18th Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition

Saturday 29 September 2007

in association with

Airedale Symphony Orchestra, Arnold Sinfonia, Bideford Music Club, Bridport & West Dorset Music Club, Bury St. Edmunds Concert Club, Cambridge Summer Music Festival, Charterhouse, City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, Derby Chamber Music Society, Essex Musical Association, Essex Symphony Orchestra, Haywards Heath Music Society, Hoddesdon Music Club, Lambeth Orchestra, Leighton Buzzard Music Club, Linton Music Society, Louth and District Concert Society, Lyndhurst Music Society, Music at St. Peter's Wallingford, Salomon Orchestra, Steyning Music Society, Stratford-upon-Avon Chamber Music Society, Surrey Philharmonic Orchestra, The Cambridge Orchestra, The King's School Ely, University of Essex, University of Strathclyde, Uppingham Concerts, Wymondham Symphony Orchestra 


sponsors

Days Inn Haverhill. Empire Pianos Braintree, Evans-Pughe Strings of Hitchin Ltd., figleaves.com, Haverhill Round Table, Marchant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Mrs. Pat Taylor and Mr. Nicholas Jarman, Music Sales Group, Printwise (Haverhill) Ltd., STP Stationery, the Herbert Group


competition

25 musicians, selected from 171 entrants of 33 nationalities will compete in this exciting and varied international competition, with each competitor performing a 20-minute programme. There are 37 prizes to the value of £8,300.


adjudicating panel

Kevin Hill MBE – Music Director, Haverhill Sinfonia
Ronan O'Hora – Head of Keyboard Studies, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Wissam Boustany – International Soloist and Professor of Flute, Trinity College of Music
Gary Ryan – Professor of Guitar, Royal College of Music 


prizes

First prize
recital, Bridport and West Dorset Music Club, £200
recital, Bury St. Edmunds Concert Club, £200
recital, Cambridge Summer Music Festival, £200
recital, Charterhouse, £200
recital, Cliffs Pavilion Southend-on-Sea, £200
recital, Haywards Heath Music Society, £200
recital, Hoddesdon Music Club, £200
recital, Leighton Buzzard Music Club, £200
recital, Linton Music Society, £200
recital, Louth and District Concert Society, £200
recital, Lyndhurst Music Society, £200
recital, Steyning Music Society, £200
recital, Stratford-upon-Avon Chamber Music Society, £200
recital, The King's School Ely, £200
recital, University of Essex, £200
recital, University of Strathclyde, £200
solo work, Airedale Symphony Orchestra, £300
solo work, City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra, £300
solo work, Lambeth Orchestra, £300
solo work, Surrey Philharmonic Orchestra, £300
solo work, The Cambridge Orchestra, £300
solo work, Wymondham Symphony Orchestra, £300

Second prize
£250 donated by Haverhill Round Table

Third prize
£200 donated by figleaves.com

Fourth prize
£175 donated by Marchant Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

Fifth prize
£150 donated by the Herbert Group

Sixth prize
£125

Highest-placed prize-winner, other than piano
recital, Bideford Music Club, £200
solo work, Arnold Sinfonia, £300 donated by Days Inn Haverhill
solo work, Salomon Orchestra, £300

Highest-placed woodwind player
solo work, Essex Symphony Orchestra, £300 in conjunction with Essex Musical Association

Highest-placed string player
solo work with orchestra, Uppingham Concerts, £300 

Highest-placed violinist or cellist
recital, Music at St. Peter's Wallingford, £200

Highest-placed pianist, violinist, violist, cellist, clarinettist or oboist
recital, Derby Chamber Music Society, £200

Best performance of a work by a British composer
£200 donated by Evans-Pughe Strings of Hitchin Ltd. 

Best performance of a work written since 1957
£200 donated by Music Sales Group

Best accompanist
£200 donated by Mrs. Pat Taylor and Mr. Nicholas Jarman

 competitors

Michael McHale (piano) - 9.30am

W. A. Mozart – Sonata in C minor K.457
1. Allegro

John Field – Nocturne No. 10 in E minor

Carl Vine – Five Bagatelles
Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5

Claude Debussy – Estampes
3. Jardins sous la pluie

Michael McHale (24) was born in Northern Ireland. After early studies in his native Belfast, he won a scholarship to study with John O'Conor and Réamonn Keary at the Royal Irish Academy of Music In Dublin. Whilst still a student there, Michael was invited to give an early concerto début in the Ulster Hall for BBC Radio 3 performing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1.

He continued his education at Cambridge University, graduating with a double first-class honours degree in Music and all the major performance prizes. Michael then went on to study piano with Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music as holder of the EMI Music Sound Foundation Scholarship, graduating with distinction in 2006. He was a piano finalist in both the BBC Young Musician of the Year and Royal Overseas League competitions, won first prize in the 2004 Camerata Ireland Musician of the Year and was winner of the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition.

Michael was featured as a "rising star" in International Piano magazine as a result of his performance of two Mozart concertos with the Hallé Orchestra at the "Piano 2006" international festival in Manchester. He has performed throughout the UK and Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Hungary and USA, including several broadcast performances for BBC Radio 3 and RTE Radio. Highlights include Beethoven Concertos 3, 4 and 5 with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, a recent highly successful début recital in Washington DC and four performances of Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos with Barry Douglas and Camerata Ireland.

