Press Release

15th

INTERNATIONAL PHAROS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL

20 MAY – 2 JUNE 2015

CYPRUS

20, 22 MAY & 2 JUNE THE SHOE FACTORY, NICOSIA

25 - 30 MAY ROYAL MANOR HOUSE, KOUKLIA

““TThhee ssttuunnnniinngg llooccaattiioonnss ooff tthhee PPhhaarrooss CChhaammbbeerr MMuussiicc FFeessttiivvaall aattttrraacctt

ttoopp mmuussiicciiaannss yyeeaarr aafftteerr yyeeaarr”” BBC Music Magazine, March 2012

This year the most long-lived and internationally renowned music event

in Cyprus celebrates its 15th

anniversary!!!

The International Pharos Chamber Music Festival has established itself as the most important

annual classical music event on the island, and has gained an international reputation for its quality

concerts and magnificent settings. Guided by a visionary spirit and dedicated to artistic excellence

and innovation, the Festival attracts over 2.000 visitors every year. It also maintains a strong

tradition of community service, with educational concerts organized for students of public schools

and a number of master-classes for young instrumentalists.

Organized between 20 May and 2 June 2015, the 15th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival

welcomes to Cyprus some of the most remarkable artists on the international music scene for nine

concerts in the Royal Manor House in Kouklia – one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish

architecture in Cyprus and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and The Shoe Factory, a contemporary

recital venue situated in Ermou Street near the buffer zone in Nicosia.

The 15th

International Pharos Chamber Music Festival will open at The Shoe Factory, on Wednesday

20 May 2015, for an intimate recital with the twice Grammy-nominated Amy Dickson, considered to

be one of the most important saxophonists of our time and recognized widely for her remarkable and

distinctive tone and exceptional musicality. Two days later, on Friday 22 May, The Shoe Factory will

host a much anticipated solo recital by the celebrated pianist Alessio Bax. With his lyrical playing,

insightful interpretations, and dazzling facility, Bax will undoubtedly offer a ravishing listening

experience in works by Beethoven, Scriabin and Mussorgsky.

From Monday 25 until Saturday 30 May, the 15th

International Pharos Chamber Music Festival moves

to the west of Cyprus, to the Royal Manor House of the ancient village of Kouklia near Paphos,

which is specifically transformed by the Festival to a first class recital hall. For six days, a number

of internationally renowned soloists will join forces in an impressive array of works. Along with the

Festival’s regular guests – distinguished cellist and artistic director of the Festival Alexander

Chaushian, Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Daishin Kashimoto, the impressive violinist

Boris Brovtsyn, violinist Levon Chilingirian, violist Diemut Poppen, and the “endlessly fascinating”

pianist Ashley Wass – this year’s Festival will also host pianists Alessio Bax and Vanessa Benelli

Mosell who has been praised by musicians such as Karlheinz Stockhausen for her virtuosity and

musical insight; Grammy-nominated violist and conductor Maxim Rysanov who has established

himself as one of the world’s most vibrant and charismatic musicians; violinist/violist Yura Lee –

celebrated internationally for he musical integrity and compelling artistry; the exciting Marc Coppey

– one of the leading cellists of today; the charismatic double-bass player Hayk Khachatryan; one of

the greatest flutists of our time, the Italian Massimo Mercelli; leading horn-player Radovan

Vlatković, and the talented Cypriot soprano Margarita Elia.

The 15th

International Pharos Chamber Music Festival will end as it started, at The Shoe Factory,

Nicosia, on Tuesday 2 June, with a piano recital by the sensational Vadym Kholodenko – Gold

Medallist of the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in 2013. Praised for his

powerful, exhilarating performances which show “the guts of a true super-artist”, Kholodenko will

perform works by Liszt, Brahms, Balakirev, Medtner, and Vladislava Buchko.

The 15th

anniversary of the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival is certain to be a very

special experience. Join us in a leisurely exploration of the history and cultural heritage of Cyprus

and enjoy an unparalleled range of recitals and chamber concerts.

