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Clarinetist Pierre Génisson, one of the most renowned representatives of the French wind school, has signed an exclusive contract with Warner Classics/Erato.
The first album of this new collaboration dedicated to Mozart, with the Concerto Köln, completes an already rich discography unanimously acclaimed by critics (Diapason d’or, Choc de l’année de Classica, ffff de Télérama, “CD of the week” from the Sunday Times, Gramophone, Clef d’Or from Resmusica…)
Rewarded in 2018 by the “Cino del Duca” Prize awarded by the Academy of Fine Arts of the Institut de France, Pierre Génisson is also the winner of prestigious international competitions such as the Carl Nielsen International Competition, the Jacques Lancelot International Competition of Tokyo as well as the Banque Populaire, Safran, and “Musique et Vin au clos Vougeot” foundations.
Pierre Génisson trained at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris with Michel Arrignon for clarinet, and Claire Désert, Amy Flammer and Jean Sulem for chamber music. After having obtained the first prizes unanimously in these two disciplines, he went to perfect his skills at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles with Yehuda Gilad where he obtained an Artist Diploma.
As skilled on modern instruments as on ancient instruments, Pierre Génisson is regularly invited to perform as a soloist with prestigious orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester-Berlin, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC orchestras, Orchester Metropolitain de Montréal, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Sichuan Symphony, the Orchester philharmonique royal de Liège, the Orchester symphonique de Düsseldorf, the Insula orchestra… and collaborates in particular with conductors such as Krystof Urbansky, Olari Elts, Darell Ang, Sacha Goetzel, Alexandre Bloch, Laurence Equilbey or Lionel Bringuier.
In addition to his activities as a soloist, Pierre Génisson multiplies musical encounters with some of the most famous string quartets (Ebène, Modigliani, Jerusalem, Zemlinsky, Hermès, Van Kuijk, etc.), as well as soloists such as Maxim Vengerov, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Nemanja Radulovic, Marc Bouchkov, Miguel Da Silva, Lise Berthaud, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, David Kadouch, Franck Braley, Michel Dalberto, David Bismuth, Bruno Fontaine, The Soloists of the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Patrick Gallois, Marielle Nordmann, Emmanuel Ceysson , Karine Deshayes or Delphine Haidan.
A fervent defender of today’s music, Pierre Génisson promotes French music abroad and collaborates with many composers, including Tristan Murail, Thierry Escaich, Eric Montalbetti, Karol Beffa and Eric Tanguy, to whom he is dedicated. of several concerti and chamber music pieces.
Pierre Génisson also devotes part of his time to transmission, through numerous masterclasses around the world and at the Normal School of Music in Paris Alfred Cortot, where he is a teacher.
Magnus Lindgren’s constant search for new musical paths, combined with an extraordinary talent, has given him a position in Swedish musical life that is received with respect and fascination all over the world.
Winner of several awards such as Grammis, Swedish Radio Award for Swedish Jazz Album of the Year, Orkesterjournal Gold Record, etc. and the latest at the 65th GRAMMY Awards ® in February 2023, Lindgren together with John Beasly & The SWR Big Band won the GRAMMY® for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, for “Scrapple From The Apple”, from the album Bird Lives.
Magnus‘ ability to express himself on tenor saxophone, clarinet or flute bears the stamp of a true master. As a composer, he has great potential to materialize his own creative impulses. He dresses them in a melodic costume that fits perfectly into the stylistic environment available to him at the time.
But perhaps where Magnus Lindgren shines the most is in his feelings when arranging music. Greatness is in the way he assembles timbres, rhythmic figures, harmonic sequences.
Magnus is constantly working to expand his musical framework, whether through small jazz combinations, big bands, choirs with instrumental soloists, the integration of classical orchestra and jazz ensemble, Swedish folk, heavy funk rhythms, Brazilian samba or traditional African music. Structures and genres always acquire new dimensions in Magnus‘ careful hands.
Rooted in the post-bebop of modern jazz, there are influences from all corners of the world, which is reflected in Lindgren’s compositions from different decades, most of which the group performs along with covers of the treasure trove of modern jazz songs.
The desire for groove mixed with extroverted energy, as well as a minimalist, modestly challenging and playful interplay, is the group’s motto.
