24th International
Johannes Brahms
Competition Pörtschach
Jury, Concert
Organizers, Repetiteurs
Members
of the Jury
Piano
| Violin
| Viola
| Cello | Voice
Concert
Organizers | Pianists
PIANO
Prof.
Alexander
Jenner |
 |
After the second world war, Alexander Jenner studied with Prof. Brundo Seidlhofer and Prof. Richard Hauser at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. He was the winner of several first and second prizes in international competitions and played concerts in countries all over the world. At the age of 40 he became a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. None of his pupils ever failed in an exam and a great number won national and international competitions. In tribute to his artistic performances Alexander Jenner was awarded medals of honor by several governments. |
Prof. Paweł
Kamasa |
 |
Paweł Kamasa studied piano with Rudolf Buchbinder, Jorge Bolet and Harry
Datyner. Since his German debut at the Kissinger Sommer Festival 1987 he
has performed in major European centres including the Salle Gaveau in
Paris, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Warsaw Philharmonic and the
Tchaïkovsky Conservatory in Moscow. As a soloist he appeared with
outstanding conductors: Jan Krenz, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Tadeusz
Wojciechowski, Marek Pijarowski, Tomasz Bugaj, Wilfried Boettcher and
Karol Teutsch. He has been invited to participate in numerous
international festivals, including Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Mulhouse,
St.Savin, Evian, Munich Biennale, Zakopane Szymanowski Festival, Chopin
Festivals in Warsaw, Geneva and Antonin. His debut CD with the complete
cycle of Mazurkas by Karol Szymanowski for KOCH/Schwann in Munich was
very much praised by Gramophone London, and received the Critic's Choice
Award '98. 2015 a new 2CD-set dedicated to the complete late work for
piano solo op. 116-119 by Johannes Brahms has been
|
Prof.
Young-Bae Kim |
 |
Winner
of Korea's
prestigious
National Student
Music
Competition
while attending
Seoul High
School. Studies
with Professor
Jin Woo Jung at
Seoul National
University's
Graduate School
of Music, moved
to the U.S. for
further studies
at Virginia
Commonwealth
University and
Catholic
University of
America with
Landon Bilyeu,
and Thomas
Mastroianni. In
1985, he
returned to
Korea and moved
into the
spotlight as the
honorous
recipient of
"Musician of the
Month". Kim has
been a faculty
member at Chugye
University for
the Arts since
1990. He has
also served as
the
Vice-President
of The Piano
Society of Korea
and Piano Duo
Association of
Korea from
2004-2005.
Young-Bae Kim is
the first artist
to be appointed
the President of
Seoul Arts
Center from
2004-2007.
|
Prof.
Avedis
Kouyoumdjian |
 |
Very
much in demand
as pianist,
chamber musician
and judge at
international
competitions.
Since 1997
Professor for
piano and for
chamber music at
University
of Music and
Performing
Arts Vienna
- Joseph Haydn
Institut für
Kammermusik und
Spezialensembles
(institute for
chamber music
and special
ensembles). |
Prof. Emmanuelle Le Cann |
 |
Emmanuelle Le Cann has won several international competitions as a soloist (Tunbridge Wells international competition) as well as in chamber music (Florence, Pörtschach, Trapani, Guérande,…). She has appeared throughout Europe, the United States and Africa, playing as a member of the Duo Le Cann-Lejeune or Trio Una Corda but also with Sergey Ostrovsky, Alexandre Brussilovski, Pieter Wispelwey, Emmanuelle Bertrand, Valérie Aimard, Eric-Maria Couturier, Aviv Quartet... She studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris with Alain Planès, Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Daria Hovora, then at the London Guildhall School with Joan Havill. As a renowned post-graduated teacher, she is professor-coordinator in Beauvais Conservatoire, near Paris and regularly participates in prestigious summer Academies such as Musiques en Graves in Bordeaux, MusicAlp in Tignes, Les Arcs, Musicalta in Rouffach. |
Prof. Leontina Margulis |
 |
Leontina Margulis was born in St. Petersburg. After finishing her training at the famous "school for gifted and talented children" she studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the master class of Prof. Vitaly Margulis. During her studies, she started to gain experience by teaching at various music schools. She graduated with outstanding results and was offered the position as a lecturer at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg. Since her emigration to Germany with her family in 1975, she has concentrated mainly on educational activities. Many of her students have won prizes at national and international competitions. She also performs in chamber music concerts with renowned artists such as W. Marschner, C. Henkel, R. Kostas, L Casleanu, G. Gruzman and many others. From 1993 to 2010 she worked as visiting professor at the University of Istanbul. For over 30 years now she has been a member of the permanent teaching staff of the legendary master class “Russian School” in Freiburg/Germany, much admired and loved by her many students. Since 2002 she teaches at the Anton Rubinstein Music Academy in Dusseldorf/Germany. |
VIOLIN
Prof.
