Cello Professor

Konstantin Heidrich

Konstantin Heidrich is cellist of the Fauré Quartet and professor for cello at the Berlin University of the Arts. His father, Peter Heidrich, violinist and composer, was important for his musical development. During his school years, Konstantin was a junior student at the Music University in Lübeck with Thomas Grossenbacher. His studies then took him to Martin Ostertag in Karlsruhe and to Frans Helmerson in Cologne. Master classes with Young Chang Cho and David Geringas supported his development as a cellist. The musical influence of Steven Isserlis, Misha Katz and Anna Galvez was essential. The Fauré Quartet is the center of Konstantin Heidrich’s musical life. With the same line-up since it was founded 25 years ago, this piano quartet is one of the most successful chamber music formations internationally. The English magazine “The Strad” wrote: “They achieve superlatives wherever they go!”. The Fauré Quartet performs not only in Europe but also in Asia and in North and South America. As a soloist, Konstantin has worked with conductors such as Andrea Marcon and Kristjan Järvi. Orchestras such as the MDR Symphony Orchestra and the Duisburg Philharmonic have accompanied his concerts. Until his appointment at the Berlin University of the Arts, he was principal cellist of the Kammerakademie Potsdam and guest principal of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. From 2006 to 2009, Konstantin Heidrich taught at the Music University “Carl Maria von Weber” in Dresden. He is artistic advisor and teacher at the Int. Summer Academy for Chamber Music Niedersachsen. He is a member of the board of the Paul Hindemith Society in Berlin and a member of the German Chamber Music Course “Jugend musiziert” working group. Together with his colleague Markus Groh, Konstantin Heidrich directs “Crescendo”, the music festival at the Berlin University of the Arts. His students are international prize winners, members of the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Academies of the German Opera and of Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, and work in leading positions in renowned orchestras. In addition to courses in Washington D.C., Brescia, Singapore and Bergen, Konstantin Heidrich gives annual master classes at the Forum Artium in Georgsmarienhütte, the International Summer Academy for Chamber Music in Frenswegen and the Szczecin Classic Festival in Poland.

Konstanze von Gutzeit

Cellist Konstanze von Gutzeit is one of the most high-profile and versatile instrumentalists of her generation. As soloist, chamber musician, and principal cellist of Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, she enjoys an active and multifaceted presence on the international stage. In allof her concerts she makes it her goal to build bridges between each work and the audience, enabling the listener to completely engage with the music. The conviction that this willbest be achieved through the tireless search for the music’s essence and the composer’s message is an important driving force in her artistic work. Born into a family of musicians, Konstanze von Gutzeit started playing the cello at the age of three. At only twelve years of age, she began her studies with Heinrich Schiff. During seven formative years, he both fostered her intellectual approach to music and imparted the solid practical skills that have since enabled her to approach any technical challenge with ease. From 2005, von Gutzeit continued her studies in Berlin with Jens Peter Maintz. In parallel with a burgeoning performing career, she later undertook postgraduate study in Weimar with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, gaining the highest distinction for her concert diploma in 2016. Further significant musical inspiration came in the form of masterclasses with David Geringas, Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman and Ferenc Rados. Thanks to early success in numerous international competitions, Konstanze

Mikayel Hakhnazaryan

Cellist Mikayel Hakhnazaryan is known as a versatile musician in the world of classical music – as a member of the Kuss Quartet, with which he is performing worldwide in all concert halls like the Philharmonie Berlin, Carnegie Hall New York, Wigmore Hall London, Musikverein Vienna and at festivals as Rheingau Festival, Salzburg and Lucerne, to name a few. Born into a musical family, Mikayel continued his studies after graduation from the State Conservatory in Armenia with Tibor Varga and Marcio Carneiro in Sion and completed them at the Musikakademie Basel with Prof. Ivan Monighetti. He was deeply inspired by Steven Isserlis, attending his master classes numerous times and calls him his mentor. During his studies in Switzerland he appeared regularly as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra Tibor Varga and with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Armenia. At that time he was a member of the Basel String Quartet and the Zurich String Trio. Chamber music is the most central element in Mikayel’s career, after being part of the Open Chamber Music Festival of IMS Prussia Cove for years, he played in numerous festivals wordwide. Mikayel was Guest Principal Cello at the Basque National Orchestra, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and is regularly invited by Camerata Bern, Camerata Salzburg, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Kammerorchester Basel, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Cappella Andrea Barca, among others. Since 2014 he is Principal Cello of the Munich Chamber Orchestra and regularly guest at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and their chamber music groups (12 Cellists/ Scharoun Ensemble). He is giving chamber music masterclasses at the Jeunesses Musicales, Royal Birmingham Conservatory, Suntory Hall Tokyo and other institutions. In the past years Mikayel performed as solist with the Armenian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra and the Georgian Chamber Orchester Ingolstadt. Mikayel plays on a cello by Andrea Castagneri from 1735.

