(scroll down for biographies)
AQUILES DELLE VIGNE
MARINA PLIASSOVA
AGATHE LEIMONI
MICHAEL WLADKOWSKI
PILAR VALERO
YUVAL ADMONY
MICHAL TAL
NADIR MATTEUCCI
BIOGRAPHIES
AQUILES DELLE VIGNE
"Only
few pianists can go from a sparkling Mendelssohn to a thundering Liszt
while passing an aristocratic, sophisticated and charming Ravel..." says
Harold Schoenberg of the New York Times. The Italian newspaper La Repubblica calls him "A prince of the piano" and the PRS Rheinische Post "a Grand Seigneur of pianists". The SVZ Salzburger Volkszeitung titles its review "Von still bis stahlhart" (From silence till steel power).
Born in Argentina, Aquiles Delle Vigne gave his first recital at the
age of 8. At 17 he was already a disciple of Claudio Arrau and won the
prestigious Grand Prix "Albert Williams". This award opened the doors of
the most important concert halls of the continent for him. Later, he
completed his training in Europe with Prof. Eduardo del Pueyo and
Georges Cziffra.
He accomplished more than 25 tournées in Japan, 10 in Australia, the
United States of America, Mexico, Hong Kong, Korea, and all South
America. Today he is invited to the most important Festivals and
performs in the most important halls in the world, like Gstaad, Paris,
Salzburg, Madrid, Euro Festival in Seoul, Beethoven Festival under Lord
Yehudi Menuhin, Leopold Hager, Georges Octors, Alberto Lysy, Lee
Dong-ho, Bogo Leskowitch, Vladimir Kim, Emiel Simon, Edvard R.
Tchivtzel, André Vandernoot, Edgard Donneux, Kamen Goleminov, Juan
Carlos Zorzi, Jesus Medina, Claudio Santoro, Henrique Morelenbaum, D.
Marinescou, Laurent Petit-Girard, and with leading orchestras of the
world.
Considered
also as a top teacher in the world, Aquiles Delle Vigne gives
Masterclasses at the International Sommerakademie Universität Mozarteum
in Salzburg, was Visiting Professor at the Royal Northern College of
Music in Manchester and Professor Extraordinaire of the National
University in Taipei. He is also regularly invited at the Juilliard,
Manhattan and Mannes Schools in New York, the Tchaikovsky Moscow
Conservatory and the Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory, the Central
and China Conservatories of Beijing, the Toho University in Tokyo, the
Hochschules in München, Karlsruhe and Hamburg, the Universities in
Seoul, Sydney, Melbourne, Pretoria, Baltimore, Texas, Indiana, Osaka,
Kyoto, Bangkok, Tel Aviv, Oslo, Lucca, Bergen...
He is a member or Chairman of the panel of Judges at the most
important international Competitions on all five continents: Sydney,
Pretoria, Cincinatti, Xiamen, Georgia, Turin, Paris, Texas, Casagrande,
Masters in Monte-Carlo, Roma, and Warsaw.
His vast discography with EMI His Master's Voice, BASF Harmonia
Mundi, BMG-RCA Victor, Naxos, Pavane and EMS received outstanding praise
and distinction. His performance of the Preludes by Olivier Messiaen
for the Pope John Paul II at the Vatican earned him tremendous praise
from the composer.
Aquiles Delle Vigne just finished the complete recording of the 32
Piano Sonatas by Beethoven, added to other integrals like Liszt’s
Etudes, Ravel’s chamber music and Beethoven’s Piano Concerti.
MARINA PLIASSOVA
Marina Pliassova is performing pianist, teacher and writer. Lives in Oslo. Marina Pliassova is teaching at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo: principal piano, chamber music and the History of Piano Art. She is the head of the piano Department of the school of "Young Talents" at the Barratt Due music institute. Marina is a member of the Norwegian Non-fiction Writers and Translators Association.
Marina Pliassova was born in Irkutsk, Russia. She graduated from the Irkutsk College of Arts, and then the Novosibirsk Conservatory under Professors Natalia Nisvitzevich and Mark Shaviner. She is the first prize winner of the competition for teachers-performers in Russia (Krasnodar region) in 1990. In 1993 Marina got a job Norway in the Lofoten Islands as a teacher and frilans pianist.
From 1995, Marina worked at the Music Conservatory of Northern Norway, a music gymnasium and music school in the city of Tromsø. Since 1998, Marina lives in Oslo and work at the Institute of Barratt Due at the Department for Young Talents, she is the leder of the piano section.Among her students are about 120 winners of national and international competitions. Many of them are soloists-performers on an international level.
