- The Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival
- Artistic Director –
Elena Bashkirova - Jerusalem International YMCA Concert Hall,
Live recording - Co-production:
- The Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival
- Gideon Boss Musikproduktion
- Israel Broadcasting Authority,
Voice of Music - © 2009
The artists: in alphabetical order, from the Festival book 2009:
Michael Barenboim | Elena Bashkirova | Ohad Ben Ari | Tal Ben-Rei | Guy Braunstein | Sergei Bresler | Madeleine Carruzzo | Gérard Caussé | Julia Deyneka | Erlenbusch Quartet | Guy Eshed | Kirill Gerstein | Amichai Grosz | Michael Gurfinkel | Chen Halevi | Frans Helmerson | Dietrich Henschel | Gary Hoffman | Alina Ibragimova | Ori Kam | Daishin Kashimoto | Barnabás Kelemen | Boris Kertsman | Lev Loftus | Sivan Magen | Mihaela Martin | Paul Meyer | Ramón Ortega Quero | Mauricio Paez | Emmanuel Pahud | Tim Park | Dorothea Röschmann | Asaf Roth | Noya Schleien | Barbara-Ann Schmutzler | Bruno Schneider | Petra Schwieger | Nabil Shehata | Jing Zhao | Kyril Zlotnikov
Michael Barenboim – violin
Born in Paris in 1985, Michael Barenboim began playing the violin at age 7 in Berlin, where his teachers were Abraham Jaffe and Axel Wilczok. In 2000 he joined the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and since 2003 has been its Concertmaster. He served as assistant Concertmaster in the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, under Claudio Abbado. As a chamber musician he has performed at festivals including Salzburg, Rheingau, Jerusalem and the Bonn Beethoven Fest with musicians such as Guy Braunstein, Frans Helmerson, Daniel Barenboim, Karl-Heinz Steffens and Nikolaj Znaider. He is founder and first violin of the Erlenbusch String Quartet, which appears frequently in Germany and Israel. As a soloist he has given concerts in Europe and the USA, and has performed the complete Bach solo sonatas and partitas in Europe and the Middle East.
Elena Bashkirova – artistic director, piano
Elena Bashkirova studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with her father, the celebrated pianist and teacher, Dmitri Bashkirov. She is a regular guest with well-known orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, NDR Hamburg, DSO Berlin, the Vienna Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, the IPO and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Conductors she has worked with include Sergiu Celibidache, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, David Robertson and Michael Gielen. Besides the classical and romantic repertoire, she is an advocate of 20th century music and has participated in several world premieres. She also intensively devotes herself to chamber music and to accompanying great singers. In 1998, Elena Bashkirova founded the prestigious Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival of which she is Artistic Director. She participates in frequent tours to Europe and the USA with ensembles composed of the Festival’s internationally acclaimed artists.
Ohad Ben Ari – piano
Israeli-born Ohad Ben Ari studied piano with Pnina Salzman and composition with Joseph Dorfman at the Tel Aviv University School of Music, continuing his studies at the Frankurt Musikhochschule. He has performed with major international orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic, the Israeli Chamber, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Munich Opera and the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival orchestras. After winning top prizes at important international competitions, including the ARD and International Arthur Rubinstein Piano competitions he decided to change direction and moved to the USA, working as a music producer and pianist, recording repertoire ranging from classical to pop. Returning to Israel in 2006 he joined the faculty of the Tel Aviv University School of Music and co-founded the Mondrian Piano Trio. He also works as a producer for Israeli and international artists.
Tal Ben-Rei – trombone
Born in Israel in 1988, Tal Ben-Rei began music studies at the age of 11, under Vladimir Flaxman at the Lod Conservatory, first on euphonium then on trombone. He continued his studies with Micha Davis, Eli Aharoni, James Kent and is currently studying with Daniele Morandini. He has received scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Tal has been a soloist on the euphonium and trombone with the Lod Youth Band, and in 2001 was a finalist in the Maestro Competition. From 2003- 2006 he was a member of the Israeli National Band. He has played with many Israeli orchestras including the Rishon leZion Symphony, the Kibbutz, the Israel Youth Philharmonic and the Tel Aviv Music Academy Symphony orchestras. He is currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces where he is Principal Trombone in the IDF Band.