Andrej
Bielow |
 |
Born in 1981 in the Ukraine, Andrej has developed as one of the leading Ukrainian musicians of his generation. As a soloist and chamber musician he has recorded over 20 CD albums for Naxos, CPO, Avi-Music, Hänssler Classics, Hänssler-Profil, Guttingi, Solo Musica, Genuin, Hyperion and Rakete Media.
As a soloist he collaborated with such renowned orchestras as the New Japan Philharmonic, Orchestra National de Radio France, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic and Münchner Kammerorchester under the baton of established conductors such as Kurt Masur, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Gianandrea Noseda, Miguel Gomez-Martinez, Christian Arming, Agnieszka Duzcmal, Junichi Hirokami und Christoph Poppen, Enrique Mazzola to name a few of them.
At the age of 15, Andrej settled in Germany to study with Prof. Krzysztof Wegrzyn at the University of Music and Drama in Hannover. Further study followed with Gerard Poulet in Paris, Herman Krebbers, Ida Haendel, Ana Chumachenko and more recently Alfred Brendel.
Andrej Bielow won several major prizes at international competitions such as the Long-Thibaut Paris, ARD Munich, Hanover (Joachim), Citta di Brescia and others. Due to his extraordinary talent and musical qualities he was awarded various scholarships from the cultural institutions such as the Ukrainian Culture Foundation, Gundlach Foundation, Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and Förderpreis of the Lower Saxony.
Since 2014 Andrej joined the violin faculty at the University of Arts in Graz and regularly gives masterclasses in Europe, Asia and USA. In 2005, together with jazz-guitarist Johan Weiss, he founded the "MBF" Foundation (Musik braucht Freunde) which has provided financial support for over 130 needy students at the University of Music and Drama, Hanover. Since 2013, Andrej Bielow has become a regular visiting teacher delivering classes at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
|
Prof. Michael Frischenschlager |
 |
Michael Frischenschlager, born in Salzburg, studied violin, conducting and musicology in Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna and Rome. He studied with Yehudi Menuhin and for several years played the violin as a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He frequently performs as soloist as well as a member of chamber ensembles. Since 1971 professor for violin at the academy of music in Vienna of which he was also principal from 1992 to 1996. |
Prof. Alissa Margulis |
 |
"The Guardian" describes Alissa Margulis' play as "exceptional", Ivry Gitlis speaks of it as an "inspiration" and Martha Argerich calls her a "strong musical personality". Born in Germany as the daughter of well-known Russian musicians, Alissa Margulis studied in Cologne with Zakhar Bron, in Brussels with Augustin Dumay and in Vienna with Pavel Vernikov. Since early childhood, Alissa performs regularly as a soloist, for example with the English Chamber Orchestra, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National d'Ile de France or the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, to name just a few. In addition to her career as a soloist, Alissa Margulis is a keen chamber musician and plays regularly with artists such as Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, David Geringas, Ivry Gitlis, Gidon Kremer, Bruno Giuranna, Mischa Maisky, Gabriela Montero , Jean-Guihen Queyras, Alexandre Tharaud, Alexander Lonquich, Polina Leschenko and Lars Vogt. |
Orfej Simic |
 |
Orfej Simic was born in Mostar. After completing his studies at the Belgrade Music High School, he continued his studies in 1982 with Marina Yashvili at the famous Moscow Tchaikovsky College of Music. During his studies he took part in several national competitions and was awarded four first prizes. In 1987 he won the second prize at the International Student Competition in Moscow, as well as the prize for the best interrelation of Russian music. In 1989 he received his diploma with distinction and moved to Austria. In 1993, he received the "Eastern Trust Foundation" scholarship for advanced solo studies at the David Guildhall School of Music, London, which he completed with success.
Orfej Simic has been engaged by the London Symphony Orchestra, the "Barbican Virtuosi" and the chamber orchestra "Academy of St. Martin in the Fields" where he has performed with famous soloists and conductors; i.e. Anne Sophie Mutter, Itzhak Perlman, Gidon Kremer, Efim Bronfman, Sir Colin Davies, Mariss Jansons, Sir Georg Solti and many others.
He is active as a soloist as well as in various chamber music ensembles. Performances followed in Austria, Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, France, Great Britain, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary and the Philippines. He also participated in music festivals such as "Carinthian Summer", "Schubertiade", "Styriarte" and others.
Orfej Simic lives in Klagenfurt and holds the position of principal of the first violin group in the Carinthian Symphony Orchestra. |
Andreas Vierziger |
 |
Artistic and strategic consultant Andreas Vierziger has collaborated with clients such as Vivienne Westwood, the Welsh National Opera, record labels, international festivals and many artists. As a former artist manager at Buhl Artists Management he regularly worked with the most important orchestras, festivals and concert presenters across the world as well as with some of today's most renowned classical musicians. He studied dramatics, film and media science as well as musicology and arts management at the University of Vienna and attended programs at the Fudan University in Shanghai, the Beijing University and Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He served as a jury member for the International Johannes Brahms Competition, for Musica Juventutis (Vienna Konzerthaus), for the Fulbright Competition/USA and for the Concorso Ruggiero Ricci. |
VIOLA
Prof.