For about twenty five years of teaching in Norway Marina Pliassova has managed to create her own teaching methodology, successfully combining the traditions of classical Russian piano school and Scandinavian traditions that do not have such deep roots and classical regularity, but enriched this methodology in other, more democratic views on pedagogy.
In addition to teaching, Marina plays concerts, she is a member of the jury of some competitions as well as engaging in literary and scientific activity. She also regularly gives master classes in different countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Spania, Russia, Norway, Island. She is the lecturer in piano technique and the history of piano art. She writes articles, gives lectures and master classes in various cities of Norway, Russia and abroad, and writes fiction as well.
MICHAEL WLADKOWSKI
Michael Wladkowski’s enthusiasm and artistic curiosity have led him to explore a repertoire spanning the works of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy to works by Alkan and Szymanowski and on to works of contemporary composers such as Thon Tat Thiet, Antoine Tisné and Tolia Nikiprowetzky, who have dedicated major works to him.
This constantly expanding artistic horizon leads Wladkowski beyond the convention of classical performances to connect with audiences. His recitals combined with poetry read by members of the Comedie Française or his lecture recitals highlighting differences and similarities between the great classic works and contemporary works reveals his exploration of blurring genre boundaries.
Wladkowski’s pursuit of new challenges has led him to constantly expanding his horizon. Among his many recordings for Solstice, REM and Peyrole are the piano works of Karol Szymanowski, whose favorite pupil Piotr Perkowski, himself Wladkowski’s teacher, often remarked on the uncanny similarity between Wladkowski’s performance and that of the master.
Just as he has continually widened his artistic horizons, Wladkowski has ignored linguistic and cultural barriers. He studied in the United States, Poland and Austria and speaks fluent English, French, German, Polish, Russian, Hebrew and Italian.
In addition to his solo work, Wladkowski is an avid chamber music performer and has collaborated with many outstanding musicians including Laurent Korcia, Mark Varshawsky and the Kocian Quartet.
His performances the world over have been unanimously greeted with enthusiasm as Pierre Petit of “Le Figaro” noted “Wladkowski is remarkable, an authentic musician who posseses an immediate and splendid contact and who is brilliantly communicative”.
Wladkowski’s passion for the younger generation finds an outlet in his piano class at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris where his students include many prize winners of international piano competitions. He is equally in demand for master classes which find him regularly in all the european countries, Israel, U.S.A, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Russia.
AGATHE LEIMONI
Agathe Leimoni is born
in Athens. She obtained her Diplomas of Piano (class:Gerassimos
Kakalis), Harmony, Counterpoint and Fugue (class:Andrea Carbone), with
the highest distinctions in Greece and continued her musical studies in
Italy, obtaining the Diploma of Piano (class: Luigi Mostacci, State
Conservatory of Bologna).
She has been a student of Julia and Konstantin Ganev for several years.
She has attended the class of “Perfectionnement” at the “Ecole Normale
de Musique” in Paris, for two years, with Germaine Mounier and Young
Shin An.
Since her childhood, she has participated in many master classes of
famous pianists who have commented her special musical nature, her brio
and sensibility and received prizes and distinctions in various
International Competitions.
She has given a lot of recitals in Europe (Greece, Italy, Germany,
France, England, Bulgaria, Belgium, Austria and Rumania), in South and
Central America (Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico), participating also in many
important Festivals.
She has performed as a soloist in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Rumania and
Uruguay with the Orchestras of Athens, Thessaloniki, Bologna, Napoli,
Sliven, Arad, Russe, Sibiu and Montevideo. She has been a member of Jury
in many National and International Musical Competitions, in Greece,
Italy, Bulgaria and Rumania.
She is a piano Professor at the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens and at the ‘Romanos o Melodos’ Conservatory in Piraeus.
Since 2007 she is Professor at Schola
Cantorum of Paris, where many of her students have graduated the last
years, obtaining the superior Diplomas with the highest distinctions.
Since 2010 she is a regular Professor at the International Piano Academy of Belgium ”Primavera Pianistica”.
Since 2013 she has been nominated
Visiting Professor at the Gnessin’s Music Academy of Moscow, starting a
new artistic collaboration between the Russian Academy and the Helleneic
Conservatory.
She has given master classes in Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Belgium and South America with great success.
She has been teaching since the age of 16, and her successful
pedagogical career has established her as one of the most promising
professors of piano in Greece and abroad. She has been travelling with
her students in many countries and has offered them the chance to
experience many musical opportunities and international events. Her
pupils have won many prizes in National and International Competitions
and have been distinguished abroad.
