Tag Archives: Academy

CELLO – Roger Morelló Ros (Young String Musicians Academy Mainz)

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

Teachers:

© Pau Fabregat

Roger Morelló Ros (b. Catalonia 1993) is a committed, expressive, and highly imaginative cellist with a remarkable ability to connect with his audience, serving as a communicative bridge between creator, creation, and listener. He creates performances that convey passion, authenticity, and spontaneity, captivating both audiences and organizers in prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie Berlin, the Suzhou Bay Grand Theater in China, Palau de la Música Catalana or Casa Milà (Gaudí’s building in Barcelona), where he was an Artist in Residence during the 2018/19 season.  

Winner of more than 30 grants and prizes in competitions, Morelló’s solo career has led to collaborations with numerous orchestras  – most notably the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been invited to important festivals such as Verbier Festival, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Rheinhessen Musikfestival (Artist in Residence 2024) or the Schumannfest Düsseldorf, to name just a few. 

He recently released the album The Voice of Casals in homage to Pau Casals, a careful and precise work, brimming with life and emotion — a delicate balance that Morelló masterfully achieves in both his recordings and performances, as highlighted by critics. Additionally, he has released Schumann goes Tango (Austrian Gramophone, 2022), and Founders Trio (Hänssler Classic, 2024) which premiered in Florida.

He studied with David Blay and Damian Martínez in Spain, before moving to Germany to pursue a Master’s and a Soloist-Diploma with Maria Kliegel at the University of Music in Cologne, graduating with honors and with the financial support of the Humboldt Foundation, Deutschlandstipendium, and the Güell Scholarship. 

Roger Morelló is regularly invited to give masterclasses (Berkeley School, Music Festival Salut Taiwan, Vila-seca Conservatory of Music – Spain, Jiangxi Arts Center Grand Theatre – China) and is a professor at the Streicherakademie Mainz (Mainz University of Music). His performances have been broadcast by the BBC, Spain’s National Radio, German broadcasters (WDR, SWR, NDR), and Belgium’s RTBF – Musiq3, among others.

© Neda Navaee

André Dolabella was born in Belo Horizonte (Brazil). He began his piano studies in 1995 with Professor Robério Molinari, and in 2000 he moved to Professor Frédéric Meinders. From 2002 to 2008, André Dolabella completed his diploma and master’s degree in piano with Prof. Solter at the Karlsruhe University of Music with the highest marks.
André Dolabella has received numerous awards, including the 2000 “Arnaldo Estrella” competition in Minas Gerais, the “Young Soloists OSPA” in Porto Alegre, the 2001 “Franz Liszt National Piano Competition” in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro and the 2003 “Guiomar Novaes” competition in Sao Paulo. In Germany, he won the 2003 KulturFonds Baden e.V. competition and received a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Association in Karlsruhe. In the same year, André Dolabella won the Büttner Piano Competition.

From 2009 to 2013, Dolabella was a member of the ensemble at the Hanover State Opera as a répétiteur with conducting duties. As a soloist, he has given concerts with various orchestras, including: Minas Gerais State Orchestra, Porto Alegre State Orchestra, Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra, Lower Saxony State Orchestra Hanover, Hastings Philharmonic. Dolabella also devotes himself to chamber music and song accompaniment and has performed in numerous cities in Brazil, Italy, Spain, Finland, Greece, England and Germany. Dolabella is a lecturer at the Nuremberg and Mainz University of Music for string accompaniment.

MARIMBA/PERCUSSION – Francisco Manuel Anguas Rodríguez (University of Music and Drama Rostock)

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

Teacher:

© Neda Navaee

Francisco Manuel Anguas Rodríguez was born in Seville, Spain in 1990. After com- pleting his bachelor’s degree at the Royal Conservatory of Music Victoria Eugenia in Granada, he began his master’s degree at the Rostock University of Music and Theater with Henrik M. Schmidt, Torsten Schönfeld, and Jan Frederick Behrend. In 2015 he studied at the Toho University in Tokyo at the invitation of the marimba legend Keiko Abe.