Guy Braunstein – violin
Born in Israel, Guy Braunstein started playing the violin at the age of 7. His teachers included Chaim Taub, Glenn Dicterow and Pinchas Zukerman. Over the past years, he has played with internationally acclaimed orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio and Copenhagen Radio orchestras and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, at venues such as the Barbican Centre in London, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Zurich Tonhalle. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has collaborated with figures such as Zubin Mehta, Maurizio Pollini, Isaac Stern, Yefim Bronfman, Sir Simon Rattle and Daniel Barenboim. Since 2000, he has held the position of Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2003, Guy Braunstein was appointed Professor at the Universität der Künste in Berlin.
Sergei Bresler – violin
Sergei Bresler was born in the Ukraine in 1978 and immigrated to Israel in 1991. He continued his music studies with Matvei Lieberman at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. He is a graduate of the Young Musicians’ Unit of the Jerusalem Music Centre, founded by Isaac Stern. He was a recipient of scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and won second prize at the Clairmont Competition for young violinists. He has performed as soloist with the Kharkov Symphony Orchestra, the Ludwigsburg Festival Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. He is a founding member of the Jerusalem Quartet.
Madeleine Carruzzo – viola
Swiss violinist and violist Madeleine Carruzzo studied with Tibor Varga in Detmold, Germany and, in 1982 became the first woman to join the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras and in chamber music concerts all over the world. She is a member of the Metropolis Ensemble, the Berlin Philharmonic String Soloists and the Haydn Ensemble, and has played and recorded with Ensemble Wien-Berlin. She has also participated in major chamber music festivals such as Salzburg, Lockenhaus, Schleswig-Holstein, Berlin and Jerusalem.
Gérard Caussé – viola
Born in France in 1948, Gérard Caussé is a graduate of the Paris Conservatory of Music. He is a founding member and soloist of the Ensemble Intercontemporain. From 2002-2004 he was musical director of the Toulouse National Chamber Orchestra, appearing both as conductor and soloist. He has performed a wide repertoire with major European orchestras including over 20 concertos specially written for him. He recently premiered a concerto for viola and clarinet by Wolfgang Rihm with the Orchestre National de France and clarinettist Michel Portal. He frequently collaborates with musicians such as Gidon Kremer, Maxim Vengerov, Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Paul Meyer, Emmanuel Pahud, Maria João Pires and Frank Braley. He has recorded more than 40 CDs for labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Virgin Classic and EMI. His latest recordings include works by Bloch with the Suisse Romande Orchestra, and Harold in Italy conducted by John Eliot Gardiner.
Julia Deyneka – viola
Born in Russia in 1982, Julia Deyneka began studying the violin at age seven. At the age of twelve she entered the Tchaikovsky Music Conservatory, Moscow, where she took up the viola under Maria Sitkovskaya, and later with Alexander Bobrovsky. She continued her studies under Felix Schwartz at the Hochschule Music Academy, Rostock. Julia Deyneka won first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition, 1997, and first prize and gold medal at the 1997 Rovere d’Oro Competition (Italy) where she was the youngest participant. In 2003 she joined the Staatskapelle Orchestra, Berlin, and was appointed Principal Viola of the West-East Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. She currently teaches at the Rostock Hochschule Music Academy, and at the Seville Music Academy in Spain. She plays a 2007 viola made by Jebran Yakoub of Cremona.
Erlenbusch Quartet
Michael Barenboim – violin
Petra Schwieger – violin
Madeleine Carruzzo – viola
Tim Park – cello
The members of the Erlenbusch Quartet comprise Paris-born Michael Barenboim, German-born Petra Schwieger, Swiss violist Madeleine Carruzzo and Timothy Park, a native New Yorker born in Korea. The international origins of these four musicians reflect the cosmopolitan nature of Berlin where they all live, bringing a variety of identities together to form a strong musical ensemble with a shared approach to ideas of style and taste. In 2007 and 2008 the Quartet performed in the Berliner Philharmonie and recently made its television debut in Wiesbaden.