Arik Braude |

© Christian Steiner |
Praised for "sophisticated, warm intensity, radiant timbre and well-balanced, harmonious performance style" (Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany) Arik Braude has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the U.S., France, Switzerland, Belgium and Thailand.
An avid chamber musician Mr. Braude has performed at many prestigious chamber music festivals and series including the Barge music in New York City, Music@Menlo (CA), Festival des Arcs (France), Killington Chamber Music Festival (VT), and numerous other venues in the US, France, Germany, Belgium and Italy.
Arik Braude teaches viola and violin at the Queens College and the Mannes College of Music in New York. His students have appeared as soloists with orchestras in the U.S., France and Germany, including the New York Philharmonic. An interview about his teaching was published in the The Strad magazine, and Mr. Braude has contributed to the magazine's "Ask the Experts" column. Arik Braude is the artistic director of JVNY, inc. and of the JVNY international chamber music workshops in France and Portugal. |
Prof.
Juan-Miguel Hernandez |
 |
An artist defined by the critics as "...tender, lyrical, loaded with personality" (Atlanta Journal Constitution, Pierre Ruhe), violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez is also recognized for drawing "...the sweetest, most sonorous tone..." (Washington Post, Charles T. Downey). In September 2009, Juan-Miguel won the first Prize at the 16th International Johannes Brahms Competition, for which he is delighted to join as a juror for the 2017 edition, in Austria, adding to other top prizes won at the National Canadian Music Competition, and the 9th National Sphinx Competition in 2006, presented by JPMorgan Chase. As a featured guest soloist, Juan-Miguel has appeared with the Atlanta, Seattle, Colorado Symphonies, as well as the Rochester Philharmonic and the Chicago Sinfonietta. Performances in recent seasons have brought Juan-Miguel on tour throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America, Canada and the United States. In 2010, he was honored with the medal of the National Assembly of Quebec.
Juan-Miguel has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell, Kim Kashkashian, Gérard Caussé, Nicolas Dautricourt, Misha Dichter, the Weilerstein trio as well as Jazz living legends Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Stanley Clark and Paquito D'Rivera. Recent festival and program appearances as guest artist and teacher include the Festival Pablo Casal (Prades, France), the Festival Des Arcs (France), the Amalfi Coast Music Festival (Italy), Orford Academy (Canada), Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (South Africa), the Salzburg Festival, the Brevard Summer Institute, the Mozaic Festival, Festicamara (Colombia), Montreal Jazz & Panama Jazz Festivals and Musica Mundi International Festival (Belgium).
A dedicated chamber musician, Juan-Miguel is the newest member of the legendary Fine Arts Quartet and a founding member of the Harlem Quartet with whom he performed from 2006 to 2012. Juan-Miguel is also a founder and member of the "Trio Virado" (Flute, Viola, Guitar) as well as the "Boreal Trio" (Clarinet, Viola, Piano), both specializing in the creation of new repertoire. From 2005 to 2010, he was also an active member of the I Palpiti orchestra, a cast of international laureates forming a world class string orchestra based in Los Angeles. The 2017 summer season will see his return with the I Palpiti orchestra, this time as soloist, performing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in Disney Hall (Los Angeles), and the Mozarteum (Salzburg).
On radio airwaves and television broadcasts, Juan-Miguel has been heard and seen on nationally-syndicated programs throughout Canada, and the United States including NBC's Good Morning America, The Today Show and the Telemundo Network. His discography includes four quartet CDs, released on the Naxos, Cedille records, the White Pine and Navona labels as well as multiple collaborations on various other labels including the album "Hot House" playing alongside Chick Corea and Gary Burton for which they won a Grammy, as well as Norah Jones' album "Broken Little Hearts". Fall of 2015 saw the release of Trio Virado's debut album, "Mangabeira", featuring music by Piazzolla, Leo Brouwer and original music by Sergio Assad.
His strong commitment to educate and engage new audiences all around the globe have brought him to reach young musicians and various communities through art convoys in South Africa and Venezuela, various music festivals in South America and outreach projects in Europe and North America. In the Fall of 2016 Juan-Miguel was appointed to the faculty of the prestigious Royal Academy of Music (London) as Professor of Viola.
Juan-Miguel Hernandez was born in Montreal, Canada in 1985 and began studying the violin at age seven, then switched to viola at age twelve under the tutelage of Jean McRae. He received his Bachelor degree from the Colburn Conservatory in 2010 studying with Paul Coletti and Graduate Diploma in the Professional String Quartet program in 2012 with Paul Katz at the New England Conservatory, working privately with Kim Kashkashian and Dimitri Murrath. He also worked before Pinchas Zukerman, Roberto Diaz, Paul Neubauer, Karen Tuttle, Steven Dann, James Dunham, Barbara Westphal and Robert Vernon.
