Niall Brown, Violoncello
After studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School (England), the International Menuhin Music Academy (Switzerland) and the Maastricht Conservatory of Music (Holland), where he received his diploma with distinction in 1986.
During 10 years as cellist of the renowned Australian String Quartet and previously as principal cellist of the Camerata Bern and the Scottish Ensemble, Niall traveled the world and performed in some of the most famous concert halls and festivals.
His discography includes releases on Virgin Classics, ECM, Novalis, Claves, Doron, ABC Classics and Tall Poppies.
For more than 30 years, Niall has performed with his wife and pianist Isabelle Trüb to enthusiastic audiences around the world. As exclusive artists of the Swiss label Doron, their recordings include the complete cello and piano works of Fauré and Schumann, the sonatas of Brahms, and the collected works of Hindemith. They will soon release the sonatas of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, and their next album will be Beethoven's complete sonatas and variations. A recent review states: "Cellist Niall Brown and pianist Isabelle Trub formed this duo in 1989 and, coincidentally, are married.
In 2009, Niall founded the "Automne Musical d'Ollon" (AMO), a multifaceted music festival in a picturesque Swiss town featuring six concerts. Niall's passion for chamber music, the 20th century, contemporary music, and other genres is evident in his programming and commissioning of new music and major masterpieces of the standard repertoire. Niall stepped down as Musical Director of the AMO in 2020 after 12 successful years.
A dedicated educator, Niall has been Professor of Cello and Chamber Music at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide, Australia, and at the International Menuhin Academy of Music in Switzerland, as well as Professor of Chamber Music at the Conservatoire du Nord in Luxembourg, and is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the United States.
Since 2023, he has been the artistic director of the Konz Music Festival and the Master Academy for Chamber Music, which take place every year in early September, and coordinates the chamber music program of the Academy of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. Based in Luxembourg, Niall combines his position as deputy principal cellist of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra with his numerous chamber music performances, including with the Kreisler Quartet Luxembourg, a founding member since 2009, and with pianist Isabelle Trüb, as well as organizing masterclasses in Europe and beyond.
The complete, detailed biography can be found here...
Isabelle Trüb, piano
Pianist Isabelle Trüb was born into a family of musicians and discovered her passion for chamber music in all its forms at an early age. As a scholarship holder of the Swiss Goehner/Migros Foundations, she completed her musical education at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA.
After returning to Switzerland, she was engaged as a pianist/harpsichordist by the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad/Camerata Lysy. She regularly collaborates with numerous renowned artists, including cellists Pierre Fournier and Janos Starker, violist Bruno Giuranna, and violinists Shmuel Ashkenasi and Maxim Vengerov.
The duo, which she founded with her long-time partner, cellist Niall Brown, has an extensive repertoire and has recorded, among others, the complete works of Gabriel Fauré, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Paul Hindemith.
Since teaching also plays a very important role in her career, Isabelle worked for ten years as a piano and chamber music teacher at the Ecole Sociale de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland. From 1997 to 2006, she lived in Australia, where she worked as a teacher and piano accompanist at the University of Adelaide. She serves as an expert judge for the AMEB examinations and gives numerous chamber music concerts in Australia and Europe. Since 2006, Isabelle has lived in Luxembourg, where she initially worked as a cultural journalist before being hired by the Conservatoire de Musique de la Ville de Luxembourg, where she has taught piano accompaniment and worked as a piano accompanist for several years.
Elisabeth Perry, Violine
The versatile British violinist Elisabeth Perry is widely recognized for her contributions to all facets of the musical profession. She is praised for her virtuosity in the standard repertoire, is an enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, a dedicated chamber musician, a committed educator, and an internationally acclaimed concertmaster. Ms. Perry has received unanimous praise for her ability to convey urgency while emphasizing the distinctive lyrical and dramatic qualities of a large repertoire.
Ms. Perry showed great musical talent from an early age. She was privileged to be admitted to the first class of Yehudi Menuhin's school in 1963. At the age of 14, Perry appeared on stage with Lord Menuhin in a memorable concert at the Royal Albert Hall and subsequently recorded the Bach Double Concerto with him for Teldec. Perry was a welcome guest soloist with some of Britain's leading orchestras, including the LSO, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Generous scholarships enabled her to continue her studies at the Juilliard School in the famous class of Dorothy Delay and Oscar Shumsky. In the United States, she made a name for herself by winning New York's prestigious Concert Artists Guild Competition and being invited to play Bartók's Second Violin Concerto at Orchestra Hall in Chicago.