Piano Professor

Florian Wiek

Born in 1972,[1] Florian Wiek was scholarship-holder of Villa Musica in Mainz from 1994 to 1997 where he performed chamber music with leading German musicians like Thomas Brandis, Ida Bieler, Martin Ostertag, Wolfgang Gaag and Rainer Moog. Together with his partner Justus Grimm, Wiek was elected for the 44th and 46th 'Bundesauswahl junger Künstler' in Germany and played a large number of sonata recitals. In 2001 Wiek played Schumann's Piano Quintet in concert together with the violinist Ivry Gitlis, among others. In October 2004 he became professor for piano and chamber music at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart.[1] Moreover, he had collaborated with his Master Classes in Magister Musicae project.

Péter Nagy

The first prize in the 1979 Hungarian Radio Competition launched virtuosic pianist Péter Nagy into a remarkable international career at a young age, after beginning his studies at the age of eight at the Liszt Academy, Budapest. Nagy’s concerts include tours throughout Europe, performing in many countries including France at the Louvre, and the UK at the Wigmore Hall, as well as many other engagements. His worldwide concert tours include recitals in New York at the 92nd Street, in Australia at the Sydney Opera House, in New Zealand and throughout Japan. As a soloist and as a chamber musician he has performed at major music festivals: including Aix-en-Provence,Bastad,Blonay, Beijing International Piano Festival,Shanghai International Piano Festival, Shenzhen International Piano Festival, Davos, Divonne, Edinburgh, Eisenach, Fayetteville, Frenswegen, Helsinki, Llandoff, Kilkenny, Kuhmo, Kronberg, Moritzburg, Nelson, Ojai,Stresa, West Cork and the Marlboro Music Festival. Nagy regularly performs as a chamber musician, including concerts with partners such as Zoltán Kocsis, Miklós Perényi, Leonidas Kavakos, Daniel Hope, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Kim Kashkashian, Charles Neidich, Nobuko Imai, Tanja Becker–Bender, Claudio Bohorquez, Ruggiero Ricci, and Frans Helmerson, to name a few. He is Professor of Piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart and Director of the keyboard department of the Doctorate School at the Liszt Academy Budapest. Recent achievements include a performance of the Ligeti piano concerto in Budapest. Nagy has recorded for Hungaroton, Delos, Naxos, BIS, Hyperion,SWR/Naxos,Decca, Berlin Classics and ECM labels. In 2001 he received the prestigious Liszt Award. He is Professor of Piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart and at the Liszt Academy Budapest.

Till Fellner

The Austrian pianist Till Fellner, who was born in 1972, studied with Helene Sedo-Stadler in his native Vienna and gained lasting inspiration from master classes with Alfred Brendel, Meira Farkas, Oleg Maisenberg, and Claus-Christian Schuster. His international career began in 1993, when he took first prize at the Concours Clara Haskil. He currently performs with such orchestras as the Berlin and New York Philharmonics, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Fellner made his debut with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in September 2018 and with the London Symphony Orchestra in March 2019. His partners on the podium have included such conductors as Claudio Abbado, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnányi, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Kent Nagano, Jonathan Nott, and Kirill Petrenko. Fellner’s solo repertoire focuses on Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and the 32 Beethoven sonatas, which he has presented as a complete cycle in New York, Washington, D.C., Tokyo, London, Paris, and Vienna. His most recent recording, which was released in November 2018, is the album Till Fellner: In Concert, which includes the first volume of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage and Beethoven’s final piano sonata. Since 2013, Till Fellner has taught at the Zurich Hochschule der Künste. In 2019, he was jury president at the 62nd Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano.

Violin Professor

Cecilia Zilliacus

”Cecilia is extremely musical and living proof that it‘s always possible to pursue unusual ideas” The Strad, 2018 Over the years, audiences have embraced Cecilia Zilliacus’ equally tantalizing and warm interpretations of everything from the great classical and romantic works to contemporary chamber music and collaborations across genres - from the most prominent symphony orchestras, conductors and composers in Europe, to jazz musicians, folk musicians, singer-song writers and many others. Exchanges with fellow musicians and communication with the audience are catchwords in the projects she pursues or initiates. ”I want to dwell in contexts where the point is that it ́s me who ́s bringing my distinctiveness to the table - just as the other musicians are bringing theirs - and that our work together becomes more than the sum of the individual parts” Cecilia Zilliacus’ efforts to draw attention to lesser-known composers, both male and female, have led to a very broad repertoire. She often greets her audiences with compositions written specifically for her. She collaborates regularly with internationally active musicians, composers and conductors and has recorded a number of acclaimed recordings, several of which have been rewarded with ”Grammis”. As a soloist, she has performed with most Swedish, as well as many Nordic and European symphony orchestras. Cecilia Zilliacus is the artistic director of Katrina Chamber Music on Åland as well as of the Korsholm Music Festival in Vaasa, Finland. She is also a driving force in the Swedish string trio ZilliacusPerssonRaitinen which has been awarded a number of prizes. The trio are artistic directors of the Stockholm Concert Hall’s chamber music series, ”Äntligen måndag” (Monday, at last). Zilliacus’ leadership is characterized by an open and spirited inducement to creative processes. She has played a large role in the inflow of Nordic and European composers and artists to Stockholm and Finland. Cecilia Zilliacus received her education in Stockholm, Sweden and in Cologne, Germany. She is a professor of violin at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Her violin of many years is a Nicola Gagliano from the Järnåker Foundation.