Guy Eshed – flute
Guy Eshed was born in Tel Aviv and studied with Yossi Arnheim, Jacques Zoon and Moshe Epstein, graduating with honours from Tel Aviv University and from the Hamburg Hochschule for Music. He was Principal Flute with the Northern Israel Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and with international orchestras under conductors including Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev and Sir Colin Davis. Guy has collaborated with artists including Kolja Blacher and Trevor Pinnock, appearing as soloist with orchestras and ensembles in Israel and Europe. He has performed in chamber music festivals and recorded for Israel Radio. He is a recipient of scholarships from the America-Israel Foundation and the Topfer Foundation. Since 2005 he has been based in Sheffield, where he holds a residency as a member of Ensemble 360°.
Kirill Gerstein – piano
Born in Voronezh, Russia in 1979, Kirill Gerstein studied at the Manhattan School of Music, New York, and jazz at the Berklee College in Boston. He continued his studies with Dmitri Bashkirov in Madrid, and Ferenc Rados in Budapest. In 2001 he won the Arthur Rubinstein Competition, and in 2002 the Gilmore Young Artist Award (USA) and the Reuters Prize in Verbier. He was named a Rising Star at Carnegie Hall (2005), and in 2007 was appointed Professor at the Stuttgart Musikhochschule. His 2008-9 season includes appearances with the Cleveland, Los Angeles Philharmonic, WDR Cologne Symphony, Philadelphia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Birmingham Symphony and the Simon Bolivar Youth orchestras, and a tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Following his debut in 2008 at the Wigmore Hall, he appeared in April at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
Amichai Grosz – viola
Israeli-born Amichai Grosz began viola studies at age 12 under David Chen, continuing with Chaim Taub, Hagai Shaham and Tabea Zimmerman. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem Music Centre’s Young Musicians programme, having received American-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarships from age eleven. He did his military service as an ‘outstanding musician’. Prizes include the Braun-Roger-Siegl Competition for violists (1996), and the Aviv Competition Gottesman Prize for violists (2007). He is a founding member of the Jerusalem Quartet, and Principal Viola of the West-Eastern Divan orchestra. As a soloist he has appeared with the Jerusalem Symphony, the Ludwigsburg Festival, Israel Chamber, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, and Munich Chamber orchestras. In chamber ensembles he has performed with Mitsuko Uchida, Daniel Barenboim, Yefim Bronfman, Isaac Stern, Itamar Golan and the Guarneri and Vermeer Quartets. He plays a 16th century Gaspar da Solo viola.
Michael Gurfinkel – clarinet
Michael Gurfinkel was born in Dnepropetrovsk in the Ukraine in 1960. In 1984 he graduated from the Gnessin Institute in Moscow as a clarinettist, having won second prize at the All-USSR Competition for wind instrument players in 1983. From 1985-1990 he played in the Melodia Record Company Orchestra under the baton of Gennadi Rozhdestvensky. In 1990 he settled in Israel, where he joined the New Israeli Opera Orchestra as Principal Clarinet. He has appeared in concerts with the Moscow Virtuosi under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov, as well as with the Borodin Quartet.
Chen Halevi – clarinet
Israeli-born Chen Halevi studied with Yitzhak Kazap and Richard Lesser, continuing with Mordechai Rechtman and Chaim Taub for chamber music studies. He has appeared at many festivals including Marlboro, Ravinia, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia Cove, Davos, Aldeburgh, Verbier, and the Perth International Arts Festival. He has performed in chamber music ensembles with Pinchas Zukerman, Christoph Eschenbach, and with string quartets including the Keller, Szymanowski, Fine Arts, Prazac, St. Lawrence and Kronos quartets. He has appeared with leading orchestras including the IPO, Tokyo Symphony, European Soloists, Moscow Virtuosi, Jerusalem Radio, and German Radio orchestras. He specialises in contemporary music and has performed many works by leading composers including Berio, Kurtág, Lindberg, Golijov, Maresz, Jarrell, Ferneyhough and Stroppa.