Her passion for contemporary music and commitment to expanding the violin repertoire have led to numerous acclaimed premieres. Perry was the first to use Alfred Schnittke's Quasi Una Sonata, performing its US premiere at Lincoln Center.
Critically acclaimed recordings include her premieres of works by Michael Nyman and Andrew Poppy. In 1984, her CD recording of Leon Kirschner's Duo for Violin and Piano was released in the American Heritage Series.
Known for her orchestral leadership, Ms. Perry was concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss from 1985 to 1999. She has been concertmaster of the Rundfunk-Kammerorchester since 1991 and of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra since 2013.
Ms. Perry showed great musical talent from an early age. She was privileged to be admitted to the first class of Yehudi Menuhin's school in 1963. At the age of 14, Perry appeared on stage with Lord Menuhin in a memorable concert at the Royal Albert Hall and subsequently recorded the Bach Double Concerto with him for Teldec. Perry was a welcome guest soloist with some of Britain's leading orchestras, including the LSO, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Generous scholarships enabled her to continue her studies at the Juilliard School in the famous class of Dorothy Delay and Oscar Shumsky. In the United States, she made a name for herself by winning New York's prestigious Concert Artists Guild Competition and being invited to play Bartók's Second Violin Concerto at Orchestra Hall in Chicago.
Her passion for contemporary music and commitment to expanding the violin repertoire have led to numerous acclaimed premieres. Perry was the first to use Alfred Schnittke's Quasi Una Sonata, performing its US premiere at Lincoln Center.
Critically acclaimed recordings include her premieres of works by Michael Nyman and Andrew Poppy. In 1984, her CD recording of Leon Kirschner's Duo for Violin and Piano was released in the American Heritage Series.
Known for her orchestral leadership, Ms. Perry was concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss from 1985 to 1999. She has been concertmaster of the Rundfunk-Kammerorchester since 1991 and of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra since 2013.
Richard Wolfe, Viola
Richard Wolfe was born in New York City, where he studied violaunder the direction of Aaron Shapinsky. After studying with Dorothy DeLayand Walter Levin (first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet), he moved to Israel.As a member of the Israel Chamber Orchestra, he performed as an A-soloist in the "Soldier's Tale by Stravinsky". Here he also had his first professional appearanceas violist in Bach's 3rd Brandenburg Concerto.
In 1982, Richard settled in the Netherlands and in 1984 began a 35-year Term as principal violist of the Netherlands Philharmonic / NetherlandsChamber orchestras. He often performed as a soloist with these orchestras. Among others,Concerts by Henk Badings, Leo Smit,Mozart (Sinfonia Concertante) and Bach (Brandenburg Concerto No. 6). InIn his retirement year 2019, the Tacet label released a CD of the Sinfonia Concertante with violinistGordan Nikolitch and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.
Richard was a viola teacher at the conservatories of Utrecht andAmsterdam and has been an enthusiastic chamber musician for half a centuryIn the USA he was a member of Sergiu Lucas Music in Context
and in Belgium by Roel Dieltien's Ensemble Explorations.In the Netherlands he is a member of the Rietveld Ensemble and the MonwardWife.
BARBICAN QUARTET
Amarins Wierdsma, violin |Kate Maloney, violin |Christoph Slenczka, viola |Yoanna Prodanova, cello
Four international musicians, four unique personalities, a string quartet.
The Barbican Quartet embodies an original voice on the chamber music scene,the audience with their intimate, powerful performances and their virtuosoThe four musicians bring their individual strengths to theplaying together to play the well-known and important string quartet repertoire, butto unite and convey contemporary music.
In September 2022, the Barbican Quartet won First Prize at the71st ARD International String Quartet Competition. He was also awarded theSpecial prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned work by Dobrinka Tabakova of theThe Genuin Classic Prize, the GEWA Prize and the Henle Urtext Prize were awarded.This great success follows the third prize the quartet won in May 2022 at theInternational String Quartet Competition in Bordeaux.
The quartet also won first prize at the Joseph JoachimInternational Chamber Music Competition 2019 and were also awarded by the HattoriFoundation, the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Musicians Company UKexcellent.
The 2022/2023 season will see the Barbican Quartet perform in Germany,France, Holland, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Canada and the USA.his debut at the Konzerthaus Berlin, the TivoliVredenburg Utrecht and the MeranerMusic Weeks and the Davos Festival. The quartet will also perform itsRecord debut CD for the Genuin label.