Upcoming engagements include performances of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in Germany, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 with Camerata Ireland at their annual summer festival in Clandeboye, Co. Down and solo recitals in Kilkenny, Wexford, London and the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

“...Bravura playing in the music of Franz Liszt drew extended ovations at pianist Michael McHale's recital at the Phillips Collection...He handled with gusto and skill the powerfully climbing themes and the thunderous climaxes...”  Washington Post

“...an elegant sensibility, and bright, even-fingered articulation that was instantly engaging...”  The Times

*******************************************

Competitor withdrawn - 9.50am

*******************************************

Wendy Ghysels (violin) - 10.10am
accompanist – Anton Lyakhovsky

Johannes Brahms – F.A.E. Sonata
3rd movement - Scherzo

Dmitri Shostakovich – Concerto No. 1 in A minor
3rd movement - Cadenza
4th movement - Burleske

Wendy Ghysels (23) was born in Brussels and started playing the violin at age 5 with Michel Poskin. At 14 she was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and she played since then under the greatest conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Paävo Järvi, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Trevor Pinnock. In 2000 and 2001, she won the First Prizes of Dexia and Jong Tenuto Competitions, and later was awarded the Rotary District scholarship 2002, the Albert Lullin Prize 2003, the Maggy Breittmayer Prize 2005, and Prize winner of the Frieder Wald Foundation 2005, the Leenaards Foundation 2005, the RAM Foundation 2005-2007, the Spes Foundation 2006 and the Vocation Foundation 2007.

Studying from 2002 at the Geneva Music Conservatory with Jean-Pierre Wallez, Wendy obtained at 20 a Soloist Diploma with the best mention. She took part in master classes with Professors including Zakhar Bron, Viktor Pikayzen, Silvia Marcovici, Tasmin Little, Sylvia Rosenberg or Itzhak Rashkovsky, and was invited in summer 2005 to the prestigious Keshet Eilon Mastercourse under Shlomo Mintz’s Patronage in Israel, studying with Petru Monteanu, Vadim Gluzman and Year Kless. She accomplished this year a Postgraduate in performance Diploma with distinction with Erich Gruenberg the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded for her final recital the special award Dip RAM and the mention “phenomenal” with 97%.

From the age of 16, Wendy has been invited to perform as a soloist for the Belgian and the Swiss radios; besides also leading several orchestras and ensembles, she performs in great ensembles such as Takacs Camerata, National Opera of Belgium la Monnaie or Ensemble Contrechamps, playing in the greatest halls: Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Royal Albert Hall, Tokyo Opera City Hall, Sao Paolo Sala, Shangai Opera House etc.

She has also performed recitals and concerti as a soloist on tours in Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain with the Orchestre Philharmonique Strauss, Brussels International Youth Orchestra, Orchestre Buissonier, Sinfonietta de Genève, Orchestre du Conservatoire de Genève, Orchestre de l’Université de Genève and Orchrestre Saint Jean; in 2006 she performed Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in the Victoria Hall, Geneva.

***********************

David Cuthbert (flute) - 10.30am
accompanist – John Cuthbert

Friedrich Kuhlau – The Last Rose of Summer
Theme with 6 variations

Olivier Messiaen – Vocalise

Aaron Copland – Duo
1st movement – Flowing

Lowell Liebermann – Sonata
2nd movement – Presto energico


David Cuthbert (29) was born in Scotland. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a 1st class honours degree and a distinction at postgraduate level and has established himself as a busy and highly regarded flautist.

He has played with many of the UK's leading orchestras including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia. With them he has toured internationally and has made both commercial and CD recordings as well as countless Radio 3 Broadcasts.

David is also Principal Flute of the Symphony Orchestra of India, Mumbai, of which he is a founding member. Alongside his orchestral work David has a passion for chamber music. His wind quintet, the Cammarilla Ensemble, were Junior Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music for two years. David has also joined the Zephyr, Aurora and Emerald Ensembles in concerts as a guest flautist.

As a soloist David has performed concertos in this country and abroad as well as recitals in this country, Europe and Japan. David was a woodwind finalist in the Royal Overseas League competition and has also received the Harold Craxton Chamber Music Award, Sir James Caird Travelling Scholarship and the KPMG Martin Scholarship.

********************************************************************

Tamas Balla (oboe) – 10.50am
accompanist - Tünde Marosfalvi

Antal Dorati – Five Pieces (excerpts)
1. La cigale et la Fourmie
2. Lettre d'amour
3. Legerdemain

Johann Kalliwoda – Morceau de Salon


Tamas Balla (23) was born in Hungary. He graduated as Master of Music in oboe performance and attained a teaching diploma at Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest with Professor P. Pongracz and J. Kiss. Previous to that, he studied in Budapest at the Béla Bartók School of Music.

He won the National Oboe Competition of Hungary on three consecutive occasions. In 2004 he won the UFAM International Oboe Competition in Paris. He was awarded a tuition scholarship from Foundation Albeniz, continuing his oboe soloist performance study at Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, Madrid with Professor Hansjorg Schellenberger.

As an orchestral musician he has toured America, Europe and Asia. He participated in master-classes with Lajos Lencses, Gordon Hunt, Dan Stolper, Elaine Douvas, Han de Vries, Christian Wetzel, Maurice Bourgue and Hansjorg Schellenberger.

********************************************

Competitor withdrawn - 11.10am

********************************************

James Barralet (cello) - 12.00pm
Zoltán Kodály – Sonata Op. 8
Allegro maestoso ma appassionato

Edwin Roxburgh – Partita
Slow – tempo commodo ma deciso

J. S. Bach – Sarabande from Suite No. 6


James Barralet (28) was born in England. He began playing the cello at the age of five and in 2003 was winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society's Julius Isserlis scholarship which enabled him to study for three years with Thomas Demenga at Basel Hochschule fur Musik. He concluded his studies in 2006 with the Soloists Diploma. James previously studied with Hannah Roberts at the RNCM where he graduated with a first class honours degree, a professional performance diploma and a post-graduate performer's diploma.

He has been awarded the Muriel Taylor Cello Scholarship, a Hattori Foundation Senior Scholarship, the Sir John Barbirolli Cello Prize, the Nossek Prize, and second prize in the Bromsgrove International Competition. James has participated in master-classes with David Geringas at the Kronberg Cello Academy, Boris Pergamenschikow and Ralph Kirshbaum at IMS Prussia Cove and Benjamin Zander at the London Master-classes, Robert Cohen in Varna, Bulgaria and Pieter Wispelwey in Boswil, Switzerland.

