Irakli Tsadaia

Violinist/Georgia-GERMANY

Concertmaster of the Georgian Chamber Orchestra since 2013, Irakli has been calling Ingolstadt home when Audi and the City of Ingolstadt teamed up in 1990 to offer the Tbilisi musicians a new home in the heart of Bavaria.  The company and orchestra have been inextricably linked ever since.  Born into a musical family in Tbilisi, Georgia, Irakli’s first music training started with Tamaz Batiaschvili and Konstantin Vardeli, both members of the Georgian State Quartet.  Since the age of eight, he received regular lessons in Moscow and Germany with Galina Turchaninova, who also taught Maxim Vengerov.  At thirteen, Irakli was accepted as a student at the Munich Conservatory, where he also attended the master classes of Alexander Brussilovsky, Boris Garlitzky, Felix Andrievsky and Victor Tretjakov.  In 2002, he continued his studies with Professor Victor Tretjakov at the “Hochschule für Musik Köln”. First Prize winner at the music competition “Jugend musiziert” in Germany, he received diplomas in the Louis-Spohr International Violin Competition in Weimar (1999) and at the Paganini International Competition in Moscow (2006), and won Second Prize at the International Violin Competition Valsesia Musica in Italy (2008).  In 2007, he recorded a CD of Four Seasons by Astor Piazolla (released by Sony BMG), performing as a soloist with “Kölner Klassik Ensemble.”  Irakli is performing as a soloist and in chamber music with eminent musicians and conductors.  His concert performances of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saëns, Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate and Four Seasons by Astor Piazolla were recorded for Radio and Television and broadcast on ARD, SWR, BR (Bayerischer Rundfunk), and in Tbilisi, Georgia.  He was selected to join iPalpiti in 2010.  In 2012, he was a selected as one of ten prize winners from 1,003 participants at the Mozarteum Summer Academy Salzburg and concluded the finale concert of the Salzburg Festspiele. Irakli plays Giovanni Paolo Maggini violin of the 17^th century as a competition winner in the instrumental foundation of the “Hochschule für Musik Köln” which offers young musicians an opportunity to perform on high quality instruments.

Catharina Chen

Violinist/Norway

iPalpiti Ambassador

Catharina Chen’s Website

“…beautiful tone, technically brilliant…charismatic and elegant…” — Bergens Tidene

Born in Oslo, Norway in 1985, Catharina began studying violin at the age of 5 with her father. Since the age of 8, she has soloed with all major orchestras in Norway. Well known to Norwegians through television and radio broadcast programs, Catharina is the recipient of numerous awards, and the youngest musician in Norway ever to be awarded the highly respected and prestigious Oslo City Culture Prize (2004).

In 2011, Catharina was appointed and holds position of the concertmaster and soloist of the Norway National State Opera. She has given solo and chamber concerts in international arts festivals in Norway, Italy, China, Malaysia, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, France, and South Africa, and has been a soloist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky and Beethoven Violin Concertos in consecutive seasons 2008-09. A Graduate of Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo, a leading institution in Norway, where she studied with Arve Tellefsen and Henning Kraggerud, she continued her music education in the USA with the renowned Professor Eduard Schmieder, earning an Artist Diploma from Temple University in Philadelphia. Catharina is a Grand Prize winner in the third International Gnessin Violin Competition in Moscow, Russia (2003), and the 2nd Prize winner at the Jeuness Musicale International Violin Competition in Bucharest, Romania (2007). An iPalpiti artist since 2004, named iPALPITI AMBASSADOR in 2013, Catharina has performed on the stages of Mozarteum Grosse Hall Salzburg, Carnegie Hall in New York, was a featured soloist at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in 2008, Carnegie Zankel Hall in 2009, and in Israel in 2011. Catharina has been invited as solo recitalist to numerous concert series in California.

In her native Norway, Catharina continues to be an attraction for the important musical and government occasions: in May 2008, she was the only artist invited to perform at the opening of the prestigious Bergen International Arts Festival, with King and Queen of Norway in attendance. Winning the prestigious “Intro Classic” prize from State Concert Norway resulted in 2009-2011 engagements from solo recitals in New York, Washington, Milan to “Live Classical, Catharina with friends” in Tønsberg, Eurovision in Oslo, and tours with The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra” and Oslo Camerata in Spain and Brazil, recitals in Holland, four weeks of touring across Norway, tour across China, India, and world premiere of “the Moon” by Martin Romberg during Expo in Shanghai.

Jacob Shaw

Cellist/UK-Denmark

Jacob Shaw's website

Award winning British cellist Jacob Shaw (b.1988) has given acclaimed concerts across Europe, USA and Asia, establishing himself as one of the most prominent young soloists based in Scandinavia. "Music Ambassador" for Dulwich College International and highly dedicated to helping and promoting young talents in his own field, Jacob also supports the next generation of musicians.