Juan-Miguel plays a beautiful 2008 Miralles viola from Altadena CA.
|
Prof.
Jerzy Kosmala |
 |
Jerzy
Kosmala has established himself as one of the world’s premiere violists. Internationally acclaimed as a concert violist and pedagogue, Kosmala has concertized throughout Europe, the former Soviet Union, Canada, North and South America, Asia, and South Africa, and has recordings on Orion, Vox/MGM, and Centaur labels. He is a frequent guest artist and performer at the world’s foremost festivals, International Viola Congresses, universities, and academies. Dr. Kosmala is a permanent jury member of virtually all the most prestigious international competitions. In addition, Dr. Kosmala has adapted and published numerous compositions for viola and has premiered many contemporary works, some of which were written especially for him. Kosmala is an erstwhile student of and assistant to the legendary William Primrose, and other masters, and a graduate of the Krakow Academy of Music, Eastman School of Music, and Indiana University. Jerzy Kosmala serves on the faculty of the University of California, Irvine, and was for several decades a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. |
Prof.
Ognjan
Stanchev |
 |
A graduate of the state academy of music in Sofia, followed by studies in chamber music at the Paris conservatory (1967) and the Tchaikovsky conservatory in Moscow (1976), Ognjan Stanchev was prizewinner of the international competitions in Helsinki (1962) and Colmar (France, 1978). From 1962 to 1966 and from 1979 to 1988, he was solo viola player of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been active as a chamber musician in various ensembles such as a member of the "Orpheus" String Quartet, the "Tilev" Quartet, and the "Sofia" Quartet. Since 1981 he has been a lecturer at the state academy of music in Sofia, since 1989 a professor. Extensive concert activities and many broadcastings of chamber music, especially of string quartets, as well as CD recordings at home and abroad. Participation in many concert tours in Bulgaria, Europe, and the USA. Ognjan Stanchev conducts master courses in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, and Austria. He served as a jury member of viola competitions in Bulgaria, Serbia, Austria (viola competition in Vienna 1998 and 2004 and the yearly International Johannes Brahms Competition at Pörtschach, Austria). |
Prof.
Alexander
Zemtsov
|
 |
Studied at the Gnessin School Moscow with Prof. E. Ozo, at the Hochschule für Musik Hamburg with Prof. M. Nichiteanu, at the Hoogeschool in Maastricht with Prof. M. Kugel and at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin with Prof. T. Zimmermann. Praised for his intense and innovative interpretations Alexander Zemtsov is one of the most versatile and sought after musicians on the music stage today. He has established the recognition as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor. He is a professor at some of the finest music universities in Europe: Viola professor at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, University Professor at the Vienna Konservatorium Privat Universität und Professeur invité at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne in Switzerland. Among his students are winners of international competition prizes as well as members of leading orchestras, like the New Zealand Symphony (Principal), the Opera Flensburg (Principal), the Malta Philharmonic (Co-Principal), the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the Royal Scottish National and the BBC Symphony Orchestra London, to name a few. |
CELLO
Prof. Alexandre Bouzlov |
 |
Alexandre Buzlov is one of the most vivid and talented cellists of the next generation, one who represents the Russian performing school with honour at the world’s leading music venues. Alexandre Bouzlov was born in Moscow in 1983. He graduated from the music school and college of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire; in 2006 he graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire itself. One of Bouzlov’s most recent achievements came with his participation in the Emanuel Feuermann Cello Competition in Berlin in November 2010, at which he was awarded the Grand Prix and the Audience Award. Alexandre Bouzlov currently teaches at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire where he has his own class and is an assistant to Professor Natalia Gutman; he runs master-classes in Russia, Europe and the USA. Alexandre Bouzlov performs with such acclaimed musicians as Natalia Gutman, Yuri Bashmet, Alexei Lyubimov, Vasily Lobanov and Tatiana Grindenko. |
Prof.
Catalin
Ilea |
 |
Catalin Ilea is a professor at the
Berlin
University of
the Arts. Born in 1940 in Romania, he studied cello with Georg Jarosievici, a pupil of Julius Klengel and Dimitrie D. Dinicu, a student of Diran Alexanians. He graduated from the Music Academy Bucharest with distinction and was first solo cellist of the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra "George Enescu". Over the following years he received four first prizes in international competitions and critics awards in 1992 and 2001. In 1977 he made Germany his permanent residence. He regularly teaches master classes in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Poland. He was for many years a member of the ensemble "Musica Nova", the "Trio Bucharest" (together with Stefan and Valentin Gheorghiu) and the "Sharon Quartet". From a very young age, Catalin Ilea had an extensive solo repertoire at his disposal, that included all manner of musical styles and is today one of the most comprehensive in his field. He plays all the major stages in Europe, North America and Asia, where his concerts attract attention by "startling sensitivity, authority and effortlessness." Ilea remains true to his style by changing it continually. Every interpretation differs from the previous one. Time and again he looks at things from different perspectives, thus compelling his audience to constantly reconsider. His concerts are unusual, they provoke the imagination of his audience. Catalin Ilea has recorded more than 20 CDs and records, including JS Bach's solo suites and gamba sonatas, cello sonatas by Brahms, Franck and Enescu, the cello concertos by d'Albert, Schumann, William Berger, Bottesini and Offenbach and the Symphonie Concertante by Enescu.
