2023 Spring Competition Winners - ENSEMBLE

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Sophie is now a 4th grade student at Solana Ranch Elementary School and Gianna a 4th grader at Solana Pacific Elementary School, both in San Diego, California. They have been good friends since kindergarten. They both started learning violin at age seven, under their common violin teacher Miss Tingting Wang in San Diego. In their spare time, they also enjoy playing piano, reading, art, among other things. 

Yan Yu has studied violin under Paul Windt for over 10 years. She is the concertmaster of her school orchestra and a member of the Young People's Philharmonic. Yan has qualified for PMEA All-State Orchestra for the past two years and was named a finalist in the Bloomsburg University Concerto Competition.  Benjamin Pfefer has studied violin under Linda Kistler for over 10 years. Not only is he the concertmaster of his school orchestra but also the associate concertmaster of the Young People's Philharmonic. Benjamin achieved second place in the 2022 Outstanding Young Artist Competition.  Linus Dibuschar studies under the esteemed cellist Noelle Grand. He is the principal cello of his school orchestra and was selected to be a part of the New York Youth Symphony. Linus qualified for the PMEA 2022 All-State Orchestra. 

The Spanish Tenors are a trio consisting of three tenors Esteban Senzig (Peruvian/Sicilian), Galo Lastra (Ecuadorian), and Logan Reid (American). They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. People have described The Spanish Tenors as: “Three charming gentlemen with the sound of the heavens,” “Three of Utah’s best voices,” “Pure elegance,” and “Three story tellers living a dream.” The group was formed in March 2021 and is well on their way to becoming one of the leading opera groups in the country. Although they perform together as a trio, each member still maintains his own solo career. Every piece of music they perform tells a story, and through their melodic tones, listeners can not only hear, but also feel, their love for opera as they also envision the stories that are being told. The Spanish Tenors have performed three concerts since 26 March 2021. Their latest concert was on 20 August 2021, and they are preparing to perform more concerts throughout the remainder of the year.

Elucidate is a Flute and Trumpet Duo created in Georgia featuring flutist Lorin Green and trumpeter Michael Brown. Along with their pianist Judy Cole, the duo strives to present riveting performances for an array of audiences. Elucidate uses their platform to highlight works by POC, women, and underrepresented composers to help with the diversification of the classical music repertoire. The duo met while receiving their bachelor degrees at Kennesaw State University and together, along with their pianist Judy Cole, they have held masterclasses, recitals, and coachings throughout the Georgia area.  

Duo K&K  Kotone Yokoyama  Kanon Yokoyama  We are twins born in Japan , currently living in Germany. We started playing the piano at the age of 6. After graduating from Doshisha Women’s college of Liberal Arts in 2021 , now we studying in chamber musik course at University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart bei Prof. Hans-Peter Stenzl. We won the 5th JPPA Piano competition for four-handed 1st Prize , 21st OSAKA International Musik competition for two pianos 3rd Prize , Excellence Piano Awards for two pianos 1st Prize.

 Alecia and Damian are siblings with the love for classical music. They  both have been playing piano for almost 3 years, and Damian has been  playing guitar for 1.5 years. Both kids are students at the St.  Stephen's Classical Christian Academy, and in the free time they enjoy  outdoor activities like park trails, biking, and fishing. 

BIO SOON

 Hello, We are siblings and our music band is „FAMily”  My name is Florian, I was born in 2009 . I have been playing the  accordion for four years.  I am in class four of the State Music School  in Racibórz. My music teacher is Mrs Wiesława Lampert -Szczyra. I like  playing the accordion very much. I also enjoy costructing cars and I am  interested in building of Lego blocks.   Albert is my younger brother. He was born in 2011.He is also a student  of the State Music School in Racibórz in class four ,like me .He has  been playing the guitar,His music teacher is Mr Mariusz Swoiński.  Additionally Albert started to play the piano two years ago. He likes  playing chess and playing smartphone logic games.  Matylda is my sister and she is the youngest of us. She was born  2012.She has been playing the saxophone for four years. She is also a  student of the State Music School in Racibórz. Dr Artur Motyka is her  music teacher and a tutor of our band „ FAMily’’.Matylda loves playing  the saxophone but she wants to start learning how to  play the  accordion.She likes horse riding and she adores our cat.   In 2021 we won the: first place in The IMKA Competiton, second place in  Open Online Music Competition and twice third place in The International  Competition in Belgrad,Serbia. We preformed in our country, in such  cities as: Racibórz ,Polanica Zdrój ,Kołobrzeg ,Wrocław .We went  abroad,to Berlin to give the performance too.   We hope our passion will last for a long time and we will manage to  develope our music skills. Thanks to this we will be able to make our audience  their free time  enjoyable.  Greetings!  Florian, Albert and Matylda - „FAMily” 

