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Hailed by critics as a ‘thinking’ musician with engaging stage presence and a gratifying combination of virtuosity and eloquence, pianist Pedja Muzijevic has defined his career with creative programming, unusual combinations of new and old music, and lasting collaborations with other artists and ensembles. The Financial Times sums him up as “a virtuoso with formidable fingers and a musician with fiercely original ideas about the music he plays.” His vision is to bring musicians together to explore new ways of presenting classical and contemporary music to audiences through curation, staging, lighting and other technology. In addition to a busy touring schedule, Muzijevic is Director of Music Programming at the Baryshnikov Center in New York and Artistic Advisor at Montana’s Tippet Rise.
Aleksandar Madžar was born in Belgrade in 1968. He started playing the piano under the guidance of Gordana Malinović at the age of six, and later studied in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Moscow and Brussels, with Arbo Valdma, Elisso Virsaladze and Daniel Blumenthal.
He won prizes in Geneva, Leeds, the Busoni and Umberto Micheli competitions and gave his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Ivan Fischer in 1990. He has since then been performing regularly all over Europe, enjoying a rich and varied career in recital, concertos (with André Previn, Marcello Viotti, Paavo Järvi, Andris Nelsons) and chamber music, occasionally also touring North and South America, South Africa and the Far East and Australia.
Aleksandar Madžar is a frequent guest of the Wigmore Hall in London, the Theatre de la Ville in Paris, the Brussels Bozar, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, as well as the Conservatorio in Milan; the Delft, Lockenhaus, Peasmarsh and Juventus (Cambrai) summer festivals. His regular chamber music partners include, among others, the Takács Quartet, Anthony Marwood, Nicolas Altstaedt, Vilde Frang, and the soprano Juliane Banse.
Aleksandar Madžar teaches at the Royal Flemish Conservatoire in Brussels and at the Hochschule für Musik
Born in 1986 in Paris, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger studied organ, piano and composition before entering the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris at the age of thirteen, from which he graduated in 2005 with five first prizes. He then studied composition in Geneva with Michael Jarrell and Pascal Dusapin. Since then, he has a double activity of composer and pianist recognized for the extreme variety of his repertoire.
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger has received numerous commissions, notably from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Evian Festival, Radio-France, the International Long-Thibaud Competition and the Folles Journées de Nantes. His works have been performed by the Orchestre de Paris and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi and the Chœur et l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Pascal Rophé. His chamber music works have been performed by Henri Demarquette, François Salque, Nicolas Dautricourt, Lise Berthaud, Raphaël Sévère, Bertrand Chamayou in venues such as the Lincoln Center, Lucerne Festival, Musikverein Vienna.
He performs as a soloist with the most prestigious orchestras (New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, NHK Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse…) and collaborates with renowned conductors such as François-Xavier Roth, Paavo Jarvi, David Zinman, Jonathan Nott, Michael Tilson Thomas. He has also worked with Pierre Boulez notably to study his Second Piano Sonata. In January 2014, the Louvre Auditorium offered him carte blanche for six concerts.
He is invited by the most important international festivals (Verbier, Lucerne, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, La Roque d’Anthéron, Saratoga, La Jolla Music Society) and as a chamber musician he performs with the most brilliant musicians of his generation, such as the Quatuor Modigliani, Bertrand Chamayou, Renaud Capuçon, Raphaël Sévère.
Recently, he has been heard in Brazil and at the Festival Musica de Strasbourg with Jean-François Heisser in Stockhausen’s Mantra, in Boston with Christoph von Dohnányi for Schumann’s Piano Concerto, as well as at the Lincoln Center in New York for the US premiere of his piece Plein Ciel. In February 2018 he gave the critically acclaimed premiere of his own piano concerto with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Jonathan Stockhammer. He has also performed at the Berlin Philharmonic, the Philharmonie de Paris and the Lucerne Festival with a program of works by Rihm and Schumann, as well as the premiere of Vito Zuraj’s Alavo with the musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic Academy.