She has been awarded the golden medal of UNESCO and a special Diploma as
a honorary member of the ‘CH.O.N.’ Musical Association of Greece, for
her unique teaching and artistic contribution.
She has been awarded the Golden Medal of the “Union of Bulgarian
Musicians and Dancers” and she has been acclaimed as the best pedagogue
in the International Music Competition “Music and Earth” – Sofia 2006,
for her pupils’ success.
She has been presented as a soloist and professor several times by the
radio and tv in Greece and abroad . She has been interviewed by various
newspapers and channels and received very enthusiastic praise from
journalists in Greece and abroad. She is Vice President of ‘CH.O.N.’
Musical Association of Greece.
She is the founder and Artistic Director of the ‘International Seiler
Piano Competition – Rhodes 2004′, the ‘International Piano Festival-
Rhodes 2004′, the ‘International Seiler Summer Piano Academy – Rhodes
2005′ ,the ‘International Seiler Piano Competition and Festival–Rethymno
2006′ and of the International Summer Piano Academy and Festival of
Poros since 2009.
YUVAL ADMONY
Pianist Yuval
Admony (of the Kanazawa-Admony Piano Duo) teaches Piano Solo, Piano Duos
and Chamber Music at the Tel Aviv Academy; The Mehta-Buchman School of
Music in Tel Aviv University, Thelma Yellin Arts School, The Jerusalem
Music Centre and leading Conservatories in Israel. Has been teaching
master classes in The Tel Hai International Piano Master Classes in
Israel, Primavera Pianistica Master Classes in Belgium, The World Piano
Teachers Association in Novi Sad, Serbia, Poros Academy in Greece,
Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Japan National Piano
Teachers Association in Tokyo, Korean National University of Arts in
Seoul, Norwegian National Academy of Music in Oslo and Pacific Rim
Festival in the Vancouver Island.
Mr. Admony is a
jury member in National and International Competitions including The
America - Israel Foundation, at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Academies, The
Tel Hai Master Course Concerto Competition, Qualified Musicians for the
Israeli Defense Force, IBLA Grand Prize in Sicily, National Piano Duo
Competitions, 'Duettissimo and Take Two, New immigrants' Competition and
others. Serves as member of the Music Department in the Ministry of
Culture in Israel.
His students
are prizewinners in national competitions and auditions such as the
National Piano Duo Competition, The Giltter of the Baroque, Mozart
Competition in Jerusalem and auditions to the Jerusalem Broadcast
Orchestra. They participate in summer courses in Israel and abroad
(Perugia Italy, Vlasti Greece, Castle D'Ursel Belgium, Poros Festival
Gree, Euro Music Festival and Academy in Halle Germany and others).
Directed for a decade the concert series: Around the Piano hosting
leading musicians from Israel and abroad. In 2003 co-founded and was the
Artistic Director of The 1st International Piano Duo Festival in
Israel.
The
Kanazawa-Admony Piano Duo with Japanese wife Tami Kanazawa is the 1st
prizewinner of 5 international piano duo competitions: 2008 Oslo Prize
in Grieg Concours, 2005 Menuhin Gold Prize in Osaka International
Competition, 2002 IBLA Grand Prize in Sicily, 2001 Rome Prize and 2000
Tokyo Competition.
Recipients of
The Israel Minister of Culture Award for an a Permanent Ensemble. They
have been described in terms of: "heights of virtuosity and fantasy"
[BNN Germany], "Astonishing coordination and refined musical taste"
[Jerusalem Post], "real artistic sentiment" [Odessa Reporter].
Kanazawa-Admony
toured Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Czech, Albania, Bulgaria,
Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, USA, Cyprus, Israel, Korea
and Japan.
Prestious halls
they performed, include Carnegie Hall in New York, Argentina Theatre in
Rome, Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall, Warsaw National Radio Hall,
Budapest Congress Hall of the Odessa Philharmonic, Jerusalem Theatre and
others.
International
festivals include the Budapest Spring Festival, Pacific Rim Festival in
Canada, Klavierduo Festival in Germany, Odessa Dialogues. Asian Music
Festival, Grieg Festival in Oslo, Flicja Blumental Festival, Upper
Gallilee Festival and Israel Festival.
Were broadcast
on BBC London, CBC Cananda, Tokyo FM, NHK Japan, BNR Bulgaria, Warsaw
Radio 2, Budapest National Radio, Radio New Zealand and Israel "Voice of
Music".
Appeared with
most Israeli leading orchestras amongst which; Jerusalem Symphony
Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra, Rishon Lezion, Israel Chamber
Orchestra Tel Aviv, Israel Kibbuz Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta Beer
Sheva and others.
Their CD
releases feature the Symphonic Poems by Liszt with NAXOS Label in 2008 -
which received claim in the music magazines Fanfare and Internationa
Piano - and Rhapsodies for Two Pianos with Romeo Records Label in 2011.
Yuval Admony's
performances of Enescu's 2 Piano Quartets in the Slowazki Theatre in
Krakow were released with EMF Label in Salzburg. Also recorded the CD:
"Towards 2000" for the Israeli Composers League in the Anthology:
"Psanterin" - 100 years of Israeli composition for piano solo.
PILAR VALERO
Inicia sus estudios
musicales en el Conservatorio Superior de Música de Murcia, donde recibe
clases de Miguel Luis Losada y Anselmo de la Campa y obtiene el Título
Profesional con Premio Extraordinario.
Posteriormente se traslada a Granada para realizar estudios de grado
superior, bajo la dirección de Juan José Pérez Torrecillas, que fue alumno
directo del gran pianista y pedagogo Eduardo del Pueyo, y que resulta
decisivo en su formación.
En 1989 recibe el Tercer Premio de interpretación en el concurso "Juventudes
Musicales" de Granada.
En 1991 recibe una beca del Gobierno Belga para ampliar estudios en el
Conservatorio Royal de Mons (Bélgica), bajo la dirección de Patricia
Montero, obteniendo en él un Primer Premio con distinción.
En Bélgica efectúa numerosos recitales en salas como L 'Atelier, L.R.D.C
(Bruselas), Rodé Pompe (Gante), y Eugies (Quaregnon), recibiendo gran éxito
de crítica. Desde entonces ha desarrollado una intensa actividad
concertística, tocando en Italia, Alemania con el violonchelista Reimund
Korupp), y Lubjiana, (donde realiza una grabación para la televisión
eslovena) .
Como solista cabe destacar la interpretación de los Conciertos KV.466, KV.212
de Mozart, el Concierto n°3 en do m de Beethoven, y el Concierto de
F.Poulenc, con la Orquesta de Jóvenes, la Orquesta de la Región de Murcia, y
la Orquesta Sinfónica de Murcia, respectivamente. Ha realizado cursos de
perfeccionamiento con: Fierre Hantai
(clave), C. Guinovart. Jan D' Haene (análisis y armonía), Blanca Uribe, P.
Badura-Skoda, Emile Naumoff y con Aquiles del Vigne.
Ha impartido cursos en Montserrat, San Miguel de Salinas, Jumilla y Granada,
estos dos últimos de interpretación pianística,
Desde 1993 forma parte del grupo de música contemporánea Concertus Novo, con
el que ha grabado un C.D. con obras del compositor Manuel Seco. Asimismo
graba actualmente un C.D. de música contemporánea española para violonchelo
y piano con Reimund Korupp.
Ha sido invitada a participar como jurado en los concursos "San Bartolomeo
di Mare", de Italia y "Carl Filtsch", de Rumania.
Forma dúo con el violonchelista Ramón Gómez y con el violinista Adrián
Pinzaru.
En la actualidad estudia composición bajo la dirección de Javier Darias en
la E.C.C.A. de Alcoy, e imparte clases en el Conservatorio Superior de
Música de Murcia.
MICHAL TAL
The preeminent Israeli pianist Michal
Tal enjoys a busy and versatile international career, performing throughout to
great acclaim. She presents at her concerts "A breathtaking
performance" (Tel Aviv) and "Imaginative fingers" (London).
Her numerous performances include
recitals, performances with orchestra and chamber music as well as lecture
concerts. She is also invited frequently to teach and give masterclasses as
well as invitations to judge in national and international piano
competitions, such as The Tchaikovsky conservatory (Moscow), the Beijing
Conservatory, the HKAPA (Hong Kong), Ecole Normal (Paris), the
Birmingham Royal Conservatory, The Euro Arts festival (Halle, Germany), The
university of New York, The Boston Conservatory, The New England
Conservatory, Montclair university, the Primavera Pianistica piano
festival, the Chethams piano festival, The piano festival in Tirana
and the Musicfest Perugia Festival.
This season she performed with the
Jerusalem Camerata the Clara Schumann concerto for her 200 anniversary. Future
performances include concerts in Berlin and Essen, and a series with the
Raanana Symphonette. Tal's huge repertoire expands from Haydn to Ligeti
and Berio, along with numerous premieres by Israeli composers.
