Paxos Festival Trust

Performers

Performers at the 2013 Paxos International Music Festival include:



Lara Dodds-Eden – Artistic Director

Australian pianist Lara Dodds-Eden has been responsible for the programming of the Autumn Chamber Music Festival since 2010. Lara is a sought-after collaborator, both in London, where she is based, and abroad. Her 2013 engagements include a tour of the Netherlands with violist Rosalind Ventris, (including a recital at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam), a visit to Banff as a collaborative piano intern in July, and a residency and recital in the Aldeburgh Festival.
(See her own website, www.laradoddseden.com.)

Thomas Besnard (piano)

Described as an 'outstanding musician' by Classicalsource.com, French pianist Thomas Besnard is becoming increasingly in demand in collaborative and solo contexts. Thomas has played in venues such as Barbican, the Purcell Room, St James's Piccadilly, St Martin in the Fields, Cheltenham Town Hall, given recitals in the City of London Festival and the Leeds International Concert Series, and toured to Beijing, his native France and the Balkans.

Thomas's interest in contemporary music has led him to work with many of today's great composers, including George Crumb and Louis Andriessen. With Lithuanian pianist Martyna Jatkauskaite, he recently formed the Oskar duo; together they won the First prize in the Rome International Piano Competition,,a success that lead them to perform live on Italian TV and Vatican radio. In demand as a vocal accompanist, Thomas regularly plays for soprano Patricia Rozario with whom he recently featured on the BBC3 In tune programme, performing live Strauss and Poulenc songs. He also regularly collaborates with German baritone Benjamin Appl.

Thomas plays regularly with clarinettist Hannah Morgan as the Glendower Duo: together they won first prize in the Krakow International Chamber Music Competition, the Yamaha Music Foundation Award and the Tunbridge Wells Young Concert Artists Competition. Their recital at the Southbank Centre's Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists' Concert series, where they gave the world première of Harris Kittos's Organic Duo, was critically acclaimed, receiving a four-star rating in The Times.

After his studies at the Bordeaux Conservatoire, Thomas Besnard graduated in 2008 from the Royal College of Music, London, where he studied with Gordon Fergus- Thompson. He then continued his training with Caroline Palmer at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he gained a Masters with Distinction on a full scholarship supported by the Leverhulme trust. (See his own website, www.thomasbesnard.com.)

Pau Codina Masferrer (cello)

Already familiar to Paxos audiences, (2012 and 2009 Festival Performances), Pau returns to the Festival in 2013 with the Idomeneo quartet. Pau Codina was born in 1988 in Barcelona and began studying the cello at the age of five with Eulalia Subirà. Other teachers to date have included Ivan Chiffoleau, Daniel Grosgurin, Peter Thiemann and Louise Hopkins. Pau is presently studying at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth with Professor Gary Hoffman having graduated from the Yehudi Menuhin School in 2006, and from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with first class honours in 2010.

Pau has taken part in several International Music Festivals, including the Manchester Cello and Chamber Music Festival and the Kronberg Cello Festival. He has also performed extensively throughout Spain, England and Germany, in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room, the Pau Casals Auditorium, and the Palau de la Musica Catalana Concert Hall in Barcelona. He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras such as the Barcelona Sinfonietta, the Empordà Chamber Orchestra, the Andorra Chamber Orchestra, the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Budapest and the Chamber Orchestra of Wallonie. He recently debuted with the RTVE Orchestra in Madrid, playing Saint-Saens concerto which was broadcasted live on Spanish National Radio. He also recorded Saint-Saens Suite op.16 for cello and orchestra with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liege and conductor Christian Arming under the label Fuga Libera.

Away from the concert platform, Pau has won several competitions and awards, such as the MBF's Guilhermina Suggia award 2004 and 2007 and the Geoffrey Shaw Scholarship, the Martin Musical Scholarship, the Kronberg Cello Festival Schlosskonzert prize, both third prize as well as the Critique's award in the Primer Palau Competition in Barcelona, and the first prize as well as the EMCY award in the Concurso Permanente competition of Jeunesses Musicales of Spain.

Hannah Morgan (clarinet)

Welsh clarinettist Hannah Morgan began the clarinet at the age of 9. At the age of 12 she began her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with Leslie Craven until she gained a place at the Royal College of Music in 2004. There Hannah received lessons from Janet Hilton and Tim Lines while having master classes from clarinettists such as Andrew Marriner, Pascal Maragues and Mark Van de Viel. In her third year she was accepted on the ERASMUS exchange course to study in the Vienna Hochschüle fur Dastellende Künst with Ernst Ottnesammer. Now Hannah is studying for her MMus on a Leverhulme scholarship at the RCM with Richard Hosford and Bob Hill.

As a soloist, Hannah has been awarded the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Award, the Ian Fleming Charitable Trust Award and the Countess of Munster Prize; she also won the Selmer Clarinet Prize in memory of Frederick Thurston. She premiered a concerto by Roma Cafolla with the RWCMD orchestra and recently has been selected as a Rising Star in the concert series in the Cadogan Hall.

As an ensemble player, Hannah has played in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Concertgebouw with orchestras including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, National Chamber Orchestra of Wales and the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands. This year she has been appointed principal clarinet in the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra and has also been selected for the RCM Orchestral Pathway, giving her the opportunity to play with the BBC Symphony orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.
(See her own website, www.glendowerduo.com.)

Antonio Oyarzabal (piano)

Antonio Oyarzabal was born in Bilbao in 1989, and started studying piano with Sor Cecilia Keller. Following her death, he continued studying under Leire Larrea, joining, soon after, the Leioa Municipal Conservatory. It was there that he obtained, under Guadalupe López-Castelo, his Intermediate Piano Degree as well as his Musical High School Diploma, completing high school with honors and obtaining the highest possible grade in piano.

He prepared for the access exam to the Bachelor's Degree and took it at three different places: ESMUC (Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña), High Conservatory of Navarra and Basque Country High School of Music, Musikene; he was admitted in the first place in all of them and therefore decided to study at Musikene. At this school he studied under the pianist and pedagogue Marta Zabaleta and under the pianist Miguel Borges. He also studied the contemporary soloist repertoire itinerary with the pianist Ricardo Descalzo. He recently finished the fourth and last year of his Bachelor's Degree at Musikene obtaining a Distinction grade. He also obtained, with the highest possible grade (10), the Intermediate Harpsichord Degree at the Francisco Escudero Conservatory of San Sebastián, under Professor Loreto Fdez Imaz.

He has also had classes with pianist Jorge Blasco, Monsieur Denis Pascal and the Armenian master Anahit Simonian, with whom he practises the free improvisation and improvisation with images in Paris. He undertook courses with professors such as Carles Guinovart, Carmen Martínez, Marisa Manchado, Laura Simó, Francesc Capella, Anahit Simonian, Denis Pascal and Josep Colom amongst others. He was congratulated by composers Elena Firsova, Karen Tanaka and Dmitri Smirnov for his performance of their works and has worked intensively with the great composers Ivan Fedele and Moritz Eggert.

As an orchestral member, he has played the piano in various occasions with JOL (Young Orchestra of Leioa) under the direction of Margarita Lorenzo de Reizábal, with Bilbao's Cathedral Orquestra under the direction of Óscar G Gasquet, and with the various symphonic groups of Musikene (Band, Sinfonietta and Orchestra) with directors Jose María Sánchez Verdú, Simone Bernardini, Pierre Cao, Miquel Rodrigo and Pascual Vilaplana.

As a chamber pianist, he played in a group at the great auditorium of the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao, and he is a member of the sextet A&M Sextuor, with which he played at the Kutxa Hall of San Sebastián and the Aiete Residence Hall. They also took part in the Quincena Musical of San Sebastián 2010. As a soloist, he played with JOL the 2nd movement of Ravel's Concierto en Sol, under the direction of Margarita Lorenzo de Reizábal and he performed a recital at St Peter's Church in Llodio (Álava).

He played Bach's Concertp for two harpsichords and orchestra in C minor with Guzmán Nieto, under the direction of A Sierra. In January 2011, he won the soloist contest (with orchestra) that took place at Musikene, and in May 2011 he played Poulenc's Concert for two pianos and orchestra with Charlie Badr and Musikene's Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of master Pierre Cao. He participated in several contests such as the where he achieved a 3rd place, or the Concours International d'Ile de France contest in Paris, where he achieved the second prize.

Nowadays, he studies his Postgraduate First year in Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Caroline Palmer. He is also receiving lessons from Noriko Ogawa, Laura Roberts, Eugene Asti, Carole Pressland, Nelly Ben-Or, David Dolan and Paul Roberts. Recently, he achieved the 4th Prize in Eastbourne Young Soloist Competition, the Principal Piano and Celeste place in YMSO orchestra and played Mozart 9th Piano Concerto as a soloist with JOL and Margarita Lorenzo.

