montanari from the Conservatorio 'C. Monteverdi' in Bolzano, where she was soon appointed principal piano teacher. She then furthered her studies with Maestro Bruno Mezzena, attending courses on 20th century music at the Ticino Musica International Classic - Lugano (CH). 

She attended Masterclasses with Irvin Gage in Florence on vocal chamber singing and the International Vocal Chamber Music Workshop in Conegliano Veneto with Charles Spencer, concentrating in particular on composers such as Vaughan Williams, Aaron Copland, Charles Ives and F. Poulenc. 

Winner of numerous prizes in national and international piano competitions (including Treviso, Senigallia, La Spezia, Cesena, Livorno, Finale Ligure, Enna, Oporto - Portugal and Sopron - Hungary), she has made several recordings for RAI and other foreign radio-television stations (Germany, Austria and Hungary). 

She has also recorded several CDs for the record labels 'Bottega Discantica', 'Odradek Records' and 'Brilliant Classics'. From a very young age, she has performed extensively as a soloist, with orchestras and in chamber ensembles in Italy and abroad, playing in important halls and theatres for renowned associations and international festivals, always receiving wide public and critical acclaim. 

She recently toured with a series of recitals in India: Goa (Institute Menezes Briganza - Panaji), Pune (Mazda Hall - Poona Music Society), Mumbai (Prithvi Theatre and NCPA Experimental Theatre). She is also invited to hold Masterclasses in Italy (Talent Music Master Courses - Brescia, Villa Magni - Pistoia, Piceno Classica - San Benedetto del Tronto), Spain (Conservatorio Superior de Musica in Vigo, Granada, Cordoba, Tenerife), Turkey (Anadolu University - Eskişehir), Romania (Conservatory of Timisoara). 

She currently teaches principal piano at the Conservatorio 'L. Campiani' in Mantua. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the 'Platina International Music Festival' and the 'Platina International Grand Prize' music competition, as well as President of the 'Colere Anima' Cultural Association.







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Monday, January 2, 2023

Rintaro Akamatsu


Teaching Languages : English, Japanese
Teaching Period : August 10 (arrival) - 16 (departure)


Rintaro Akamatsu began studying the piano and the violin at the age of 2, and the cello at the age of 6. He showed remarkable talent from a very young age. At the age of 5, he made his TV debut, showcasing his skills. By the age of 10, he performed Mozart's concerto with his original cadenza. Since winning the All Japan Student Music Competition in 1990, he has achieved success in several major competitions in Japan.

His first international recognition came in 2000 when he won third prize at the Clara Schumann International Piano Competition, which featured esteemed judges such as Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire. Dr. Joachim Kaiser praised him as "really intelligent and talented" during this achievement.

After graduating from Kobe University, he received unanimous acclaim from the judges who awarded him the Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste for both piano and chamber music at L’Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. He excelled in chamber music, receiving full marks from all the judges. He has studied under renowned musicians such as Mikhail Voskresensky in Tokyo, France Clidat and Jean Micault in Paris, György Nádor and Kocsis Zoltán in Budapest, and Nina Patchett and Christian Ivaldi for chamber music.

He has performed with prestigious orchestras such as the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Royal Metropolitan Orchestra, Royal Chamber Orchestra, Danube Symphony Orchestra, and Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. In addition to performing in major concert halls in Japan, he has showcased his talent in the USA, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Taiwan, and Colombia. His recordings, including "Due Domenico," "Angel del Piazzolla," "And the Bell Tolls," "Hommage a Invention," "Lascia ch'io Pianga," and "Für Clara," released under King International, have received critical acclaim from various magazines.

Moreover, he serves as a jury member for numerous international piano competitions, such as the "Danubia Talents," "Osaka," "Xabia," "Liszt," "Orbetello," "Monegrarte," and "Scandinavian" International Music Competitions. He has been invited to teach master classes in Japan, Asia, and Europe, and has had the privilege of mentoring over 1,000 musicians throughout his career. His guidance and expertise have contributed to the success of many talented individuals, who have emerged as winners in significant domestic and international competitions.