 Born in Spain, sisters Yasmin & Soraya Gonzalez have played piano  since the early age, both solo and in ensemble, and as a duet won awards  of multiple music contests: “Danubia Talents” (Budapest, Hungary),  Shostakovich Competition (Volgograd, Russia), “Islamey” (Moscow,  Russia), “AC-Melos” (Tokyo, Japan), “International Music Award” (Vienna,  Austria), “Radiant Kazan” and “Musica Classica” (Ruza, Russia), among  others. Enrolled in class of N.V.Kovalik at L.I.Shugom Music School for  Gifted Children. As a duet received masterclasses from prominent  pianists and pedagogues: Riccardo Marini (Italy), Tatiana Kan, Yulia  Litvinenko and Zhanna Nazaryants (Russia), Henri Sigfridsson (Finland),  Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro (Portugal). 

 Laura Kim is currently a 2nd year Bachelor’s Student at the Royal  Academy of Music, studying under professor Richard Ireland. She has  previously studied with Diane Nicholeris, and has also had the  opportunities to perform in masterclasses featuring Brinton Smith, Helen  Kim, Florin Parvulescu, and Zoya Leybin.  In the past, Laura was a  first violinist in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, who  performed in Berlin Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie, the Musikverein, and  Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw during their 2019 European Tour. As a chamber  musician, she has participated in California Music Preparatory and  School, and has become a prize winner of the Best Music of Germany and  Austria Competition, US Open Music Competition, VOCE competition, and  more with the Zeitlos Piano Trio. In previous summers,  Laura has  attended the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she studied with  Naoko Tanaka, and Meadowmount School of music, where she studied with  Ivan Zenaty.   Wing Tung Fan, second year Bachelor’s student at the Royal Academy of  Music, is passionate in both chamber music and solo performances. Studying under  Tatiana Sarkissova and chamber coach Andrew West, she is keen on exploring a  wide range of repertoire from different genres. Other than regular coaching,  she has had performance classes with Christopher Elton and Mei-Ting Sun. Graduated  from the S.K.H. Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School in Hong Kong, she was the prizewinner in piano duets, piano solos, choirs, Chinese orchestra and  ensembles in Hong Kong Schools Music Festivals over the years. She participated in  the CD recording as an accompanist and a soprano for the School’s 50th  anniversary celebration with HUGO Productions (HK) Ltd. in the Tuen Mun Town Hall.  During the time in the Academy, she has played with singers in performance  platforms, developing a long-term piano trio as well as collaborating with  flautists and strings players. 

 The ensemble was formed in 2018 by Estera Laskowska and Joanna Liwo –  two harpsichord students from Fryderyk Chopins’ Secondary Music School  in Gdańsk. The duo is supervised by professor Małgorzata Skotnicka. The  ensemble was appreciated on many nationwide competitions, concerts, and  was improving its skills at the course under the professor Władysław  Kłosiewiczs’ supervision. Thanks to the practising members of the duo  were able to strike up a friendship that hopefully will be kept for many  years. 

 Our trio was created in May this year and it's lead by Ewa  Naczk-Jankowska. Stefania Benduch has been playing on a bassoon for 5  years and studying music for 10 years - she's been playing on piano for  10 years. Anna Strehlke has been playing the bassoon since September  2021 and she’s been studying music for 6 years - she had played the  guitar for 4 years and has been playing the harpsichord for 2 years.  Adam Plucha has also been playing the bassoon since September 2021. He  hadn't studied music before. We're all studying in Frederic Chopin's  Second-Degree Music School in Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz. 

BIO SOON

 Jesse Shafer is a jazz musician and composer based in Charleston, SC.  Jesse grew up playing folk music before venturing into new styles. He  has released over 20 projects to date across multiple genres and  regularly works as a session musician. 

 We're college students at Chungnam National University. 

 Bancroft Quartet: Sardor Djumaev, Diana Galimova, Fang Chen, Mengmeng Huang 

 In 2008, the string quartet received the name “Bancroft Quartet” in  appreciation of the steadfast generosity and support of the College of  Music at University of Texas by Sue and Christopher Bancroft. Only four  students who have received full scolarship and teaching assistantship at  UNT become members of the quartet. In 2021 they were Sardor Djumaev,  Diana Galimova, Fang Chen and Huang Mengmeng. 