“Improvised music is a bridge between people. Through music we can meet people in a universal language where differences disappear and we all meet as one. Big Bands are to Jazz what the Symphony Orchestra is to Classical music. This tradition of combining large ensembles with improvisation remains something that I find most inspiring in music. This inspiration has led to the curiosity to collaborate with musicians from other backgrounds, who may have different preferences to mine.” Magnus Lindgren.
Being the 33rd year of his professional life, Magnus Lindgren is exploring the International arena even more, and is hoping for more and new collaborations and expanding his own borders.
A renowned jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, Goines has been a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and the Wynton Marsalis Septet he was named President & CEO of Jazz St. Louis in September 2023.
Clarinetist, saxophonist, and educator Victor L. Goines is a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet since 1993, touring throughout the world and recording over twenty-one releases, including Marsalis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning recording Blood on the Fields (Columbia Records, 1997) and The Ever Fonky Lowdown (2020), Marsalis and Eric Clapton (2011), Jazz at Lincoln Center’s A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration (2020), The Fifties: A Prism (2020), Black, Brown and Beige (2020), The Music of Wayne Shorter (2020), Jazz for Kids (2019), Swing Symphony (2019), Una Noche con Ruben Blades (2018), United We Swing (2018), Handful of Keys (2017), The Music of John Lewis (2017), The Abyssinian Mass (2016), Big Band Holidays (2016), Live in Cuba (2015) all from Blue Engine Records and, as well as the soundtracks for Ken Burns’ acclaimed documentaries, JAZZ, 1999; Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, 2004 and The War, 2007. Goines has collaborated on three video projects with Cuban clarinetist Janio Abreu. Two videos, Nuestra Herencia Musical (Our Musical Heritage) (2018), Juntos Otra Vez (Together Again) (2019), are with Abreu’s ensemble Aires de Concerto; and the third, Vic and I (2020), is with La Orquesta de Cåmara de la Habana conducted by Daiana Garcia. He is an acclaimed solo artist and leads his own quartet. As a leader, Mr. Goines has ten recordings including A Dance at The Mardi Gras Ball (2016), Morning Swing (2013), and Twilight (2012), all from Rosemary Joseph Records.
A gifted composer, Goines has more than 200 original works to his credit. His commissions include The Four Winds Suite (2021) and Suite for Bird (2014) for the Music Institute of Chicago; Untamed Elegance (2016) and Crescent City (2014) featuring Branford Marsalis for Jazz at Lincoln Center; Benny: Then, Now, Forever! (2009) for The ASCAP Foundation and Columbia College Chicago with support from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, and Base Line (2002) for the Juilliard School to support the original choreography by Juilliard alumnus Robert Battle and other countless works for hire.
Mr. Goines has recorded, performed, and collaborated with many noted jazz and popular artists such as Terence Blanchard, Ruth Brown, Paquito D’Rivera, Dianne Reeves, Jack McDuff, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, B.B. King, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Wayne Shorter, Chucho Valdez, and Stevie Wonder. Additionally, Goines can be heard on the film scores for the motion pictures Undercover Blues, When Night Falls on Manhattan and Rosewood as well as on music videos featuring Chick Corea, Garth Fagin, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, and Linda Ronstadt, and a host of other renowned musicians and ensembles.
Throughout his career, Goines has been deeply committed to the field of jazz education. In November 2007 he was named director of jazz studies and professor of music at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Prior to that appointment, Goines was for seven years inaugural artistic director of the jazz program at the Juilliard School and a faculty member in jazz clarinet and saxophone. During his tenure at Juilliard, the department expanded from a collaborative program with Jazz at Lincoln Center to include formal Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. He has also served on the faculties of Florida A&M University, the University of New Orleans, Loyola University in New Orleans, and Xavier University.
A native of New Orleans, he began studying clarinet at age eight. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1984, and his Master of Music from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in 1990.
In 2022 Jonathan Leibovitz was a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) and Concert Artists Guild (New York) International Auditions held at Wigmore Hall.
A top prizewinner at major competitions in Israel and Europe, including 1st Prize at the prestigious Crusell Competition in Finland and a Special Prize at the Carl Nielsen Competition in Denmark, this year Jonathan completes his Masters at the Music Academy in Basel with François Benda.
Solo highlights include appearances with the Israel Philharmonic, Israel Chamber, Haifa Symphonic, Ostrobothnian Chamber, Lapland Chamber and Kuopio Symphony Orchestras working with conductors including Elena Schwarz, Adrien Perruchon and Tung-Chieh Chuang.