|
Prof. Matthieu Lejeune |
 |
Prize-winner in numerous international competitions such as Bucarest, Florence, Trapani, Pörtschach in Austria, Douai and Guérande, Matthieu Lejeune performs regularly as soloist, as a member of the Duo Le Cann-Lejeune and the Trio Una Corda as well as in other prestigious ensembles (Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Multilatérale, Galliano Septet…). Former student of Roland Pidoux at the Paris Superior Conservatoire, he graduated with honors in cello and chamber music, before undertaking postgraduate studies in both disciplines. Then he studied for two years in the celebrated class of Frans Helmerson in Cologne, obtaining the Konzertexam diploma from the Hochschule. He currently teaches at Lausanne High School as the assistant teacher of Xavier Phillips, and has just been appointed Professor at the Pôle Supérieur of Eastern Paris (Saint-Maur-des-Fossés). |
Maestro
Yuki Miyagi |
 |
Yuki
Miyagi
was born in
Osaka, Japan. A
Bachelor of
Commerce
graduate of
Hitotsubashi
University, and
a major in
postgraduate
marketing at
Kingston College
in England, he
began his
conducting
studies at the
age of fifty
under Kazuharu
Shirakawa, Kurt
Redel, Horst
Stein, Ivan
Fischer, and
Ondrei Renaut.
In 2000 he made
his debut in
Europe
conducting for the Slovak Philharmonic
Orchestra. Since
then he has been
guest conducting
every year for
prestigious
orchestras with
great acclaim.
In 2010, he was
assigned as the
resident
conductor for a
professional
orchestra,
Kunitachi
Symphoniker. In
April 2012 he
debuted in the
U.K. conducting
for the Royal
Philharmonic
Orchestra in
London. Reviews
on Mr. Miyagi's
conducting activities
around the world show a record of
his steadily
growing success. |
Prof.
Kyung-Ok
Park |
 |
Kyungok Park studied at the "Seoul National University". Having won several competitions in Korea, she was granted a "DAAD scholarship" by the German Government and studied at the Detmold State Conservatory under Prof. A. Navarra. In 1982 she went to the United States to study for her master's degree at the Yale School of Music with Prof. Aldo Parisot. Subsequently she continued her studies with Prof. Bernard Greenhouse and Prof. Timothy Eddy on "SUNY at Stony Brook" in order to obtain her doctorate. She performs as a soloist with major orchestras in Korea, appeared in over 20 solo recitals and is a very sought-after member of various chamber music ensembles, including her string quartet "Quartet 21", one of the most active chamber music ensembles in Korea. Kyungok Park won the 1st Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and gave concerts in Japan, Germany and Southeast Asia. She teaches with great devotion
at Hanyang
University
in Korea and many of her students have won awards. Every summer she performs concerts in Japan at "Kirishima International Music Festival" and holds master classes. |
Éva Simić-Németh |
 |
Born
in
Szombathely,
Hungary. She
graduated with
a diploma at
the Franz
Liszt College
of Music in
Budapest in
1995 (under
Prof. Csaba
Onczay). With
a state
scholarship
and the
additional
support of the
Soros
Foundation,
Éva
Simić-Németh
was able to
continue her
studies at the
Johannes
Gutenberg
University in
Mainz,
Germany, under
Prof. Julius
Berger. In
1997 she
received her
concert
diploma
(Master).
Following that
she studied
for two years
at the Indiana
University
School of
Music in
Bloomington
(USA). Since
then Éva
Simić-Németh
has added many
accolades to
her career.
She has won,
among others,
the 1st prize
at the
national
competition
"Young
Musicians" in
Hungary (1990)
and also at
the
"International
Johannes
Brahms
Competition"
in Pörtschach,
Austria
(1999).
Currently she
is solo
cellist with
the Carinthian
Symphony
Orchestra
(KSO) in
Klagenfurt,
Austria. |
VOICE
Prof. Helena Dearing |
 |
Helena Dearing was educated at the Music University in Vienna, majoring in "Voice" and "Lied and Oratorio". Among her teachers were Erik Werba, Helmut Deutsch, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and René Jacobs at the Scola Cantorum in Basel. Concert tours included appearances in Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Japan and the U.S. She has performed with several well-known instrumentalists, such as Christopher Hinterhuber, Norman Shetler, Clemens Zeilinger and Eduard Kutrowatz at the piano, the Altenberg Trio Vienna, the Haydn Academy in Eisenstadt, the Capella Academica Wien and other orchestras. She has recorded several Cds with Lieder by Schubert, Haydn and Brahms. In opera she has performed in several productions of baroque opera with period instruments. She has been a teacher of vocal technique at both the Universities for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and in Graz. In 2007 she was appointed Professor of Vocal Training at the Music University in Vienna. From 2007 - 2016 she was Artistic Director of the International Brahms Festival in Mürzzuschlag, Styria. |
KS
Prof. Gabriele Fontana |
 |
Gabriele
Fontana made her
debut as Pamina
in Frankfurt at
the tender age
of 23. She was a
member of the
Opera Studio of
the Vienna State
Opera. She was
awarded the 1st
prize at the J.