 Sori Trio: Sofia Baptista Torgal, Yoojin Jung, Dahye Yoon 

 Sori Trio is a chamber music group created by young musicians who excel  through their distinctive sound and powerful interplay. This group based  in Trossingen, Germany, is formed by Sofia Torgal, Portuguese oboe  player, Yoojin Jung, South Korean Basson player and Dahye Yoon, South  Korean Piano player, based in Trossingen, Germany. The unique line-up  gives the ensemble an exceptional sound that is both subtle and  delicate, and powerful and dynamic. 

  Trio Sabi:  Samuel H. Jiménez Collazos. Nathan Kirzon. Dario Giuliano 

Trio Sabi was born in 2019 from the love and interest in chamber music,  and a strong feeling for playing together and bringing them to everyone. They are a trio based in Basel and studying in Hochschule fur Musik  basel, receiving lessons as a group and also singolary from renowned  musicians , such as Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet), Silvia Simionescu  (Gringolts Quartet), Barbara Doll, Adelina Oprean. The members of this trio also work in renowned orchestras in Switzerland  such as the Philharmonia Zürich and the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester  having also participated in the academies of these orchestras. These experiences enrich the quality and dynamic capacity of this Trio  that allows them to adapt to any type of musical situation and to  approach any type of repertoire. 

 The Lieto Quartet: Lu Li, Pin-Hsuan Chen, Yu-Ting Huang, Wei-Shuan Yu, USA 

 The Lieto Quartet, based in Cincinnati, Ohio is a rising ensemble in the  greater Cincinnati area. The Quartet has recently gained international  acclaim having won the Gold Prize and Grand Prix Global Genius in the  Autumn Season of 2021 Global Genius Music Competition in United Kingdom,  as well as the First Place in the 2021 Red Maple Music Competition in  Canada which resulted in an invitation to a live performance in Canada.  Formed in 2019, the Quartet has been coached by Professor Lee Fiser, the  former member of LaSalle Quartet and cello faculty of the  College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati.   As part of the Music Live at Lunch, a 50-year historical concert series  of Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, the Quartet has been involved  in this program for a couple of seasons, as well as in the Classical  Revolution Cincinnati. It has also been invited as guest artists to  share stage in a faculty concert at Cedarville University, OH (2021).  The Lieto Quartet gets its name from an Italian word “happy”.  

 The trio was formed a year ago. It consists of a Japanese pianist and  two Polish string players. They have been studying chamber music in the Karol Szymanowski Academy  of Music in Katowice, Poland, under Prof. Maria Szwajger-Kułakowska.  Each member of the group is the laureate of the competitions at their  home and abroad, and is giving concerts in many places. They are passionate about playing chamber music, and it’s a big pleasure  for them to share their passion and love for music with their  listeners. 

 Sorchiotti Elia , Kostovski Tome  

The Sorchiotti- Kostovski duo was formed inside the chamber music class  of the "G. Tartini" conservatory and despite having formed a few months  ago, the group has already had the opportunity to play at the Miela  theater for the "Satierose" festival. , inaugurated the new music school  in Pordenone and won the XXXIV edition of the Lilian Caraian  competition. 

 Tres Cordas: Ruth Jana Braunsteffer, Paul Becker and Carlos Peralta   

 The German-Austrian-Peruvian guitar trio Tres Cordas with Ruth Jana  Braunsteffer, Paul Becker and Carlos Peralta is understanding music as  an energy source that enables the expression of the most personal  sensations. “Fresh and exciting energy with a mature musical conviction  makes the trio Tres Cordas one of the most interesting trios at the Top  of today’s guitar scene.” (Ivan Petricevic)  Tres Cordas focuses on South American and European music from the 19th  to the 21st century. With a repertoire enriched through own arrangements  and composition assignments. Their CD, released in 2021 documents the  high artistic ability and stylistic range of the trio; Radio stations in  the USA, among others, broadcast the CD  The three spirited musicians hold high-level degrees from music  universities and have deepened their knowledge through masterclasses  with international greats such as Leo Brouwer, Álvaro Pierri, Eliot  Fisk, Odair Assad, Paolo Bellinati and Augustin Wiedemann. Engagements  at well-known festivals and receiving brilliant concert reviews document  the quality of the guitar trio. In 2021 they received a third price at  the 4th international guitar festival in Florence/ Italy for their  outstandig achievements 

Svetlana Suvorova, Julia Molchanova,

 Maria Sapargaliev 

Maria Sapargalieva (piano, Russia) is a Master of Fine Arts. Maria works  as an accompanist in a Woodwind Department of St- Petersburg State  Conservatory.   Yuliya Molchanova (cello, Russia) has graduated Saint – Petersburg  State Conservatory named after N. A. Rimsky- Korsakov in 1998 (Honoured  Artist S. Cherniadev’s class).  Since 2002 Yuliya is a Concertmaster of  cello section of St- Petersburg State Symphony.   Svetlana Suvorova (flute, Russia) is a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She has  graduated Saint- Petersburg State Conservatory named after N. A. Rimsky-  Korsakov. In 2011 joined St- Petersburg State Symphony as a  co-principal flute.  