As a soloist, James has performed throughout Europe and in India, Korea, Russia and the USA. He made his concerto début with Basel Symphony Orchestra in 2005 performing Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 and returned the following year with Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. Next season James performs at the Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artist series at the Barber Institute in Birmingham and the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

Contemporary music is important for James and he has premièred new pieces by composers including Raymond Head, Isabel Klaus, Philippe Kocher and Reto Stadelman. He is a member of innov'ensemble, a Swiss based group (soprano, flute, viola and cello) which specializes in contemporary music and performance. His musical interests include free improvisation, folk and north Indian classical music (initiated during a six month teaching visit to Calcutta in 1998). With tabla player, Shankar Chowdhury, James will give a series of concerts in 2008 in England and India.

James draws from this diverse pool inspiration for arrangements, which have been performed at the Graz festival in Austria, and at the Stratford and Warwick International Festivals.

James is grateful for support he has received from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Denne Gilkes Trust, Hattori Foundation, Martin/Philharmonia Orchestra Trust, Musicians Benevolent Fund, Myra Hess Trust, Rudolf von Tobel Studienstiftung, Shiriey Cattaral Award, the Swiss Government (Bundesstipendium), Tillett Trust and the Wingate Foundation.

“Infinitely musical”  Clifford Benson

“A truly great cellist, moreover a truly great musician”  Benjamin Zander

“Mesmerizing... It is reassuring to know - through the greatness of Bach as performed by people like Mr Barralet - that there are still some eternal verities”  Stratford Herald

****************************************************************************************

Competitor withdrawn - 12.20pm

******************************************************************************************

Anna Hashimoto (clarinet) - 12.40pm
accompanist – Miyako Hashimoto

Heinrich Baermann – Adagio

Franco Donatoni – Clair I

Joseph Horovitz – Sonatina
2nd movement – Lento quasi andante
3rd movement – Con brio


Anna Hashimoto (18) was born in Japan, moving to London six months later. She made her Barbican Hall début in December 2004 playing Weber's Concertino with the English Chamber Orchestra. She was the winner of the Parthenon Tama Prize at the Japan Clarinet Competition earlier that year. In 2003 she won the Japan Clarinet Society's 'Young Clarinettists Competition' where she was awarded all three special prizes as well.

Anna started playing the piano at the age of four and clarinet when she was eight years old. She studied at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music with Charles Hine, where she was awarded the Else and Leonard Cross Memorial Scholarship and the Esther Coleman Prize (for being an outstanding student). She has also been a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Anna has appeared at London's Wigmore Hall on numerous occasions playing solo and chamber music. She has also played in the Cadogan Hall and South Bank Centre. In 2006 Anna played Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in a Gala concert at the British Embassy in Paris, and she has also performed at Buckingham Palace.

At “International ClarinetFest 2005” Anna had the honour of giving the Japanese Première and a live broadcast of Michael Daugherty's new clarinet concerto “Brooklyn Bridge”. There she also performed Tartini/Jacob's Concertino with the British Clarinet Ensemble, with whom she has also recorded a CD of the work.

Anna has given many recitals and concerto performances. In 2006 she performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto four times, including the performance with the English Chamber Orchestra with whom she made her third appearance in August 2007. In Tokyo she played the Mozart Concerto with the Japan Chamber Orchestra in November 2006. As the winner of the Purcell School's Senior Concerto Prize, Anna gave a highly acclaimed performance of Jean Francaix's Concerto at LSO St Luke's in March 2007.

Anna was a student at the Purcell School for four years and she has just started an undergraduate degree course at the Royal Academy of Music, where she continues to study with Michael Collins. Anna plays on Peter Eaton "International" clarinets and basset clarinet.

****************************************************************************************************

Virgil Boutellis (violin) - 1.00pm
accompanists – Andrei Korobeinikov (piano)
Yuki Osa (guitar)

César Franck – Sonata in A
2nd movement – Allegro

Ástor Piazzolla – The Story of the Tango (excerpt)
1. Bordel 1900
2. Café 1930


Virgil Boutellis (21) was born in France and began studying the violin and piano at 7. He attended the Conservatoire Superieur de Paris where he won the First Prize in violin (Gold Medal) at 16, and then completed the Soloist Programme. Simultaneously he worked privately with soloists Olivier Charlier and Laurent Korcia.

He then left for Hungary to continue his progress at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest under Geza Kapas. For these past two years he has been studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky at the Royal College of Music, London. In June 2006 he obtained his Masters in Advanced Performance with Distinction (outstanding) and last June (2007) he was awarded The Artist Diploma.

Virgil has taken part in many master-classes with Michele Auclair, Levon Chilingirian, Boris Garlitsky, Vadim Gluzman, Eduard Grach, Ida Haendel, Lewis Kaplan, Yair Kless, Shlomo Mintz, Gordon Nikolitch, Igor Oistrakh, Jan Repko, Hagai Shaham, Ani Schnarch, Sergiu Schwarz, Joel Smirnoff and Haim Taub.

Since the age of 9, Virgil has regularly given recitals in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, England and the United States. In July 2006, he participated in the Bowdoin International Music Festival in the USA. This past summer he was Performing Assistant at this same Festival and also took part in the Keshet Eilon Violin Mastercourse 2007 in Israel.

In France, Virgil won the First Prize of the Vatelot Violin Competition 2001 and was Laureate 2004 of the Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Fondation pour la vocation. In England, he received the AHRC Postgraduate Award 2005, the MBF Music Education Award 2006 and the Myra Hess Award 2007 and was a prize-winner at the 17th Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition.