Already during his studies he performed in the Philharmonisches Orchester Vorpommern, serving as principal percussionist in 2016/2017 and principal timpanist in 2017/2018. He gained professional experience as an orchestral musician with the Staatskapelle Berlin and at the Komische Oper Berlin.

From 2015 to 2019 he worked at the Bayreuth Festival. His passion for historical performance practice brought him to international concert stages as principal timpanist with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. As a chamber musician, he is always searching for new tonal colors and combinations.

At his concerts with the Ukrainian Piano Duo Chipak-Kushnir and Elbtonal Percussion, he captivates his audience with his natural approach and his musicality. He is the winner of numerous competitions, including the Ian Murray Competition and the 2008 Ciutat de Llíria Percussion Competition in Llíria, Spain.

PIANO and CHAMBER MUSIC – Tomoko Ogasawara (University of Music Freiburg)/Matthias Ranft

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

After studying at the State University of the Arts in Tokyo where she was born, the pianist Tomoko Ogasawara continued her studies in Germany at the University of the Arts in Berlin and the University of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau, where she received the solo diploma with honors and went on to win 1st Prize in the German Hochschulwettbewerb.

Among her teachers were Georg Sava, Tibor Hazay and Georgy Sebok who influenced her artistic development and led her to early success, for example as finalist in the international competitions “Maria Canals” / Barcelona and “ Clara Haskil” / Montreux.

Since then concert engagements have taken Tomoko Ogasawara to the concert halls of the international music world (such as Berlin, Montreux, London, Paris, Tokyo, Jerusalem, Bangkok, Shanghai). She has played concerts together with Albrecht Mayer, Jörg Widmann and Tabea Zimmermann and regularly plays with the principals and leading musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra and the SWR Orchestra also in the context of chamber music formations, such as the piano trio “Franconia”, the ensemble “Abraxas” and at international festivals such as “Affinis” in Japan.

As soloist Tomoko Ogasawara has played, among others, with the Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Bad Reichenhall Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Bamberg. She is featured in numerous radio broadcasts as well as CD recordings. In the season 2006/2007 Ogasawara performed the complete cycle of piano sonatas by W. A. Mozart.

Currently Tomoko Ogasawara passes on her musical experience through the teaching position she holds at the University of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau as well as regular master classes in Tokyo and Yokohama. Students of hers have won prizes in both national and international competitions.

The Hamburg born Matthias Ranft received his first cello at the age of seven and while still in high school he started studying at the Conservatory of Music Arthur Troester. His musical education lead him to Freiburg with Christoph Henkel and then later after winning scholarships from the DAAD and the Cultural Society of German Industry he went to study with Janos Starker in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Before his graduating from the Conservatory in Freiburg he had already collected Orchestra experience between 1981 and 1983 as solo cello with the Hofer Symphony and won the 1984 Mendelsson Competition in Berlin.

Since 1985 Ranft has been the first cellist with the Bamberg Symphony/ Bayerish State Philharmonic. On the side he takes regular part in international festivals such as Affinis in Japan. He also concertizes as a chamber musician with the ensemble ABRAXAS, Trio FRANCONIA,  with Jörg Widmann, and with Frank Peter Zimmermann among others. He has also played as soloist under Gilbert Varga, Roger Norrington, Adam Fischer, Lawrence Renes and Jonathan Nott.
His musical accomplishments are shown through countless radio and CD recordings. He has shared his musical experience as a docent at the Freiburg Conservatory from 2001-2004 and at masterclasses throughout Japan. Matthias Ranft plays on a Giovanni Grancino cello from 1695. 

PIANO/PIANO DUO – Piano Duo Chipak-Kushnir (University of Music and Drama Rostock)

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

Teachers:

© Neda Navaee

When Olha Chipak and Oleksiy Kushnir first met in 1998 while studying at the Lviv Music Academy in Ukraine, they could not have imagined where their musical partnership would take them. What they certainly knew, however, was that from that point on they would not only pursue a career as solo artists but also devote themselves to an equal degree to performing chamber music. They soon won their first international competition together (“Roma 98”), but the piano duo—like Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter she is from the legendary music metropolis Odessa on the Black Sea, he from the cultural melting pot of Lviv, where the first music conservatory in the Ukraine was founded as early as 1786—sought more than recognition by juries.