 Pisces Duo: Cameron Smith and Mianoora Kosonen (Cello, piano) 

The Pisces Duo, comprised of American cellist Cameron Smith (b. 1994)  and Finnish pianist Mianoora Kosonen (b. 1993) was formed while both  were completing their postgraduate studies at the Royal Conservatoire of  Scotland.  After finding a mutual love for and a desire to shine some  light on forgotten or underperformed pieces for cello and piano, as well  as championing contemporary music, the duo made their professional  debut in September 2021 performing the world debut of Cameron Smith's  Rhapsode de Temps for cello and piano, Op. 4. 

 Llorenç Prats & Laura de la Fuente 

 Laura de la Fuente Forteza was born en Palma de Mallorca in 1991. She has worked in productions as a soloist in different places.She is  currently studying with the Sopran Ornella Pratesi and she has received  master classes from the Bariton Joan Pons. The 25th of April in 2015, she participated in the final of the  international contest ‘Rolando Nicolosi’, winning the second prize. On  2016 she took part in the contest again obtaining this time the first  prize.  In 2021, she has won the second prize at the MAP-IMC International  Contest in Los Angeles, and the third prize at the "Art Jove" Contest,  innthe Balearic Islands. She debuts, too, in the Auditorium "Sa Màniga"  with a liric recital, accompanied to the piano by Llorenç Prats.  Llorenç Prats (Eivissa, 1990) began his musical studies at the  Professional Conservatory of Ávila with professors Miguel Ángel Caro and  Óscar Arroyo. He continued at the Conservatory of Salamanca obtaining  his Bachelor with Special Awards in 2013 in the class of professors  Patrín García-Barredo and Miriam Gómez Morán on piano and Professor  Alberto Rosado on chamber music and contemporary music.He has attended  courses and received master classes in piano and chamber music from  teachers György Kurtág, Ferenc Rados, Imre Rohmann, Claudio  Martínez-Mehner, Kennedy Moretti and Josep Colom, among others.He  currently combines his studies and his professional activity as an  interpreter with two jobs as a teacher, being since 2018 associate  professor of chamber music at the Superior Conservatory of Music of the  Balearic Islands and since 2019, correpetitor at the Professional  Conservatory ofMusic and Dance of Felanitx. 

 Laura de la Fuente Forteza was born en Palma de Mallorca in 1991. She has worked in productions as a soloist in different places.She is  currently studying with the Sopran Ornella Pratesi and she has received  master classes from the Bariton Joan Pons. The 25th of April in 2015, she participated in the final of the  international contest ‘Rolando Nicolosi’, winning the second prize. On  2016 she took part in the contest again obtaining this time the first  prize.  In 2021, she has won the second prize at the MAP-IMC International  Contest in Los Angeles, and the third prize at the "Art Jove" Contest,  innthe Balearic Islands. She debuts, too, in the Auditorium "Sa Màniga"  with a liric recital, accompanied to the piano by Llorenç Prats.  Llorenç Prats (Eivissa, 1990) began his musical studies at the  Professional Conservatory of Ávila with professors Miguel Ángel Caro and  Óscar Arroyo. He continued at the Conservatory of Salamanca obtaining  his Bachelor with Special Awards in 2013 in the class of professors  Patrín García-Barredo and Miriam Gómez Morán on piano and Professor  Alberto Rosado on chamber music and contemporary music.He has attended  courses and received master classes in piano and chamber music from  teachers György Kurtág, Ferenc Rados, Imre Rohmann, Claudio  Martínez-Mehner, Kennedy Moretti and Josep Colom, among others.He  currently combines his studies and his professional activity as an  interpreter with two jobs as a teacher, being since 2018 associate  professor of chamber music at the Superior Conservatory of Music of the  Balearic Islands and since 2019, correpetitor at the Professional  Conservatory ofMusic and Dance of Felanitx. 