S. Bach
Competition in
Leipzig and the
Tauber Memorial
Prize in London.
Due to the early
start of her
career, she
travelled widely
and performed
with growing
success at the
Hamburg State
Opera, where she
sang (amongst
others) Pamina,
Konstanze,Sophie.
A great success
was her Sophie
Scholl in
Zimmermann's
"White Rose"
which premièred
there. She
also performed
at the Bavarian
and Vienna State
Opera, the
festivals in
Bayreuth,
Glyndebourne,
Salzburg, Proms,
Bregenz,
Edinburgh
Festival, Vienna
Festival, the
Mozart Festival,
Santa Cecilia
Rome, Semper
Opera Dresden,
Berlin, Lyon,
Geneva,
Marseille,
Prague, Israel,
USA and Japan,
where she made
an international
name for herself
with lyric -
dramatic soprano
parts of Richard
Strauss and
Richard Wagner,
and especially
so as Leonore /
Fidelio.
She works with
conductors such
as Blomstedt,
Boulez,
Barenboim,
Dohnanyi,
Haitink,
Leinsdorf,
Mazur, Mehta,
Petrenko,
Sawallisch,Thielemann,
Welser-Möst and
many more.
Gabriele
Fonatna’s
discography :
Songs by
Schubert, Wolf /
Strauss, Bach
cantatas , 9th
Symphony by
Beethoven, total
opera recordings
of Arabella ,
Rheingold , The
Bat, Moses and
Aaron , and the
first recording
of the complete
songs of Clara
Schumann. In
1998 she was
awarded the
title of
“Kammersängerin”,
an honorary
title for female
singers in
Austria and
Germany.
More recently,
concerts,
recitals and
master classes
have led her to
New York,
Washington,
Philadelphia,
Savonlinna,
Amsterdam,
Tokyo, Taiwan,
England and
Prague. Since
2007 she is
“Professor of
Lied and
Oratorio” at the
University of
Music and
Performing Arts
Vienna. |
Prof.
Stephan
Matthias Lademann |
 |
Stephan
Matthias
Lademann was
born in Meißen,
Germany and
studied at the
Dresden
University of
Music. From the
beginning of his
piano studies he
concentrated on
accompaniment
and therefore
later majored in
piano
performance and
accompaniment.
He has been
invited to
numerous
international
music festivals
and opera houses
such as the Alte
Oper Frankfurt,
Wiener
Musikverein,
Klangbogen-Festival
Theater an der
Wien,
Schubertiade
Schwarzenberg,
Rheingau-Festival,
Schleswig-Holstein-Festival,
Kissinger
Sommer, Münchner
Opernfestspiele,
Ludwigsburger
Schlossfestspiele,
Salzburger
Festspiele,
Semperoper
Dresden, Berlin
Philharmonie,
Teatro della
Zarzuela Madrid,
Auditorio
Santiago de
Compostela, New
York Carnegie
Hall and the
Teatro alla
Scala di Milano.
Stephan Matthias
Lademann is
currently
teaching at the
University of
Music and
Performing Arts
Vienna. |
Prof. Ernst Lintner |
 |
Studies: Vienna Academy (today: University of Music), song: Prof. Erik Werba, opera: Prof. A. Kolo; R. Holtenau, KS Renate Holm and KS A. Korn.
Stage performances: as Sou Chong (The land of smiles), 1st stranger (cousin from Dingsda), Alfred (The bat), Sigmund (Walküre, most recently 2013 in Germany), in: Austria (Baden), Germany (among others Frankfurt), Belgium (Opera Gent), Holland (Antwerp), Czech Republic, Poland: 9th symphony by Beethoven (SF Berlin), etc .;
Collaboration: NÖ Tonkünstlerorchester, Stadttheater Baden, STPH Rheinland-Pfalz, Slowak. Philharmonie, SWF-Rundfunkorchester, ND Philharmonie, Frankfurt Symphonic, Gotha Philharmonic; Numerous orchestral concerts in opera houses in Germany and Austria.
Sacred music: Te Deum (Bruckner, Bizet), Stabat Mater (Rossini, Dvořák), Missa in Gloria (Puccini), Creation (J. Haydn) in Vienna (Konzerthaus, Musikverein, etc.); Many masses by J. Haydn, F. Schubert, W. A. Mozart, etc.
Song recitals: important for Ernst Lintner since 1984: Vienna Festwochen, Austria (e.g. Atzenbrugg, 2008 Pörtschach); Vienna: 25.05.2015 (Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, R. Strauss), last performance: 26.03.2017 in the Eroica Hall "Schwanengesang", etc.; There on 18.03.2018: 4 spring songs, cycle: Beethoven's "To the distant lover".
Sharing experiences with young musicians in the vocal studio; 2013 last master class for opera and song in Beijing, China.
Since 1989 President of the New Artists' Forum Vienna, since 2010 organizer of the International Dostal Vocal Competition.
Further information can be found in the CV and the videos of Ernst Lintner. |
Prof.
Barbara
Moser |
 |
Concertpianist
Barbara Moser tours frequently
as soloist,
chambermusician
and accompanist
throughout
Europe, the USA
and Asia
starring at such
renowned
Festivals as the
Summerfestival
Salzburg, the
Wiener
Festwochen and
the
Schleswig-Holstein
Musikfestival.
She has worked
together with
Orchestras such
as the Academy
of St. Martin in
the Fields and
Dallas Symphony,
has accompanied singers Annette
Dasch, Natalie
Dessay, Placido
Domingo, Michael
Schade, Mara
Zampieri and
many more. Her
discography
comprises 9
recital-CDs,
numerous
chambermusic-
and
Lied-recordings.
Amongst her
teachers were
Heinz
Medjimorec,
Rudolf
Buchbinder and
Elisabeth
Schwarzkopf. She
has been
teaching at the
University
of Music and
Performing
Arts Vienna
since 1999,
habilitated in
2005 and
completed her
doctorate-studies
with a thesis on
embellishments
in Bellini’s
opera “La
Sonnambula” in
2007. This
doctorate thesis
was in the
meantime
published by
VDM-Verlag. |
Prof.
Benno Schollum |
 |
After finishing
his studies he
started teaching
at the University
of Music and
Performing
Arts Vienna
in 1983.
Extensive
concert activity
with – for
example – Yehudi
Menuhin,
Vladimir
Fedoseyev,
Manfred Honeck,
Mstislav
Rostropovich.
CDs with Menuhin
and Sinfonia
Varsovia with
Haydn’s
"Schöpfung",
Händel's
"Messiah", the
9th Beethoven
and Schubert's
Messen. With
Fedoseyev and
the Tchaikovsky
Orchestra Moscow
Tchaikovskys
"Jolanta", as
well as Wilhelm
Bush "In Word
and Tone"
(Russell
Ryan/Stephan
Paryla) and the
"Winterreise"
with Graham
Johnson. He
plays the part
of Kuno in the
filming of "Der
Freischütz" by
C.M.Weber (www.huntersbride.com)
beside Juliane
Banse, Olaf Bär,
Franz
Grundheber, Renè
Pape. He is the
author of the
book "German for
Singers" which
was published in
New York. |
KS
Prof. Helmut Wildhaber |
 |
Graduate
of Graz
University.
Since 1980
member of the
Vienna State
Opera. In 1990
appointed
"Kammersänger".
Helmut Wildhaber is a recognized
specialist for
oratorio and
canto. His numerous radio recordings of aria recitals are the very best recommendation. |
The following
promoters will be
present in 2017:
Eleanor Hope
(Interclassica Music
Management)
Dr. Phyo Kim, MD, PhD, DMSc
Ernst Lintner (Neues Künstlerforum in Vienna)
Maestro Yuki Miyagi
Elisabeth Sickl (Albecker
Schlosskonzerte)
Andreas Vierziger
RÉPÉTITEURS (Pianists) 2017
Cello
Lura
Johnson |

© Katya Chilingiri |
Pianist Lura Johnson is the recent Second Prizewinner, as a member of Duo Baltinati with cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn, of the 2015 International Johannes Brahms Competition Chamber Music Division. Trained by luminaries Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald, she is the Principal Pianist of the Delaware Symphony and has performed extensively as the pianist of choice for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra since 2007. She has collaborated extensively in orchestral performances and recordings with Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Leila Josefowicz, Joshua Bell, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and has performed as soloist with the Baltimore and Delaware Symphonies. Devoted to chamber music from an early age, her many recital partners include Baltimore Symphony concertmaster Jonathan Carney, with whom she has presented the complete Brahms violin sonata cycle, clarinetist Anthony McGill, cellists Ilya Finkelshteyn, Amit Peled and Kenneth Slowik, and flutist Marina Piccinini. Ms. Johnson has taught piano at the Peabody Conservatory since 2002 and in 2013 was named Director of Chamber Music at Georgetown University in Washington. |
Viola
Etsuko Miyakoda |
 |
Etsuko Miyakoda was born in Osaka, Japan. After studying at Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts in Kyoto and teaching in a junior high school in Osaka, she continues her studies for piano and piano chamber music with Prof. Eduard Mrazek and Prof. Georg Ebert at the then College of Music in Vienna. She graduated with a diploma for piano. Subsequently she was a piano teacher at a music school in Lower Austria. Since 1992 she has been contracted as a teacher at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In addition to her concert activities as a chamber musician with Wolfgang Klos, Thomas and Atilla Aldemir Selditz (to name a few) in Austria, Turkey and Japan, she has worked as an accompanist at several master classes and competitions. Since 2001 she has been an official accompanist at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria. |
Violin
Chizu Miyamoto |

© Winnie Kuechl |
Chizu Miyamoto was born in Nagano, Japan.