He has also authored numerous works and contributed serials to newspapers and magazines, providing insights into his experiences, knowledge, and perspectives on music. These written contributions showcase his multifaceted presence in the arts.

Currently, Rintaro Akamatsu is Professor of Osaka College of Music, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Utsunomiya Junior College, Budapest International Piano Masterclass. The President of the Japan Liszt Piano Academy. An ambassador for Casio.


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Philippe Raskin

      




Teaching Languages 
_ French, Dutch, English, Spanish, German, Italian
Teaching Period
_ July 14 (arrival) - 20 (departure)


Born in Brussels, Philippe Raskin devoted himself to music at a very early age. His performances have been illustrated as a “model of radiant authority (...), solar, generous, committed and under control (MDM, La Libre Belgique) and plays “with an impressive confidence” (JK, Mundo Clasico). 


Philippe began piano lessons with Aleksandr Friedland, a Russian conductor, and continued working with Bernadette Malter and Loredana Clini. He developed his artistry furthermore with Emanuel Krasovksy, Vincenzo Balzani, Ralf Gothóni, and Leon Fleisher on the piano in addition with Johannes Meissl and Hatto Beyerle for chamber music. 

At the age of 16, he began studying at the Royal Conservatorium of Brussels in the class of Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden. In the same year, he obtained his first degree with the highest honours. He then joined the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (still with Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden) and graduated again with the highest honours, receiving the diploma from H.M. the Queen of Belgium. During the same period, he completed his Master's degree at the Royal Conservatorium of Brussels in piano and chamber music. 

In 2005 he entered the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia in Madrid where he worked for four years under the tutelage of Dimitri Bashkirov and Claudio Martínez Mehner. As early as the first year, he received from H.M the Queen of Spain the Sobresaliente Prize at the Pardo Palace. In 2010, Philippe started studying at the Strasbourg Conservatory with Amy Lin for a “Diplome de Spécialisation” where he graduated with the highest honours. In 2012 & 2013, he worked with Leonel Morales.

Philippe has won several national and international competitions, amongst others: the J.S. Bach Competition, the Gretry Rotary Competition, the Paris International Piano Competition, the Lions Club Competition, and the André Dumortier International Piano Competition. In 2012, he became a prizewinner at the Lyon International Piano Competition and won first prize at the “Spanish Composers” International Piano Competition in Madrid. 

Philippe has performed many recitals, as part of chamber groups and as a soloist with orchestras all over the world - in renowned concert halls such as the Grand Hall of Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Musikverein in Vienna, or at the Philharmonie in Berlin. He was also invited by the Chopin Foundation in Warsaw to perform in the birthplace of the composer. Philippe regularly performs with orchestras, notably the Belgian National Orchestra, the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, and the Salzburg Chamber Soloists amongst many others. His chamber music partners include artists such as Clemens Hagen, Jérôme Pernoo, Miguel Da Silva, etc. 

Philippe also regularly performs contemporary music and has taken part in several world premieres. Many composers have dedicated works to him, including "Stringent & Tremulation" from Belgian composer Jean-Marie Rens, "Piano Sonata" from Turkish composer Serkan Gürkan and "Sonata Der Hunt" from Austrian composer Christoph Ehrenfellner. 

Philippe is invited each year to be a member of the jury in several international piano competitions including the International “Piano Talents” Competition Milan, the Lyon International Piano Competition and is the artistic director of the César Franck International Piano Competition and the International Music Festival (IMF) Paris. He is also a regular member of the jury at the "MozArte" Competition in Cologne, the "Spanish Composers" Competition in Madrid as well as the Chopin Competition in the United States, the "Cita de Cantu" Competition etc. 