*********************************************************************************************

Felix Vogelsang (cello) - 1.20pm
accompanist – Tom Blach

J. S. Bach – Allemande from Suite No. 6 in D

Niccolò Paganini – Variations on a Theme of Rossini

Zoltán Kodály – Sonata
Allegro maestoso ma appassionato


Felix Vogelsang (31) was born in Paderborn, Germany. He studied at the Musikhochschule Hannover with Prof. Tilmann Wick, where he also obtained his artistic diploma and later, his solo diploma. A scholarship from the Land Niedersachsen allowed him to work as Assistant to Prof. Wick in the later years of his studies. After playing in the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Detmolder Kammerorchester and the Radiophilharmonie des NDR Hannover, he was encouraged by artists like M. Rostropovich, Arto Noras, Boris Pergamentschikoff and Sir Bernhard Haitink to concentrate on a solo career.

His concerts led him through all European countries, South Africa, Chile and into the United States, where he gave his New York début in April 2002 with the pianist Christopher Cooley. In spring 2005 he played as a soloist with the Deutsche Kammerorchester in the Berliner Philharmonie.

He regularly plays at many festivals such as the Braunschweig Classix Festival, the Vinschgauer Musikwochen, the Festival de Chaillol and the Pietany-Festival for young artists (Slovakia) where he won the prize for the best interpretation in July 2007 together with the artist Silvia Longauerova.

He is prize-winner of the Internationaler Cello Wettbewerb, Liezen (Austria), the International D. Shostakovich concours (Germany) and the national competition Junge Ensembles musizieren (Germany).

Since August 2004, Felix Vogelsang has been assistant principal Cello of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. As a member of the PE-Forderkreis, Felix Vogelsang plays a Violoncello from Don Nicolo Amati (1730).

*******************************************

Competitor withdrawn - 1.40pm

*******************************************

Sena Larard (soprano) - 2.50pm
accompanist – Tahu Mattheson

Igor Stravinsky – The Rake's Progress
No word from Tom...Quietly Night...I go,I go to him

Vincenzo Bellini – La Sonnambula
Come per me sereno...Sovra il sen la man mi posa

Jacques Offenbach – Les Contes d'Hoffman
Les oiseaux dans le charmille – “Doll Song”


Sena Larard (32) was born in America and began her music career as a cellist. She has performed professionally with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and was awarded a performing fellowship to attend the University of Louisville.

Sena began her vocal studies at the City University of New York, Brooklyn Conservatory in 2000 where she performed the roles of Anne Truelove, Queen of the Night, Valencienne, and Polisena in the world premier of Ecuba, directed by Mignon Dunn. Sena was also selected to attend the International Vocal Arts program in Chiari Italy, and was chosen to perform in the vocal ensemble at the Aix-en-Provence festival.

Sena has performed professionally with Opera Birmingham, in Alabama, where she understudied the role of Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Recent Choral and concert works include a performance of Carmina Burana with the Luxembourg Conservatoire and a lieder recital performed in Bad Kreuznach, Germany.

****************************************************************

Jiafeng Chen (violin) - 3.10pm
accompanist – Jen Hughes

Sergey Prokofiev – Concerto No. 2 in G minor
1st movement – Allegro moderato

Niccolò Paganini – Capriccio No. 24

Manuel Ponce – Estrellita


Jiafeng Chen (20) was born in Shanghai. In December 2005, he won 2nd Prize in the prestigious Sibelius Violin Competition, Helsinki, joining a distinguished list of previous prize-winners. This immediately led to accolades from the Finnish press and from such distinguished figures as Pierre Amoyal, Herman Krebbers and Tuomas Haapanen. It also led to engagements with the Tapiola Sinfonietta and Paavo Berglund, with the Vaasa City Orchestra, and a recital in Hameenlinna, as well as invitations to perform in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, UK and South Africa.

Jiafeng began to achieve major international recognition in 2003 when he was awarded 1st Prize in the 9th Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poland, with further prizes from the European Union Music Competition and the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music.

Jiafeng Chen started to play the violin at the age of three. From 1996 to 2004, he studied with Jiyang Zhao and Lei Fang in the Music School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. During these years, he was awarded numerous scholarships and in 2001, won 2nd prize in the 7th Chinese National Youth Violin Competition. He was selected to attend the Morning Star Music Programme in Canada, followed by an invitation to join the Itzhak Perlman Music Programme. During 2002 he gave solo performances in Memphis, Joplin, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

In 2004 he moved to England to study with Jan Repko at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and soon after was awarded the Manoug Parikian Prize at the Musicians' Benevolent Fund String Awards. This led to an invitation to give his Wigmore Hall début in December 2005.

Jiafeng is already building an international career. He has had numerous concerts in China, UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Norway, Italy, Finland and Poland. He has also performed as soloist with many eminent orchestras and conductors including the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Helsinki Symphony Orchestra.

He has recently had master-classes with Pierre Amoyal, Bruno Canino, Boris Garlitsky, Burkhard Godhoff, Eduard Grach, Tuomas Haapanen, Piotr Janowski, Herman Krebbers, Itzhak Perlman and Ruggiero Ricci.

Alongside his developing concert career, he is currently continuing his studies from September 2006 with Jan Repko at the Royal College of Music in London having been awarded a scholarship to study as a Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Scholar.

Jiafeng plays a Nicolo Gagliano (Naples, 1751), kindly on loan from Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.

“One of the world's most gifted young violinists”  Pierre Amoyal

********************************************************************

Kodo Osada (piano) – 3.30pm

Joseph Haydn – Sonata in E minor
3rd movement

Isaac Albéniz – Triana

Rory Boyle - “Reeling”

G. Verdi/F. List – Paraphrase on “Rigoletto”


Kodo Osada (24) was born in London and began his musical training at the age of five, entering firstly the Juilliard pre-college school in New York and proceeding later to Chetham's Music School in Manchester.

He came to national attention in the year of 2000 when he reached the National Final of the Piano Section in the BBC Young Musician of the Year, broadcast on BBC2 and Radio 3. In 2002 he entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study with Joan Havill and gained his Bachelor of Music Honours Degree (2005) and the Masters Degree with Distinction (2006). He continues his postgraduate studies at the Guildhall sponsored by an MBF Ian Fleming Award, the Sir John Cass Foundation, the Newby Trust and Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.