Her mother started to teach her to play the piano at the age of four.
Chizu Miyamoto studied concert piano at Toho Gakuen Music University in Tokyo, one of the most prestigious music academies of Japan and graduated in the subjects concert, education and music theory.
Subsequently, she taught those subjects at Kawai Music School in Nagano. She was a founding member of the Suzaka-Piano Trio.
In order to further develop her artistic abilities, she came to Vienna in 2001 to study at the Vienna Conservatory with Dr. Johannes Jess-Kropfitsch instrumental accompaniment. and chamber music with the Altenberg Trio. She finished her studies in 2005 with distinction, by unanimous decision of the jury.
She performed as an official accompanist at renowned international master classes and competitions such as the Johannes Brahms Competition in Portschach, the Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition in Vienna, the Tibor Varga Violin Competition Sion in Switzerland, the Viennese master classes, the Summer Academy at the Mozarteum (Salzburg), the Masterclasses at Burg Feistritz, the Estate Musicale in Portogruaro (Italy), the Eilat Music Festival (Israel), Rachlin and Friends (Dubrovnik), the Special Easter Masterclasses in Morges and Blonay (Switzerland), the Nagano Aspen Music Festival, the Miyazaki Music Festival , Japan and many more.
In 2010 she was awarded a diploma for excellent piano accompaniment at the International Violin Competition "David Oistrakh" in Moscow.
Chizu Miyamoto plays a great deal of chamber music in a wide range of instrumental combinations. Also, she performs regularly as soloist in Japan and Europe.
Since 2005 she has been working as piano accompanist at the Music and Art Private University Vienna. |
Voice
Hedayet
Djeddikar |
 |
Hedayet Djeddikar was born in Basel and grew up in Bonn. He was given his first piano lessons at an early age. Later on he also took violin, recorder and oboe lessons. Promoted by the pianist Rose Marie Zartner from Bonn, he studied piano at the Music Academy in Frankfurt. During his studies he discovered his love for lied interpretation. This passion was largely inspired by his lessons with Charles Spencer. After completing his studies as a soloist he decided to take up his post-graduate studies of lied interpretation and chamber music under Rainer Hoffmann and Eugen Wangler. Furthermore, he gained important insights during numerous master classes and as a guest student of Irwin Gage, Hartmut Höll, Wolfram Rieger, Thomas Hampson, Christoph Pregardien, Ulf Bästlein and Thomas Quasthoff among others. Hedayet Djeddikar has received awards at various lied competitions, i.e. the first prize for best piano accompaniment at the International Paula Salomon-Lindberg Competition in Berlin and as part of a duo at the International Schubert Competition in Graz. He was awarded the North Frisian Lied Prize by the state Schleswig-Holstein. During his studies he received scholarships from the FAZit-Foundation and the Sparkasse Foundation. He has given concerts and recitals throughout Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, England and also the Benelux countries. Since 2006 he has been teaching at the Music Academy in Frankfurt. He works as an official accompagnist at the International Hilde Zadek Competition in Vienna, and has been the official accompanist at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach since 2003. He has also featured in recordings with radio stations such as the Bayerischer Rundfunk, SWR and ORF. A recording of the complete songs of Clara Schumann was released by Naxos in 2009. |
Pantelis Polychronidis |
 |
Studies of vocal accompaniment, opera coaching and Chamber Music at the University of Michigan under Martin Katz, graduating with the Doctoral of Musical Arts. During his studies, he accompanied master classes with Shirley Verrett. Postgraduate studies with Charles Spencer and Roswitha Heintze at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna as well as Eric Schneider in Berlin. Since 2014, he is senior lecturer at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (Department of Voice/Opera). Constant concert activities in Germany, Greece, Holland and the USA. Since 2012 Visiting Professor at the Music Faculty of the University of Michigan. |
After
the closing date of
application, each
respective répétiteur
will automatically
receive from us the
programme music of all
candidates in his/her
division. After the
first round each
répétiteur will be
available for those who
have passed onto the
next. For the category
"solo voice" the
répétiteurs will be at
the candidates disposal
from the day of their
arrival.
As a matter of
fairness we would like
to ask you to refrain
from establishing any
contact with your
répétiteur before the
beginning of the
competition.
They have strict
instructions to ignore
any approaches in this
direction.
Johannes Brahms Competition
on
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