Thus their path as a duo took them to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock where they majored in piano duo performance with Hans-Peter and Volker Stenzl and in 2006 completed their degree in piano ensemble performance (concert exam – Konzertexamen).

The two have since begun to work at the institution as docents for piano and piano duo.

The duo has won numerous international competitions:

1st prize – Rom-98 (international competition)

2nd prize – TIM (Torneo Internazionale di Musica) (2000)

2nd prize – Chamber music competition in Caltanissetta (2000)

1st prize – “Premio Seiler“ in Palermo (2002)

2nd prize – “Palma d’Oro“ in Finale Ligure (2002)

1st prize – Piano duo competition in Bialystok (Poland) (2002)

1st prize – “Piano duo in 20th century“ (Premio Valentino Bucchi) (2003)

2nd prize – Dranoff International Two Piano Competition in Miami (2003)

1st prize – San Marino Piano competition (2006)

Winners of the International Web Concert Hall Competition (2012)

Success at these competitions led to concert performances at important venues in many European countries, the U.S., and China as well as guest performances at festivals such as the Festival “Virtuosi”(Ukraine), the Piano Festival in Trieste (Italy), the “Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern”. The artistry of the duo is documented in recordings for NDR (North German Radio), BR-Classic (Bayern Radio) and television and radio recordings in the Ukraine, Poland and San Marino.

www.chipak-kushnir.de

Theaterbus: „Hänsel und Gretel“ am Staatstheater Mainz

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |
© Falko Hönisch

Der zweite Theaterbus der Internationalen Musikakademie Sankt Goar führt in diesem Jahr am 2. Adventssonntag wieder an das Staatstheater Mainz:

Hänsel und Gretel

Wohl kaum eine Oper wird so sehr mit der Weihnachtszeit assoziiert, wie dieses Meisterwerk des Komponisten Engelbert Humperdinck, der auch einige Jahre seines Lebens im Oberen Mittelrheintal, um genau zu sein, in Boppard verbracht hat.

Was die Presse (AZ, Wiesbadener Kurier) über diese Inszenierung sagt:

„Wie Regisseur Erik Raskopf in seiner feinsinnigen Ausgestaltung von Hänsel und Gretel charakterstarke Sänger, romantische Klangteppiche, aufwendige Masken und Kostüme und magische Wälder in Engelbert Humperdincks Märchenklassiker zusammenschmilzt, überzeugt auf ganzer Linie.“

Was Zuschauer sagen:

„Wir haben die Aufführung gestern gesehen. Das Orchester und die Darsteller waren durch die Bank weg in glänzender Spiellaune und haben uns von der Ouvertüre an verzaubert.“

„Wir haben die Aufführung heute gesehen und die war wirklich super; die Schauspieler top (vor allem Hänsel und der Vater, weil ich mich mit den am meisten identifizieren kann).“

Einen ersten kleinen Eindruck über die Inszenierung am Staatstheater Mainz erhalten Sie auch hier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dbI_nULIJg

PIANO – Prof. Benjamin Moser (Lucerne UASA)

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

Teacher: 

Benjamin Moser came to international attention in June 2007 as a prizewinner in the prestigious Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, in which he received the prize for the best interpretation of Tchaikovsky, as well as the audience prize. In January of that year he also won first prize in the International Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York, as well as eight additional special prizes and recitals in, among other venues, Paris (Gulbenkian Centre), Washington (Kennedy Centre) and New York (Carnegie Zankel Recital Hall).