 Miles Marsollek (born in October 2015) and Maddox Marsollek (born in  December 2013) have been playing in a duo for a year and a half in  addition to their solo work. A short time later they played their first  concerts together, numerous others followed. In autumn 2021 they will  play in a children's concert at the Berlin State Opera  Miles and Maddox recently took part in their first national and  international competitions in a duo. They have won a third prize at a  competition in Scandinavia and first prizes at competitions in Germany  and in the USA. As a soloist, Maddox has also won 38 prizes to date,  including 16 first prizes and one absolute prize. Miles received 6  prizes including 3 first prizes. 

 We are twins girl in Hong Kong. We are 4 years old. We have learn harp 9  months. We love to play harp together and we very enjoy the moment. 

 We are three friends, we know each other for 8 years. W met in the very  first day of school in 2013. We play in an ensemble for 2 years. That is  a wonderful experience for us, we have so much fun by creating the  music together.  

 We are brothers born in Budapest, currently living in Germany. We  started playing the piano at the age of 6 with our first teacher, István  Váradi. In 2014, our family moved to Germany, where we first learned  from Masako Kamikawa and Meryem Akdenizli. Our current teacher is  Romuald Noll at the Music School of Stuttgart.  We are national first-price award winners both as soloists and as  ensemble (Jugend Musiziert 1. Bundespreis). Recently, Barnabas won a  national grant prize in composition.  We enjoy playing together. Barnabas also loves jazz, urban sketching and  painting watercolors. Bertalan loves architecture and drawing. Both of  us are also passionate about playing chess. 

 Flutist: My name is Elisa Borg and I have been playing the flute for the  past 5 years. Last year I participated in the Flute Flight Online  Competition and placed 1st. I have participated in various other  projects and events. Last December I participated in a project Uniting  the Commonwealth Through Music, during Covid-19. We worked together from  54 different countries to produce a virtual musical video. I am always  trying my best to practice more and improve my skills. I hope that in  the future I’ll have a career in music.  Pianist: I am Krista Agius; I like any genre of music, especially  classical. I have been playing the piano for the past five years. I  often participate in competitions; most recent being the International  festival movement “Astana Stars” online competition, where I have  entered both as a piano soloist and in a duet, both placing first. I  aspire to become a professional pianist in the near future. 

 Joseph has delighted in playing the piano since he was 7 years old.  He  has received awards and recognition and top placement in recent  competitions.  When he’s not practicing or performing piano, he might be  found composing or studying jazz improvisation, or climbing trees. 

 Maria Karolina Rahmatulla (1st violin), Derin Şensoy (2nd violin), Pınar  Özoral (viola) and Dicle Ayten Köprücü (cello) are the members of the  string quartet. The 16 year old musicians are from Turkey and are  currently studying in Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing  Arts, Music Preparatory Highschool. They have played in the Bilkent  Concert Hall and they are currently studying with Adelya Ateşoğlu who is  also a member of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. 

 Nathan and Jason Chun are avid pianists who reside in California  Under  the instruction of Jason Phu, they each have had over 10 years of  experience, performing at Carnegie Hall, Europe, and competitions of all  levels.  They also both play the viola at their school's symphony  orchestra.  When life takes an unexpected turn, the brothers believe  that music has the power to heal.  Through their music, they aim to  inspire hope even as the world struggles to find its footing again. 

 Vladyslav Borovych
He is a student of the third year of Bachelor studies in the piano class  of dr hab. Marek Szlezer and in the chamber music class of dr hab. Lech  Napierała at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow. He  graduated from the Secondary Music School at the Rivne State University of Humanities in Ukraine. He is a laureate of  international and national piano competitions, among others in.:  National Competition "Pianist" (Kamianets- Podilskyi), 9th International  Competition for Musical Interpretation (Przemyśl). He developed his skills at master classes led by: Yulia Kuzmik, Natalia  Antoshkina, Liliya Duhovna, Agnieszka Przemyk-Bryła.
 

Dominik Gilewski
He is a student of the third year of Bachelor studies in the piano class  of dr hab. Milena Kędra and in the chamber music class of dr hab. Lech  Napierała at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow. He  graduated with honors from POSM Fryderyk Chopin in Krakow in the piano class of mgr Bożena Dobrowolska. He is a laureate  of international and national piano competitions. He developed his  skills at master classes led by Polish and foreign professors. He has  performed in Poland and abroad (Italy, Germany, Austria). He has been awarded the following scholarships: Scholarship  granted by the Rector of the Academy of Music in Krakow and the  Smithfield Polish Foundation Zygmunt Piwoński.
 