Goran Končar

Goran Končar, one of the most prominent Croatian violinists, studied at the Music Academy in Zagreb with Martin Barić and Josip Klima, and obtained a Masters degree in the class of Leonid Kogan at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow in 1978. He also studied with Max Rostal in Bern and Henryk Szeryng in Geneva, then with Yfrah Neaman in London where he was Neamans assistant at the Guildhall School of Music from 1981 to 1983. He has been teaching at the Music Academy of the University of Zagreb since and held master classes in Madrid, Berlin, Turin, Milan, Sidney, Tokyo, Beijing, Stellenbosch and elsewhere. In 2004, he started the LAUS Summer Academy in Dubrovnik together with the world's greatest violinists (Zakhar Bron, Viktor Tretyakov, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Leonid Sorokow etc.). Apart from that Koncar is Member of jury in many major international competitions. His international solo career began in 1982 with guest performances in a majority of European countries, as well as USA, Japan, Korea and Israel. From 1984 to 1994 he was the Concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, Croatian Radio Television Symphony Orchestra and Zagreb Philharmonic. As a soloist he has performed with renowned orchestras and conductors all over the world. He won first and special prizes at national competitions, as well as the Music Life Award in Moscow (1980) for his performance of D. Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1 for violin and orchestra, the First prize at the International Competition in Bratislava (1984) and numerous other accolades. Among the awards received, the Vladimir Nazor Award (2006) holds a prominent place. He pays special attention to the performances of classics of the 20th century (D.Shostakovich,B. Bartok,A.Berg,I.Stravinsky,Z.Kodaly B. Martinu, S. Gubaidulina, A. Nilsson, B.Papandopulo etc.) and contemporary pieces, which is why numerous composers have dedicated their works to him (Boris Papandopulo,S.Šulek, Milko Kelemen, Giuseppe Gavazza, D. Holloway, Ivo Malec,D.Bobić.F.Đurović). His first record was released by EMI in 1984 in London, and he recorded for BBC, CBS, France Musique, HRT and other radio and TV stations. Croatia Records released one of the rare integrated performances of complete Eugene Ysaye solo violin sonatas, and in 2018. He finished first recording for Parma records, New York. From 1987 to 2012 Koncar was first violinist of the Zagreb Quartet and for a full quarter of a century his skill and art were part of this oldest Croatian and European chamber ensemble.

Kimiko Nakazawa

Kimiko Nakazawa graduated from Niigata University in Japan. Thanks to a scholarship from the Japanese government, he continued his studies in 2000 in Vienna and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with L. De Barueri. In 1991, she founded the Vienna-Tokyo Ensemble. She gave solo recitals in many famous halls such as Carnegie Hall, Wiener Konzertkaus, Beethovensaal in Bonn and others. She has performed with many orchestras such as the World Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wiener Kammerorchester. He also appears in NHK FM programs and on television. She recorded numerous sound carriers, including all the violin sonatas and concertos of W. A. Mozart. She is also known for the master classes she holds for young talented violinists. Her students won first prizes at national competitions in Japan in 2006 and 2007. She plays an extremely valuable Romanov Stradivarius violin.

Viola Professor

Garth Knox

Knox was the youngest of four siblings, and although he was born in Ireland, he was raised in Scotland, to a family who all played a variety of musical instruments. The youngest of four children who all played stringed instruments, Knox chose to study the viola as his primary instrument. After studies at the Royal College of Music in London with Frederick Riddle, he became a member of Pierre Boulez's Ensemble InterContemporain in Paris (1983–1990) then joined the Arditti Quartet in London (1990–1997).He has given first performances by and worked with most of the leading composers. (György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Boulez, György Kurtág, Salvatore Sciarrino, Hans Werner Henze etc.) Now soloist on viola and viola d'amore, he lives in Paris. As well as numerous recording with the Ensemble InterContemporain and especially with the Arditti Quartet, his first solo CD, Works for Viola on Naïve Records, won the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, the second is called Spectral Viola on Zeitklang records, and a recent Viola d'Amore CD with ECM Records was record of the month in the British magazine Gramophone (September

Suyoen Kim

Suyoen Kim was born in Münster, Germany, in 1987 and received her first violin lesson with Houssam Mayas by the age of five. Four years later, she began her studies as a "Jungstudent" at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, Abteilung Münster with Professor Helge Slaatto,where she graduated in 2008. Afterwards, she obtained her masters at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Prof. Ana Chumachenco in 2010. As a soloist, Suyoen Kim has performed with internationally acclaimed conductors such as Kurt Masur, Eliahu Inbal, Myung-Whun Chung, Steven Sloane, Jan Latham-

Accompanist

Sven Brajković
( Croatia )

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Imre Dani
(Hungary)

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Zsuzsanna Homor
(Hungary)

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