Frans Helmerson – cello
Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson studied in Göteborg, Rome and London as well as benefiting from the excellent guidance and support of Mstislav Rostropovich. He has performed with many of today’s finest conductors such as Ozawa, Davis, Järvi, Svetlanov, Salonen, Commissiona, de Burgos and Rostropovich as well as with a number of leading orchestras, touring throughout Europe, the USA, South America, Asia and Australia. Helmerson’s love for chamber music led him to take the position of Artistic Director of the Korsholm Festival in Finland from 1994-2001, and he frequently appears at international festivals. Helmerson has held a professorship at the Musikhochschule Köln since 1992, and previously held similar positions in Stockholm and Madrid.
Dietrich Henschel – baritone
German-born Dietrich Henschel’s international career took off with his performances in Henze’s Prinz von Homburg at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin, and in Busoni’s Dr. Faust at the Opera National, Lyon. In Paris he appeared in Gluck’s Alceste, in Die schweigsame Frau by Strauss, as Pelleas in Wilson’s legendary production of Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande, and as the Count in Carsen’s production of Capriccio by Strauss. He now appears regularly at operas houses throughout Europe, and at international festivals including Salzburg, Aix-en-Provence and Florence. He has worked with leading conductors such as Gardiner, Dohnanyi, Harnoncourt, Rattle, Rilling, Christie, Mehta and Nagano. He is deeply committed to concert and lied performances, and has given recitals in Europe and the USA. Recently he made his debut as a conductor with the Paris Ensemble Diabolicus. His wide discography includes recordings of Schubert’s Winterreise and Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder.
Gary Hoffman – cello
Born in Canada in 1956, Gary Hoffman won international acclaim in 1986 after winning the Rostropovich Competition. Now living in Paris he is much in demand as a soloist with the world’s leading orchestras, among them the Chicago, London, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco and Baltimore Symphony orchestras, the English, Moscow and Los Angeles Chamber orchestras, the Netherlands and Rotterdam Philharmonic orchestras, and the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, playing under conductors such as Previn, Rostropovich, Zukerman, Davis and Levine. He participates in major festivals and gives recitals and chamber concerts throughout the world. He has premiered many concertos including works by Laurent Petitgirard, Joel Hoffman, Gil Shohat, Graciane Finzi and Elliot Carter. He holds master classes world-wide, and records for the BMG, Sony, EMI and Le Chant du Monde labels. He plays the 1662 ex-Leonard Rose Nicolo Amati cello.
Alina Ibragimova – violin
Born in Russia in 1985, Alina Ibragimaova studied at the Moscow Gnessin Academy, and in England at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music. She is currently studying with Christian Tetzlaff at the Kronberg Music Academy, Germany. She made her debut as soloist with the Kremerata Baltica in 2005, and has since performed with Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata in Paris, Salzburg and Verbier. She has toured as soloist with the Britten Sinfonia and Australian Chamber orchestras. Recent engagements include her debut with the London Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms, appearances with the BBC Symphony, the Vienna Chamber, the Philharmonia, the Birmingham Symphony and Frankfurt Symphony orchestras, under conductors including Mackerras, Hickox, Vanska and Noseda. She has performed at festivals in Salzburg, Verbier, London, Aldeburgh and Moritzburg. Future engagements include the complete Beethoven violin sonatas at the Wigmore Hall with pianist Cedric Tiberghien.
Ori Kam – viola
Born in the USA to Israeli parents, Ori Kam began his musical education in Israel. At age 15 he began playing the viola. From 1994-7 he studied at the Manhattan School of Music with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec, continuing in Berlin with Wilfried Strehle. Since his debut under Zubin Mehta with the IPO, he has appeared with all the major Israeli orchestras, and in the U.S with the National Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Bronxville Symphony and Manhattan Philharmonia orchestras. Awards include the Swiss Prize at the Geneva International Competition, the Lionel Tertis Paganini Prize, and the Concerto Prize at the Manhattan School of Music Competition. He received scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation from 1990-2000. He is founder and Artistic Director of the Israel Chamber Music Society.