In 2009, Philippe opened his piano school and also gives many masterclasses in Belgium and abroad. From 2016, Philippe was also the artistic director of the “Resonances Musique de Chambre” Festival in France and began teaching at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Philippe is also a member of the international piano faculty in Brescia and at the International Academy of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.










 

Paolo Francese

Teaching Languages : Italian, English
Teaching Period : August 10 (arrival) - 16 (departure)


Paolo Francese began studying piano when he was seven years old. He entered the Italian State Conservatories where graduated Magna cum laude in piano performance. Furthermore he followed piano master classes with artists like Vladimir Krpan, Boris Bekhterev, Aldo Ciccolini, Joaquìn Achùcarro, and Sergio Fiorentino. In order to enhance his musical preparation he also studied composition and musical analysis, piano pedagogy and teaching techniques, conducting, physiology of music and neurophysiology of musicians. He also achieved the level of Doctorate both in Piano Performance and Chamber music with the highest grades, honors and special mention.

Prize-winner in several national and international piano competitions, Paolo Francese has begun very early a successful concert playing career, both as soloist and in various chamber music ensembles, in Italy and abroad. Also regularly invited by prestigious theatres, music festivals to perform with orchestra he managed over the years to establish excellent relationships with musicians, music associations and institutions around the world.

By virtue of his considerable experience his activity in teaching for the advanced levels goes even beyond the "institutional" role played in Italy, occurring both in summer master classes and post diploma piano courses; moreover he is frequently invited to take part as member of juries of national and international piano competitions.

He is promoter and artistic director of the International Piano Festival “PianoSolo”, an event that takes place annually in Salerno and of the Querceto International Piano Festival & Masterclasses in Toscana (Italy).

Also involved in the disclosure of the new music, he has taken part to world premieres of contemporary works, establishing cooperative relationships, as well as deep and sincere friendships, with some composers. Recently he has been among the interpreters of some innovative works which received flattering acclaim from audiences and critics.

He teaches piano in the Italian Conservatoires (Conservatorio di Musica “Domenico Cimarosa” Avellino) and holds piano master classes for musical institutions and organizations all over the world. 

His piano performances are recorded by Phoenix Classics; as a writer, he also author of articles and eassays on musicological topics.








Pascal Nemirovski





Teaching Language _ English, French, Russian


"... A Prokofiev Seventh Sonata boasting perfect rhythmic quality and remarkable balance between virtuosity and musicality: good blood never lies!"

Jacques Doucelin, LE FIGARO


Pascal Nemirovski is recognized as one of the most sought-after piano pedagogues in the world with many of his students winning top international prizes (Leeds, Busoni, Ettlingen, YCA New York, YCAT London, BBC New Generation Artist…) and many of whom are now successful recording artists represented by major Concert Artist Management companies (Harrison Parrott, Askonas Holt, Intermusica, IMG Artists…). Among them Lise de la Salle, Louis Schwizgebel, Daniel Lebhardt, Mario Mora, Roman Kosyakov, Emanuil Ivanov, Edward Leung, Yi Zhong ...

He studied at the Juilliard School with Nadia Reisenberg and Adele Marcus from 1981 to 1984 on a full scholarship (Steinway & Freundlich Fund). Then he continued his studies in Paris with France Clidat and Alexis Weissenberg and started to give concerts and masterclasses in Europe, the United States and Asia.





Olivier Moulin

 


Teaching Languages : French, English, German
Teaching Period : August 16 (arrival) - 22 (departure)


Hailed by the Washington Post as a « young artist displaying maturity and elegance », French pianist Olivier Moulin studied under Eric Heidsieck and Gery Moutier at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique of Lyon, where he was unanimously awarded first prize with honors. After advanced studies in the same institution, he continued his training in Austria at the Salzburg Mozarteum in the classes of Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Clemens Hagen, where he obtained a Master of Arts with highest honors. Throughout his studies, he has also benefited from the advices of masters such as Aldo Ciccolini, Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Jacques Rouvier, Jean-François Heisser, Sergio Perticaroli…