This season Jonathan makes his debut with the London Mozart Players and appears as soloist with the Jyväskylä Sinfonia conducted by Yoel Gamzou and the Israel Sinfonietta. He records and performs chamber music with Südwestrundfunk in Bruchsaal and takes part in the Hauho Festival in Finland.
An avid chamber musician Jonathan founded the Avir Wind Quintet, and has collaborated with the ‘Mietar Ensemble’ and the Israeli Contemporary Players. He has given recitals across Israel, in Germany, Switzerland and Finland.
Jonathan made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 18 performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. During the 2019/20 season he joined the Israel Philharmonic as a member, and has appeared as guest with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber and Jerusalem Camerata.
Born in Tel-Aviv in 1997, Jonathan’s musical education began with Eva Wasserman. He went on to study with Yevgeny Yehudin at the Buchmann Mehta School of Music where he won numerous awards including 1st Prize laureate of the Aviv Competition
Michael Collins’ dazzling virtuosity and sensitive musicianship have earned him recognition as one of today’s most distinguished artists and a leading exponent of his instrument. At 16 he won the woodwind prize in the first BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition, going on to make his US debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall at the age of 22. He has since performed as soloist with many of the world’s most significant orchestras and formed strong links with leading conductors. Collins also has the distinction of being the most frequently invited wind soloist to the BBC Proms, including several appearances at the renowned Last Night of the Proms.
In recent seasons Collins has become increasingly highly regarded as a conductor and in September 2010 took the position of Principal Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia. His success in this role is testament to the natural musicianship and galvanising leadership that is evident in both his playing and conducting. In recent seasons, his conducting highlights have included engagements with the Philharmonia, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, London Mozart Players, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Kymi Sinfonietta, Auckland Philharmonia and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
In great demand as a chamber musician, Collins performs with musical colleagues such as the Belcea and Takács quartets, Martha Argerich, Stephen Hough, Mikhail Pletnev, Lars Vogt, Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis. His Residency at Wigmore Hall saw him in performance with András Schiff, Piers Lane and the Endellion String Quartet. His ensemble, London Winds, celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2013, with entirely unchanged membership during that time. The group maintains a busy diary with high calibre engagements such as the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh Festival, Edinburgh Festival, City of London Festival, Cheltenham International Festival and Bath Mozartfest. Collins is also Artist Director of the Liberation International Music Festival in Jersey.
With a prolific discography, Collins is signed exclusively to Chandos Records and consistently receives the highest critical acclaim for his recordings. His most recent release is British Clarinet Sonatas Vol. 2, recorded with pianist Michael McHale and released in February 2013. Last season, Collins released a disc of British Clarinet Concertos Vol.1, which he play/directed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Collins’s 50th Birthday was celebrated with a Chandos release of Weber Concertos conducted and performed by himself with the City of London Sinfonia.
The multi-award-winning clarinetist Alexander Bedenko is one of the most prolific artists of his generation and has performed with major conductors of leading orchestras, ensembles and festivals in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Born in Ukraine, into a family of musicians, Alexander Bedenko graduated from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied clarinet with Donald Montanaro and chamber music with Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley and Joseph Silverstein.
Alexander Bedenko has won first prizes at the || Moscow International Young Artist’s Competition in 1994, the Interlochen Center for the Arts “Concerto Competition” (1995-1996), the Grand-Prix and Laureate at the International Selmer Clarinet Competition in Kiev, (1999) and was a recipient scholarship of the “New Names” Charity Foundation, Vladimir Spivakov’s Foundation and the named scholarship of The President of Ukraine, from (1997-1999).
In the past seasons, Alexander Bedenko has appeared in such recital venues as the Carnegie’s Weill recital Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Steinway Hall in New York City, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C, the Great Hall at Moscow Conservatory and UNESCO in Paris. He has collaborated with world-renowned artists such as Vladimir Spivakov, Christoph Eschenbach, Nikolai Lugansky, Elena Bashkirova, Kirill Gernstein, Itamar Golan, Daniel Hope, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Frans Helmerson, Nobuko Imai, Eugenia Zukerman, Maxim Rysanov, Gautier Capucon and worked with the Borodin, Jerusalem, Ying, Alma, Endellion and Orion string quartets.
Alexander Bedenko has also performed as a soloist with Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Ukraine, the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and appearanced at the Colmar, Verbier, Spoleto, Sarasota, Miami and Schubertiade music festivals.