FreshPianoDuo
Grand Prix on International Festival «Piano Ensemble Competition» in Kazakhstan
2th Prize on the I International Competition of chamber music «KraCamera» in Krakow (Poland) 

 The Aerato trio was founded in year 2019 by students of the Prague  Conservatory. Members of the trio are: Štěpánka Andělová – oboe; Natálie  Hrdová – clarinet; Alexandr Beták – bassoon. The Artistic director of  the Aerato trio is an oboist Vladislav Borovka who is a member of the  Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and a member of the Prague Philharmonia  Wind Quintet. Aerato trio won 13th edition of the international  competition „Luigi Cerritelli“ in Milano. 

 The quartet was established in Poznań in 2020 and is created by the  violinists: Barbara Żołnierczyk and Agnieszka Wojtowicz, the violist -  Aleksandra Borowik and the cellist - Agata Sułkowska. All of them are  students of Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań in a class  of Jarosław Nadrzycki. They are laureates of many national as well as  international music solo competitions. 

 Zuzanna Haberka, Jakub Staśto - from 2020 they have been playing in a  piano duo in the chamber music class of Prof. Anna Debowska – Jaroszek.  The pianists perfected their skills in solo and chamber music by taking  part in numerous master classes. They graduated with honors the Primary  and Secondary School of Music in Sosnowiec and Bochnia. After receiving  maturity certificates they commenced studies at the Krzysztof Penderecki  Academy of Music in Krakow in the master class of Professor Mariusz  Sielski (Zuzanna Haberka) and Professor Andrzej Pikul (Jakub Stasto). 

 Piano duet Polina Leontovich (20 yo) and Yauheniya Boiko(19 yo) 1st year  students of Belarussian State academy of Music in Minsk(Belarus) under  direction of the pianist, participant of  Chopin Piano Competition in  Warsaw 2015  Ms. Yuliya Yermalayeva.  They are winner of numerous local and  international competitions. They  performing at many concerts and competitions, constantly expand their  repertoire with new musical works. 

 We are a group of three friends who share a love to music. In 2020, we  decided to form our band “Summer Trio”: violin (Anna Rydz), clarinet  (Gabriela Potępa) and piano (Gabriela Kołodziej).  We work in the  chamber music class of Professor Monika Wilinska-Tarcholik, Professor  Anna Armatys and Professor Peter Lato at the Krzysztof Penderecki  Academy of Music in Cracow. From the very beginning, we put all our  heart and skills into our team and we carefully work on our repertoire,  constantly expanding it. We hope that our diligence and willingness to  create the music together is just a good start to achieve great musical  dreams. 

 Fedor Melnikov (melodica) and Maxim Melnikov (piano) are brothers. They  studied piano at Gatchina Children's Music School named after M.M.  Ippolitov-Ivanov, class of teacher Talya L.A. The idea to try to play  the melodica came up by chance. They have been performing as a duet  since 2019. On November 15, 2019, brothers gave their first solo concert  dedicated to the music of Astor Piazzolla. They are laureates of  various music competitions (Russia, Denmark). The duo performs at  various events in Gatchina with works of classical music, tango and  other genres. 

 Julia Monkiewicz - Polish harpist and arranger. She started playing harp  at the age of 6. In 2021 she graduated with honours from the Fryderyk  Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.  Julia enjoys being a part of  peculiar harp duos and an orchestral harpist. Krzysztof Koszowski – Polish saxophonist, composer and arranger. He  graduated with honours from the Fryderyk Chopin of Music in Warsaw in  2019. Krzysztof is a member of a highly successful saxophone quartet The  Whoop Group.  Both musicians – granted with various awards – enjoy exploring the  possibilities of harp and saxophone duo and experimenting with their  instruments’ sounds.  

 The TulipDuo, formed by Eleonora De Poi (Violin & Viola) and  Massimiliano Turchi (Piano), has become a common presence in concert  halls in Europe and China. Trained by teachers such as Ilya Grubert, Maria Milstein, and Frank van  de Laar, they won several prizes in International Chamber Music Competitions and they  have performed widely in many venues. The Duo has been admitted to several selective Masterclasses in  Switzerland, England and Italy. They have been working together with musicians like Peter Brunt, Kees  Koelmans, Paul Scheepers, Pascal Nemirovski, David Kuyken, Salvatore  Accardo and Francesco de Angelis. 