Called as “the cellist to follow” (Resmusica, 2014) - his unique program ideas, original style, and enthusiasm have gained huge support and admiration as a performer from the public and professional colleagues alike. Exploring the boundaries of what is possible on his instrument, he often collaborates with folk, indie, electronic and jazz musicians. This season he had two debuts in New York that reflected his eclectic styles, in Carnegie Hall (classical recital with piano) and in the Apollo Theatre (electric cello with works of Nico Muhly and improvisation with traditional singers from Tahiti).

During his studies in London, Paris, Augsburg and Copenhagen, Jacob became a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, and since has performed in some of the world’s prestigious stages such as Carnegie Hall, Guangzhou Opera House, Oslo Concert House, Salle Cortot, Copenhagen Radio House, etc. He has premiered pieces by composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Sir John Taverner, Frangis Ali-Sade and Haflidi Hallgrimsson.

A passionate chamber musician, he regularly plays in esteemed festivals such as Lockenhaus Festival, Gstaad, Sommets-du-Classique, iPalpiti and is the co-founder and artistic director of the Festival International de Musique de Chambre en Charente (www.chalaismusique.com ) A dedicated teacher, his students have won national and international competitions in Germany, Denmark, Japan, France and the UK, and Jacob has given masterclasses in important music conservatories across the world such as CCOM, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Northwestern University Chicago, Shanghai conservatory, in New York, and Chicago Northwestern University.

His debut 2 CD album will be released this summer by GPR records and he can be heard regularly on radio throughout Europe, Asia and the USA. More information at www.jacobshaw.de or on social media @jacobshawcellist.

Timothy Durkovic

Pianist/Guatemala-USA

www.timothydurkovic.com

Born and raised in Guatemala City, Timothy Durkovic began his piano studies at the age of five. Making his first solo appearance when he was eleven, he entered the National Conservatory of Music of Guatemala to study with Consuelo Medinilla, received Bachelor of Arts in piano performance with highest honors at 17, and made his debut with the Guatemala Symphony Orchestra performing the Brahms D-Minor piano concerto. Received in his homeland with national pride, he has been hailed by critics as “Guatemala’s grand national revelation of the twentieth century” and named “Man of the Week” by Crónica–the Guatemalan equivalent to TIME Magazine.

Accepted to the Juilliard School in New York, Timothy continued his musical education under Jacob Lateiner, followed by studies at the University of Southern California with Barbara Lister-Sink, Daniel Pollack, and Kevin Fitz-Gerald. He holds a summa cum laude Master of Music degree from the USC Thornton School of Music where he was honored with both the Keyboard Ensemble Award and the prestigious Outstanding Master’s Graduate Award. Specializing in teaching the Lister-Sink Method of well-coordinated, injury preventive piano technique, Mr. Durkovic has served as Director of Keyboard Studies at Long Beach City College, Guest Lecturer at the Thornton School of Music and on the faculties of the Orange County High School for the Arts and the University of La Verne.

Winner of many competitions nationally and internationally, the Gold Medal at the 1996 Los Angeles Liszt Competition took him to Budapest, Hungary for his European debut where he performed at the original Liszt Academy. He also won both the 2001 San Diego Duo Piano Competition and the 2001 IBLA Grand Prize Duo Piano Award (Sicily, Italy). Mr. Durkovic has performed in recital and as soloist with orchestra in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and Central and South America. He has made guest appearances on various series including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Series (Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles), and numerous international festivals such as the Banff Festival (Canada), SMU in Taos (New Mexico), and collaborated with acclaimed artists as Lynn Harrell, Martin Chalifour, Ida Levin, Richard O’Neil, Kazuhiro Takagi, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, the Quartet Casal, the Calder Quartet and the Miró Quartet. His performances have been broadcast on the International Voice of America and NPR. His Latin American Premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s Gargoyles brought him acclaim directly from the composer as “incisive and exciting performance,” and is available as the title track of his new CD recording. His classical recordings are available on CDBaby and iTunes, and he also can be heard as the sound track on international television commercials that have featured Christina Aguilera.

Mr. Durkovic serves as the Director of Music and Organist at Church of the Good Shepherd, United Methodist in Arcadia, California. He maintains a private teaching studio, is the Vice-President of the Lister-Sink Foundation and has served on the Executive Board of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers. He is also a founding member of the Los Angeles based Piano Quartet, CENTRAL4, and a Real Estate Broker with Dilbeck Real Estate. For more information as to Mr. Durkovic’s activities, availability and recordings, please visit his website at www.timothydurkovic.com.