Since then, Benjamin has performed regularly, both in solo recital, and as soloist with orchestra. These performances include the Tchaikvsky concerto at the Dubrovnik Festival, concertos by Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt and Tchaikovsky in the Munich Herkulesaal and in the Alte Oper Frankfurt with the Munich Symphony Orchestra. He performed Rachmaninov’s Paganini Variations with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He played Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie under Andris Nelsons. He has also played this concerto in the Tonhalle Zurich, with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic with conductor Wojciech Rajski, and for the Marienbad Chopin Festival. In addition, he has played concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Grieg and Rachmaninov and recitals with works by Bach through to contemporary composers throughout the US and in Argentina, Germany, England, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

As guest performer, Benjamin Moser has been invited to many important festivals, including the Bodensee Festival, the Alpenklassik Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Klavierfestival Ruhr (to which he was reinvited six times), and to the YCA chamber music festival in Tokyo and Beijing. 

Concerts in 2015 included 6 Mozart concertos in Japan, the Mozart double concerto with the MDR Radio Orchestra and several others. In March 2016 he played his solo debut recital at the London Wigmore Hall. He also enjoys playing chamber music. He has played several concerts with various ensembles, collaborating with highly-regarded soloists such as Nicolas Altstaedt, Julian Steckel and his brother, Johannes Moser. 

In 2009 Benjamin made his debut recording with a CD of Russian piano music (with works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Medtner and Prokofiev) with Munich-based label OehmsClassics, to critical acclaim. His second CD with French piano music by Debussy and Ravel was released in 2012, again through OehmsClassics and received excellent reviews. His third album with the final sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert was released in spring 2015 under the AvI Classics label and received rave reviews (among them the Supersonic Award by Pizzicato magazine). His newest CD with works by Gershwin, Wild and Mussorgskij was released in May 2019. 

He recorded Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Bamberg Symphony for the Bavarian radio. Many of his concerts have been recorded by radio stations, by the BR, SWR, RBB, Deutschlandfunk, Radio WQXR New York among others.

The young pianist, born in 1981 in Munich, hails from a family of musicians. He commenced his studies as a teenager at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich with Professor Michael Schäfer, before continuing with Professor Klaus Hellwig at the Universität der Künste Berlin.He was also greatly inspired by his work with Dimitry Bashkirov, Fu Tsong, Stanislav Ioudenitch and since 2012 Alfred Brendel in London. During his studies in Berlin he won first prize in the Artur-Schnabel piano competition in Berlin and in 2003 he was a recipient of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes’ scholarship. In 2005 he received the Steinway Prize Berlin. He was also a recipient of scholarships from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and the Deutsche Musikrat. 

Since March 2019 Benjamin has been teaching his own piano class as a professor at the Lucerne UASA in Switzerland.

ART SONG “Conteporary Music is not dissonant per se”- Prof. Hendrik Bräunlich (University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy” Leipzig)

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

Teacher:

Hendrik Bräunlich, was born in Leipzig. Prof. Bräunlich’s pianistic talent, as well as his general involvement in music have been nurtured since early childhood.

From 1986 to 1992 he studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater (Music Conservatory) “Felix Mendelssohn Bertholdy” in Leipzig with emphasis on vocal accompaniment, piano solo and instrumental accompaniment.  There, under the tutelage of Maestro Eugen Wangler, he developed a love for the singing voice, and a passion for accompanying it.

From 1992 to 1997 he studied song interpretation in the postgraduate program at the same conservatory with Lied professor and mentor Prof. Karl-Peter Kammerlander,  During this same period he was given the opportunity to work privately with Charles Spencer, with whom he studied most extensively, and Prof. Hartmut Höll – both great lied interpreters. In addition, he accompanied master classes of well-known singers such as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Peter Schreier, Thomas Hampson and Jakob Stämpfli.  Mr. Stämpli, impressed with his work, invited him to accompany a master class in Sion (Suisse) during the Tibor Varga Festival.

Prof. Bräunlich’s success at the Varga Festival as well as his association with other famous artists led to additional invitations to accompany international singing competitions  such as the Schumann in Zwickau and the Bach in Leipzig. Charles Spencer used his influence to introduce Mr. Bräunlich to world-renowned mezzo-soprano, Christa Ludwig, with whom he became associated for many years – accompanying her master classes in Gumpoldskirchen near Vienna, Wiener Musikverein, Villecroze in France and a national conference of German-speaking singing teachers in Halle/Saale,) to name a few.

