The 2023 edition of the Academy took place at the Château de Rolle from 30 June to 12 July 2023.
Academicians of the 2023 edition
—
Aoi SAITO, 25, violin, Japanese
Aoi Saito is a 25-year old Japanese violinist from Tokyo, got 1st Prize at Violinwettbewerb der Ibolyka-Gyarfas-Stiftung in Berlin. Aoi is currently studying with Prof. Latica Honda- Rosenberg at the Berlin University of the Arts and playing an instrument by G.B.Guadagnini on loan from the University.
She takes part to the Academy for the second time.
Céleste KLINGELSCHMITT, 24, violin, French
Céleste Klingelschmitt is a 20 year old French violinist currently studying in the first year of her master’s degree in the class of Stéphanie-Marie Degand at the CNSMDP. Recently, she performed as a soloist in Bach’s double concerto at the Printemps des Arts in Monte-Carlo and in Mozart’s Symphonie Concertante in Basel.
She takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Aï NAKANO, 21, violin, Japanese
Born in Osaka in 2001, Ai participates as concertmaster in 2019 in the Super Kids Orchestra conducted by Yutaka Sado and in 2022 in the Orchestre Français des Jeunes. She is a semi-finalist of the International Mozart Competition in Zhuhai in 2019. She studied with Nobuyo Kita, Chieko Sogabe, Natsumi Tamai and is now studying with Roland Daugareil and Jiyoon Park at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. She will be an academician at the Paris Opera from September 2023.
She takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Elie HACKEL, 23, violin, French
French violinist Elie Hackel studied with Svetlin Roussev and Pierre Colombet at the CNSM in Paris, and is currently perfecting his skills with Julien Szulman. Throughout his career, he has benefited from the advice of brilliant artists such as Pavel Vernikov and Svetlana Makarova, Mihaela Martin, the Modigliani and Ebène Quartet and Renaud Capuçon.
He is a laureate of the Tchaikovsky promotion of the Académie Musicale Phillipe Jarrousky 2021-2022, of the Académie de l’Orchestre de chambre de Paris and of the Philharmonique de Radio France. He takes part in the Seiji Ozawa International Academy, the Pablo Casals Festival, the Ravel Festival and collaborates with inspiring musicians such as Nicolas Baldeyrou, François Salque and Marc Coppey.
Supported by the Fondation Talents et Violoncelles he plays a magnificent Grand Frères from 1859. He is also a laureate of the Société Générale Foundation “C’est vous l’avenir” and of the Safran Foundation for Music 2022-2023.
He takes part to the Academy for the second time.
Maxim TZEKOV, 22, violin, Austrian
Maxim Tzekov is a 22-year-old violinist from Austria. He is the winner of the “Kloster Schöntal” 2019 and the “Alberto Lysy” 2020 Competitions. Maxim plays a violin by J.B. Vuillaume (1829) and is currently studying at the HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin with Ulf Wallin.
He takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Diana ADAMYAN, 23, violin, Armenian
Diana Adamyan was born in 2000, in a family of musicians. She received her first violin lessons at the special music school after P. I. Tchaikovsky in Yerevan with Prof. Petros Haykazyan, from October 2015 with Prof. Eduard Tadevosyan. Since October 2018 she has been studying with Prof. Ana Chumachenco at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts.
Diana attended master classes with Pinchas Zukerman in Ottawa, with Donald Weilerstein (New England Conservatory) and with Leonidas Kavakos, supported by the DakApp Foundation.
In 2007 she was a prizewinner at the Spendiaryan National Competition-Festival in Yerevan, and in 2010 she received first prize at the “Veratsnund” International Festival-Competition in Gyumri (Armenia). In November 2012 she won the silver medal at the 13th International Television Competition for Young Musicians “Nutcracker” in Moscow. In December 2015, at the “9th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians” she was awarded second prize.
In 2018 Diana was awarded first prize and the audience prize at the renowned Menuhin Competition in Geneva and in 2020 first prize at the Khachaturian International Competition in Yerevan, Armenia.
She takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Johannes BRZOSKA, 25, violin, German
The german violinist Johannes Brzoska, born in 1998 had his first violin lessons at the age of four.
Since 2022 he is academist at DSO Berlin. He won several prizes as a chamber musician as well as a soloist.
Currently he is studying at UdK Berlin with Prof. Nora Chastain.
He is playing a violin by Nicolas Lupot, loaned by the Alice und Hans-Joachim Thormählen Stiftung.
He takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Léon HAFFNER, 24, violin, French
Léon Haffner was born in Lyon, France in 1998. After graduating from Paris Conservatoire Supérieur, he currently studies in Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Professor Ulf Wallin. Passionate with orchestra and chamber music, he became a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Academy, and the Seiji Ozawa International Academy. He regularly plays with the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestre de Paris, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
He takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Celio TORINA, 22 ans, violin, French and Italian
Celio Torina, of Franco-Italian origin, began playing the violin in Bordeaux, then continued in Paris, first at the CRR with Suzanne Gessner and then at the CNSMDP with Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian. Within the framework of a grant awarded by the Seji Ozawa Academy, he has the opportunity to work with Julien Szulman and Ji Yoon Park with whom he perfects his practice of the instrument.
He takes part to the Academy for the third time.
Thomas Briant, 21, violin, French
Born in 2001, Thomas Briant is a French violinist from Toulon. He studied at the Conservatoire National de Paris in the class of Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian. In 2019, he won the 5th Appassionato Joël Klépal violin competition. That same year, the Maurice Ravel Foundation awarded him the third prize for interpretation for the Sonata in G Major by Maurice Ravel.
He takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Toby COOK, 25, viola, British
Toby Cook, a British violist, regularly performs in venues across Europe, recently including at the “Gstaad Menuhin” and “Schiermonnikoog” Festivals. He is winner of the Malopolska competition, Barbirolli Prize at the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition and Len Lickorish Memorial Prize at the ROSL Competition.
He takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Gordon LAU, 24, viola, Hong Kong
Kwan Hom Gordon Lau, born in Hong Kong in 1999, is currently studying in Prof. Tabea Zimmermann in Berlin. He studied chamber music with Prof. Eberhard Fletz and the Artemis Quartet. Chamber music partners include : Rainer Schmidt, Daniel Hope, Peter Bruns, Bruno Delepelaire, Kersten McCall, Niklas Liepe, Stephan Picard, Roland Glassl and many more well known artists.
He takes part to the Academy for the second time.
Lise GUÉRIN, 25, viola, French
Born in 1997 in France, violist Lise Guérin obtained her Bachelor’s degree in the class of Professor Pauline Sachse in 2023 at the Musikhochschule in Lübeck. She has been a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Zermatt Festival Academy, and collaborates regularly with the Ensemble Resonanz.
She takes part to the Academy for the second time.
Connie PHAROAH, 24, viola, British
Connie Pharoah is a 24 years old British violist. She studies with Nobuko Imai and Marjolein Dispa in Amsterdam. She is a member of the Marigold Piano Quartet and plays regularly with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, NKO, RDO, 12 Ensemble, O’Modernt, and is the founder of Seida Ensemble. Her artistic approach has been cultivated in festivals such as Yellow Barn, IMS Prussia Cove and Zermatt Music Festival.
She takes part to the Academy for the second time.
Sào SOULEZ-LARIVIERE, 25, viola, Netherland
At the age of 25, he is already a top prizewinner of several international competitions, including the 2020 Oskar Nedbal Viola Competiton, 2019 Max Rostal Competition, 2017 Cecil Aronowitz Competition and 2017 Johannes Brahms Competition. In 2019, Sào was awarded the Ritter Prize on behalf of the Oscar and Vera Ritter Foundation, and as a result, gave his debut at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg later that year. Furthermore, he received the Fanny Mendelssohn Förderpreis in 2020, which will see him record his first solo album ‘Impression’ in 2021. He currently resides in Germany, where he is pursuing a Masters of Music with Tabea Zimmerman at the Kronberg Academy. Sào plays an instrument made by Fréderic Chaudière in 2013.
He takes part to the Academy for the third time.
Alex LAU, 20, cello, Hong Kong
Alex Lau is a cellist currently studying in Munich with Prof. Wen-Sinn Yang. He is prizewinner of the International Dotzauer Competition in Germany and the Primuz International String Competition in Poland. He played in several chamber music festival: Nume Festival, Chamber Lab and Geneva Intentional String Academy among others.
He takes part to the Academy for the second time.
Izak NURI, 22, cello, Israel
22 years old Cellist from Israel, Izak Nuri is currently studying at the Barenboim-Said Academy with Prof. Frans Helmerson. His recent rewards include 2nd prize and a special prize at the “12 international cello competition Antonio Janigro”, 1st prize at the 21st international competition “Grand Prize Virtuoso”.
He takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Luca GIOVANNINI, 23, cello, Italy
Luca Giovannini, an Italian cellist, is currently studying at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson. He is the winner of the J. Brahms Competition, third prize at Schönfeld competition and winner of the national prize of arts. He plays a Ansaldo Poggi cello dated from 1927, a loan from Mr Mario Brunello.
He takes part to the Academy for the third time.
Robin DE TALHOUËT, 23, cello, French
Robin de Talhouët is a young and passionate cellist. He views chamber music as the foundation of his musical life. He has benefited in both solo and chamber music ensembles from the advice of many great musicians, such as Martin Beaver, Miklos Perenyi, Christophe Coin, Jean-Jacques Kantorow.
He is now studying in Paris with Raphaël Pidoux.
He takes part to the Academy for the second time.
Heo GOEUNSOL, 23, cello, South Korea
Goeunsol Heo is a South Korean cellist based in Berlin. Since her first musical education at the age of five she has studied with Sung-Eun Hong in Seoul, currently she continues her study at Hochschule für Musik ‚Hanns Eisler’ Berlin with Nicolas Altstaedt after finishing her Bachelor’s degree at the same school with Stephan Forck.
She has won numerous national and international competitions and has performed as soloist in various countries including South Korea, the USA, UAE, and Europe. Goeunsol has also been invited to participate in chamber music festivals such as Seiji Ozawa Academy, Zermatt Festival Academy, and Encuentro Música y Academia de Santander, where she has worked with esteemed musicians such as Máté Szücs, Nobuko Imai, and Ton Koopman. Her musical influnces include the work she had with Frans Helmerson, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Young-Chang Cho, Miklos Perenyi, Jerome Pernoo.
In addition to her love for classical music, she is passionate about exploring music from different eras, from Baroque to Modern, and even Jazz. Goeunsol’s dedication to music has led her to create her own quartet, comprising oboe, violin, viola, and cello, to work on Isang Yun’s quartet. Since 2022, she is academist at the Kurt-Sanderling-Akademie of Konzerthausorchester Berlin.
She takes part to the Academy for the first time.
Every year, the academicians give a series of concerts.