Prizewinner of international piano competitions, he has been invited to participate in major international festivals : la Roque d’Anthéron, Montpellier and Radio-France, Lille Clef de Soleil, Pianos Folies in Le Touquet, Journées Lyriques in Chartres, Divonne, Sully-sur-Loire, La Vézère, Croisements Festival in China, Virtuosi Festival in Brazil, Festival Internacional de Piano En Blanco y Negro in Mexico, Istanbul’s Lisztomanias, Motley Tulip International Arts Festival in Belarus, Bellapais Music Festival in Cyprus… 

He has performed in prestigious venues in France (Grand Auditorium of Radio-France, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, the Louvre Auditorium, Lyon and Avignon Operas, Cloître des Jacobins in Toulouse, Théâtre des Variétés in Monaco, Arsenal de Metz…), in Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Hungary, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey…), Asia (Japan, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia…), and the Americas (USA, Brazil, Mexico). His concerts are regularly broadcasted by radio and television in France and abroad. Olivier made in 2014 U.S. debut at the French Embassy in Washington DC, where he played a recital devoted to Rameau, Debussy, Ravel.

He has also collaborated with several orchestras : Orchestre National de Metz, Ensemble Orchestral de Montbéliard, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Wuhan (China), the Camerata de Coahuila (Mexico)… His passion for chamber music has allowed him to share the stage with many artists such as David Guerrier, the Fine Arts Quartet, soloists of the Philharmonic of Radio-France, Bertrand Chamayou, Jérôme Dorival… He was also invited to Geneva and Chartres by Eve Ruggieri to take part in conference/concerts focusing on the life of Frederic Chopin. His first solo CD, devoted to Franz Liszt, was released in october 2011 for the french label AmeSon/Outhere.

Olivier Moulin is Professor of piano at the Nancy Conservatory of Music (France), and President of the Epinal International Piano Competition. He regularly gives masterclasses in Europe, USA, Mexico, Japan, China … and is invited to serve as a member of the jury of many international piano competitions such as : Istanbul, Porto Santa Cecilia, Scriabin in Grosseto, Sviatoslav Richter International Piano Competition…






Nikolai Demidenko








Teaching Languages : English, Spanish, Russian
Teaching Period : July 25 (arrival) - 31 (departure)


Nikolai Demidenko was a prize-winning pianist at the Montreal International Competition and the International Tchaikovsky Competition. The University of Surrey recognized his great contribution to the field of music by awarding him an Honorary Doctorate degree.

 

His virtuosity, passion and musicality led him to give concerts throughout Europe and America, as well as Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand etc. with outstanding directors and orchestras.

 

Frequent recitals in London include his participation in the Great Performers Series at the Barbican, the International Piano Series at the Southbank Center and the London Pianoforte Series at Wigmore Hall.

 

His extensive discography consists of more than 40 recordings. For Hyperion Records he has recorded over 20 award winning CDs including Gramophone Editor's Choice, BBC Music Magazine Best of the Year, Diapason D'Or. The Chopin CD recorded for AGPL received the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Chopin's album recorded for ONYX Classics won the 2010 MIDEM Chopin Special Award.

 

He studied at the Gnessin School of Music with Anna Kantor and graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with the pianist and pedagogue Dmitri Baskhirov, later being his assistant teacher for several years.

 

Nikolai Demidenko, parallel to his career as a pianist, developed his pedagogical activity by giving masterclasses and consulting to young performers from all over the world. Since 2016  he systematically collaborates with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute offering master classes at the course organized in parallel to the "Chopin and his Europe" Festival.

 

He has been a member of the jury of many international piano competitions, such as the Franz Liszt Competition in Utrecht, the International Piano Competition in Leeds, the Piano Competition in Sydney, the ARD Music Competition in Munich and the 1st International Chopin Competition in period  Instruments in 2018; he is currently invited to be a part of the jury in its second edition in October 2023.