The Barbican Quartet is a regular guest at international festivals such as theMontreal Chamber Music Festival, Peasmarsh Festival, Vibre! Quatuors à Bordeaux,Zeister Muziekdagen, IMS Prussia Cove and Aldeburgh and plays music togetherwith musicians and ensembles such as the Quatuor Ébène, James Ehnes, Nicolas Baldeyrou,Richard Lester, Anthony Marwood and Andrew Marriner.
The performances were broadcast on BR Klassik Radio, NPO Radio 4 and BBC Radio 3.
The Barbican Quartet was founded in 2014 at the Guildhall School of Music and Dramaand is currently part of the Quatuor Ébène String Quartet Academy at theUniversity of Music and Theater Munich, where it is also supervised by Eberhard Feltzbecome.
From 2017 to 2023, the four musicians studied with Günter Pichler at the Escuela deMusica Reina Sofia Madrid and received further musical influences from FerencRados, Andras Keller, Oliver Wille, David Watkin, Krzysztof Chorzelski and DavidWaterman.Amarins plays on a violin by Guidagnini from 1764, which was generouslywas provided by the Netherlands National Music Instrument Fund,Kate's Vincenzo Panormo from 1880 comes from the Canimex Group, Canada,
Christoph plays a Bernd Hiller viola from 2010 and Yoanna’s cello,also on loan from the Canimex Group, is an instrument by Giuseppe Gaglianofrom 1788.
To the homepage: www.barbicanquartet.com
JOSEPH MOOG
Nominated for a 2016 Grammy and awarded with major prizes such as the 2015 Gramophone Classical Music Award, the 2014 International Classical Music Award for "Instrumentalist of the Year," and the 2012 International Classical Music Award, Joseph Moog possesses the rare gift of combining exquisite virtuosity with expressive, profound, and intelligent musicality. As a master of both established and rare or forgotten repertoire, the young performer has earned a worldwide reputation, also for his own compositions and transcriptions.
The 2019/2020 season will take Joseph Moog to the world's most important concert halls, festivals, and ensembles, including his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Richard Strauss's 'Burleske' under Emmanuel Krivine, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, and the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, as well as recitals at Wigmore Hall London, Théâtre La Scala Paris, the Salle Philharmonique de Liège, the 'Steinway International Series' Cardiff, the Turner Sims Piano Series Southampton, the Harrogate International Festival, Westminster Cathedral Hall, and the 'Spring Festival' Kiev. A very special appearance will be his performance of Liszt's piano transcription of Beethoven's 9th Symphony to mark the 250th anniversary of the Bonn master at the Ruhr Piano Festival, with which he has enjoyed a close collaboration since 2013.
The 2018/2019 season saw numerous highlights, including appearances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Matthias Pintscher, at the Philharmonie Luxembourg with Saint-Saens' 5th Piano Concerto, at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, with the New Japan Philharmonic with Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto under Lawrence Foster in the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, at 'Piano aux Jacobins' in Toulouse and at the Music Festival in Gdansk.
An important focus is the young artist's extensive discography, for which he has received outstanding reviews from the international press as well as numerous awards. In 2017, he recorded Johannes Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Richard Strauss's Burlesque with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie under the direction of Nicholas Milton. In November 2018, he released a recording of the complete Études by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel's 'Gaspard de la Nuit'.
His long-awaited solo album, "Between Heaven and Hell," featuring the sonatas and legends of Franz Liszt, was released in October 2019. Joseph Moog earned his reputation as a soloist through concerts in the legendary Master Pianists series at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the International House of Music Moscow, the New Ross Piano Festival, and the La Roque d'Anthéron Festival.
He has performed extensively in the USA, including at the Frick Collection in New York City, the Gilmore International Piano Series, the Portland Piano International, the Washington Performing Arts Society, the Vancouver Recital Society, and the Miami International Piano Festival. Joseph Moog maintains an extensive concert repertoire that has brought him to perform with major orchestras around the world.
Joseph Moog, son of two orchestral musicians, is a winner of the 'Prix Groupe de Rothschild' and was appointed to the circle of Steinway Artists in 2009. He is a founding member and artistic director of the 'Konz Musik Festival' near his current residence in Luxembourg and is actively involved in the cultural development of his hometown of Neustadt/Weinstraße, as well as throughout Rhineland-Palatinate.