In 2006, Kodo won the MBF Ian Fleming Award, Kenneth Loveland Gift, First Prize at the Norah Sande Award Piano Competition, and was also chosen as one of the young artists to be presented in Yehudi Menuhin's Live Music Now scheme. Most recently, he was awarded 2nd prize in Oxford Music Festival's Recital Class, as well as the Yamaha prize in the 2007 Dudley International Piano Competition.

He has participated in the master-classes of Leon Fleisher, Menahem Pressler, and John Lill, and has given concerts in the UK, France, Germany, and Austria. He has appeared in prestigious venues such as the South Bank Centre, Bridgewater Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and played concertos with orchestras, including the Hallé.

*****************************************************************************

Jonathan Parkin (clarinet) - 3.50pm
accompanist – Sebastian Stanley

Arthur Benjamin – Le Tombeau de Ravel
Introduzione
1. Poco lento
2. Presto volante
3. Andante semplice
4. Allegro vigoroso
5. Allegretto preciso
6. Lento intimo
Finale: non troppo allegro

Ralph Vaughan Williams – Six Studies in English Folk-Song (excerpts)
2nd movement – Andante sostenuto
4th movement – Lento
5th movement – Andante tranquillo
6th movement – Allegro vivace


Jonathan Parkin (23) was born near Durham and began his clarinet studies relatively late in his school career. With the help of inspiring teacher George MacDonald, Jonathan made rapid progress and won a place to study at the Royal College of Music. He graduated with a first class Honours in July this year, under the instruction of Robert Hill.

As an orchestral musician, Jonathan was principal clarinet of the award-winning youth orchestra, Young Sinfonia during 2002-3, appearing as a soloist with them on several occasions. At the RCM, he has played in orchestras conducted by Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sir Roger Norrington. He has also played with the National Youth Wind Orchestra. Jonathan has a passion for chamber music. Since his move to London, he has been a leading member of several exciting groups that have taken him far and wide, from appearing in UK festivals to providing background music for private functions abroad. Over the past two years, he has appeared in festivals in Monmouth (2006) and Chipping Campden (2007), and at the National Gallery and Victoria & Albert Museum in London, amongst others.
 
As a soloist, he has given countless recitals, both as part of the RCM concert series and at other venues in London, including at St. James's Piccadilly and also at home in the North-East. In Summer 2005, Jonathan gave his concerto début playing the Finzi Concerto at the University of Cambridge. Since then, he has given sold-out performances of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto at St. George's, Hanover Square, and at the Unicorn Theatre, in presence of Dame Judi Dench and other celebrities.
 
In Autumn 2005, he was the woodwind finalist in the RCM Concerto Competition, after which the late renowned clarinettist Dame Thea King cited him as "a complete artist in the making". He was a prizewinner in the RCM Senior Woodwind Competition 2006 and was nominated by the college as one of two soloists to represent the RCM in the prestigious 2007 NYOS Staffa Award. In May this year, Jonathan was invited to perform in the Tunnell Trust's Strathgarry Showcase for talented young musicians at the start of their professional careers.
 
Jonathan was recently awarded a scholarship to study a Masters degree at the RCM. He is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Craxton Memorial Trust, and also holds an MBF Education Award. Jonathan has a keen interest in preserving the English clarinet tradition and plays on wide-bore clarinets designed and made by Luis Rossi, based on instruments dating from 1938. Future engagements include a solo recital of English music at St. George's, Hanover Square on 31st October, a further performance of Mozart's Concerto with the Boston Orchestra in late autumn and a series of recitals in Holland in December.

***************

Viktoria Kaunzner (violin) - 4.10pm
accompanist – Tom Blach

Eugène Ysaÿe – Sonata in G minor Op. 27
1. Grave: Lento assai
2. Fugato: Molto moderato

Jean Sibelius – Concerto in D minor Op. 47
3rd movement – Allegro, ma non troppo


Viktoria Kaunzner (25) was born near Munich, Germany and began playing the violin at the age of six. Among her first teachers were Miroslav Novak from Pilsen (Czech Republic) and Serge Fatkulin (Bonn, Moscou). In 1998 she gave her solo début in the Munich Prinzregententheater. In 2001, after an excellent school finish, she became a student at the University of Music in Karlsruhe of Prof. Josef Rissin and for chamber music of Prof. Jorg Wolfgang Jahn.

In October 2003 she moved to the Hochschule fur Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin studying with Prof. Stephan Picard. In 2006-7 she was an Erasmus exchange student at the CNSM Paris, studying with Prof. Olivier Charlier with the Gerd Bucerius scholarship awarded by the ZEIT Stiftung.

She won prizes in international competitions such as the International Kocian Violin Competition 1995, 1996 and 1997; 1st prize in the federal violin competition Jugend Musiziert in Germany in 1998 and the International Queen Sophie Charlotte Competition in 2002. In 2005 Viktoria became member of Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now and was awarded a fine instrument by Lorenzo Ventapane, given by the Deutscher Musikinstrumentenfonds, Hamburg. Also in 2005 and 2007 she was prize-winner in the XVIeme Concours International "FLAME" in the UNESCO in Paris, 2nd prizewinner in the Dr Luis Sigall Competition in Vina del Mar (WFIMC), Chile.

Viktoria was invited to master-classes with artists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Ana Chumachenco, Igor Oistrach, Zakhar Bron, Ida Haendel, Herman Krebbers, Pierre Amoyal and Kolja Blacher. Great encouragement was given to her by Adelina Oprean and Sebastian Hamann. Additionally she was awarded scholarships for chamber music courses from the Jeunesse musicales and from the DAAD for the 52nd and 53rd Festival - Pablo Casals, Prades, studying with the Quatuor Talich, Quatuor Danel, Gil Sharon, Raphael Oleg and W. Guttler.