Daishin Kashimoto – violin
A Japanese national born in London in 1979, Daishin Kashimoto began studying violin in Tokyo under Kumiko Eto, continuing at the Juilliard School, New York, under Naoko Tanaka. From 1990 he studied in Germany at the Lübeck Music Academy under Zakhar Bron, and later under Rainer Kussmaul at the Freiburg Music Academy. In 1988 he gave his first recital and also appeared as soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble. Since then he has given recitals, and performed with major European orchestras throughout the world, and played in chamber ensembles with artists including Yuri Bashmet, Alexander Lonquich, Myung-Whun Chang, Itamar Golan, Tabea Zimmerman and Yefim Bronfman. Awards include first prize at the Menuhin Junior Competition (1993), the International Cologne Competition (1994), and in 1996 as the youngest-ever winner of both the Kreisler Violin Competition and the Long-Thibaud Competition for Piano and Violin.
Barnabás Kelemen – violin
Hungarian born Barnabás Kelemen is a versatile musician who comes from of a violinists’ family. He has won top prizes at international competitions including the Szigeti Competition in 1997, the International Mozart Competition, Salzburg 1999, the International Trio Competition, Kuhmo 1999, the Queen Elizabeth Competition, Brussels 2001 and the Indianapolis Violin Competition 2002. He is professor at the Liszt Music Academy, Budapest, and also teaches at Bloomington University, Indiana. He has performed at festivals including Lockenhaus, Prussia Cove, Cheltenham, Delft, Jerusalem, Kissingen, Prague and Salzburg, and with orchestras in Berlin, Munich, Prague, Brussels, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Budapest and Moscow. He is married to violinist Katalin Kokas, and they have two children.
Boris Kertsman – trumpet
Born in Moscow in 1987, Boris Kertsman came to Israel in 1990. He studied trumpet with Yosef Nashkes, Alexander Roizman and Ram Oren, continuing in Germany with Christian Batzdorf, and for the last years with William Forman at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. He is currently studying in Sweden at the Malmö Music Academy under Bo Nilsson. In 2005 he won second prize at the International Trumpet Competition in Stuttgart. As a soloist he has performed with the IPO under Zubin Mehta, the Peace Orchestra (France), and the Haifa Symphony Orchestra. He has played with the Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, the IPO, and is a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. He has been supported in his studies by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and the Barenboim-Said Foundation.
Lev Loftus – percussion
Born in Canada in 1986, Lev Loftus came to Israel at age six. He studied percussion under Eldad Shiloh at the Jerusalem Music Academy High School. He served in the army as an ‘outstanding musician’, representing the IDF abroad in concert tours. He completed his studies at the Jerusalem Music Academy under Alon Bor, and is currently studying at the Mozarteum University of Music, Salzburg, under Peter Sadlo. First prizes include the Jerusalem Academy Solo Percussion Competition, the Duo Competition (Duo Paradigma together with Jonathan Givoni), and third prize for solo percussion at the International Music Competition in Bulgaria. He has performed with major Israeli orchestras, and with the Kaprizma and the 21st Century New Music ensembles, and in concerts and major festivals in Israel, Europe and North America. As a soloist he has played with the Habama and Beersheba Symphony orchestras, and the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, Bulgaria.
Sivan Magen – harp
Jerusalem-born Sivan Magen studied piano with Professor Benjamin Oren and Talma Cohen, and harp with Irena Kaganovsky at the Jerusalem Academy for Music and Dance. After completing his military service as an ‘Outstanding Musician’, he continued his harp studies with Germaine Lorenzini in France and with Isabelle Moretti at the Paris Conservatoire. He is currently studying with Nancy Allen at the Juilliard School. Sivan Magen’s numerous prizes include first prize at the 16th Israel International Harp Contest (2006). Since 1995 he has been a recipient of America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships. He has performed with the leading Israeli orchestras in Israel and France, and broadcast on Israel Radio and Television. He has performed in concerts in the USA, South America, Israel, France and England and given a debut recital at London’s Wigmore Hall, sponsored by the Victor Salvi Foundation, who also sponsor his debut solo CD recording.
Mihaela Martin – violin
Romanian-born Mihaela Martin began violin studies with her father at the age of five, continuing with Professor Stefan Gheorghiu. She has won numerous international competitions, including top prizes at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition and the First International Violin Competition in Indianapolis. She has performed with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, Mozarteum Salzburg and the Leipzig Gewandhaus, under conductors including Kurt Masur, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Charles Dutoit and Neeme Järvi. She performs at major international chamber music festivals with musicians including Martha Argerich, Nobuko Imai and Yuri Bashmet. She has broadcast on Radio and TV and recorded on CD. In 2002 she formed the Michelangelo String Quartet. Mihaela Martin holds a professorship at the Musikhochschule Köln, and gives masterclasses all over the world. She plays on a 1748 J.B.Guadagnini violin.
