Peter Rainer

Violinist/Germany

Peter has been iPalpiti’s Concertmaster since 1994. In his native Germany, he is a concertmaster and a founder of the Kammerakademie Potsdam, and leads an active career as a chamber musician, soloist, and the teacher. Since 2007, Peter has been on the faculty of the “Universität der Künste” (University of the Arts) in Berlin and of the “Stern Institute” for young talented students.  In 2018 Peter has been appointed as the Head of the string department of “Musikgymnasium Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik" in Berlin, a school for highly talented musical kids in Berlin.  

He was the founder and leader of the Persius Ensemble, focusing mainly on repertoire written for the classical nonet, and has released three CDs; a CD with nonets by Spohr, Clementi and Mozart was chosen by Berlin-Brandenburg Radio (RBB) as one of the best releases of 2007.  He has been a member of the Max Brod piano trio from 2012 -2017.  In 2016, the trio released a CD of compositions by Robert Kahn, a wonderful discovery of romantic music in style of Johannes Brahms.  Music-loving children know Peter Rainer through the many interactive concerts he developed for them in the past 20 years, such as Till Eulenspiegel, Ferdinand the Bull, The Horse on the Violin, to mention a few.  For many seasons he has appeared at the Festival International de Musique de Chambre en Charente together with iPalpiti artist Jacob Shaw, and continues to collaborate with iPalpiti alumni on international musical projects. 

Peter Rainer studied violin in Würzburg with Max Speermann and in the U.S. with Professor Eduard Schmieder at the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, Texas where he received his Artist Certificate in 1994 and his Master of Violin Performance degree in 1995. Upon his return to Germany, he was appointed first concertmaster of the Brandenburgische Philharmonie in Potsdam from 1996 to 2000.  Peter has worked as the assistant to Professor Schmieder at the Holland Music Sessions, at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas and at Temple University in Philadelphia. In 2005, he received a commendation from the City of Los Angeles for his leadership of iPalpiti and his contributions to culture.

During the “corona crisis” he rediscovered string quartets by Johannes MaRhias Sperger, an almost unknown composer today, who lived in the north of Germany at the same as Mozart and Haydn. The CD of these quartets will soon be released by the label JPC. This year Peter celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Kammerakademie Potsdam with a series of 8 concerts in 9 days.

Conrad Chow

Violinist/Canada

Born and raised in Toronto, Conrad has established himself as a foremost performer and teacher in his native Canada.  A review in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald praised “the full, sweet, seductive intensity of Chow’s sound”, and his performance alongside Ani Kavafian with the Columbia Festival Orchestra was hailed as “ornate and satisfying”.  He is a prize-winner of the 2006 International Stepping Stone Competition in Quebec and the David G. Whitcomb Foundation’s Young Artist of 2003. 

Conrad began his violin studies at the age of three at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.  His Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are from Indiana University’s School of Music, studying with Miriam Fried. Conrad completed his DMA from the State University of New York, Stony Brook (under noted violinists Pamela Frank, Ani Kavafian, and Philip Setzer), and later pursued further post-doctoral work with Eduard Schmieder at Temple University in Philadelphia. He studied chamber music with the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet and is appearing in chamber music performances with Paul Biss, Christina Dahl, David Finckel, and Miriam Fried.  His string quartet was winner of the Indiana University Kuttner String Quartet Competition, performing as the quartet-in-residence for the 2001-2002 seasons. 

  As soloist, he appeared with numerous orchestras, in recitals, broadcasts, and on international stages including Mozarteum in Salzburg, Qingdao Music Hall in China, and 2010 Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall debut. As a member of the prestigious iPalpiti orchestral ensemble of international laureates since 2008, he performed at Carnegie Zankel Hall, Disney Hall in LA, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, and Israel.  

Being a teacher of one of the leading precollege private violin studios in Canada; his students are winners in many important national and provincial competitions and have made solo debuts with Canadian orchestras, in 2010 he has been appointed to a faculty position at the Canadian Royal Conservatory of Music's elite pre-college academy.  He was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the 2006-2007 seasons, and was a member of the faculty at the Summit Summer Music Festival in New York in 2010.  Conrad has served as jury member and adjudicator of various Canadian competitions, at the international “Remember Enescu” competition in Romania, and gives master classes in Canada, the United States, and Asia. A member of iPalpiti since 2010, Conrad has been serving as Associate Concertmaster, Principal 2^nd Violins, and featured in solo and chamber ensembles.

Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä

Violinist/Finland

“Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä, through means of her technical ability and passionate playing, proved why she is one of the most interesting Finnish violinists of our time.” — HBL (6/2014) Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä served as a concertmaster of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra and Vaasa City Orchestra and the Oulu Symphony Orchestra in Finland.  Besides an extensive solo career, Heikkilä is also a recognized leader in Europe, holding engagements as a concertmaster in orchestras such as the London BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Arctic Philharmonic, the Norwegian National Opera and the Malmö Opera orchestras, the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Stavanger and Trondheim Symphony orchestras, etc.  As a guest concertmaster and a leader of the London BBC Symphony Orchestra, she was the featured soloist on Rufus Wainwright: Prima Donna and Take All My Loves – 9 Shakespeare Sonnets, with the London BBC Symphony Orchestra, released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2015. Heikkilä has soloed with orchestras and given recitals as soloist and chamber musician across Europe, South-Korea, the USA, and Russia.  In recent years, she has performed at many leading festivals: the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, KuruFest, the Helsinki Festival, the Riga New Music Festival, the Classica NordicBaltic Conference in Latvia, the Ecuentro de Musica de Santander in Spain, the iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates in Los Angeles, the Gumi International Music Festival in Korea, the Music Alp Music Weeks in France, the Harmos Festival in Portugal and the Lake District Summer Music Festival in the UK.  Kreeta-Julia is also the artistic director, founder and a violinist of the TEOS - Finnish Chamber Music Series in Helsinki and is currently a violinist in the Copenhagen-based Trio Nord along with iPalpiti alumnus cellist Jacob Shaw.  The summer of 2017 inaugurates the 1^st Helsinki Chamber Music Festival of which she is an artistic director and violinist.  A prizewinner at numerous national and international competitions, including the prestigious Pro Musica and Nordea Awards, Kreeta-Julia graduated with distinction from the London Royal College of Music in 2012 and from the Sibelius Academy in 2015, where she studied under Jan Repko, Tuomas Haapanen, Mi-Kuyng Lee and Päivyt Meller.  Heikkilä plays an Andrea Guarneri (1680), kindly on loan from The Finnish Cultural Foundation. Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä’s Website

Pablo Rapado Jambrina

Violinist/Spain

The Spanish violinist was born in Zamora, Spain in a musical family. He began his violin studies at age six, with Jesus Ramos at Zamora Music Conservatory. At 14 years of age, and with many solo apperances done, he performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Conservatory orchestra. Pablo continued at the Oviedo Superior Conservatory of Music, also studying baroque music with Zeljko Haliti, performing regularly as a soloist. During his musical studies, he performed with numerous Spanish and French orchestras, and took part in numerous violin and chamber music master classes with eminent violinists, more recently with Albert and Alexander Markov. In 2006, he was awarded First Prize with honours in Paris, and in 2008 received Cum Laude Bachelor degree from the Maastricht National Conservatory of Music, Holland with teacher Robert Szreder.

Double-laureate of the Sarasate International Violin Competition, Pablo performed as a soloist in the Berlin Konzerthaus with the JOSPA orchestra, in chamber ensembles with Albert and Alexander Markov at the Cordes et Pics Festival (France), and made his recital debuts in Paris in 2008 with pianist Christie Julien. In New York Pablo performed at Merkin Hall (Lincoln Center), WPM Concert Hall, Bargemusic, etc. Pablo began to teach in Spain in 2004, and from 2006 in France, also invited as a teacher at the Cordes et Pics Festival. In orchestral experiences from 2004-2011, Pablo has played at Navarra Symphony, Granada Symphony, Orchestra Les Arts (Valencia) under maestri Zubin Metha, Lorin Maazel, Lopez Cobos, among others. Nowadays he leads Premium Symphony Orchestra in Spain, also keeping residency in Brussels, Belgium, and touring. In 2014 Pablo has won first violin leading position in the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln.