 


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Nicolas Bringuier - Olga Monakh


Teaching Languages : English, French, German 
Teaching Subjects : Piano Solo & Piano Duo
Teaching Period : July 30 (arrival) - August 05 (departure)


The acclaim accorded to the pianist Nicolas Bringuier by audiences and critic alike confirms his status as one of France's most exciting artist of his generation. In the last few seasons, he has played in such major concert halls across Europe and Asia, like the Wiener Musikverein, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Auditorio of Madrid and the Seoul Arts Center.

Born in Nice in 1980, Nicolas Bringuier entered at the age of 13 the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris in the class of Bruno Rigutto and already at the age of 16, he was awarded the First Price of Piano. After 2 years of post-graduate studies in Paris, he joined the class of Klaus Hellwig at the University of the Arts in Berlin, where he graduated in 2009 with the highest distinctions. He has also completed his musical formation by attending master-classes with D. Bashkirov, O. Maisenberg, D. Merlet, J-C. Pennetier, J.Perry,V. Viardo...

After his successes in renowned international music contests, most notably the 2nd Prize of the  Robert Schumann Competition  in Zwickau , Nicolas Bringuier has performed numerous concerts across Europe and has played as a soloist in major concert halls such as the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Palais Garnier in Monte-Carlo, the Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse...

He has been invited in prestigious festivals such as the Festival Radio-France in Montpellier, the Printemps des Arts in Monte-Carlo, the Colmar festival, the European Classic Festival Ruhr, the Chopin Nights in Nohant, the Schwetzingen and the Mosel Festwochen, the Szeged Chamber Mucic Festival, the Schiermonnikoog Chamber music Festival, the Piano Nights in Chisinau...

Nicolas Bringuier has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Orchestre Philharmonique du Capitole de Toulouse, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berliner Symphoniker, the Zwickau-Plauen Philharmonic, the Nice Philharmonic, the Orchestre Lyrique d'Avignon, the Orchestre Régional de Cannes, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon, the Baleares Philharmonic, the Wuhan Philharmonic, the International Players of Busan, with conductors such as Philippe Bender, Yoav Talmi, Philippe Bernold, Fréderic Lodéon, James Liu, Yoel Gamzou, Nanse Gum and on a regular basis under the baton of his brother Lionel Bringuier.

Passionated of chamber music, he has formed since 2003 a piano duo with the ukrainian pianist Olga Monakh, the Duo Siloti.  In 2017 they made a highly succesfull tour in China and were immediately reinvited for 2019.

Together they are artistic directors of Les Rencontres Musicales du Negresco, a chamber music festival held each year in Nice, as well as of the Samson Francois International Competition in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Furthermore he has been playing with such artists as Andrej Bielow, Nicolas Dautricourt, Gary Hoffman, Esther Hoppe, Raphael Oleg, Regis Pasquier, Jeroen Reuling, Francois Salque, Diana Tishchenko, István Várdai,  Alexander Zemtsov and the Prazak Quartet.

His recordings for Audite has obtained a great international press acclaim, the Schumann album  was named one of the Recording of the year by the Fanfare magazine in America, and by the Bavarian Radio in Germany. His Bartók recital has been also unanimously praised by the critics.

Nicolas Bringuier teached at the University of Arts in Berlin in 2016/2017. From 2017 to 2020 he was a Professor for piano at the faculty of the Inje University in Busan, South Korea. He is now based in Nice, where he is holding on a regular basis masterclasses for advanced students. He is a regular jury member in national and international competitions.







Teaching Languages : English, French, German, Ukrainian 
Teaching Subject : Piano Duo
Teaching Period : July 30 (arrival) - August 05 (departure)


German pianist of Ukrainian origin, Olga Monakh has established herself in recent years as an artist with phenomenal charisma, equally at home in solo repertoire as well as in lied and chamber music.


Celebrated by critics as a pianist “endowed with a strong artistic personality and a rich imagination”, she gained the attention of the musical world by becoming laureate of several International Competitions, notably the Vianna da Motta and Porto Competitions in Portugal, Artur Schnabel in Berlin, Vlado Perlemuter in France, where she also won the Audience Award unanimously.


Recognized pedagogue, teaching in particular at the PianoInsel Academy which she founded with Nicolas Bringuier, as well as at the Rubinstein Academy, her students have already won numerous awards.


Olga Monakh completed brilliant musical studies in her hometown of Kharkov, at the Special Music School for Child Prodigies. At the age of 10, she gave her first recital and won several national competitions. 


In 2001 she joined the prestigious class of Klaus Hellwig at the Berlin University of the Arts, where she obtained her Soloist Diploma with the highest distinctions, then joined the famous Konzertexamen class.


During masterclasses, she regularly worked with Dominique Merlet, Elisso Virssaladze and Kristina Steinegger.


Laureate of the Hindemith foundations, Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now, Ottilie Selbach in Germany, supported by the Musical Academy of Villecroze, Olga Monakh had also from an early age some remarkable success in international competitions:


2nd Prize of the Schnabel Competition in Berlin in 2002, laureate of the Porto competition in 2003, she won in 2004 the Third Prize at the Vianna da Motta competition in Lisbon, the First Prize not being awarded. 


At the Vlado Perlemuter competition in Caen in 2009, she won the 2nd prize as well as the Audience Prize, bestowed on her unanimously by the hundreds of people in the audience!

Olga Monakh has performed with the Gulbenkian Orchestra of Lisbon under the direction of Oleg Soldatov, the Sinfonia Varsovia under that of Peter Csaba, the Wiener-Concertverein and Yoel Gamzou as well as with the Kharkov and Wernigerode Philharmonic Orchestras.

 

She is a regular guest of concert series in France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and has been playing in festivals such as Mosel Festwochen, Rheingau Musik Festival, Weseler Klaviersommer and Europäisches Klassik Festival Ruhr in Germany, Kyoto International Music Festival in Japan, Il concerto in Trieste in Italy, Ciclo Premiar a Exelencia in Oeiros and at the Teatro Sao Luis in Lisbon.

 

She has been heard in prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf, the Teatro Sao Luiz in Lisbon. 


Her repertoire is remarkably extensive in the fields of recital, chamber music and lied. 

Regular partner of baritone Peter Schoene, together they ensure the world premiere of a cycle of Lieder by Wolfgang Rihm, composed for them. A live recording of this concert has been released on a CD. They are currently working on the complete recording of Schubert’s Lieder. 


Together with the pianist Nicolas Bringuier, they have been playing for twenty years as a piano duo and gave numerous concerts across Europe and Asia. In 2021, when they moved to Nice, the duo took the name Duo Siloti


Since 2012 Olga and Nicolas have been artistic directors of the "Rencontres musicales du Negresco" in Nice, an annual chamber music festival. Their partners are the violinists Andrej Bielow, Nicolas Dautricourt, Amanda Favier, Esther Hoppe, Vera Novakova, Raphael Oleg, the violists Altin Tafilaj, Alexander Zemtsov, the cellists Frédéric Audibert, Gary Hoffman, François Salque, Istvan Várdai, Ukjin Yang as well as clarinetist Dennitsa Laffchieva. 


She also performed with the Ysaye and Volta quartets.

Between 2013 and 2015 Olga Monakh taught at the University of the Arts in Berlin and then founded the “PianoInsel” Academy with Nicolas Bringuier in this same city.


Her students won many prizes, including the First Prize at the National Youth Musical Competition “Jugend musiziert”. Her students also distinguished themselves in international competitions, which led her to be invited to serve as a jury member of several of them. 


In 2019 she was appointed Professor at the Rubinstein Academy in Berlin.



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