Prof. Bräunlich’s accompanying skills were indeed also acknowledged by the fact that he himself became a prize-winner: in 1993 he won the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Prize in Berlin,  and in the same year, the accompanying prize at the International Singing Competition in Tauberbischofsheim. In 1994 he received an award at the International Brahms Singing Competition in Hamburg, and in the 1997 Deutscher Musikwettbewerb awarded him a scholarship. In 1998 he was prize-winner at the first International Hilde Zadek Singing Competition in Passau.

The attention generated by these German music competitions enabled Prof. Bräunlich to start a concert career.  It also resulted in repeated invitations to accompany the above-mentioned competitions and master classes.

Prof. Bräunlich has recorded for all major German broadcasters. He has also participated in various CD projects, including the first recording of Lieder by Georg Göhler.  Other CD recordings include “Hausmusik bei Schumanns” with the Calmus Vocal Ensemble Leipzig, and the award-winning CD of the clarinetist Nicola Jürgensen.

In 1992 Prof. Bräunlich was offered a permanent full-time teaching position at the Leipzig Conservatory; the association with this institution continues to this day.  The pedagogical commitment he has to his students, and his support of their individual development is obviously enriched by his personal history of performing and accompanying.

In 2005, under the auspices of the ERASMUS exchange program, he was invited – together with Leipzig Conservatory Voice Prof. Dr. Jeanette Favaro-Reuter – to participate in coaching Lieder of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy at the Royal College of Music in London. During this period he also tought during the  Leipzig Summer Courses of Puccini’s “Tosca” as well as master classes of clarinettist Allan Key and Prof. Dr. Favaro-Reuter.

Over the last years Prof. Bräunlich has offered classes, free of charge, at the Leipzig Conservatory with primary emphasis on Piano Lied literature of the 20th and 21st centuries. He has offered addition classes on topics such as “Robert Schumann´s Lieder” and “Claude Debussy´s Lieder and Chants”.

His involvement with 20th and 21st century Lied has led Prof. Bräunlich to an even greater concentration on contemporary music. In 2022, together with soprano Lisa Fornhammar, he developed a special New Music Program. The theme for the 2023/24 session is “New Music is not per se dissonant”.

Foyer Concert: „His name ought not to be Bach, but Ocean.“

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

Latvian pianist Georg Kjurdian presents in this concert parts of his recently published CD. 

Amongst other pieces, the program includes works for the piano solo composed by J.S. Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner and Anton Webern.

Foyerkonzert: Mozarts Leben – Ein Vortrag mit Musik

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |
Roman Salyutov

Pianist und Dirigent Roman Salyutov referiert mit launigen Texten und musikalischen Beispielen am Flügel über W.A. Mozart. Musikinteressierte können auf diese Weise Einblicke in das Leben eines der wichtigsten Komponisten der Klassik erhalten.

Theaterbus: „Die Eroberung von Mexico“ am Staatstheater Mainz

Falko Hönisch Falko Hönisch |

© Falko Hönisch

Ein neues Angebot macht die Internationale Musikakademie Sankt Goar und initiiert erstmalig einen Theaterbus, der die Menschen aus dem Oberen Mittelrheintal bequem zu Oper- und Musiktheateraufführungen in der näheren und weiteren Umgebung bringen wird.

Zu außergewöhnlichen Angeboten an verschiedenen Theatern und Opernhäusern, die erlebenswert sind, organisiert die Musikakademie zusätzlich zu den im Oberen Mittelrheintal stattfindenden Konzerten, entsprechende Theaterfahrten.

Zum Anfang dieses neuen Projekts, das das Leben und Wohnen im Oberen Mittelrheintal noch lebenswerter gestalten soll, wird mit einer zeitgenössischen Oper ein besonders mutiger Aufschlag gemacht:

Am 2. April 2023 geht es ins Staatstheater Mainz zur letzten Aufführung der von der Presse umjubelten Produktion „Die Eroberung von Mexico“ von Wolfgang Rihm, in der auch der Leiter der Internationalen Musikakademie Sankt Goar, Falko Hönisch, zu erleben ist.