He devotes an important part of his interpretative activity to the diffusion of today’s music: in 2012 he premieres Philippe Manoury’s Piano Concerto with the Paris Orchestra conducted by Ingo Metzmacher as well as works by Bruno Mantovani, Phillip Maintz, Yves Chauris. His recordings have been acclaimed by the international press. The “Live at Suntory Hall” released in 2008 received a “Choc” from Le Monde de la Musique and his recording of Ferdinand Herold’s Piano Concertos received a “Choc” from Classica.
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger received the Lili and Nadia Boulanger Prize from the Academy of Fine Arts and the Hervé Dugardin Prize from the Sacem 2015.
The Moscow-born pianist Elena Bashkirova studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in the masterclass led by her father, the renowned pianist and music teacher Dimitrij Bashkirov. The various facets of her creative activity – orchestral pieces, chamber music, recitals, song accompaniment and programing – are all equally important to Elena Bashkirova, and her experiences in each area provide a constant source of inspiration for her work in the others. Elena Bashkirova explores classical and romantic repertoire as well as twentieth-century music; her work has been strongly influenced by collaborations and exchange with artists such as Pierre Boulez, Sergiu Celibidache, Christoph von Dohnányi and Michael Gielen. She enjoys long- standing partnerships with conductors such as Lawrence Foster, Karl-Heinz Steffens, Ivor Bolton, Manfred Honeck and Antonello Manacorda.
Twenty years ago, she founded the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, an event taking place every year in September which she continues to lead as Artistic Director. The festival has become an important part of Israel’s cultural life. Since 2012, a partner festival has taken place every April at the Jewish Museum Berlin; this has also proved hugely popular.
Through guest performances of the “Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival Ensemble” at renowned chamber music series in Berlin, Paris, London, Salzburg, Vienna, Luxembourg, Lisbon, Budapest, Buenos Aires and São Paolo – as well as at international summer festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, the Verbier Festival, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, the Ruhr Piano Festival and the Bonn Beethovenfest – the festival’s reach extends far beyond the borders of Israel.
Born in Marseille in 1981, Jonathan Gilad began learning the piano at the Conservatoire National de Région de Marseille with Pierre Pradier. In 1992 he won the Premier Grand Prix of Marseille for piano and the Gold Medal in chamber music. In 1991 Jonathan Gilad won first prize at the Salzburg Summer Academy. He was also laureate of the Natexis Foundation for the year 2002. In 1991 Jonathan Gilad began studying with Dmitry Bashkirov in Madrid and Salzburg. From 1992 to 2000 he also studied with Tatiana Dernovski and from 1999 to 2001 he studied at the International Piano Foundation in Cadenabbia, Lake Como, working with Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, Leon Fleisher and Fou-Tsong.
A regular guest at numerous festivals (Ravinia, Aspen, Klavier Ruhr Festival, Luzerne and Verbier), he also performs in prestigious venues (Carnegie Hall, New York, Herkulessaal in Munich, Wigmore Hall, London, Berlin Philharmonic, as well as at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam). He has also performed with many orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Salzburg Camerata Academica, Maggio Musicale Orchestra in Florence, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, under the direction of Daniel Barenboim, Sir Neville Marriner, Zubin Mehta, Eiji Oue, Seiji Ozawa, Vladimir Spivakov, Yuri Temirkanov, Sandor Vegh, Alain Lombard amd Tugan Sokhiev.
Jonathan Gilad gives regular chamber music recitals with musicians such as Julia Fischer, Viviane Hagner, Danjulo Ishizaka, Mihaela Martin, Nikolaj Znaider, Frans Helmerson, Daniel Müller-Schott, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon. Recent engagements have taken him to Munich (Philharmonic with the Russian National Orchestra), Frankfurt (Alte Oper with the Frankfurter Museumsorchester and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie), Paris (Théâtre du Châtelet and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées with the Orchestre National de France), to Koln (Philharmonic) as well as to Verbier, Stavanger and Jerusalem.
He has recorded a CD with EMI, in the « Début » series, of works by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. This recording was nominated for the « Victoires de la Musique Classique 1999 ». Under the Lyrinx label Jonathan Gilad has recorded 3 CDs (Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev). Under the PentaTone label, alongside Daniel Müller-Schott and Julia Fischer, he recorded Mendelssohn’s trios, a recording which received a Diapason d’Or. Again with Daniel Müller-Schott, under the Orfeo label, he recorded a CD of Mendelssohn’s cello and piano pieces.