The Idomeneo String Quartet

Formed in 2009, the Idomeneo Quartet currently holds the Chamber Music Fellowship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Already regarded as one of the most exciting young quartets on the music scene, the Idomeneos are studying under the tutelage of Rainer Schmidt in Basel. The Idomeneo Quartet have already held recitals in numerous concert venues all over Europe (Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Belgium) and extensively in the UK. This included concerts in the Barbican and Royal Festival Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Purcell Room and the Wigmore Hall. At the 54th Jeunesse Musicale course in Weikersheim, Germany, they were awarded the prize of 'the most convincing newcomer ensemble' by the Friends of the Jeunesse Musicale in Germany; their final concert was broadcast live on German radio to critical acclaim. The Quartet also won the Tunnell Trust Award with a concert tour of Scotland being part of the award. More recently, they have been selected as young artists for the Park Lane Group.
(See their own website, www.idomeneoquartet.com.)

Mark Derudder (violin)

Mark Derudder was born in Fukuoka (Japan) but moved to Belgium at the age of two and started playing the violin at the age of six. In 2002 he won first prize in the National Competition Axion Classics. In 2004 he won the Gold Medal at the Marlow Music Festival. At the Guildhall, he received the MBF Ian Fleming Charitable Trust Award and the Martin Musical Fund Award. Mark has performed as soloist and chamber musician in venues across the UK, Europe and the USA. He also held a Fellowship for two years at the Guildhall as a member of the Idomeneo String Quartet. Since 2012 he joined the Philharmonia Orchestra in London as a member of the first violin section.

Miguel Ángel Rodriguez Olivera (viola)

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez was born in Murcia, Spain, in 1989. He began playing viola at the age of 6, attended the Higher School of Music of the Basque Country, Musikene, where he graduated in 2011and continued his studies at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, in Limerick, where he took lessons from Bruno Giuranna. Miguel has worked with professors including Ashan Pillai, Yoram Youngerman, Karen Richster, Ettore Causa, Patinka Kopec, Pauline Sachse, Heime Muller, Casals Quartet and Tatjana Masurenko.

Miguel has been a member of both Murcia Youth Orchestra and Young National Orchestra of Spain, and is also a founding member of Camerata de Murcia. He has collaborated as well in several occasions with Orquestra de Cadaqués, and BandArt, conducted by Gordan Nikolic. As a soloist, Miguel has performed with Cartagena Chamber Orchestra, Murcia Conservatory Orchestra, and Moscow Soloists Youth Orchestra.

Miguel is currently studying towards a Master's Degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studies with Krzysztof Chorzelski, on a full scholarship kindly awarded by the Leverhulme Trust. Miguel joined the Idomeneo Quartet in 2012.

Viktor Stenhjem (violin)

Viktor Stenhjem, born 1989 in Norway, graduated from the Guildhall School in 2012, and currently pursues a Masters Degree with David Takeno at the Guildhall School, supported by the Guildhall School Trust. Viktor has performed as soloist with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Studentersamfundets Symfoniorkester and the Trondheim Junior Soloists on several occasions. Other important performances include a recital for the Norwegian Royal Family as well as a solo recital at the Winter Festival in Røros, 2010, where he also collaborated in chamber ensembles with performers such as Marianne Thorsen and Philippe Graffin. Viktor has appeared throughout Europe and in Argentina, China, Israel, Tanzania and Mozambique. He is a member of the London Symphony Orchestra String Scheme, violinist of the Idomeneo String Quartet, and finalist of the Princess Astrid Competition 2012.

Charlotte Stephenson (mezzo soprano)

Born in Manchester, Mezzo Soprano Charlotte Stephenson studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music's Opera course graduating in 2009. She is an Independent Opera Fellow and graduate of the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto.

Her roles whilst studying at the Royal Academy included Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Celia in La Fedelta Premiata'. Hänsel, Diana in La Calisto and Vava in and sang the Minsk Woman in Flight. Charlotte made her debut with Glyndebourne Touring Opera singing Valetto in L'incoronazione di Poppea and Annio in La Clemenza di Tito with English Touring Opera and Kate Pinkerton and Cousin in Mid Wales Opera Production of Madam Butterfly.

As a soloist, Charlotte has performed alongside conductors Trevor Pinnock, Colin Davis, Sian Edwards and Vladimir Jurowski with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. A Samling scholar she has sung at the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St Martin in the Fields, St John's Smith Square and the 2010 London Handel Festival. A keen recitalist Charlotte has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall, the Pump Room, Bath, The Handel Foundling Museum and Manchester University Lieder Festival. She is a regular soloist with Opera Interludes and London Festival Opera touring the UK and Central Europe, most recent performances include Mahler Das lied von der Erde at the Two Moors Festival, Carmen at the Royal Albert Hall for Raymond Gubbay and the roles of Carmen and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Venice and Seville.
(See their own website, www.charlotte-stephenson.com.)