Michal Tal is the prize winner of
many competitions such as the first prize at the international competition in
Dallas, the Jerusalem Symphony Competition first prize, the America-Israel
Cultural Foundation and the ministry of education and culture prize, and
the prestigious Rosenblum Prize for the performing arts.
Among Tal's discography are
"Great Short Masterpieces for Piano" (ROMEO) and "Erwin
Schulhoff Music for Piano Solo" (CENTAUR). She performed at Carnegie
Recital Hall, The Tanglewood Festival, Lincoln Center "Focus"
Festival, KÖLN Festival, The piano Festival in Gulangyu, Bangkok,
Helsinki, Lubliana, Stockholm, The Israel Festival, The Felicia Blumental
Festival, The Cerdanya music Festival, The Israel Festival and The Kefar
Blum Chamber Music Festival.
Michal Tal was born in Tel Aviv and
started her piano lessons when she was five years old. At the age of sixteen
she performed as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Since
then she had performed with all the leading orchestras in
Israel, Europe and the U.S. such as the Virginia and Dallas Symphonies, the
Strasbourg Philharmonic, the Munster Symphony and the Dutch Radio Orchestra.
She played under the baton of Leonard
Slatkin, Eduardo Mata and Luciano Berio. She studied at The Tel Aviv
Academy of music, Indiana University, The Juilliard School and State
University of New York in Stony Brook. She studied with Prof. Arie Vardi, Richard
Goode, and Gilbert Kalish. Among her coaches were Leon Fleischer, Peter
Serkin, Julius Levinne, Janos Starker, James Buswell and Joel Krosnick. She
received her PHD at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem under the
supervision of Prof. Jehoash Hirshberg.
Dr. Michal Tal is on the faculty of
the Buchmann-Mehta School of music, and the Givatayim Conservatory, in which
she served as a pedagogic director. Dr. Tal is the founder of EPTA Israel and
from 2017 the artistic director of The Outstanding Young Piano program at
the Jerusalem Music Centre .
MAURO NADIR MATTEUCCI began studying piano at a very early age, and graduated from the “Gioacchino Rossini” Conservatory in Pesaro, under the guidance of Maestro Marco Cola. He attended courses in piano performance and interpretation, held by Michele Marvulli and Sergio Fiorentino, together with chamber music courses held by the Munich Trio and the Franco Gulli-Enrica Cavallo Duo.
He has won awards at various piano and chamber music competitions. He has held solo concerts, played in chamber music concerts both instrumental and for voices, and has also played with orchestras, in Italy, France and Spain. He has also made several radio broadcasts and recordings.
He is strongly interested in piano composition within a teaching context, and in 2001 he composed a cycle of studies for piano entitled Studi per pianoforte sulle mani alternate “Operauno”, subsequently published by Sinfonica Edizioni Musicali in Milan (distributed by Carish), the CD of which is also available. Furthermore, he composed a cycle of “chansons” for soprano and piano entitled “Écoute”, accompanying the words of the poet Philippe Jaccottet; this was subsequently reworked into a version for two pianos, to be used as an audio-track for an art event. He has also composed cadences for Mozart concertos, and has transcribed music for piano duos and for chamber ensembles with piano.
He has lived in the town of Città di Castello since 2002, and several times in the past he has contributed to the “Festival of Nations” (an international music festival) held each year in the town.
He has always been very active in the teaching field: he has taught both Piano and Chamber Music in diverse Italian conservatories, including those of Pesaro, Potenza, Cosenza and Cesena. He is currently Teacher of Piano (as a main instrument) at Perugia’s “Francesco Morlacchi” Conservatory.
He has held the post of Artistic Director of the “Fausto Polverini” National Music Competition held in Città di Castello, and of the associated Young Musicians Festival, both of which he himself created and established. Moreover, he has been the Artistic Director of the “Associazione Amici del Festival delle Nazioni” (the Friends of the Festival of Nations Association) once again based in Città di Castello.
In 2013 he jointly founded, and subsequently became Director of, the “Centro Studi Musicali della Valtiberina”, a centre for the teaching and production of music organised by the Associazione Amici della Musica, which operates in conjunction with Sansepolcro Council and Perugia’s “Morlacchi” Conservatory.
In 2017, Mauro Nadir Matteucci was appointed Artistic Director of the “Maria Giubilei” International Piano Competition, which has been held in the town of Sansepolcro for 18 years, and which he had previously cooperated with in the capacity of member of its awards panel.
He is a tireless promoter and organiser of events for young musicians, and is often invited to be a member of the awards panel at diverse national and international music competitions. He also holds piano masterclasses at the “Romagna-Tuscany Academy of Music” and at the aforementioned Centro Studi Musicali della Valtiberina.