In autumn 2005, she played with the Sinus Quartet (founded in 2004) and members of the Berlin Philharmonic at the Zermatt Festival in Switzerland. Between 2004-6 she was invited by Maestro Peter Csaba to the Encuentro y Academia di Musica Santander (Spain) where she played solo recitals, as well as chamber music and was concert master of the festival orchestra.

She performed as a soloist with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra Bacau and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Pilsen and played solo and chamber music in Europe and the Far East. Several concerts were broadcast and shown on TV. A special interest of hers is contemporary music. She works together with composers such as W. Zimmermann, B. Schweitzer, V. Dinescu, X. Bouchaud, M. Baptist.

************************************************************************

Mikhail Shilyaev (piano) – 4.30pm

P. I. Tchaikovsky – Meditation Op. 72

Sergey Prokofiev – Sonata No. 6
1st movement – Allegro moderato

Fryderyk Chopin – Etude in A minor Op. 25


Mikhail Shilyaev (28) was born in Izhevsk, Russia. He started learning the piano aged 6 and won several regional piano competitions at a young age. In 1992 he continued his piano studies at the central music school of the Moscow Conservatoire. He then went on to study with Alexandr Sobolev and in 1998 became a full-time student at the Moscow State Conservatoire, where he studied with Prof. Olga Zhukova and Prof. Virsaladze.

In October 2003 he joined Prof. Franz Massinger's class at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Munich as the recipient of a DAAD scholarship. He has also performed as soloist and chamber musician in various countries, including Russia, England, Germany, Italy and France. Since September 2005 Mikhail has studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Mark Ray, Alexander Melnikov and Nelson Goerner. In 2005 he won both second prize in the Ibiza International Piano Competition and first prize in the Intercollegiate Beethoven Competition organized by the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe.

In July 2006 he won second prize in the Amy Brant Piano Competition in Birmingham. He has also been awarded the Ricci Foundation Award 2006 and Maisie Lewis Award 2006, which enabled him to make his Wigmore Hall début recital in March 2007. This season engagements include appearances with London Soloists Chamber Orchestra and RNCM Concert Orchestra.

*********************

John Myerscough (cello) - 4.50pm
accompanist – Rosie Richardson

J. S. Bach – Prelude from Suite for solo cello in D major BWV 1012

Ernest Chausson – Pièce

Johannes Brahms – Sonata in E minor Op. 38
3rd movement – Allegro


John Myerscough (25) was born in London and is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the finest young British cellists of his generation and is much in demand as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician.

In 2006 he won the Gold Medal and First Prize at the Royal Overseas League Music Competition, the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Cello Prize and the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund “Prince of Wales” Award. He made his London recital début giving the opening recital of the 2007 Park Lane Group New Year Series at the Purcell Room, a concert described by The Financial Times as a “sterling performance” whilst Hilary Finch in The Times commented “it was clear that here was a musician of quick, finely honed responses and firm, focused tone [who] artfully alternated song and virtuoso soundscape”. With his duo partner, Alasdair Beatson, John has also given concerts at the Brighton, Edinburgh Fringe and King's Lynn Festivals and in venues such as Cadogan Hall, Steinway Hall, St. James's, Piccadilly and Kettle's Yard in Cambridge. As a concerto soloist he has performed with the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra in the Purcell Room, St. John's, Smith Square and St. Martin's in the Field and with the Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra. He will make his Wigmore Hall solo début in November before embarking on a tour of Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

John is currently a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studies with Louise Hopkins and is also her teaching assistant. He began the cello at the age of 6 with Wendy Max and subsequently studied with Margaret Moncrieff, Steven Doane and David Waterman. He has also studied with the late William Pleeth, Bernard Greenhouse, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Valentin Erben (Alban Berg Quartet). John graduated from Selwyn College, Cambridge in 2003 where he read music.

John is the cellist of the Doric String Quartet which is fast emerging as one of the outstanding quartets of their generation, appearing at most of the UK's leading chamber music venues as well as abroad in Europe and Asia. Selected for representation by YCAT in 2006, they recently made their début at the Edinburgh International Festival (broadcast on BBC Radio 3) and appear regularly at Wigmore Hall. Future plans also include their Paris début, further appearances at Wigmore Hall, concerts in Germany and Israel, a tour of South East Asia, and performances at festivals across the UK. They are artists in residence at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-upon-Avon and currently study with Rainer Schmidt from the Hagen Quartet. John plays on a cello by Haat-Hedlef Uilderks (Liibeck, 2005).

****************************************************************************

Jaroslaw Nadrzycki (violin) - 5.50pm
accompanist – Tom Blach

Johannes Brahms – Sonata in A Op. 100
3rd movement – Allegretto grazioso

Niccolò Paganini – Capriccio No. 1

Maurice Ravel – Tzigane


Jaroslaw Nadrzyci (23) was born in Zagan, Poland, where at the age of 6 he started having regular violin classes. Since 2003, he has been a student of the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan under direction of Jadwiga Kaliszewska and University Mozarteum Salzburg under direction of Igor Ozim. Since 2007, he is studying at the Royal Academy of Music under the direction of Igor Petrushevski.

He has won several prizes at international competitions including, 2nd Prize of The International Instrumental Competition, Markneukirchen, Germany (1999); 1st Prize and the audience award of the J. Heifetz International Violin Competition, Vilnius (2001); 5th Prize and the audience award of the H. Wieniawski International Violin Competition, Poznari, Poland (2001); 2nd Prize of the Max Rostal International Violin Competition, Berlin, Germany (2001); 2nd Prize of the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, Sion, Switzerland (2004); 2nd Prize of the A. Postacchini International Violin Competition, Fermo, Italy (2006); Semi-Finalist of the J. Joachim International Violin Competition, Hannover, Germany (2006); 5th Prize of the H. Wieniawski International Violin Competition, Poznan, Poland (2006); 2nd Prize of the Valsesia Musica International Violin Competition, Varrallo, Italy (2006); 2nd Prize of the Ruggiero Ricci Violin Competition at the University Mozarteum Salzburg (2007) and 2nd Prize of the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, Martigny, Switzerland (2007).

