Who's who at Gümüslük




	Festival director: Eren Levendoglu Festival artistic advisor: Gülsin Onay This page is sponsored by Cornucopia, the magazine for Connoisseurs of Turkey WHO'S WHO AT THE GUMUSLUK MUSIC FESTIVAL See programme of concerts ALMA STRING QUARTETT (Germany) Fabian Kircher, Violin / Andreas Greuer, violin / Martin Borner, viola / Markus Beul, cello. Founded in 1999, the Alma Quartett perform regularly in Germany. They have played with the Amadeus Quartet, Alban Berq Quartet and La Salle Quartet and collaborated with Walter Levine and Franz Beyer GUY BEN-ZIONY (Israel) Guy Ben-Ziony was born in 1974 in Israel. At age 9 he started to play the violin, and at 13 switched to the viola. In Israel he studied among others with Prof. Chaim Taub. He 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 from next season he'll be leading the viola group in Camerata Salzburg under Leonidas Kavakos. A most requested violist in Europe, Guy is regularly invited as a guest viola principal 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, among them the Israel Chamber Orchestra, Tel-Aviv Soloists, and with the I.D.F. Chamber Orchestra in its 12th anniversary, a concert patronaged by Isaac Stern. His first appearances with the Bartok concerto he made in Leipzig under Daniel Harding. In the 1998/1999 season, he was a member of the Zapolski Quartet in Copenhagen. They 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, 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. BJORN BOHLIN (Sweden) Masterclasses. Full time member of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Bjorn Bohlin holds the position of solo oboist. A chamber musician at heart, Bjorn has been involved in many chamber groups in Sweden as well as being a teacher at the University of Gothenburg, and a practitioner of Chi- Gong - a technique that assists performing musicians deal with breath control, stress control and good performance practices. ILYA ITIN (Russia) '...I'd go and hear him play the phonebook...' BBC TV Since winning all the major prizes of the renowned Leeds International Pianoforte Competition in 1996 Russian born Ilya Itin's consummate pianism has delighted audiences on four continents. He has been praised for 'his rare and exciting artistry' and 'superb technique' (Daily Telegraph, UK) His performance in the final of the Leeds led to an invitation to perform Rachmaninov's Concerto #3 with Sir Simon Rattle on his farewell tour of Europe with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. 'The perfect pianist Ilya Itin succeeded in transforming the romantic revelry of Rachmaninov into rhythmic force and compactness' (Der Standard, Vienna) His wide ranging recital and concerto repertoire from Bach to Messiaen has been applauded throughout Europe, the Americas and in Asia performing with orchestras including London Phliharmonic, Philharmonia, Cleveland Philharmonic, Prague Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic and Tokyo Philharmonic. He has collaborated with such conductors as Dohnanyi, Jarvi, Kreizberg,Noll, Pletnev, Sinaisky, Polyansky and Tovey. International festivals from Aldeburgh to Tel Aviv and Toulouse,diverse broadcasts and master classes have been included in his schedule. He has been performing throughout the USA; touring with the Jerusalem Camerata, performing at the Kennedy Center Washington 'A delicious and rare talent' (Washington Post) and the Lincoln Center New York as well as major festivals from Miami International Piano Festival in Florida to Mainly Mozart Festival in California. He made his conducting debut in Costa Rica with the Chamber Orchestra of Uppsala in a performance of 1st Piano Concerto by Shostakovich. His growing interest in conducting culminated in leading 'Opera Naples' in their production of Amahl and the Night Visitors by Menotti. In April 2007 he made his debut with the China's National Symphony in Guangzhou. His recordings include Beethoven Piano Concerto # 2 with the Jerusalem Camerata under Avner Biron released by JDR and a recital of Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky and Sonata #6 by Prokofiev released by VAI on DVD and CD. '...borderline unbelievable in its combined power and accuracy which is achieved with the minimum of physical effort. Remarkable pianismÉwhich all readers should experience at least once...' (International Piano Magazine) Other recordings released this year include collaborations with legendary violinist Ida Haendel and a chamber music recital given at the Miami International Piano Festival. Mr. Itin is also a prize winner of several competitions: Rachmaninov, Kappell, Bachauer,Casadesus and Rubinstein. He has been a grateful