 The Fidelis Piano Trio was founded in January 2019 by Jihee Lim  (Violin), Eunhye Lim (cello) and Yerim Rhee (Piano) at Austin, United States. Back in November 2018, they first met each other for the church fund  raising concert in Austin Korean Presbyterian Church where they encountered as choir pianist and the chamber orchestra members. Since they had great time during music-making together, they decided to form the trio. They feel lucky to meet each other first as worshipers of  God, which gives more unity when making music together as a group. The name, Fidelis meaning 'faithful' in Latin, implies the goal of this  trio. The group strongly feels that having faith is the most important of all between members. Based on this faith, the group works enthusiastically and desires to share the most trustworthy music to the public. The ensemble studied at University of Texas at Austin, taking coaching  with pianist Pattie Wolf. The ensemble also participated in masterclasses  with pianist Gilbert Kalish, Mary Au and Andrew Brownell. Individually and as  a group, they intensively studied chamber music interpretation while pursuing their degree. The Fidelis Trio has won Grand prize and 1st place in string & piano  division of the Coltman Chamber Competition in 2019, and their live performance had Radio broadcasting on KMFA 89.5 in October, 2019. They also got an award outstanding performance in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2019, first place in New York International  Music Competition and Grand Prize Virtuoso international Music  Competition in 2021.  They had outreach performance in Longhorn Village, and under a contract  with the Austin Chamber Music Center, they also performed Beethoven’s  Birthday and Golden connections concerts. 

 Diana Schnürpel was born into a musical family. In 2001, she graduated  with distinction in piano and began singing studies at the Choral  Academy in Moscow with the opera singer Nina Rautio. She then studied opera singing at the “Felix Mendelssohn  Bartholdy” University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig with Regina  Werner-Dietrich. Schnürpel made her stage debut in Germany with the role  of the Bride in Les Noces by Igor Stravinsky at the Ruhr Piano Festival  in Duisburg in July 2013. Afterwards she sang the part of the Queen of  the Night on the Magic Flute in numerous houses. For the roles Gepopo in  György Ligeti’s Le Grande Macabre and the title role of Maria Stuarda  by Gaetano Donizetti, she received attention in the 2016/2017 and  2017/2018 seasons, and her great and unique coloration combined with the  warm sound of her voice was attested. Stojan Krkuleski, born 1986 in Belgrade, studied at the Faculty of  Musical Arts in Belgrade with Ante Grgin and at the University of Music  in Basel with François Benda. He has been successful in many  international competitions: Marco Fiorindo in Turin, Jeunesses Musicales  in Belgrade, ARD International Music Competition. Stojan Krkuleski  gained orchestral experience with the Serbian Radio and Television  Symphony Orchestra, the National Theatre Opera Orchestra in Belgrade and  as an intern with the Berne Symphony Orchestra. Since May 2014 he has  been the solo clarinetist of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and member  of the rehearsal commission. In addition to recitals, he has performed  as a soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich  Chamber Orchestra, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Basel  Chamber Orchestra. 

 Tingting Yao is a collaborative pianist and chamber musician based in  Memphis, Tennessee, where she is the Staff Pianist at the University of  Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. Prior to U of M, she was in  demand as a collaborative pianist in Birmingham, England and Shenzhen,  China, where she worked as a piano teacher in Lang Lang’s first piano  school. Ms. Yao holds degrees from United Kingdom, Australia and China. Brazilian violist Amaro Dubois is this season’s viola fellow in the Iris  Artist Fellowship program (IAF). Amaro earned his Bachelor’s Degree in  Violin Performance (with a specialty in chamber music) from the  Brazilian Conservatory of Music and his Master’s Degree in Viola  Performance from the University of Alabama. He has played for groups  such as the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, the Tuscaloosa Symphony  Orchestra, the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, the Pensacola Symphony  Orchestra, and more. 

 Based in Hong Kong, Greenies Piano Duo explore diverse and challenging  repertoire. Their aim is to present mostly programs with a strong theme  in concerts. In addition, they hope to introduce lesser-known music or  rarities to the audience in today’s commercial world. Most recently,  they have performed a range of French piano four-hand music in their  sold-out debut concert. 

 La Collima, comprised of Asako Yoshida and Mai Yamada, is a Japanese piano duo. They made their debut recital in May in Tokyo 2021.
 

Asako Yoshida
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Asako Yoshida began her piano studies at age 4.
She was educated with Mr.Noriyuki Miyazawa at Sapporo Conservatoire and  with Ms.Tomoko Asai at the Departement of Faculty of Music at Sapporo  Otani University.
She was conferred the degree of Bachelor of Music at the head of her classe of the University.
In 2011, she went to France to study under Mr.Billy Eidi at  Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris, and 2 years after, she  was given her diploma of Concertiste.
Then in 2014, She was given unanimously with felicitations her diploma  of Virtuoso at Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de  Rueil-Malmaison.(studied under Ms.Chantal RIOU.)
She has won numerous awards including third prize winner in  International Competition in Brest (2014), Gold medalist in National  Competition of Piano Claude Kahn (2015), winner in International  Competition Leopold Bellan (2015) and International Competition Musical France (2015) , among others.
She has performed actively so many concerts in Japan and Paris including  Summer concert of Kitara, Piano-fresh concert in Sapporo, Charity  concert for Japan-Fukushima in Paris, Solo recital at théâtre saint  bonnet in Bourge France and so on.
She is invited to play at Festival Chopin (Jun 2016, Paris) and Festival Ouessant (August 2016, Ouessant France).
 