At the age of 12 he played Pablo Sarasate's Fantasy on themes of George Bizet's "Carmen" with The Moscow Conservatory Orchestra in the Tchaikovsky Great Hall, Moscow. He performed as a soloist with Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra “Amadeus” under direction of Agnieszka Duczmal and also with many Philharmonic Orchestras in Poland and abroad with Hamburger Philharmoniker, Slovak National Philharmonic Orchestra, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra and Moscow Conservatory Orchestra.

He has given concerts at International Music Festivals, including in Slovak Republic, Germany, Poland, Russia and USA. He has worked with great teachers like Wanda Wilkomirska, Marina Jashvili, Krzysztof Wegrzyn, Vadim Brodski, Eric Friedman and Boris Garlicky during numerous Master Courses.

**********************************************

Sasha Grynyuk (piano) – 6.10pm

Domenico Scarlatti – Sonata in E

Béla Bartók – Piano Suite Op. 14

Johannes Brahms – Intermezzo and Capriccio Op. 116


Sasha Grynyuk (24) was born in Kiev and received his early musical training in the special School and National Music Academy of Ukraine. Following his concerto début at the age of eleven, he performed in many Eastern European countries and was a prizewinner in several piano competitions in the Ukraine, including the Horowitz and Gilels International Piano Competitions and received the “Future of Ukraine” Presidential Award as Musician of the Year.

In 2002 he was awarded a full scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studies with Ronan O'Hora. He has taken part in master-classes with Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Stephen Kovacevich, Stephen Hough, Boris Berman and many others great artists including “Emerson” and “Takacs” string quartets.

He made his London recital début at the Purcell Room in 2004 as a result of winning the Jacques Samuel Piano Competition, and has subsequently played recitals, concertos and chamber music throughout Europe, Japan and the USA, including appearances at the Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Barbican Hall, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, New York.

In 2005, he was winner of the Robert William and Florence Amy Brant International Piano Competition and in 2006 he won second Prize in San Marino International Piano Competition and the First Prize in the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy Competition in Japan, having been invited to attend the Academy.

Sasha is currently a postgraduate student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he is supported by scholarships from the Musicians Benevolent Fund, Hattori Foundation and John Hosier Trust.

His future engagements include concerts and recitals in UK, Europe and Far East including Barbican Hall, Bridgewater Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall.

***********************************************************************

Karel Dohnal (clarinet) - 6.30pm
accompanist – Eugeny Samoiloff

Robert Schumann – Fantasy Pieces Op.73 (excerpt)
1. Zart und mit ausdruck

Karlheinz Stockhausen – In Freundshaft

Bela Kovacs – Sholem-alekhem, Rov Feidman!


Karel Dohnal (33) was born in the Czech Republic. He studied at Ostrava Conservatoire in the class of P. Bohous and then graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, having studied with V. Mares. In 1996-7, he attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London studying with T. King and J. Farrall. In 1999, he spent three months in residency at the State Conservatory of Rimsky-Korsakov in St. Petersburg with V. Bezrutchenko and in 2003-4 he studied at Hochshule fur Musik in Berlin with F. Benda.

He has successfully participated in many international competitions; Premio Valentino Bucchi Roma 1st Prize (2004), Prague Spring 3rd Prize (2002), XIV. International Music Competition “Pacem in Terris” Bayreuth 2nd Prize (2001), 1999 International Clarinet Competition Ostende, Belgium 1st Prize (1999), VII. International Clarinet Competition Dos Hermanas, Seville, Spain 3rd Prize (1997).

During his career up to now, he has given concerts not only in the Czech Republic, but also in many countries in Europe, USA and China. He has performed concertos not only of standard repertoire as Mozart or Weber but also concertos by Francaix, Nielsen, Copland and Penderecki with orchestras including Prague Philharmonia, Czech Chamber Orchestra, Talich Chamber Orchestra and Belgrade Philharmonic. Karel Dohnal also regularly engages in chamber music, co-operating with Haas, Talich, Stamitz Quartets, Prague wind quintet and others. He is a member of Prague Clarinet Quartet and Trio Amadeus.

He intensively studies and performs contemporary music. His doctorate was focused on contemporary clarinet techniques and he regularly gives master-clases, both in Czech and abroad. He has made numerous recordings for Czech Radio and on CD. Karel plays on Selmer Recital clarinets and is an Selmer official artist. Since 2007 he plays on Rico Reserve reeds and is a Rico endorsee.

This season, his performances will include Francaix, Mozart, Weber, Bruch and Stochl concertos with Moravian Philharmonic, Talich Chamber Orchestra, South Czech Philharmonic and others. Also, concerts and master-classes in Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, UK, USA and Russia.

*******************

Anna-Liisa Bezrodny (violin) - 6.50pm
accompanist – Nigel Hutchison

Sergey Taneyev – Introduction from Suite

N. Rimsky-Korsakov – Fantasy "Golden Cockerel"

Joseph Haydn – Concerto in C
2nd movement


Anna-Liisa Bezrodny (26) was born into a family of musicians in Moscow. At the age of three she began her violin studies with her parents and attended the Central Music School of Estonia then at nine, she entered the Youth Department of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, in the class of her parents, Prof. Igor Bezrodny and Prof. Mari Tampere-Bezrodny.