recipient of support from the Patrons of Exceptional Artists. TOBIAS KÜHNE (Austria) Masterclasses EREN LEVENDGLU (Turkey) The Gümuslük Classical Music Festival and Eklisia Summer Music School's director is a pianist who studied at the Cape Town Music University and in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before returning to Turkey in 2003. VALERY OISTRAKH (Russia) Born in Moscow to the family of the illustrious Oistrakhs, Valery Oistrakh represents the third generation of great violin virtuosi beginning with his grandfather David and followed by his father Igor. A true exponent of the great Russian violin school, Valery Oistrakh started performing at the age of 14, often sharing the stage with his father and mother-pianist. With his awe-inspiring technique, silky tone and consummate artistry he has beguiled audiences the world over performing on the great concert stages of Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, England, France, Germany. Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan. He has played as both violinist and violist with world-leading orchestras as the Moscow and Leningrad Philharmonics, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Scottish National Symphony, Orchestre Colonne de Paris, Orchestra Santa Cecilia di Roma, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester , Toronto and Vancouver Symphonies, Sydney Symphony... He has been accompanied by such notable conductors as Kurt Mazur, Gennady Rozdestvensky, Muhai Tang, Gyorgy Lehel, Saulius Sondetzkis, Vladimir Fedoseev, Tibor Varga, Marco Parisott. With a deep understanding of the violin repertoire, a captivating sound often reminiscent of the celebrated David, his interpretations have won high praise from both critics and the public. Aside from performing as a soloist, Valery Oistrakh is a masterful chamber musician. In this capacity, he played together with such eminent musicians as Yehudi Menuhin, Jorg Demus and the distinguished Amadeus String Quartet, among many others. In addition to managing a busy concert schedule, Valery Oistrakh is Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, the International Summer Academy of Belgium, and also regularly gives master classes in music academies in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Japan. Since 1999 he has been visiting Professor at the 'Mozarteum' in Salzburg. Valery Oistrakh took his first violin lessons from his grandfather David. He then studied at the famous Central Music School in Moscow where father Igor actually graduated. He continued his studies at the Gnessin Music-Pedagogical Institute in his native city. Some years later Valery completed his violin education in Germany with the world known professor Zakhar Bron - who in fact was also a disciple of his father at the Moscow Conservatory. Mr. Oistrakh is the leader of the ãOistrakh Ensemble“ and the ãOistrakh Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra“ based in Germany. http://www.oistrach.com/ GULSIN ONAY (Turkey) Gülsin Onay began her musical education at the age of three and gave her first public recital on Turkish Radio when she was only six. With the aid of a special state scholarship she studied with Ahmed Adnan Saygun and Mithat Fenmen, and subsequently at the Paris Conservatoire, from which she graduated at the age of 16, winning the prestigious “Premier Prix du Piano”. Prizes in top international competitions, including the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud (in Paris) and the Ferruccio Busoni (in Bolzano), quickly followed. Gülsin Onay's subsequent, truly international, career has spanned over 50 countries across all continents, from Venezuela to Japan. Gülsin Onay has given recitals in the major musical centres of the world such as Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Washington DC National Gallery of Art and the New York Miller Theater. She has performed as a guest soloist with such leading orchestras as Dresden Staatskapelle, English Chamber Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic, Munich Radio Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Vienna Symphoniker and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestras. Conductors with which she has performed include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Erich Bergel, Michael Boder, Andrey Boreyko, Jorg Faerber, Emmanuel Krivine, Ingo Metzmacher, Vassily Sinaisky, Stanislaw Wislocki and Lothar Zagrosek. Miss Onay's many acclaimed festival appearances include Berlin, Warsaw, Granada, Mozartfest Würzburg, Newport, Schleswig-Holstein and Istanbul. Highly acclaimed by musicians and critics alike for her Rachmaninov interpretations, Gülsin Onay is