Mai Yamada
Mai Yamada was born in Tokyo in 1990 and started playing the piano at the age of 3.
She has won numerous awards in competition including National  Competition of Piano Claude Kahn(2014), OSAKA International Music  Competition(2015), and first prize in All Japan Piano Audition(2012).
She has played as soloist with London's Knightsbridge Philharmonic, Kaposoka Symphony of Angola.
In addition to her busy schedule in Japan, she has given recitals in  London and been invited to international music festivals in France and  Spain.
She released her debut album "Damase Piano Works" in 2017, which is receiving great acclaim from critics.
In 2018, she started playing with Megumi Nakamura as Mercoledi, a piano and harp duo.  Mercoledi released their debut album "Primo Mercoledi" in 2020, which  was featured in various media. They served as radio personality in  internet radio program of OTTAVA from 2018 to 2020.
She studied with Billy Eidi, and graduated from Toho Gakuen School of  Music in Tokyo and Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris. 

The ensemble was founded in 2020 at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of  Music in Poznań. They are laureates of national and international  competitions - International Chamber Music Competition in Bydgoszcz,  International Moscow Music Competition, OPUS Competition and IYMC 

Yip Tat Chung Truman was born in 2014. He started his percussion class at four, and obtained his Percussion Grade 5  Certificate from the Royal Schools of Music in 2021.   Truman's teacher is Ms. Jo Jo Ho. Under her keen supervision, Truman had won the Champions, First Prize and Gold Prize from both live and online music competitions in Hong Kong and overseas since 2020, including the Concorso Citta di Massa in Italy and the London Young Musician in the United Kingdom.   Truman also loves to sing and to play the piano. Under his mother's guidance, he had obtained the Singing Grade 4 Certificate from the Royal Schools of Music in 2019. He is a Member of the Hong Kong Children's Choir, and a Percussionist of the School Wind Orchestra. Truman's recent performance has been showcased in an online broadcasting project presented by the Radio Television Hong Kong TV Channel 31. 

My name is Yu Yuen Chi. I am 7 years old. I have been playing percussion since age of 4 and I love this musical instrument very much! I like the amazing tone of marimba.   I feel energetic and satisfied after immersed in the performance. I like music very much. Apart from percussion I also play piano.   I enjoy composing songs with beautiful music and meaningful lyrics as a good way to express my feeling and memorable moments.   I hope I can be a good musician in future as I enjoy music and performance.

Born in Kochi, Japan, in2006. Aoi Ikegami started to learn the marimba at age of 10 years old, under Eri Yamashita. Aoi won the 1st prize in the 24th Japan Junior Wind and Percussion Competition, Second prize and special prize of the KOBE Cultural Foundation in the 24th KOBE International Music Competition and she received The Outstanding Students Awards of KOCHI Prefecture in 2019, 2022.

Fifteen-year-old percussionist and 10th grader who studies at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, California and currently a percussionist at the California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra. He is now studying with Anthony Cirone and Tammy Chen, also had pleasure to have private and master classes with some of the greatest marimba artists such as Gordon Stout, She-e Wu, Emmanuel Sejourne, Momoko Kamiya, Pei-Ching Wu, WeiChen Lin ,Theodor Milkov and Lynn Vartan, Jacob Nissly. Jonathan had been selected to participate in NYO2 this year, he also won the 1st place of Young Artist at USIMC, also had been selected several times to perform at the Junior Bach Festival for the past years as soloist and chamber group, the group who had also won the Grand award in 2019 at the National Young Artists Chamber Music and Ensemble Competition and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. When not studying for school and music, he enjoys hiking, skiing, rafting, camping and travelling with the family."

Nanami Kuroiwa was born in Kochi, Japan, in 2002. She started to learn the marimba at the age of 10, under Eri Yamashita. She has won many awards, including the 3rd prize in the 21st Japan Junior Wind and Percussion Competition, the 3rd prize in the Percussion Arts Society Individuals Competition 2020 (USA), and the 1st prize in Japan Solo Contest 2020. And in 2019, she has received The Outstanding Student Award of Kochi Prefecture. She is currently studying at Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Commerce and Management, while continuing musical activities.