Mr. Bedenko has also been broadcast on television in France, Sweden, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and has been featured on RAI Radio Classica, on WQXR Radio (New York), WRTI Radio (Philadelphia), and the “Voice of America” in Washington D.C.
In 2007, Alexander Bedenko appeared together with Richard Stoltzman on a recording of the music of J.S. Bach for the RCA/BMG Japan label.
As an orchestra musician, Mr. Bedenko was invited by Riccardo Muti to perform as principal clarinet on a highly acclaimed European tour with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (in 2014) and has also performed as guest principal clarinet with the London Symphony Orchestra, both at the Barbican Centre and on tour in Germany under the baton of Daniel Harding, with the Philharmonia Orchestra (London) and with the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Franz Welser Most.
From (2008 – 2018) Alexander Bedenko has served as a co-principal clarinetist with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, directed by Gabor Takacs-Nagy.
Alexander Bedenko plays on Selmer Signature clarinets and became Selmer Paris Artist in 2015, as well as D’Addario woodwinds Artist in 2019.
Clarinettist, conductor and Sony Classical recording artist, Martin Fröst is known for pushing musical boundaries and has been described by the New York Times as having “a virtuosity and a musicianship unsurpassed by any clarinettist — perhaps any instrumentalist — in my memory”. Widely recognised as an artist who constantly seeks new ways to challenge and reshape the classical music arena, his repertoire encompasses mainstream clarinet works, as well as a number of contemporary pieces that he has personally championed. Winner of the 2014 Léonie Sonning Music Prize, one of the world’s highest musical honours, Fröst was the first clarinettist to be given the award and joined a prestigious list of previous recipients including Igor Stravinsky and Sir Simon Rattle. International Classical Music Awards voted him their 2022 Artist of the Year Award for his innovative global career, his impressive discography, and his philanthropy.
Fröst was announced the Artist in Residence with the Royal Concertgebouworkest for the 2022/23 season, the first ever wind player to be given that honour. The residency include season opening concerts with Víkingur Ólafsson and Alain Altinoglu; the world premiere of Anna Clyne’s Clarinet Concert with Jaap van Zweden; and exciting performance of Sally Beamish double concerto with Janine Jansen and Klaus Mäkelä as well as chamber music projects interspersed throughout the season. In 2022/23 Fröst continues to focus on his activities as Chief Conductor of Swedish Chamber Orchestra, including SCO Festival “Fröstivalen”, concerts with international guest artists, recording projects and highly anticipated European tour in early 2023. Other highlights of this season include a residency at Wigmore Hall, returns to the Royal Festival Hall with Philharmonia Orchestra and Pekka Kussisto and to Berlin with RSB Berlin and Lahav Shani as well as a conducting debut with Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
His latest album for Sony Classical Night Passages was released on the 22 April 2022. With acclaimed pianist Roland Pöntinen and legendary bassist Sébastien Dubé, it charts a nocturnal journey through the playful and the profound, reimagining favourites from the Baroque, while touching on jazz and folk music.
As a soloist, Fröst has performed with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. He regularly collaborates with prominent international artists, including Yuja Wang, Janine Jansen, Leif Ove Andsnes, Roland Pöntinen and Antoine Tamestit, as well as performs in international events such as Verbier Festival in Switzerland and Mostly Mozart in New York. Fröst has appeared in some of the world’s most important concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Konzerthaus Berlin and he has toured in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.
In recent years he has made successful conducting steps with the most important being his appointment as Chief Conductor of Swedish Chamber Orchestra from the 2019/20 season. Together they have embarked on a music journey that explores Mozart’s historic footprint in Europe through his travels. The project, set to be recorded by Sony Classical over a period of four years, is the orchestra’s first comprehensive green tour initiative, making extensive use of rail travel across Europe.
Renowned for his multimedia performing projects in collaboration with Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, in recent years Fröst has presented Dollhouse, Genesis and most recently Retrotopia – his latest project to perform both as soloist and conductor in a musical journey that explores new repertoire and challenges the traditional conventions of the classical concert.
A keen advocate of the importance of music education, in 2019 Fröst launched the Martin Fröst Foundation with the support of the world’s largest manufacturer of wind instruments, Buffet Crampon. The purpose of the organisation is to provide resources that can improve and enable children’s and young people’s access to music education and instruments. The Foundation aims to join forces with non-profit organisations and various sponsors across the world, having already established presence in Kenya and Madagascar.