Lars Vogt has established himself as one of the leading musicians of his generation. Born in the German town of Düren in 1970, he first came to public attention when he won second prize at the 1990 Leeds International Piano Competition and has enjoyed a varied career for over twenty-five years. His versatility as an artist ranges from the core classical repertoire of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms to the romantics Grieg, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov through to the dazzling Lutoslawski concerto.
During his prestigious career Lars has performed with many of the world’s great orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Bayerischer Rundfunk Munich, Staatskapelle Dresden, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony and NHK Symphony.
Since September 2015 Lars has been Music Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia at Sage Gateshead in the UK, a position which he has held for five years with the 2019/20 season marking his final season before he becomes Principal Artistic Partner of the orchestra. As a conductor Lars has also worked with many leading orchestras, including the Cologne and Zurich Chamber Orchestras, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Camerata Salzburg, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Hannover Opera Orchestra, Frankfurt Museumorchester, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Sydney, Singapore and New Zealand symphony orchestras. In May 2019 he undertook a highly acclaimed tour of Germany and France leading the Mahler Chamber Orchestra including concerts in Berlin, Munich and Paris.
Menahem Pressler, founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio, has established himself among the world’s most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans over five decades. Now 90 years old, he continues to captivate audiences throughout the world as performer and pedagogue, performing solo and chamber music recitals to great critical acclaim while maintaining a dedicated and robust teaching career.
Born in Magdeburg, Germany in 1923, Pressler fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and emigrated to Israel. Pressler’s world-renowned career was launched after he was awarded first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. This was followed by his successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Eugene Ormandy. Since then, Pressler’s extensive tours of North America and Europe have included performances with the orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo, and Helsinki, among others.
In 2007 Menahem Pressler was appointed as an Honorary Fellow of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in recognition of a lifetime of performance and leadership in music. In 2005 Pressler received two additional awards of International merit: the German President’s Deutsche Bundesverdienstkreuz (Cross of Merit) First Class, Germany’s highest honor, and France’s highest cultural honor, the Commandeur in the Order of Arts and Letters award.
Pressler has received honorary doctorates from the University of Nebraska and the North Carolina School of the Arts, five Grammy nominations, a lifetime achievement award from Gramophone magazine, Chamber Music America’s Distinguished Service Award, and the Gold Medal of Merit from the National Society of Arts and Letters. He has also been awarded the German Critics Ehrenurkunde award, and election into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. On April 6, 2011, Mr. Pressler has been named the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2011 International Classical Music Awards. More recently, Gramophone magazine honored Pressler –as part of the Beaux Arts Trio—in their May 2012 issue “Hall of Fame: 50 People Who Changed Classical Music.” In July of 2012, Queen Sofia of Spain presented Pressler with the Yehudi Menuhin Prize for the Integration of Arts and Education.
Internationally active as soloist and chamber musician, additional honors include England’s Record of the Year Award and Ensemble of the Year from Musical America in 1997. In addition to his busy schedule as a performer, he has given master classes in Germany, France, Canada, and Argentina, and continues to serve on the jury of the Van Cliburn, Queen Elisabeth, and Arthur Rubinstein competitions.
The 1955 Berkshire Music Festival saw Menahem Pressler’s debut as a chamber musician, where he appeared as pianist with the Beaux Arts Trio. This collaboration quickly established Pressler’s reputation as one of the world’s most revered chamber musicians. His other chamber music collaborations have included multiple performances with the Juilliard, Emerson, Guarneri and Cleveland Quartets.
In addition to over fifty recordings with the Beaux Arts Trio, Menahem Pressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings, ranging from the works of Bach to Ben Haim. Pressler’s life has always been completely devoted to his music. When not touring or giving master classes around the world, Mr. Pressler can be found teaching at Indiana University, where he holds the rank of Distinguished Professor. Pressler lives in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife Sara.