also recognised internationally as an exceptional Chopin performer; the Polish nation is honouring her with the award of a State Medal for her Chopin interpretations. She is acknowledged worldwide as the finest interpreter of the music of A Adnan Saygun, whose works feature prominently in her concerts and recordings, and whose 2nd piano concerto (which she has premiered in Turkey and abroad) was dedicated to her. Gülsin Onay has also given world premieres of concertos by concertos by Stuppner and Tabakov. Gülsin Onay - “an exceptional pianist, endowed with virtuosic brilliance and boundless energy, and an interpretive power both intelligent and emotionally sensitive” - has recorded 18 albums that illustrate the breadth of her repertoire as well as her interpretive power. Her live CD of Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto with the Slovak Philharmonic has been acclaimed as a milestone by critics and virtuosi alike. Many of Miss Onay's concerts have been broadcast on European radio and television, and in the USA on National Public Radio. Highlights of the 2006-2007 concert season include concerts with the Iceland and Bilkent Symphony Orchestras conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy in April and May 2007, recitals at the 2007 Golandsky International Piano Festival in Princeton, the Gina Bachauer Festival in Salt Lake City and the Miami International Piano Festival. She is performing in many events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Adnan Saygun: a special concert in the 2007 Istanbul Festival, concerts in London, Moscow, Skopje, Vienna and Germany, and recordings of Saygun's solo works for piano. Her recent CD of both Saygun concertos will appear in 2007 under the CPO label. Gülsin Onay takes a special interest in the promotion of charitable causes, giving charity concerts around the world - most recently for children in Lebanon, under the auspices of UNICEF, whose Turkish National Committee appointed her “Goodwill Ambassador” in 2003. In August 2006, realising another special desire, she introduced classical music to the people of Çomakdag Köyü, a 500 year old mountain village in Turkey. Gülsin Onay holds the titles of State Artist in her native Turkey, and of soloist for the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara. She is “Artist in Residence” at Bilkent University in Ankara and holds an honorary doctorate degree from Bosphorus University in Istanbul. www.gulsinonay.com FRANCESCO LIBETTA (Italy) 'Fury, demonically charged and technically staggering. Here is big piano playing in its most unfettered and dangerous state. What a performance!' - Gramophone "He takes his wonderful fingers for granted and he is a master of every period or style represented...the pieces sing. I have no hesitation calling him an important pianist..." - Harold Schonberg Libetta was born in Salento in 1968 and began studying piano there under Vittoria De Donno. He went on to study composition and orchestration with Jacques Castérède in Paris, where he also attended a number of courses at the IRCAM. Libetta has performed Beethoven's thirty-two Sonatas (1993-1994) and Godowsky's fifty-three Studies on Chopin's Études (Galatina, 1990; Milan, 1994-1995; and Naples, 1995), described by Cantù as a "monster corpus that had to wait eighty years for its world première performance" (Il Giornale, 15 March 1994). Jeremy Nicholas, Godowsky's biographer, said of Libetta's performance of these Studies: "Stunning. I never thought I'd hear such mesmerizing performances of these pieces in concert." (International Piano Quarterly, Spring 1999). In 1993 Libetta gave the Italian première of L'Escalier du Diable by Gyorgy Ligeti, who praised his reading of the work as "absolutely gorgeous". At the thirteenth International Festival in Alicante, Spain, Libetta gave the world première performance of the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by Franco Oppo. Libetta has given solo performances of works by Chopin at La Scala in Milan, where he has also accompanied the string trio of the resident orchestra in performances of works by Mozart and Mahler. He has been a regular performer at the Milan Conservatoire and has given cycles of the complete works of Chopin in Southern Italy. During the last year, Libetta has made his debuts in Japan (recitals in Tokyo and Osaka) and the United States (a recital at the Miami International Piano Festival of Discovery) to great acclaim. Upcoming engagements include a recital of the complete Godowsky Studies in Florence and a recital at the the prestigious Husum Festival. When Libetta was twenty years old, he was described by Aldo Ciccolini as "the most talented