Paul Meyer – conductor, clarinet
French born Paul Meyer gave his debut performance at age 13 with the Rhine Symphony Orchestra. He studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Basle Musikhochschule. In 1982 he won the French Young Musicians’ Competition, and in 1984 the USA Young Concert Artists’ Auditions. Today he performs internationally with leading orchestras under conductors including Myung-Whun Chung, Marek Janowski, Kent Nagano, Luciano Berio, Heinrich Schiff, David Zinman, Sylvain Cambreling and Esa-Pekka Sallonen. His wide repertoire includes major contemporary works by composers such as Boulez and Henze. He has premiered clarinet concertos by Gerd Kuhr and Penderecki, whose work is dedicated to Meyer, as is Berio’s clarinet concerto Alternatim. In recent years he has developed his conducting career, appearing with the Radio France Philharmonic, Stuttgart Chamber, Munich Chamber, Scottish Chamber, Bilbao Symphony and Taipei Symphony orchestras. In 2007 he was appointed Associate Chief Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ramón Ortega Quero – oboe
Born in Granada, Spain in 1988, Ramón Ortega Quero began oboe studies at age eight under Miguel Quirós at the Granada Conservatory. Since 2003 he has been a member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim, and since 2005 a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Spain. In 2007 he won first prize for oboe at the ARD Munich Competition, as well as the Audience Prize for best interpretation of a commissioned work, the Osnabruck Prize, and the Munich Chamber Orchestra Prize. That same year, he was awarded first prize at the Hanover Kurt-Alten Woodwinds Competition. His international career as soloist and chamber musician includes performances in prestigious venues and festivals throughout Europe with major orchestras and conductors. In 2008 he was appointed Principal Oboe of the Bayerischen Rundfunks Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons.
Mauricio Paez – bassoon
Born in Costa Rica, Mauricio Paez studied bassoon with Mordechai Rechtman and William Dietz. His awards include the Binyamini and Françoise Shapira prizes, and scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural foundations. He served as Principal Bassoon with the Costa Rica National Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Sinfonietta Orchestra, and as Guest Principal with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently Principal Bassoon with the Israel Camerata. Mauricio Paez has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic, the Bogota Philharmonic and the Israel Camerata with whom he tours internationally. He has collaborated in Festivals throughout Israel and Europe with artists such as Shlomo Mintz, Daniel Barenboim, Elena Bashkirova and Maurice Bourgue. He is a founder member of the New Israeli Woodwind Quintet. He is Head of Winds at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, and teaches at the Jerusalem Academy of Music.
Emmanuel Pahud – flute
Emmanuel Pahud was born in Geneva in 1970, and began his music studies aged six. He studied with Aurèle Nicolet and graduated in 1990 with the Premier Prix from the Paris Conservatory. He has won first prizes in many international competitions including Kobe (1989), Duino (1988), Geneva (1992), and the European Council’s Juventus prize. At the age of 22 he was appointed Principal Flute of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He participates regularly in major international festivals and has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Zurich Tonhalle, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Camerata Salzburg, and the Minnesota, Washington and NHK Symphony Orchestras, under Abbado, Rattle, Zinman, Maazel, Gergiev, Gardiner, Harding, Järvi, Rostropovich and Perlman. He has premiered flute concertos by Matthias Pintscher, Michael Jarrell and Marc-Andre Dalbav, and recorded them for EMI with whom he has an exclusive contract. (We thank EMI for waiving the exclusivity of Emmanuel Pahud for this recording.)
