Guy Ben-Ziony was born in 1974 in Israel. At the age of 9 he started to play the violin, and at 13 switched to the viola. In Israel he studied with Prof. Chaim Taub, and later finished his studiies under Prof. Tabea Zimmermann (Frankfurt), and Prof. Tatjana Masurenko (Leipzig). Guy is Professor for viola and chamber music in Leipzig Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Musikhochschule, and is a regular guest viola principle in Camerata Salzburg under Leonidas Kavakos. A most requested violist in Europe, Guy is regularly invited, also in this position, to orchestras such as Deutsche kammerphilharmonie Bremen under Paavo Jaervi, “Kremerata Baltica” under Gidon Kremer, and Camerata Nordica, Sweden. His chamber concert engagements took him to music halls such as Carnegie Hall in New-York, Wigmore Hall in London and Berlin Konzerthaus. As a soloist he played with many Israeli and European orchestras. He made his first appearances with the Bartók concerto in Leipzig under Daniel Harding. In the 1998/1999 season he was a member of the Zapolski Quartet in Copenhagen, with whom he toured Scandinavia and Russia, and recorded for the “Chandos” and “Classico” record companies. Guy has participated in some of the world’s leading chamber music festivals, among them the Lockenhaus, Davos, Dubrovnik, Ravinia, “Spannungen in Heimbach”, Jerusalem international chamber music festival, Moritzburg, IMS Prussia Cove, and “Chamber music connects the world” in Kronberg. Guy Ben Ziony collaborated in concerts with artists such as Gidon Kremer, Antje Weithaas, Tabea Zimmermann, Tatjana Masurenko, Boris Pergamenschikow and Menachem Presler.
Born in Armenia,
Alexander Chaushian first studied with his grandfather. After studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School he came to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied with Oleg Kogan, and then moved to Berlin for advanced studies with Boris Pergamenschikow and David Geringas. A Long list of prizes includes First Prize in the 1990 Premio Mozart Competition in Verona, First Prize in the International Music Competition in Holland, the Guilhermina Suggia Gift in London on three occasions, the Orchestra of New England Soloist Prize and the First Prize of Young Concert Artists in New York. In 2001 he was the joint recipient of the Pierre Fournier Award, in 2002 was awarded third prize in the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and in 2005 won the third prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich. Alexander Chaushian has performed with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Philharmonia and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, The Royal National Orchestra of Belgium, The Boston Pops and The Armenian Philharmonic orchestras. Alexander has collaborated with many distinguished musicians such as Levon Chilingirian, Dimitri Sitkovetsky, Ani & Ida Kavafian, David Geringas, Yuri Bashmet and Gidon Kremer. He is the artistic director of the Orpheus & Bacchus Festival in Bordeaux, and records for the BIS label.
Israeli flautist
Guy Eshed currently shares his time between his principal flute positions with the Manchester Camerata, Daniel Barenboim’s West – Eastern Divan Orchestra and Ensemble 360.
Guy has performed as Principal Flute with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Munich as well as in different international orchestras under conductors such as Mehta, Gregiev, Schneider, von Dohnanyi, Vänskä, Sir Colin Davis, Pierre Boulez, Sarastre and Eschenbach.
He appeared as a soloist in the Salzburg Festival, the London Proms, the Köln Philharmonie and Stockholm’s Berwald Hall under Barenboim as well as collaborating as a soloist with Trevor Pinnock, Kolja Blacher and Nicholas Kramer in his native Israel, the U.K, Hungary and Germany.