instrumentalist of his generation". Eric Schoones has called him "the reincarnation of Dinu Lipatti" (PianoWereld, March 1999). Critics have been unanimous in hailing his rare qualities: "elegance and charm, (...), with a hint, a touch of aristocratic frivolity that we did not think we would ever witness again" (Francesco Maria Colombo); "nonchalant facility" (Paolo Tarallo); "a breadth of knowledge that extends far beyond the world of music and the piano repertoire" (Alfredo Mandelli); a "complete command of sound and technique" (Piero Rattalino); and "such miraculous virtuosity and such a delicate feel for melody that one cannot help wondering whether any other artist of his generation - whether in Italy or elsewhere - can be compared to him" (Paolo Isotta). (Critical acclaim from the Corriere della Sera and Pianotime). He has recorded for the Italian Agorà and Scandinavian Promusica labels, and also conducts, composes (his three act opera Iopa is still in progress, but excerpts have been performed at the Villa Medici in Rome, Lecce and Catania), and gives recitals on original instruments. Mr. Libetta is a recipient of support of Patrons of Exceptional Artists. His appearance in the Third Anual Miami International Piano Festival of Discovery marked his Debut in the US and he will appear again at the Festival on January 24, 2001 and on February 9, 2001. www.francescolibetta.it KEMAL GEKICH (Croatia) Flamboyant, daring, provocative, exciting, seductive and sensitive are some of the words used to describe one of today's most formidable pianists, Kemal Gekich, whose playing has been acclaimed worldwide by public and critics alike. Born in Split, Croatia in 1962, Gekic amazed his family by accurately picking out melodies on the piano at age one and a half. The young prodigy received all his early musical training from his aunt, Lorenza Batturina. In 1978 he entered the class of Prof. Jokuthon Mihailovich (a graduate of Moscow Conservatory) at the Art Academy of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. He graduated in 1982 with the highest mark ever granted a diploma exam recital, and was immediately given a faculty appointment by the piano department which he eventually directed until 1999. During his school years he won prizes at the Franz Liszt Competition in Parma (1981), the Viana da Motta in Lisbon (1983) and the Yugoslav Artists' Competition in Zagreb (1984). He earned his Master's degree in 1985, the same year he created a sensation at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Although panned by the jury he won the hearts of audience and critics alike, and began receiving many invitations to perform abroad, including several from the Chopin Society of Hannover, Germany which had awarded him a special prize for best sonata performance at the competition. A recording of his Warsaw performances sold 60,000 copies in Germany by the end of the year, and the Victor Entertainment Corporation, Japan (JVC) sold 80,000 copies of a CD version in their home country. The Warsaw Philharmonic invited Gekic to perform the Chopin E minor Piano Concerto in Philharmonic Hall in their regular series that season. In the same hall, with the same orchestra as he would have done in the competition finals, Gekic wowed the Warsaw audience once more, and for an encore gave Chopin's Third Sonata in B minor in its entirety! In the years following the 1985 Warsaw Competition, in addition to extensive concert activity in Germany, Denmark, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Italy, Canada and of course Yugoslavia, he completed tours of the USSR and Japan-Southeast Rim. Programs on his life and his performances were broadcast by RAI Italy, TV Portugal, TV Yugoslavia, NHK Japan, POLTEL Poland, RTV Lower Saxony West Germany, RTV USSR, Intervision, CBC and PBS. But it was during the early 1990's that Gekic drastically curtailed his concert activity, going into seclusion for a further period of intensive study, seeking even higher levels of perfection in his art. The 'first fruits' of this retreat was the landmark recording of the complete Liszt Transcendental Etudes, generally considered as the best recording of the set ever made. Shortly to follow were the Naxos recording of Liszt-Rossini transcriptions (including the William Tell Overture) which won the “Rosette” Prize from the Penguin Guide to Music, and live recordings from Yugoslavia (VAI), Montreal (Palexa), and Liszt's Années de Pelerinage Book II from The International Piano Festival Williamstown, Pennsylvania. In 1999 he was invited to perform at the Miami International Piano Festival. Minutes before he was to walk on stage, a chance glance at a television showed houses