Tim Park – cello
A native New Yorker, Korean-born cellist Timothy Park entered the Juilliard School at age eleven where he studied with Jerome Carrington and Fred Sherry. He continued at Yale University with Aldo Parisot, completing his studies in Germany at the Musikhochschule Lübeck and the Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule, Berlin with David Geringas. He has participated in master classes with Boris Pergamenschikow, Yosif Feigelson, Steven Isserlis, Arto Noras, Janos Starker and the Tokyo String Quartet. Timothy Park has performed with orchestras including the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra and New York Chamber Orchestra, and has appeared in recitals and chamber concerts throughout the USA and Europe, performing with musicians such as Zakhar Bron, David Geringas and Radovan Vlatkovic. He is a member of the Erlenbusch Quartet and of the Staatskapelle Berlin. He plays on a 1740 Gennaro Gagliano cello made in Naples.
Dorothea Röschmann – soprano
Born in Flensburg, Germany, Dorothea Röschmann made a critically acclaimed debut as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro at the 1995 Salzburg Festival, under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt. In return visits to the Salzburg Festival she has since sung the roles of Countess Almaviva, Ilia, Donna Elvira, Servilia, Nanetta, Pamina and Vitellia, under conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Harding, Charles Mackerras and Christoph von Dohnányi. At the New York Metropolitan Opera she has sung under James Levine, and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden under Sir Colin Davis and Antonio Pappano. She has appeared in leading roles at the Bayerische Opera (Munich), the Deutsche Opera (Berlin), La Monnaie (Brussels), and the Bastille (Paris). Engagements of the last season include return visits to the Met, to Salzburg, Vienna and Paris, and her debut as Elsa in Lohengrin at the Berlin Opera.
Asaf Roth – percussion
Israeli-born Asaf Roth has for many years been active in the New York City music scene, performing with numerous jazz, pop, Latin and Brazilian ensembles, appearing with orchestras such as the Philadelphia Virtuoso and the IPO, and giving solo recitals in the USA, Europe and Israel. He is the recipient of scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, the Israeli Ministry of Culture and the Manhattan School of Music where he completed his first degree. He has given recitals and lectured on Israeli music at universities in the USA. In 2002, Asaf returned to Israel where he has been performing with the Israel Opera Orchestra, recording with local artists, conducting the Tel Aviv Youth Orchestra and composing his own music. His current initiative is a solo marimba performance which was premiered in Russia.
Noya Schleien – percussion
Born in Tel Aviv in 1984, Noya Schleien studied at the Tel Aviv Music Conservatory, and completed her army service as a member of the IDF Orchestra. She continued her studies under Alan Bor at Tel Aviv University, graduating with honours in music and management after winning several competitions, including First Prize in both the Solo Performance Competition (2006) and the Contemporary Music Competition (2008). She has played with most of Israel’s leading orchestras, including the IPO, Jerusalem Symphony, Haifa Symphony and Israel Camerata orchestras. Her many recitals include ‘Magic Marimba’, ‘The Shrew’ (Women’s Festival, Holon), ‘Marimba d’Amore’ and ‘A Rhythm Celebration’. Noya has participated in marimba and percussion master classes with Keiko Abe, Peter Sadlo, Bogdan Bacanu, Momoko Kamiya, Ludwig Albert and a Carnegie Hall workshop with Zakir Hussain, and has received scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Barbara-Ann Schmutzler – contrabassoon
Barbara-Ann Schmutzler was born in the USA and grew up in Germany, completing her music studies at the Detmold Music Hochschule. In 1991 she joined the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra as bassoonist and contrabassoonist. She has played with many other orchestras and ensembles in Israel, including the IPO, the Phoenix Ensemble, Musica Nova and the Ensemble of the 21st Century. She has participated in various festivals, including the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival. Since 2006 she has been engaged as a bassoon teacher by the Barenboim-Said Foundation. She is an enthusiastic advocate of the composition and performance of new works for contrabassoon, and has in recent years premiered various Israeli works for the instrument.
Bruno Schneider – horn
Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Bruno Schneider began studying horn aged nine under Robert Faller. At an early age he played with the Suisse Romande and the Lausanne Chamber orchestras, and from 1975-6 was a member of the Orchestre Mondiale des Jeunesses Musicales. After completing his studies at the Detmold Academy, he performed with the Tonhalle, the Bayerische Rundfunk and Suisse Romande orchestras while also developing his career as a teacher, chamber musician and solo performer. He is a founding member of the Sabine Meyer Wind Ensemble, and has recorded extensively for the Claves, Erato, EMI, CPO and AVI labels. Composers Jörg Widmann, Jost Meyer, Eric Chasalow and Norbert Moret have written horn works dedicated to him. Bruno Schneider is vice-president of the International Horn Society, and in 2007 organised the International Horn Congress at Chaux de Fonds, for which he composed a piece written for 100 alpine horns.