Anna-Liisa has succeeded in many competitions, such as the Jan Kocian International Violin Competition in the Czech Republic (1995, 1st prize), the Sibelius Academy's Violin Competition (1997, 1st prize), a special prize given by the Rotary Club (1999), the only prize given in the International Music Festival of Frankfurt, Germany (2000), recipient of the Ian Fleming Charitable Award of the Musicians Benevolent Fund (London, 2003), prize winner of the Martin Musical Scholarship Award, (London, 2003), Hattori Foundation and Myra Hess Trust prizes, (London, 2004), Jasha Heifetz International Violin Competition (2005, 3rd prize), J. Brahms International Competition (2005, 2nd prize). In 2006 Anna-Liisa won the prestigious Guildhall Gold Medal, playing Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. l in the Barbican Hall with Sian Edwards conducting, this same competition has been won by Bryn Terfel, Tasmin Little and Jaqueline du Pre, to name a few. In 2005 Anna-Liisa Bezrodny was awarded the PROMIS Award for talented young musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra, and in the same year received an honorary prize from the Pro Musica Foundation in Finland.

She has participated in several master-classes with such outstanding professors as Herman Krebbers, Yfrah Neaman, Igor Ozim, Liana Issakadze, Jaime Laredo, Sergei Kravchenko, Victor Danchenko, Sir Colin Davis, James MacMillan and many others.

Anna-Liisa has constantly been invited to participate in numerous festivals, playing in both chamber ensembles as well as solo, such as Die Russische Musik Festival Dortmund (Germany), Internazionales Musikfest in Dietzenbach/Frankfurt (Germany), International Music Festival of Waterford (Ireland), Macmillan Festival, Carter Festival, Malta International Music Festival, Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, Turku Music Festival, Sibelius Festival (USA), Lincoln Festival, Open Chamber Music IMS Prussia Cove, and others.

Anna-Liisa's playing has been heard on several occasions on Finnish and Estonian National TV and National Radio, as well as on NBC and BBC Radio 3. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Moscow Symphony Orchestra TV6 in the Moscow Conservatory's Great Hall, Helsinki Philharmonic, Estonian National Orchestra, Estonian Chamber Orchestra, Parnu Philharmonic Orchestra, Jyvaskyla Chamber Orchestra (Finland), Turku Philharmonic, Vaasa Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland), Liepaja Symphony Orchestra (Latvia), Georgian Chamber Orchestra, Vilnius Philarmonic (Lithuania), Jena Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, South Bank Sinfonia, London Ensemble, Guildhall Symphony Orchestra (Barbican Hall) and others. As a soloist Anna-Liisa has also collaborated with maestros such as Leif Segerstam, Eri Klas, Arvo Volmer, Paul Magi, Jyri Alperten, Nikolay Alekseyev, Tibor Boganyi, Sian Edwards and Juha Kangas and she plays extensively with pianist Ivari Ilja.

From 1999 Anna-Liisa studied at the Sibelius Academy's Soloists Department in the class of Prof. Mari Tampere-Bezrodny, and in 2001 she was granted a full scholarship to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Currently she is holding the prestigious Leverhulme Chamber Fellowship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Future engagements include a tour with the Helsinki Phiharmonic and maestro Leif Segerstam to Russia, playing the Sibelius Concerto.

*****************************************

Reinoud Ford (cello) - 7.10pm
accompanist – Rosie Richardson

J. S. Bach – Prelude from Suite No. 4

Antonín Dvořák – Rondo

Édouard Lalo – Concerto in D minor
1st movement


Reinoud Ford (23) was born in the United Kingdom. He started to play the cello at the age of eight as a student of Marina Logie in Forest Row, Sussex. In 1998 he joined the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music as a student of Louise Hopkins. Currently he studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, also with Louise Hopkins.

Reinoud received master-classes from Bernard Greenhouse, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gary Hoffmann and Johannes Goritzki, amongst others. Whilst at and after leaving the Menuhin School, Reinoud gave many performances both as soloist and in chamber ensembles in the UK (venues such as Wigmore Hall, Fairfield and Dorking Halls) and abroad.

With The Jupiter Chamber Orchestra he performed Haydn's C Major Concerto in 2000 at the age of sixteen and the Dvorak Cello Concerto in November 2005. In the summer of 2003, Reinoud performed the C. P. E. Bach concerto at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland with the Menuhin School orchestra. In November of 2006, Reinoud held a recital for the diplomatic community and government officials in Doha, Qatar.

Reinoud won the Guilhermina Suggia Gift 2003 for a Gifted Young Cellist (runner-up in 2004) and the Gwyneth George prize from the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe in April 2004. Reinoud was string finalist in the 2006 Royal Overseas League, London and winner of the Flame competition in Paris in that same year. Part of the prize was holding a recital in Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg. In February 2007 Reinoud was awarded the scholarship of the LSO string scheme.

**********************

Danny Evans (piano) - 7.30pm

Sergei Rachmaninov – Romance Op. 10 No. 6

Fryderyk Chopin – Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2

Franz Liszt – Scherzo and March


Danny Evans (19) was born in Norwich. He is a graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School, where he studied for 5 years with Ruth Nye and Marcel Baudet. Subsequently he studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Hamish Milne. He has performed widely as a piano soloist - abroad he has given recitals in The Hague and Apeldoorn in Holland, where his performances were broadcast on Dutch radio.

Among the many London venues he has given solo performances in are Wigmore Hall (Balakirev), Royal Festival Hall (Beethoven), Steinway Hall, Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Armourer's Hall, Stationers Hall, the Institute of Electrical Engineers, and the Athenaeum club. He has also performed in various festivals, including the Norfolk & Norwich (to which he returned in May) and Banstead.

Danny has had master-classes and lessons with Claude Frank, Murray Perahia, Stephen Hough, Elizabeth Leonskaja and also by Leslie Howard. As chamber musician, he has performed regularly with violinist Valeriy Sokolov. He has received many scholarships for his studies, including the Anne Driver Trust and Martin Musical Scholarship. He won 1st prize at the Norfolk Young Musician competition in 2006, also taking the pianists' prize. In 2007, he has given recitals for the Norfolk and Norwich festival, other recitals in the Norfolk area, in the south of France, and has performed the Grieg Concerto with the Wymondham Symphony Orchestra.

“Flawless technique and musical understanding”  Musical Opinion

“A player of truly exceptional gifts”  Eastern Daily Press