burning in his hometown of Novi Sad. It was March 24th; the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia had begun. Instead of canceling, he went out on stage and played what many consider to be the best recital he ever gave, one that launched his current re-emergence as one of the major pianists of our century. Over the past few years, Gekic's appearances worldwide have consistently generated frenzied audience enthusiasm. There are concert recordings from Japan where audible weeping can be heard among members of the normally reserved Japanese public. His sound is constantly evolving, setting a new standard for other pianists to aspire to. His daring approach to interpretation is often perceived as provocative or quixotic, but this is the price he pays for breaking new ground - to “boldly go where no pianist has gone before” might well be taken as his motto. Of one thing you can rest assured - at a Gekic recital you will not receive 'standard' interpretations but renditions of the great masterworks that have been subject to his razor-sharp musical scrutiny, his flamboyant imagination, his amazing digital dexterity, his stunningly colorful, wide and varied tonal palette and his ever-deepening comprehension of the spiritual elements of these works. For sure, a Gekic recital will wow you, seduce you, overwhelm you, delight you, transfix you, but in the end Gekic sees the process of musical communication as something even more: as the transmission of spiritual material. In this as well he is sure to give you an unforgettable experience. www.kemalgekic.info/main.htm TRIO AEGEAN (Turkey) The trio was founded in Ðzmir in 1998. They started life as the 'Trio Mezzo''. Under this name they gave many performances in Turkey and abroad. After the cellist Fulya Ergüden joined the group,they became known as the Trio Aegean. Currently,they perform as the Trio Aegean, giving performances all over the world. Sema Korkut: Violin Sema was born in Izmir and entered the Izmir State Conseravtoire in 1977 where she studied with Candan Nikolai,Ayþe Özbekligil and Atilla Iþðksun. She graduated in 1987 with honours. She continued studying with Professor Ion Voicu and the same year entered the Izmir State Orchestra. In 1985 she became a member of the Akdeniz Youth Orchestra and here she gave many solo and chamber music performances. Sema has performed solo concerts with the Ankara Presidential Symphony Orchestra; Ðstanbul State Orchestra and the Izmir State Orchestra. She is currently the principal violinist of the Ðzmir State Orchestra and a member of the teaching faculty at Izmir State Conservatoire. Fulya Ergüden - Cello Russian- born Fulya started her musical education at the young age of six. Her first teacher was Madam Novikova. In 1989 she entered the State conservatoire where she continued her studies with Proffessor A. Hayrutdinov. She gave many chamber music performances at this time. In 1994 she graduated with honours from the state conservatoire. Fulya has taken part in masterclasses with the world famous cellist Daniel Schafran, and also had opportunity to work with Boris Kaplun. She became a member of the Kazan Symphony Orchestra in 1996 and it was here that she worked with famous conductors such as V. Dudarova; F.Manzurov; E. Friedman; A. Kalts and M. Ermler. In 2000 she became a full time member of the Ðzmir State Orchestra and she continues to this day to be the vice-principal cellist. Seniz Duru - Piano Seniz began her piano education with Seçil Akdil at the Ðzmir State Conservatoire and graduated in 1994 with honours. After this she gave many successful solo and chamber music concerts in Turkey and abroad. Critics applauded her performance of Beethovens 3rd Piano Concerto, which she performed with the Izmir State Orchestra. She has had opportunity to work with Zöhrap Adðgüzelzade; Giovanni Battel, Üküf-Bahar quartet and Hüseyin Sermet. She has also accompanied Tunç Unver and Alexander Rudin. She has participated in masterclasses with Sayram Akdil and Nilgun Alkan as well as being chosen for the 'talented artists' programme run by Gülser Eryümlü. She currently has the position of Head of Piano at Dokuz Eylül State Conservatoire. Festival Sponsors The Commitee of the 4th International Classical Music Festival would like to extend their deepest thanks to the following sponors who have made the festival possible Gümüslük Belediye Berg Gruen Engel and Völkers Oktay Insaat Bilkent University Hawthorn Karaca Hotell Do€uþ Group Alametifarika Bosch Protem Turkish Airlines Arion Resort Lucca Margaret Tour Neyzen Tur Lavanta Hotel Italian Cultural Institute Era Outdoor Yarimada Newspaper Sea Garden Recommended hotels on the Bodrum peninsula