ERICH GRUENBERG,
UK (Chairman) is one of Britain’s most distinguished violinists.
As a soloist he has appeared with all the major British orchestras and has
toured throughout the world, collaborating with conductors such as Sir Colin
Davis, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Mackerras and Andre
Previn. Erich Gruenberg has held the posts of concertmaster of the London
Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. He gives masterclasses and is
invited to serve on juries around the world. Erich Gruenberg is Professor at the
Royal Academy of Music.
PAMELA FRANK, (USA) has established an outstanding international
reputation across an unusually varied range of performing activity. In addition
her soloist work with prestigious orchestras around the world and recitals on
the leading concert stages, she is a sought after chamber musician with leading
soloists and ensembles. Her accomplishments were recognized in 1999 with the
prestigious Avery Fisher Prize. Pamela Frank is professor for violin at the
Curtis Institute of Music. Full biography
DONG-SUK KANG (Korea/USA) was born in
Korea and studied at the Juilliard School and Curtis Institute in the USA.
Following a debut at the Kennedy Center he went on to win top prizes in
international competitions including the Montreal, the Carl Flesch and the Queen
Elisabeth. Since then he has appeared with many great orchestras and conductors
and performed at major music centers and festivals including the BBC Proms in
London. As a recording artists his CDs have won critical acclaim. His
Walton Concerto CD was chosen CD of the month by the Gramophone magazine and
nominated for the Gramophone Award. Dong-Suk Kang is professor at Yonsei
University in Seoul and artistic director of « MusicAlp Festival » in
France and the Seoul Spring Festival in Korea.
MICHAEL MA (Hong Kong/China) was taught
the violin initially by his father before being accepted at the Curtis Institute
and the New School of Music, Philadelphia, to study under Ivan Galamian and
Adolph Brodsky. Upon graduating, he began performing with the Concerto Soloists
of Philadelphia and founded the New Art String Quartet. He has appeared
frequently as soloist, and held the position of concertmaster with many
international orchestras including the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, the Hong
Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the Mainly Mozart
Festival, San Diego, and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. Since 1996 he is
Head of Strings at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
EDITH PEINEMANN (Germany). Her
orchestral debut took place at Carnegie Hall in 1965. Since receiving first
prize in the ARD International Competition in Munich, she has performed with
leading European and American orchestras and their conductors all over the
world. She has given masterclasses at the Cleveland Institute of Music and at
Indiana University School of Music at Bloomington, as well as at the Kasatsu
Festival in Japan and the Luzern Conservatory in Switzerland. Edith Peinemann
lives and works in Frankfurt, where she has been professor of violin at the
University of Frankfurt’s School of Music since 1976. Since 2005 Edith Peinemann
is the International President of ESTA.
MAXIM VENGEROV (Russia) is
recognised as one of the world’s most exciting violinists. He studied with
Galina Tourchaninova and Professor Zakhar Bron, and won First Prize in the
Junior Wieniawski Competition in Poland and at the Carl Flesch International
Violin Competition. Maxim Vengerov performs regularly with all the major
orchestras and the most eminent conductors. He has taken up different projects
in addition to the usual concerto and recital repertoire including Baroque
violin, viola and improvisation and tango. Since 2005, Vengerov has been
Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Full biography
PAUL WATKINS (UK) is one of Britain's
foremost cellists. He studied cello with William Pleeth, Melissa Phelps and
Johannes Goritzki and first came to public attention as winner of the string
section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1988. Alongside his playing,
Paul is also a keen conductor and in 2002 won both first prize and audience
prize at the Leeds Conductors' Competition. As a cellist Paul performs regularly
with most of the major British orchestras. Alongside his concerto appearances,
Paul is a dedicated chamber musician and has been a member of the Nash Ensemble
since 1997. Paul is dividing the 2006/7 season between performing as a cellist
and conducting.