Guy has performed in various chamber music festivals and recorded several times for the Israeli radio and the BBC. His teachers include Yossi Arnheim, Jacques Zoon and Prof. Moshe Epstein. He graduated with honors from the Tel-Aviv University and the Hochschule for Music in Hamburg
Born in London in 1983,
Thomas Gould began violin lessons at the age of three with Sheila Nelson. At eighteen Thomas entered the Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship where his principal teacher was György Pauk. Since graduating in 2006 Thomas has established a busy and varied career as soloist, recitalist and orchestral leader. In May 2006 Thomas was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT) leading to debut recitals in the Purcell Room, Bridgewater Hall, Wigmore Hall and St George’s Bristol. Thomas is in equal demand as concerto soloist, having performed with numerous orchestras in England and abroad. Notable collaborations include the Gävle Symfoniorkester and Robin Ticciati, Kammerphilharmonie Graz and Achim Holub, Orchestra of the Swan and David Curtis, and the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra. In 2007 he will give the premiere of a concerto written for six-string electric violin by American composer Nico Muhly with Aurora Orchestra. Thomas is co-leader of Britten Sinfonia and leader of Aurora Orchestra. He also freelances with several London orchestras and plays regularly on soundtracks for film and television. In addition Thomas has recorded works by Herbert Howells and Joseph Jongen for the Meridian and Hyperion labels. Thomas is a regular participant in the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove and the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in Aldeburgh. Thomas plays a violin made by Gennaro Gagliano in 1754.
Katharine Gowers studied with David Takeno at the Yehudi Menuhin School and at the Guildhall School of Music (where she won the Gold Medal prize), with Roland and Almita Vamos at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, and with Joey Corpus in New York. In 1997 she won the International Parkhouse Award with the pianist Charles Owen. Katharine has made concerto appearances with the Royal Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestras, and with the BBC Big Band and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. She has toured extensively throughout Britain and Europe in recital (including performances at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and St. John’s, Smith Square) and as a chamber musician. She has also performed at festivals such as Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Salzburg, Bath, Edinburgh, Lucerne and Oxford, and in 2003 and 2005 was a featured artist at the Presteigne Festival. Katharine has given concerts with many eminent artists including a European tour with Nigel Kennedy and the English Chamber Orchestra performing Bach's Double Violin Concerto and a worldwide chamber music tour with Alfred Brendel (which included New York's Carnegie Hall and the Musikverein in Vienna). She recently returned to the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg to perform Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata with Julius Drake in a festival specially devised by Ian Bostridge. She regularly participates in the Open Chamber Music seminar at IMS Prussia Cove.
Israeli pianist
Noam Greenberg studied at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv and at Yale University, before moving to London to study with Maria Curcio. His life was changed by his visit to the International Musicians’ Seminar Prussia Cove in 2001, for Master Classes with Ferenc Rados and András Schiff. Many lessons with Ferenc Rados followed in Budapest, and regular visits to the Open Chamber Music Seminars at IMS Prussia Cove. Noam now enjoys a busy concert schedule as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician in both the traditional repertoire and new music and has appeared on many European stages including the Wigmore Hall in London, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin Konzerthaus and Parco della Musica Roma. An avid performer of contemporary music, he has given many Israeli premieres including Ligeti’s Piano Concerto, in a performance broadcast live by the European Broadcasting Union. He is also a founding member of the Ulysses Ensemble, dedicated to 20th century and contemporary chamber music repertoire. He has participated in the festivals of Lucerne, Aldeburgh, Banff, Norfolk, Lapland, Orlando, Schleswig-Holstein, Stage-Barcelona, and IMS Prussia Cove. He is a member of the Waldstein Ensemble together with Gerhard Schulz, Isabel Charisius, and Lilia Bayrova.
At the age of fifteen,
Chen Halevi’s debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta created a sensation. Haaretz wrote: “This boy is blessed with a wonderful fusion of artistic musicality and amazing playing technique, all in the service of the muses.” Since then he has performed with several of the most important orchestras in the United States, Europe, and Japan, including the Israel Philharmonic, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the European Soloists, the Heilbronn Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Virtuosi, the Jerusalem Radio Orchestra, the MDR Philharmonic Leipzig, the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, and the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. A frequent participant in summer festivals, Chen Halevi has appeared at the Marlboro, Ravinia, and Santa Fe Festivals in the US, while his European appearances have included stops at Schlesswig-Holstein, Colmar, Forcalquier, IMS Prussia Cove, Davos, and Verbier Chamber Music Festivals, as well as the PMF Festival in Japan and the Perth International Arts Festival. A great lover of chamber music, Chen Halevi has performed with Pinchas Zuckerman and Christoph Eschenbach, as well as numerous well-known string quartets, including the Keller, Szymanowski, Fine arts, Miro, Prazac, and St. Lawrence. He is internationally acknowledged as a master specialist in the performance of contemporary music. Teaching and giving master classes feature as important priorities in his career. He is currently the Clarinet Professor in the Trossingen Hochschule for Music in Germany and has travelled all over the world to give Master Classes to spread his school of teaching and playing.