Award-winning pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet enjoys an illustrious career, working with orchestras like the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and BBC Symphony, alongside renowned conductors such as Vladimir Jurowski, Gianandrea Noseda, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and many others. Highlights of his 2023/24 season include tours with the Philharmonia Orchestra in China, performances of Ravel with the Lähti Symphony, Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Kyoto Symphony, and his residency at Wigmore Hall in a series dedicated to Debussy. Additional engagements feature his recital tours with programs of Debussy, Liszt, and Massenet across venues including Wigmore Hall, Sage Gateshead, and Japan’s Hamamatsu.
Bavouzet’s acclaimed recordings, all with Chandos, include his series of Haydn Piano Sonatas, regarded as the modern benchmark, and “The Beethoven Connection,” both receiving critical praise. His Bartók Piano Concerti recordings with the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda earned the Gramophone Concerto Award in 2014, while his Stravinsky and Ravel concerti won multiple awards. He also champions lesser-known French composers such as Gabriel Pierné and Albéric Magnard.
An ICMA Artist of the Year in 2012, Bavouzet also serves as International Chair in Piano at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Iason Marmaras is a keyboard player, singer, and the founder and leader of the ensemble os orphicum. He was awarded a Master’s degree on Harpsichord (2012) under Fabio Bonizzoni and Ton Koopman; and a Bachelor’s degree in Early Music Singing (2011) under Barbara Pearson, Kees Jan de Koning, Jill Feldman, Michael Chance and Peter Kooij; at the Royal Conservatoire in Den Haag, the Netherlands.
Iason has performed as a continuo player, singing soloist, ensemble- and choir-singer under such musicians as Jos van Veldhoven, Jos Vermunt, Peter van Heyghen, Charles Toet, Jan Kleinbussink, Jaap ter Linden, Peter Kooij, Harry van der Kamp and Fabio Bonizzoni. In 2009 he sang Lesbo in Handel’s Agrippina under Hernán Schvartzman, and in 2011 he sang Amor in Monteverdi’s l’Incoronazione di Poppea under Markellos Chrysikopoulos. He is also an increasingly sought-after vocal coach, and the regular accompanist of soprano Stefanie True and counter-tenor Jan Kullmann.
Even before his formal acquaintance with the harpsichord, he was an avid continuo-player and improviser on the piano, and he still regards continuo-playing and improvisation as vital though largely neglected parts of musicianship today. His universal love for music has led to his avid (and increasing) interest in ensemble-leading and direction, and he has organised and directed numerous concerts during the years of his study, also following instruction in conducting with Hernán Schvartzman and Marine Fribourg.
Viktoria Postnikova was born in Moscow into a family of musicians. From the age of three, she amazed those around her with her ability to reproduce on the piano, with both hands and by ear, the works she heard her mother teaching her pupils. From then on, there was little doubt that she had a vocation as a musician.
She was admitted to the Moscow Central School of Music, and at the age of seven gave her first public performance with an orchestra. In the following years, she studied at the Moscow Conservatory in Jakob Flière’s class. The numerous prizes she won in international competitions (Leeds International Piano Competition in England, Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Vianna da-Motta Competition in Lisbon, Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow) established her reputation in both the Soviet Union and Western Europe.
Viktoria Postnikova performs in virtually all the major musical centres of Europe, Asia and America (where she has been compared in the press to Vladimir Horowitz). She has played with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Amsterdam Concertgebauw, the BBC Orchestra in London, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, and all the most prestigious orchestras in Russia and Japan, under conductors such as Sir Adrian Boult, Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Simon Rattle, Kurt Masur, and of course Gennady Rojdestvensky.
Her countless recordings include the only complete piano works by Tchaikovsky currently in existence, Tchaikovsky’s three concertos with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Mussorgsky’s complete solo piano works, Prokofiev’s five concertos, as well as concertos by Busoni, Brahms, Chopin and many others.
Her unrivalled repertoire includes almost 80 concertos for piano and orchestra.
In addition to her activities as a soloist and recitalist, Viktoria Postnikova devotes herself passionately to chamber music. Her chamber music career includes concerts in Switzerland, France, England and Moscow with artists such as Yehudi Menuhin and Julia Varad.