Joseph Kauffman

Violinist-violist/USA

Born in Oakland, California, Joseph began his violin studies at the age of five.  He has studied with Yayoi Numazawa of the Philadelphia Orchestra, James Lyon and Max Zorin of The Pennsylvania State University, and Eduard Schmieder of Temple University.  A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, he was honored to receive the Creative Achievement Award, given to only one exceptional student.  Winner of many competitions in Pennsylvania, Joseph received first prize in the PSU Philharmonic Concerto Competition performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto (2008).  He returns to State College every summer for the Penn’s Woods Music Festival under the direction of Maestro Gerardo Edelstein.  Joseph founded and performed with the “Valens” Piano Quartet, which received First Prize in the MTNA Chamber Music Competition. As a chamber musician – both as violinist and violist - Kauffman was featured live on classical radio in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.  In 2008, Kauffman was accepted into the international class of Prof. Eduard Schmieder in the Master’s Degree program at Temple University, which he completed in 2011, with distinction and received the Albert Tashjian Prize for excellence in performance.  He frequently served as concertmaster for the TU Symphony Orchestra and TU Opera Theater.  He has performed on major concert stages including Disney Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kimmel Center, and the Kennedy Center, among others.  He has participated in master classes with world-class soloists and ensembles, including Jaime Laredo, Philip Setzer, Martin Chalifour, the Shanghai, Emerson, the American, the Tokyo quartets, and many others.  Currently, Joseph is in the DMA program at Temple University, where he is also an adjunct faculty member. He teaches a talented class of students at the NBS School, maintains a thriving private violin studio, and leads an active performance career.  Together with iPalpiti alumnus and cellist Yoni Draiblate, in 2016 he founded and successfully directs the MUSIC TRANSFORMS concert series in Philadelphia. Joseph was selected to join the iPalpiti in 2010, taking principal roles as both violinist and a violist in orchestral ensemble as well as in chamber ensembles. He also has been a dedicated orchestra manager during the festivals.

Can Sakul

Violist/Turkey

Born in 1987 in Ankara, Turkey, Can is a principal violist of the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra.  His M.A. in Viola is from the Lausanne Conservatory (Bruno Pasquier’s class) and his B.M. in Viola is from the Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, where he was awarded a full scholarship.  He also attended master classes of James Creitz, Rusen Gunes, and Tatiana Masurenko at the Ayvalik International Music Academy.  Can joined the Bilkent Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2001 and was its Principal Viola from 2005 to 2008.  Other leading positions were at Bilkent Youth Virtuosos (2006-2008), touring Turkey and Germany as Co-Principal with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Damiano Guiranna (2007), and as Principal Viola in the Greek-Turkish Youth Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy (Summer 2008).  In 2009, Can became a member of the Camerata de Lausanne under the leadership of Pierre Amoyal.  He has performed in many chamber music and solo concerts all over the world including Turkey, Switzerland, France, Russia, Singapore, Greece, Germany, and Cyprus and has participated in festivals such as the Cannes Festival, the Montebello Festival, the Saint-Riquier Festival, the International Students Chamber Music Festival in Stuttgart, the Youth Composers and Youth Performers, World Music Day, the Festival of Castle of Ankara, and VEKAM Art Festival.  He has also performed at television and radio broadcasts on Mezzo, Radio Suisse Romande (La Tribune des Jeunes Musiciens) and Turkish National Television and Radio. Member of iPalpiti since 2011. 

Ofer Canetti

Cellist/Israel

A graduate of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel-Aviv University, the Hochschule für Musik in Köln, and the Mozarteum University, Salzburg, and working with, among others, Professors Hillel Zori and Clemens Hagen, Ofer receives regular guidance from his mentor Professor Uzi Wiesel.  Ofer has performed as a soloist with many orchestras around the world, such as the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss, the Jeaner Philharmonie, Georgische Kammerorchester Ingolstadt, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and the Haifa Symphony.  His debut recital in Carnegie Hall (New York) took place in February 2010.  Ofer is regularly invited to teach and perform in many concerts, recitals and festivals around Europe and Israel, where he had the opportunity to collaborate with numerous appreciated musicians such as Howard Klug, Rudolf Koelman, Ida Bieler, Ludwig Mueller, Tomer Lev, James Maddox, Vladimir Ivanov, Boris Giltburg and many others.  In 2015, Ofer joined the “Aviv” quartet for concert tours around Israel and Europe, including concerts in the “Gaia Festival” Switzerland and the Wigmore Hall in London.  He is a prize winner of the “Bucchi” International Competition for Cello Playing in the 20^th-21^st Centuries (2011), the “Enerico Mainardi Competition,” Salzburg (2012), and the Buchman-Mehta School of Music competitions in the solo instrument and Chamber music categories, as well as of special prizes in the “Allegro Vivo” Festival in Austria, and the “Paul Ben-Haim” competition in Israel.  Ofer is also a Winner with Excellence of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation.  A founding member of the “Testore Quartet” and the “Testore Ensemble,” these ensembles won several prizes and have had the opportunity to perform in many festivals and concert venues such as the Arnold Schoenberg Center, Vienna and the ORF RadioKulturhaus, Vienna, the “35th Musical evenings of Piran,” the “Tartini Festival” in Slovenia, and in the 2nd “Salzburg Chamber Music Festival.”  In 2014, Ofer was one of the principal cellists of the Jenaer Philharmonie, Germany.  Since 2010, Ofer has been a Principal Cellist of the “Salzburg Chamber Soloists.”  As part of his artistic values, Ofer puts emphasis on performing and recording Israeli compositions such as the full Cello repertoire by Paul Ben-Haim, “Kaddish” by M. Kopytman and “Confession” by N. Sheriff. www.ofercanetti.com