The complete biography and further information can be found at:www.josephmoog.com
IRIDA TRIO
The Irida Trio, named after the goddess Iris, who, as a messenger between Olympus and Earth, left a shimmering, rainbow-colored trail in the sky, was founded in the fall of 2018 by three musician friends at the Saar University of Music under the direction of Prof. Tatevik Mokatsian, where they have since explored the incredibly diverse piano trio repertoire. Since 2022, they have been studying with the Artemis Quartet at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since then, the Irida Trio has had many opportunities to demonstrate their shared joy in chamber music in numerous concerts and festivals throughout Europe. Johanna Hempen (violin), Oliver Léonard (cello), and Alexander Baier (piano) are committed to connecting contemporary repertoire with traditional works, thus renewing their perspective on the old through the experience of the present. In the summer of 2019, the ensemble's meticulous chamber music work culminated in first prize at the 20th Walter Gieseking Competition in Saarbrücken, followed by a radio production for Saarländischer Rundfunk. In 2020, the Irida Trio also won the highly endowed scholarship from the Hans and Ruth Giessen Foundation. The ensemble reached the semifinals of the 2021 German Music Competition in Freiburg and is supported by the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Foundation of Saarland. In the fall of 2022, the trio released their debut CD, "Phoenix," on KKE Records, with a launch concert at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Their love of chamber music and their exploration of the perpetual cycles that influence our lives in a musical context are reflected here in three energetic works. The "Trio" by Éric Tanguy, Kelly-Marie Murphy's title composition "Give Me Phoenix Wings To Fly," and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66, form a multifaceted combination that was enthusiastically received. The ensemble performed at the Resonanzen Festival 2020, Kosmos Chamber Music 2021, and Aktion-Kultur Heusweiler 2021. The Irida Trio has already received musical influences from renowned ensembles and chamber musicians such as Prof. Konstantin Heidrich (Fauré Quartet), Prof. Eberhard Feltz, Prof. Heime Müller, Prof. Gerald Fauth, Christoph Callies (Trio Adorno), and the Vision String Quartet.
Lucy Farrimond
Lucy Farrimond is a young lyric soprano from Greater Manchester, UK. Lucy recently graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with a Master of Music in Performance, studying with the renowned soprano Jane Irwin. Lucy has performed at prestigious venues throughout the UK and abroad, including: the Royal Albert Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Snape Maltings and the UK Embassy in Paris. At the young age of 21, Lucy made her BBC Proms solo debut in Haydn's The Creation at the Royal Albert Hall, with the BBC Philharmonic - conducted by Omer Meir Wellber - live on BBC Radio 3. For this performance, Lucy received a mention in The Guardian.
INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES
Having gained international recognition, Lucy was selected by Gaulitana: A Festival of Music to collaborate with internationally acclaimed soprano Miriam Gauci in Malta for a masterclass and concert. She was then offered a leading role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut. The following year, Lucy participated in Melofonetica's Veneto Opera Summer School, performing both leading roles at the historic Teatro Eleonora Duse in Asolo. In August 2022, Lucy sang for Verāo Clássico in Lisbon, where she collaborated with esteemed soprano Anna Samuil and was Highly Commended for her performance. In the summer of 2023, Lucy traveled to Provence, France to perform as the soprano in Mahler's Symphony No. 4 and Mozart's Coronation Mass at the Musique Cordiale International Festival. In addition, Lucy gave an opera gala in the breathtaking “Domaine Val d'Iris” and a song recital in the idyllic “Pays de Fayence”.
RECITAL | CONCERT | ORATORIO
Lucy has performed frequently with her duo partner Henry Cash, giving a highly acclaimed recital at the C. Bechstein Centre in Manchester. Lucy has also toured the UK with pianist Juanjo Blázquez Garre, with highlights including the Leeds Lieder Lounge and the series of concerts at the cathedrals of Chelmsford, Wakefield, and Shrewsbury.
Lucy recently performed as a soloist in Bernstein's " MASS ", celebrating the RNCM's fiftieth anniversary at Bridgewater Hall.
Competition highlights include participation in the Antonio Cesti Competition in Innsbruck, Austria (2023); winning the Amanda Ira Aldridge Honourable Mention Prize at the RNCM Williams-Howard Competition (2023); first prize in the international category of The George Shirley Vocal Competition (2022); and winning four categories (Lieder, French Song, Oratorio, and Vocal Solo) at the Chester Competitive Festival of Performing Arts (2022). At Chetham's School of Music, Lucy was awarded the Judith and Henry Tankel Memorial Prize for Singing Excellence (2017).
The complete biography and further information at: www.lucyfarrimondmusic.co.uk/de