Petra Schwieger – violin
Born in Rathenow, Germany, Petra Schwieger studied at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule under Professor Werner Scholz and Professor Stephan Picard, continuing with a scholarship from the DAAD (German Exchange Program) under Professor David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music in London. She also won a scholarship from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes. Her many prizes include first prizes at the Bundeswettbewerb Jugend Musiziert (1994, 1995, 1996) and the Instrumentenfond des Deutschen Musikrates, the Concerto Competition Interlochen (USA) and the Kloster Schöntal. As a soloist she has performed with orchestras including the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the Deutsches Kammerorchester and given recitals at various festivals. She is a passionate chamber musician and is second violinist of the Erlenbusch String Quartet. Petra Schwieger played with the Berlin Philharmonic (2002-2003), the London Symphony Orchestra (2003-2004) and is currently a member of the Berlin Staatskapelle.
Nabil Shehata – double-bass
Born in Kuwait to German-Egyptian parents, Nabil Shehata grew up in Germany, studying first piano, then double-bass. Recipient of several scholarships, he went on to win numerous international competitions, including Concurso Julio Cardona (Portugal), Valentino Bucchi (Rome), International ARD together with the Audience Prize (Munich 2003), and the 2006 Praetorius Music Prize (Germany). In 2003 he joined the Berlin State Opera Orchestra as Principal Double-Bass, and in 2004 moved to the Berlin Philharmonic, also as Principal. He has appeared as soloist with major European orchestras, and is a frequent guest at festivals. He is a member of the West-Eastern Divan orchestra, and gives master classes in Europe, Israel and Japan. A dedicated chamber musician, he is a founding member of the Philharmonic String Quintet. Following conducting studies with Daniel Barenboim and Laurence Foster he made his 2007 debut in Cottbus, and has been invited to guest conduct a number of orchestras.
Jing Zhao – cello
Chinese-born Jing Zhao began playing the cello at the age of five. After studies in Beijing and Tokyo, she continued at the Karajan Academy, Berlin, taking private lessons with Mstislav Rostropovich and Yo-Yo Ma. She is currently studying under David Geringas at the Hanns Eisler Academy, Berlin. In 1997 she won first prize at the Cello Competition in Japan. She has performed under conductors Seiji Ozawa, Jean Fournet, Myung-Whun Chung, Eliahu Inbal and Riccardo Muti, with orchestras including the NHK Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, Sydney Symphony and Prague Symphony. She has played in chamber ensembles with Emmanuel Pahud, Paul Meyer, Eric le Sage, Guy Braunstein, Konstanin Lifschitz and Trevor Pinnock. In 2007 Jing Zhao played for the Japanese Royal family with Daishin Kashimoto, Dong-Hyuch Ahn and Myung-Whun Chung. She has recorded five CDs and one DVD for Victor Entertainment, Japan.
Kyril Zlotnikov – cello
Born in Minsk, Belarus, Kyril Zlotnikov began his studies at the Belarus State Music Academy with Vladimir Perlin. After immigrating to Israel he continued with Uzi Wiesel and Hillel Zori, completing his studies at the Jerusalem Music Academy under Michael Khomitzer. He received scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and has won prizes including the Clairmont Competition, the Braun-Roger-Siegl Competition and the Pierre Tarcali Prize. He is a founding member of the Jerusalem Quartet. As a soloist he has appeared with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, the Jerusalem Symphony, the Ludwigsburg Symphony and the Israel Camerata orchestras. In chamber ensembles Kyril has performed with artists such as Jessye Norman, Pierre Boulez, Natalia Gutman, Tabea Zimmerman, Miriam Fried and Hagai Shaham. He is Principal Cello of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim, and recently recorded the complete Mozart piano trios with Daniel Barenboim and Nikolaj Znaider.