Giorgi Kharadze

Cellist/Georgia-Germany

"... Exceptional musical expression and maturity..." —The Strad

Winner of important international competitions such as the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann at the Berlin Philharmonic (2006), Domnick Cello Prize International Competition (2001), Georges Prêtre International Competition in Douai (2003), Giorgi also was awarded Third Prizes and Special Prize at the Pablo Casals International Competition in Germany (2004) and the Rostropovich Competition in 2005.

Born into a musical family in 1984 in Tbilisi (Georgia), Giorgi Kharadze began playing the cello at the age of six and was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris at the age of fifteen, where he was tutored by Roland Pidoux and Xavier Phillips, graduating with distinction in 2003. A winner of the Natexis Foundation in France, the Concertante Foundation in Italy, and of the Langraf von Hessen-Prize awarded by the Kronberg Academy in Germany, where he received instruction from Frans Helmerson, Giorgi can regularly be heard on radio and television programmes in those countries.

Giorgi Kharadze now plays on stages such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Hague Theatre in the Netherlands, the Czech Philharmonic in Prague, the Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava, the Estonia Theatre in Tallinn, the Lithuanian Philharmonic in Vilnius, the Riga Philharmonic, the Hôtel National des Invalides in Paris and others. He has played with ensembles such as the Orchestra of the Republican Guard, the Frankfurt Sinfonietta, the Potsdam Kammerakademie, where the press gave a rapturous reception to his performance of Variations on a Rococo Theme by Tchaikovsky.

Recent performances included solo with Gidon Kremer’s Kremerata Chamber Orchestra in Poland and Germany, with upcoming solo engagements with the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Beethovenorchester Bonn, the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, the KBS Symphony Orchestra and more. He will also appear at the Périgord Noir Festival and in the Auditorium du Louvre. Chamber music is a passion that he shares with luminaries such as Yuri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer, Menahem Pressler and Roland Pidoux, and with young artists such as Fanny Clamagirand, Julien Gernay. His current discography includes a recording of Pezzo Capriccioso, op. 62 by Tchaikovsky and Cello Concerto by Vasha Azarashvili with the Kremerata Chamber Orchestra on the “Kronberg Academy – the Vision” label.

Duo Gurfinkel

Clarinetists/Israel

The twin brothers Daniel and Alexander Gurfinkel, duo clarinetists, have established themselves among today's important artists in their country. Born in 1992, they began their musical education in the year 2000 and by age 12, they were invited by Zubin Mehta to appear as soloists in the annual concert for young musicians with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In recent seasons, Duo Gurfinkel were re-engaged with Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, and performed abroad with the Zagreb Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi, with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists at the Tchaikovsky Hall, with Capella Istopolitana, Berliner Camerata, as well as on tour in France with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire. In March 2013, the duo won the 3rd prize at the 18th International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach, France, and during that year the duo performed at Gewandhaus with Leipziger Symphony Orchester, Grand Hall in Moscow with Heilbronn Chamber Orchestra, in Rome and Vatikan. The DUO have appeared in USA (Detroit, New York, Chicago), in Hong Kong, Slovenia, Italy, Russia, Germany, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Croatia, Austria, and South Africa with performances across Europe in international music festivals. Daniel and Alexander Gurfinkel preserve a rich family tradition of three generations. Their grandfather Arkady Gurfinkel was a well-known clarinet player, teacher, and arranger, while their father, Michael Gurfinkel, is among the leading clarinet players in Israel as principal of the Israel Symphony Orchestra and Israeli Opera, as well as in chamber music both in Israel and abroad. Among forthcoming engagements of Duo Gurfinkel there are a series of concerts in Germany with Brandenburger Symphoniker Orchestra, concerts across Russia with La Primavera String Orchestra and Voronezh Academic Symphonic Orchestra, and in Estonia with Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta.