Eduard Schmieder

Conductor

www.EduardSchmieder.com

Born and educated in Russia, Eduard Schmieder has been characterized as an “extraordinary musician of the late 20th century.” His ability to communicate with audiences and students alike places him in a rare category of elite performers and educators. As artist and teacher, Schmieder amalgamates and creatively transforms the great traditions of American and European art.

As a conductor, Schmieder has performed in such prestigious halls as Cite de la Musique in Paris, Crown Hall in Jerusalem, Grand Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wagner Hall in Riga and other major concert halls worldwide. On April 14, 1996, Eduard Schmieder performed a recital in Genoa, on Paganini’s famous Guarneri del Gesu “Il Cannone” violin.

Currently Eduard Schmieder holds Carnell Distinguished Professor Chair at Temple University, Philadelphia. Prior to his appointment at Temple University, he was Distinguished Algur H. Meadows Chair of Violin and Chamber Music in the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas (1990-2006), and tenured professor of the violin at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the position formerly held by Jascha Heifetz.

As violinist he has been collaborating with celebrated musicians in major concert halls throughout the world, and gives master classes at the foremost conservatories and music festivals.

He frequently represents the United States as a jury member at leading international competitions including Queen Elisabeth, Sibelius, Mozart, Paganini, Sarasate, Lipizer, and ARD among others.

Students of professor Schmieder have established careers as prominent soloists, active chamber musicians, and hold principal positions in major orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, London, Los Angeles, Israel Philharmonies, Bavarian State, Dresden Staatskapella, Dallas Symphony, and others. He is Music Director and Conductor of iPalpiti orchestral ensemble of international laureates.

“..a serous and resourceful podium personality.” Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times

“I shall never forget his extraordinary power over the players; his drive is quite astounding.” Margaret Campbell, FRSA Music Critic, The Strad and Author of The Great Violinists and The Great Cellists

“… [He] is a remarkable conductor.” John Ardoin, Dallas Morning news

Trio Zadig

Trio/France

Founded in 2014, Trio Zadig gained critical praise for their impressive 11 international competition prizes, including First Prize at the Fnapec Competition and second prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in the US. The Zadig Trio is currently a resident of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel alongside the Artemis Quartet. It is also the first trio resident of ProQuartet and is supported by the Banque Populaire Foundation. Friendship is at the core of the Zadig Trio’s strength and authenticity. Boris Borgolotto and Marc Girard Garcia are childhood friends who studied together at the Paris Conservatoire National de Musique and at the University of Music in Vienna. Upon their return to France, they crossed paths with Ian Barber, an American pianist from the renowned studio of André Watts at the University of Indiana. The chemistry between them is immediately apparent; in a strong desire to unite their talents, they found the Zadig Trio. The name comes from Voltaire’s eponymous character, Zadig (from the Hebrew for the ‘just’ and the Arabic for the ‘truthful’). Much like the music that the Trio performs, the story of Zadig is fantastically entertaining, while touching upon universal and uncompromising truths about the nature of reality. Trio has performed all over the world, from the USA to the Republic of Congo, as well as in prestigious halls like Wigmore Hall, Shanghai City Theater, Paris’ Philharmonic and the Salle Cortot. In parallel with this demanding schedule, the Trio has met with great artists who have contributed to the development of its musical expression, most notably Ivry Gitlis and Menahem Pressler. Due to its auspicious beginning, the Zadig Trio has been invited to several broadcast shows: “Génération Jeunes Interprètes” and “Le nouveau Rendez-Vous” on French Public Radio (France Musique) as well as “Puisque vous avez du talent” on Musiq’3 (RTBF) in Belgium. From Haydn to contemporary composers, the Zadig Trio’s audacity and freshness gives youth and vitality to the piano trio repertoire. The depth and sincerity of their interpretations, as well as their vivid, poetic sound, make them the creators of captivating performances. Their DC debut at the Phillips will include Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor, Bernstein’s Fantasy on themes from West Side Story, and some works from Toulouse-born composer, Benjamin Attahir. Just like Voltaire’s hero, the Trio promises to have a long and adventurous life.

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh

Composer/Azerbaijani

Franghiz Ali-Zadeh is an Azerbaijani composer and pianist, currently living in Germany. She is best known for her works that combine the musical tradition of the Azerbaijani mugam and 20th century Western compositional techniques, especially those of Arnold Schoenberg and Gara Garayev. Her works have been performed by Yo-Yo Ma and the Kronos Quartet. On June 20, 2007, Ali-Zadeh was elected chair of the Composers' Union of Azerbaijan.

Misaq Eshaghi

Folk percussion/Iran

Born in Mashhad, Iran, Misaq began learning Tombak (Persian hand drum) with his father, master Dariush Eshaghi, from early ages. At the age of 9, he started learning Kamancheh and traveled through Iran to study with various masters. Being a Baha'i, he was not allowed to go to university in Iran, so at the age of 23 he immigrated to the United States to pursue his education in music. Misaq received his Bachelor Degree in Music Industry studies at CSUN and his Master's in Performance and Composition at CalArts. With his brother Matin Eshaghi, Misaq performed throughout the US and Australia as a Koobáng Ensemble. They have released 5 albums. Misaq resides in Los Angeles, working as a professional musician, teaching and performing percussion and Kamancheh.

iPalpiti Orchestra

Acclaimed by the press for its “beauteous string playing”, “lustrous, polished tone,” and “vocal quality”, iPalpiti (ee-PAHL-pit-ee is Italian for “heartbeats”) is a consortium of prize-winning young professional musicians from around the globe, where each member is considered a soloist.

Under his direction, iPalpiti has performed to sold-out audiences in prestigious venues such as Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Mozarteum Grosse Hall (Salzburg), Nikkei Hall (Tokyo), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), YMCA Jerusalem, Carnegie Zankel Hall (New York), and has been invited as ensemble-in-residence at festivals in Slovenia, Israel, Carinthia, Belgium, and Italy, as well as the Martha Argerich Festival in Beppu, Japan.

iPalpiti has since grown to an ensemble of international recognition, establishing a summer residency in Beverly Hills, California in 1999. iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates in Los Angeles—presented annually since 1998—is one of the nation’s significant music festivals and the subject of international accolades. The prestigious STRAD magazine devoted numerous enthusiastic features and reviews, and the Los Angeles Times acclaimed the Festival’s ”take-your-breath-away demonstrations of musicianship and technique,” where artists are encouraged to find their “own voice,” performing as iPalpiti Soloists in solo and chamber ensemble concerts. Referred to as a “Musical Peace Corps,” iPalpiti has created an international cultural network of hundreds of classical artists, forging life-time associations and friendships that transcend the conflicts of our time.

The orchestra’s players (ages 19-32) are all winners of prestigious international awards and represent countries worldwide. iPalpiti alumni have established solo and chamber ensemble careers and have taken up leading positions in major international orchestras such as the Chicago, Tokyo, Jerusalem, Monte Carlo, Bavarian State and Munich Symphonies, London, Berlin and Israel Philharmonics, Dresden Staatskapelle, etc. Several have exclusive recordings with labels like Decca, Telarc, and Supraphon records, and are considered among the premier musicians of their generation.

iPalpiti’s performances have been acclaimed by critics throughout the world. In 1996 Noord Holland Dagblad proclaimed “[iPalpiti’s] performance can be called righteously overwhelming.” John Ardoin of the Dallas Morning News raved “iPalpiti sprang to life as a single, singing voice. It was the natural, ‘vocal’ quality that stayed with me long after the final notes of the concert were sounded,” while the Los Angeles Times hailed the group’s performances as “an astounding demonstration of seamless and beauteous string playing…memorable, luminous, deeply moving performance” (Daniel Cariaga 2000) and as a “cool display of virtuosity…unified to an often startling degree” (2006). The New York Times noted that “…ensemble was particularly noteworthy for its unity of purpose and blend. It was as if the musicians’ hearts were beating to the same buoyant rhythm…lustrous, polished tone and graceful phrasing.” (2007)

iPalpiti has released 20 CDs issued on TELOS, YAI/iPalpiti and BCM+D Records. Performances are broadcast by Classic Arts Showcase nationally to over 62 million viewers on PBS/Art Channel and other public television channels, in Philadelphia on WRTI, New York on WQXR-FM.