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 20 May @ The Shoe Factory: An intimate recital with saxophonist Amy Dickson Friday 22 May @ The Shoe Factory: Piano Recital with Alessio Bax

Monday 25 – Saturday 30 May @ Royal Manor House: Six chamber concerts in the Royal Manor House in Kouklia

Tuesday 2 June @ The Shoe Factory: Piano Recital with Vadym Kholodenko

**Concerts start at 8.30

THE VENUES: The Royal Manor House in Kouklia is one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture on the island and an unparalleled venue for intimate chamber music performances. The building also houses an archaeological museum, which records the rich history of human activity in the region from about 2800 BC to the present day. The Royal Manor House, which is part of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s “Aphrodite’s Cultural Route”, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Palaipaphos, or Old Paphos, was a city-kingdom of Cyprus and one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centres of the ancient Greek world. It was the site of a famous sanctuary of Aphrodite, the oldest remains of which date back to the 12th century BC. Join us in a leisurely exploration of the history and cultural heritage of the western region of Cyprus. The Shoe Factory is situated in the old part of Nicosia, near the buffer zone. Through it, the Pharos Arts Foundation is helping to revitalize this beautiful and historic section of the capital city by attracting a wide and diversified younger audience. All concerts are characterized by a unique feeling of intimacy and music is performed in an exceptionally inspiring setting: a modern venue decorated with contemporary art by mainly local artists; a venue situated in the “run down” part of Nicosia that offers the audience the unique opportunity to sit within an amazing proximity to world famous artists and experience performances in a venue like no other.

THE ARTISTS:

Piano: Alessio Bax, Vadym Kholodenko, Vanessa Benelli Mosell, Ashley Wass

Violin: Daishin Kashimoto, Boris Brovtsyn, Levon Chilingirian, Yura Lee

Viola: Yura Lee, Maxim Rysanov, Diemut Poppen

Cello: Alexander Chaushian, Marc Coppey

Double-Bass: Hayk Khachatryan

Flute: Massimo Mercelli

Horn: Radovan Vlatković

Saxophone: Amy Dickson

Soprano: Margarita Elia

INFORMATION: PHAROS ARTS FOUNDATION Tel: +35722663871 Website: www.pharosartsfoundation.org

TICKETS: Tickets: €15 / €10 Concessions & members of the Pharos Arts Foundation, Box Office: Directly from the Foundation’s website www.pharosartsfoundation.org or Tel. 9666-9003 (Monday - Friday

10:00am-3:00pm)

Tickets also available from: KYRIAKOU FULLPAGE BOOKSHOPS: 30 Ellados Ave., 8020 Paphos, Tel. 26 822850 ***Please note: tickets will be available as of mid-April

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME: WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2015 THE SHOE FACTORY, NICOSIA

AN INTIMATE SAXOPHONE RECITAL WITH AMY

DICKSON

“From Bach to Piazzolla”

FRIDAY 22 MAY 2015 THE SHOE FACTORY, NICOSIA

PIANO RECITAL WITH ALESSIO BAX

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor, Op.27, No.2

“Moonlight” Scriabin: Piano Sonata No.3 in F-sharp minor, Op.23 “États

d’âme” Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

MONDAY 25 – SATURDAY 30 MAY 2015 ROYAL MANOR HOUSE, KOUKLIA

SIX CONSECUTIVE CONCERTS WITH

WORLD-RENOWNED SOLOISTS IN KOUKLIA

Monday 25 May

Mozart: Flute Quartet No.1 in D major, K.285

Dvořák: String Quintet No.2 in G major, Op.77

G.Sollima: Contrafactus for flute, violin and cello

Rachmaninoff: Trio élégiaque in D minor, Op.9

Tuesday 26 May

Poulenc: Flute Sonata

Donizetti: Sonata for Flute and Piano in C major

R. Strauss: Metamorphosen for strings

Shostakovich: Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok,

Op.127

Shostakovich: Prelude and Scherzo for Strings, Octet Op.11

Wednesday 27 May

Beethoven: Horn Sonata in F major, Op.17

Arensky: Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op.32

Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op.11

Brahms: String Sextet No.1 in B-flat major, Op.18

Thursday 28 May

Mozart: Horn Quintet in E-flat, K.407

Brahms: String Quintet No.2 in G major, Op.111

Brahms: Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op.40

Friday 29 May

Brahms: Piano Quartet in A major, Op.26

Britten: The Poet's Echo, Six Settings on Pushkin, Op.76

Babajanian: Piano Trio in F-Sharp minor

Saturday 30 May

Schubert: Fantasia in F minor, D.940 for piano four hands

Fauré: Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor, Op.15

Schönberg: Verklärte Nacht

TUESDAY 2 JUNE 2015 THE SHOE FACTORY, NICOSIA

PIANO RECITAL WITH VADYM KHOLODENKO

Medtner: 3 Fairy Tales (Skazki), Op.9

Balakirev: Piano Sonata in B-flat minor, Op.5

Brahms: 7 Fantasien, Op.116

Liszt: Invocation from Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses,

S173/R14

Liszt: Hungarian Fantasy No.19 in D minor, R106

V. Buchko: "Three"

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES:

ALESSIO BAX piano Pianist Alessio Bax creates “a ravishing listening experience” (Gramophone) with his lyrical playing, insightful interpretations, and dazzling facility. First Prize winner at the Leeds and Hamamatsu international piano competitions – and a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient – he has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras, including the London and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, the NHK Symphony in Japan, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle. Recent appearances include concertos by Rachmaninov and Mozart with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov, Barber with the Dallas Symphony under Jaap van Zweden, Mozart with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Hans Graf, and debuts at

Washington’s Kennedy Center, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires; numerous solo recitals as well as piano four-hands recitals with Lucille Chung and violin and piano recitals with Joshua Bell. Bax’s acclaimed discography includes Bax & Chung (Stravinsky, Brahms, Piazzolla), Alessio Bax plays Mozart (Piano Concertos K. 491 and K. 595), Alessio Bax plays Brahms (Gramophone “Critic’s Choice”), Rachmaninov: Preludes and Melodies (American Record Guide “Critics’ Choice 2011”), and Bach Transcribed; and for Warner Classics, Baroque Reflections (Gramophone “Editor’s Choice”).

VADYM KHOLODENKO piano Gold Medallist of the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in 2013, Kiev-born Vadym Kholodenko captured the attention of jury, audience, and critics alike for powerful, exhilarating performances that “showed the guts of a true super-artist” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Also taking home prizes for Best Performance of the Piano Quintet and Best Performance of the Commissioned Work, he further demonstrated his artistry with a stunning cadenza in Mozart’s Concerto No.21 in C major, K.467 – which he composed himself on the plane to the Competition. Since then, Kholodenko has continued to build an international reputation for interpretations that are impeccable, tasteful and vibrant. Kholodenko has collaborated with

distinguished conductors including Valery Gergiev, Leonard Slatkin, Yuri Bashmet, Carl St. Clair, Christopher Seaman, and Vladimir Spivakov. Recent and forthcoming highlights include: debuts with the Indianapolis, Kansas City, Phoenix, and San Diego symphony orchestras, concerto appearances with the Malmö Symphony, Madrid RTVE Symphony, and the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, a return visit to the Aspen Music Festival for a performance of Messiaen’s complete Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jésus, a three-year association with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as its first ever artistic partner, which includes performances of the complete Prokofiev concertos (to be recorded by Harmonia Mundi). His first recording for Harmonia Mundi was released in November 2013, featuring Stravinsky’s Trois mouvements de Petrouchka and the complete Liszt Transcendental Etudes, and a new disc of the Grieg Piano Concerto and Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.2 with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra under the baton of Miguel Harth-Bedoya will be released this year.

VANESSA BENELLI MOSELL piano Vanessa Benelli Mosell is a rising star on the international music scene. She is continuously praised for her virtuosity, her technical brilliance and the sensitivity of her musical insight, which have been shaped significantly in mentorships with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Yuri Bashmet. Benelli Mosell gave her debut appearance at eleven years old with pianist Pascal Rogé, who described her as “the most natural musical talent I have encountered in my entire life”. She has since performed with orchestras such as the Münchner Symphoniker, Berliner Symphoniker, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg. She also performed with the Moscow Soloists, replacing

Martha Argerich in 2012. In the same year, Vanessa gave her celebrated debut at Londonʼs Wigmore Hall. Vanessa is internationally renowned for her performances of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Klavierstücke. Following her recording of Klavierstücke I-IV, she was invited by the composer to study under him, as he believed that she “has the power to let people appreciate my music”. Vanessa was awarded the Elba Festival Prize by Yuri Bashmet and more recently she won the first Award of the Festival Pietrasanta as an outstanding young talent. Her debut recording with music by Prokofiev, Haydn, Scriabin and Liszt received great international praise for her "extraordinary artistic talent" and "sparkling technique in demanding music” (Gramophone Magazine).

ASHLEY WASS piano Described as an “endlessly fascinating artist”, Ashley Wass is firmly established as one of the leading performers of his generation. He is the only British winner of the London International Piano Competition, prize-winner at the Leeds Piano Competition, and a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. Increasingly in demand on the international stage, Ashley has performed at many of the world’s finest concert halls including Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Konzerthaus. He has performed as soloist with numerous leading ensembles, including all of the BBC orchestras, the Philharmonia, Orchestre National de Lille, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, RLPO, and under the baton of conductors such as Simon Rattle, Osmo

Vanska, Donald Runnicles, Ilan Volkov and Vassily Sinaisky. Renowned for a broad and eclectic repertoire, Ashley has received great critical acclaim for his recordings of music from a wide range of styles and eras, and his discography boasts a number of Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’ recordings and BBC Music Magazine ‘Choices’.

DAISHIN KASHIMOTO violin Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, Daishin Kashimoto studied at the Juilliard School, the Luebeck Musikhochschule and the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik in Freiburg. In 1988, at the age of nine, Kashimoto gave his first recital, as well as his first concert as a soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble in New York. Since then, he has given recitals and has performed with numerous internationally renowned orchestras, including the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Radio Symphony Orchestras of Cologne, Frankfurt and Moscow, Orchestre National de France, Vienna and Berlin Symphony Orchestras, English Chamber Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony, under the baton of such great conductors

as Hugh Wolff, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, Heinrich Schiff, Mikhail Pletnev, Myung-Whun Chung and Yury Temirkanov. Kashimoto is first prize winner of the 6th Menuhin International Junior Violin Competition, and, in 1996, the youngest winner in history of both the International Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition in Vienna and the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Competition for Piano and Violin in Paris.

BORIS BROVTSYN violin Boris Brovtsyn studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and became a laureate of international competitions, such as Georg Kulenkampf (1994, Cologne), Transnet (1996, Pretoria) and Yehudi Menuhin (1998). In 2001 he was a finalist at the Queen Elizabeth Violin Competition and won the 2001 Reuters Prize. The following year he won the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition. In 1998, Brovtsyn made his UK debut with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba. As a soloist, Boris Brovtsyn has collaborated with artists such as Yuri Bashmet, Gerd Albrecht, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Arvo Volmer to name but a few, and appeared with Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Orchestre

National de Belgique, BBC Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille and Moscow State Chamber Orchestra, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Basel and Bern symphony orchestras, Warsaw Philharmonic, and Utah Symphony Orchestra.

LEVON CHILINGIRIAN violin Levon Chilingirian was born in Cyprus to Armenian parents and was introduced to music from a very early age through his pianist mother and violinist great uncle. His career as a recitalist was launched by winning the first prize in the 1969 BBC Beethoven Competition, followed by the Munich Duo first prize in 1971. The same year, he formed one of the most active and celebrated string quartets on the international scene, the Chilingirian Quartet. The music director of the talented Swedish string ensemble Camerata Roman, Levon Chilingirian has appeared as soloist with the BBC Symphony, London Philharmonic, Bournemouth, Liverpool Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber, and Russian National Orchestras, received the Cobbett Medal, the Royal Philharmonic Society’s

chamber music award and, in January 2000, an OBE in the Queen’s Honours List for his services to music.

YURA LEE violin, viola Violinist/violist Yura Lee, recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, is enjoying a career that spans almost two decades, and takes her all over the world. Her musical integrity and her compelling artistry were praised by both the critics and some of the most respected artists of today. As a soloist, she has appeared with many major orchestras, including the New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Monte Carlo philharmonic orchestras, the Chicago, Baltimore, Saint Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, NDR symphony orchestras, under the baton of such conductors as Christophe Eschenbach, Lorin Maazel, Leonard Slatkin, Myung-Whun Chung, and Mikhail Pletnev. She has also given recitals in prestigious halls, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London,

the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Cologne Philharmonie. She has received numerous international prizes, including the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2006 Leopold Mozart Competition (Germany), the First Prize at the 2010 UNISA International Competition (South Africa), and top prizes in the Indianapolis (USA), Hannover (Germany), Kreisler (Austria) and Paganini (Italy) competitions. Yura Lee’s CD with the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie under the baton of Reinhard Goebel, titled Mozart in Paris (Oehms Classics) received the prestigious Diapason d’Or Award (France) in 2008.

MAXIM RYSANOV viola Grammy-nominated Ukrainian-British violist and conductor Maxim Rysanov has established himself as one of the world’s most vibrant and charismatic musicians. He is principally known for his performances as a violist, guest of the crème of international music scene such as BBC Last Night of the Proms, Edinburgh Festival, and Salzburg Festival. Among his concerto highlights are performances with the Mariinsky Orchestra (Valery Gergiev), Russian National Orchestra (Mikhail Pletnev), BBC Symphony Orchestra (Jiří Bělohlávek), Seattle Symphony (Andrey Boreyko), Orquesta de Castilla y Leon (Vasily Petrenko), and DSO Berlin (Tugan Sokhiev). Maxim has won a number of prizes, including, Classic FM Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award and the BBC

Radio 3 New Generation Award, as well as the Geneva, Lionel Tertis and Valentino Bucchi competitions. His enthusiasm for new music has generated collaborations, which have extended the viola repertoire and the London Evening Standard has attested to this, “the warmth of Rysanov's viola left you wondering why composers bother with the violin”. Rysanov has given world premieres by Dobrinka Tabakova, Richard Dubugnon and Valentin Bibik, amongst others, and next year he will be premiering a new work for solo viola and string orchestra by Peteris Vasks. In 2013, Maxim was featured as both soloist and conductor on a disc of composer Dobrinka Tabakova – a disc that reached No.2 in the UK classical charts and was shortlisted for a Grammy award in 2014.

DIEMUT POPPEN viola Diemut Poppen is one of the finest viola players of her generation. Born in a musical family, Poppen studied in Germany, USA and Paris with some of the greatest viola players of her time, including Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashian, Bruno Giuranna and Peter Schidlof. Diemut Poppen has been awarded several scholarships and prizes, among them the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and the renowned European Music Prize. As a soloist, Diemut Poppen has performed in major music centres all over the world including the Carnegie Hall in New York, Barbican in London, Philharmonie in Berlin and Mozarteum in Salzburg and has worked with musicians like Claudio Abbado, Leonidas Kavakos and Viktor Tretyakov. Several composers have written new pieces for

Diemut Poppen, including solo works, as well as concertos, sonatas and chamber music. Diemut Poppen has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Cappricio, Live classics, EMI, Tudor, Ediphone, Ondine, among others. Cyprus is Diemut’s favourite country and she visits the island quite regularly.

ALEXANDER CHAUSHIAN cello Alexander Chaushian has won the Third Prize in the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the Third and Special prizes given by the Munich Chamber Orchestra at the ARD Competition in Germany in 2005. Chaushian has appeared in prestigious venues throughout the world, and as a soloist, he has played with a number of renowned orchestras, including the Vienna Chamber Orchestra at Vienna’s Konzerthaus and at the Bruchnerhaus in Linz, the London Mozart Players and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Royal National Orchestra of Belgium, Les Solistes Européens de Luxembourg in a gala concert conducted by Yehudi Menuhin, the Boston Pops Orchestra at Boston Symphony Hall, and the Armenian

Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He has given highly acclaimed performances in such venues as London’s Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Sala Verdi Milan, and Suntory Hall Japan. His solo debut recording for the BIS label of Weinberg’s Sonatas, in which he is partnered with Yevgeny Sudbin, was released to much acclaim. It was recently followed by another highly acclaimed CD for BIS, which includes cello sonatas by Rachmaninov, Borodin and Shostakovich.

MARC COPPEY cello French cellist, Marc Coppey, winner of the two highest prizes at the 1988 Bach competition Leipzig at the age of 18 is considered to be one of the leading cellists of today. Lord Yehudi Menuhin discovered Marc’s talent at an early age, and subsequently invited him to make his Moscow and Paris debuts by performing the Tchaïkovsky Trio with himself and Victoria Postnikova, a collaboration documented on film by famous film director Bruno Monsaingeon. In 1989 Mstislav Rostropovitch invited Marc to the Evian Festival and from that moment on his solo career took off. A frequent soloist with the leading orchestras of today, Marc Coppey has collaborated with many distinguished conductors such as Eliahu Inbal, Emmanuel Krivine, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and

Asher Fisch and has appeared in some of the most prestigious concert halls of the world. He is the dedicatee of a number of works by composers such as Christian, Durieux, Fedele and Fénelon, and his numerous recordings have received critical acclaim worldwide, including Télérama’s ffff, Diapason d’Or, a “Choc” from the Magazine Le Monde de la Musique and BBC Magazine five stars.

HAYK KHACHATRYAN double-bass Hayk Khachatryan studied at the Tibor Varga Music Conservatory Sion and has appeared as a soloist under Emin Khachatryan with the Armenian State Chamber Orchestra, with the Tibor Varga Festival Orchestra conducted by its namesake, and the Orchestra La Folia with Mirion Glas. While still a student Hayk won the first prize in the chamber music competition Valentino Bucci and has appeared with such orchestras as the Erewan Symphony Orchestra, the Serenade Chamber Orchestra, the Armenian State Chamber Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Lyon, and the Bern Symphony Orchestra. He has performed throughout the world under the baton of numerous conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez, Nikolaus

Harnoncourt, Franz Welzer-Mφst, Daniele Gatti, and Daniel Harding.

MASSIMO MERCELLI flute Massimo Mercelli became, at the age of 19, the first flute of the Teatro La Fenice of Venice, and won the Francesco Cilea Prize, the International Competition Giornate Musicali and the Stresa International Competition. As a soloist, he appears regularly in the most prestigious concert halls in the world – Carnegie Hall in New York, Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Saint Martin in the Fields and Wigmore Hall in London, Parco della Musica in Rome, Philarmonica in Warsaw, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow – and collaborates with musicians such as Yuri Bashmet, Krzysztof Penderecki, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Massimo Quarta, Ennio Morricone, Luis Bacalov, and Peter-Lukas Graf, and orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic,

Moscow Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Prague Philarmonia, Wiener Symphoniker, Solisti della Scala and the Franz List Chamber Orchestra. Mercelli has premiered a number of works which are dedicated to him, including, Facades by Philip Glass, Ennio Morricone’s Cantata Vuoto di Anima Piena, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by Michael Nyman, and Contrafactus by Giovanni Sollima. In September 2012 the CD Massimo Mercelli plays Philip Glass was released, and recent engagements include the recording of J.S. Bach’s sonatas with Ramin Bahrami under the DECCA label, the world premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s new concerto, dedicated to him, his participation in the concert for the celebration of Krzysztof Penderecki’s 80

th birthday at the Warsaw Philharmonic and the exclusive performance of his Sinfonietta for Flute and

Strings.

RADOVAN VLATKOVIĆ horn One of the leading instrumentalists of his generation, Radovan Vlatković has travelled the globe performing extensively as a soloist and popularising the horn as a recording artist and teacher. Born in Zagreb, Vlatković is the recipient of many first prizes, including the Premio Ancona in 1979 and the ARD Competition in Munich in 1983 – the first to be awarded to a horn player for fourteen years. From 1982 until 1990 he served as Principal Horn with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin under Maestros Riccardo Chailly and Vladimir Ashkenazy, and in 1998 he became Horn Professor at the renowned Mozarteum in Salzburg. Since 2000 he holds the Horn Chair “Canon” at the “Queen Sofia” School in Madrid. Radovan Vlatković has appeared as a soloist with many

distinguished orchestras including the Bavarian, BBC, and City of Birmingham symphony orchestras, the orchestras of Berne, Basel, Zürich, Lyon and Strasbourg, Rotterdam Philharmonie, Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields and Tokyo Metropolitan, Mozarteum Orchestra, Adelaide and Melbourne Orchestras. Vlatković has given world premieres of works by Elliott Carter, Sofia Gubaidulina, Heinz Holliger and several Croatian composers who have written concertos for him. He has received the German Critics Award for several of his discs, which have been released by the EMI, DECCA, Philips, Deutsche Grammophon labels, amongst others.

AMY DICKSON saxophone Twice Grammy-nominated Amy Dickson made history by becoming the first saxophonist and the first Australian to win the 2013 MasterCard Breakthrough Artist of the Year Classic Brit Award with her third album released on Sony Music. It had previously attained the coveted No.1 position in the UK classical charts. Sydney-born Amy has spearheaded something of a classical saxophone revival, on account of her unique take on the genre and her distinctive approach to the instrument. She has won several major competitions which have never been won before by a saxophonist. Recognized widely for her remarkable and distinctive tone and exceptional musicality, she has performed throughout the world in venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and the

Sydney Opera House. She has also performed as a soloist with many orchestras including the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. She is deeply committed to the development of new repertoire for the saxophone, whilst also championing existing repertoire. Dickson has released five critically acclaimed recordings for Sony Music.

MARGARITA ELIA soprano Cypriot soprano Margarita Elia studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Debrecen, Hungary. She has performed with a number of renowned orchestras, such as the Szolnok Philharmonic and Failoni Orchestra in Hungary, the Moscow Virtuosi, the Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, the Kibbutz Orchestra and New Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel, the Radom Camerata in Poland, and the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. Her operatic appearances include the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, the roles of Le Feu and Le Rossignol in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges, Eleonora in Salieri’s Prima la musica e poi le parole, Madame Herz in Mozart’s Schauspieldirektor and the title role of Donizetti’s Caterina

Cornaro to much acclaim. Her concert performances include the soprano parts in Mozart’s C minor Mass, Haydn’s The Creation and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Margarita is a dedicated supporter of contemporary music and has given many world premiere performances, including the leading solo part in Aphroditi Kyprogenia by Cypriot composer Fedros Kavallaris in Paris and the soprano part in Requiem Domesticus by Carlos Alberto Vasquez in Puerto Rico, as well as a number of Cyprus premieres, including, John Cage's The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and Barber’s Hermit Songs Op.29, amongst others.