Born in 1976, Armenian cellist
Mikayel Hakhnazaryan is currently guest solo-cellist of Basque National Orchestra, Camerata Bern, Württem- bergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn and cellist of the Basler streichquartett. Mikayel began his studies in Armenia at the age of nine, and won his first competition at the age of 13. After graduating from the State Conservatory he continued his studies at the Academie de musique Tibor Varga in Sion with Marcio Carneiro, and then completed his studies at the Hochschule für Musik der stadt Basel with Ivan Monighetti. During his studies in Switzerland Mikayel regularly appeared in concerts as soloist and chamber musician. He played as principal cellist of the Schleswig-Holstein festival orchestra in 1999, and was a member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2000. Between 2001-2004 Mikayel played as a member of the Zurich string trio with whom he toured extensively and made numerous recordings, including the complete Beethoven string trios and string quintets. Mikayel has been very inspired by Steven Isserlis’ Masterclasses, and having played for him numerous times at the IMS Prussia Cove he subsequently became a regular participant at their Open Chamber Music Seminars. His teaching experience includes Masterclasses at the Levin School of Music Washington, the Johannesbourg University, and the Conservatory of Ho Chi Minh.
Mikayel plays on Tomaso Balestrieri cello of 1747.
Born in 1979,
Sally Pryce studied at the Purcell School and Royal College of Music with Daphne Boden, graduating in 2001 with first class honours and the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver Medal. The Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT) selected her for representation in 2003. During her studies Sally won numerous national and international prizes including first prize in the 1999 London Harp Competition and in 1998 reached the final six in the prestigious International Harp Contest held in Israel. In 1996 she won the Marisa Robles Harp Prize in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition and was a finalist in the BBC Young Musicians Competition. Over the last year Sally has continued to give recitals at major venues and festivals throughout the UK including return visits to Wigmore Hall and Bridgewater Hall with flautist Adam Walker, recitals in Paris and Madrid, and a critically acclaimed Park Lane Group recital at the Purcell Room. As a soloist she has performed Debussy’s Danse sacrée with the Scottish Ensemble at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh and venues throughout Scotland and performed Mozart’s Flute & Harp Concerto with the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra. In August Sally gave three world premieres at the Presteigne Festival including new works by Huw Watkins and Adrian Williams especially commissioned for her. Engagements during the 2006/07 season include a return visit to Wigmore Hall (5 December) with the Sally Pryce Ensemble, her debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and concerts at St. George’s Bristol and in Aldeburgh. In addition to her Ensemble, Sally has started a duo called the Dorette Violin and Harp Duo with Elizabeth Cooney.
Samuel West has appeared with all the major British orchestras. Works include Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and The Soldier's Tale, Schoenburg's Ode To Napoleon, Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, Bernstein's Kaddish and Walton's Façade and Henry V. He was soloist in Henry V at the 2002 Last Night of the Proms. Last year at the Proms he performed Night Mail and The Way to the Sea by Britten and Auden and gave the first performance of Little Red Violin by Anne Dudley and Steven Isserlis at the 92nd Street Y in New York. Sam has also appeared in the world premieres of Concrete by Judith Weir and Howard Goodall’s Jason and the Argonauts. Future plans include Bliss’s Morning Heroes with the LSO and The Soldier’s Tale with members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam. As an actor, work includes the title roles in Hamlet and Richard II for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the films Howards End, Notting Hill and Persuasion. Sam has also directed Così fan Tutte for English National Opera at the Barbican and The Magic Flute for the Palestine Mozart Festival (the first fully-staged opera ever to visit the West Bank).