Young musicians
.. published in June
Patrick Prejean, USA
Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, Patrick Prejean first started his studies at age 8 at the Acadiana Conservatory. Prejean recalls his beginnings saying, “My mother was against me playing the viola initially. Her exact words were: Black people don’t play that instrument.” It was the spark needed to prove a point for him. Since then, he has gone on to graduate from Interlochen Arts Academy and has won orchestral positions with Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra, Firelands Symphony Orchestra and Acadiana Symphony Orchestra as their youngest member at age 18. In 2014, he moved to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Stanley Konopka. It was here that his interest in composition started to take root and subsequently his “String Quartet” was premiered at the request of former 2nd violinist of the Cleveland Quartet, Peter Salaff. Prejean plans to continue his pursuit of an orchestral position with a major orchestra and performing and composing contemporary music.
Nataliia Semenova, Ukraine
Nataliia was born in Kyiv in 2001. She has been practicing music for 16 years, during which time she has participated in various Ukrainian competitions, master classes and concerts. She has a Junior Specialist Diploma with Honours from R. Slier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music (2016-2020). Since September 2020 she has been studying at the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music with Professor Maria Pukhlianko. Here, in addition to the piano, Nataliia began to take an interest in the organ with Professor Galyna Bulybenko, which she has been playing for 3 years. In the fall of 2022 Nataliia entered Hochschule Luzern Musik in the class of Professor Konstantin Lifschitz. During this period several concerts were played in Switzerland and Germany. Nataliia now performs both chamber (violin/double bass duos) and solo repertoire, from the Baroque to the 21st century, but she admits that her favorite period is Romanticism and Post-Romanticism.
Hanna Myrvoda, Ukraine
I was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and I have been playing the violin since I was four years old. I started my musical path at the Art School in Kiev with the teacher Tatiana Purtseladze. Then I went to the Mykola Lysenko Specialized Music School in Kiev in Natalia Annenkova’s class. After successfully completing school, I continued my studies at the Petr Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music of Ukraine in the class of Professor Alexander Sprentzis. I took part in a master class of Prof. Qian Zhou from Singapore, where I gained important knowledge, and attended all kinds of master classes of other famous musicians. In 2022, I began my master’s degree at the Robert Schumann University of Music in Düsseldorf in the class of Professor Andrej Bielow. Currently I work in the orchestra of the Classical Philharmonic Orchestra of Bonn, and I actively perform in various orchestras, chamber music projects and as a soloist.
Marei Schibilsky, Germany
Marei Schibilsky is studying cello with Stephan Forck and Nicolas Altstaedt at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, Berlin. Before, she was musically educated at the Musikgymnasium Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach, Berlin. Marei worked with teachers such as Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Wen-Sinn Yang, Jens Peter Maintz, and she won various national and international competitions, for example the Dussmann Music Competitions 2019 and 2020, the 2nd International Music Competition, “Musica Goritiensis” and the Harald Genzmer Interpretations Competition 2022. In 2022 Marei founded the Bernstein Trio and played numerous chamber music concerts, for example at the Rheingau Musik Festival 2023. At the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb 2024 the Bernstein Trio won a scholarship of the concert funding program of the DMVV and a special prize. As cellist of the Sappho Quartett, Marei also won the 3rd prize of the Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy Hochschulewettbewerb 2024.
Melody Lagache, France
Major prize winner of the Vatelot Rampal competition in 2015, the Max Jost foundation in 2019 and first prize winner at the Prix d’Europe competition in 2018, Melody had the opportunity to play as a soloist with various orchestra works such as Vivaldi,, Paganini, Bach and Kreisler. She was a member of the Orchestre des Jeunes d’Ile-de-France from 2017 to 2019 and since 2022 of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchestra. She has also worked with Danish orchestras, and for the season 2023/2024 Melody is joining the Malmö Symfoniorkester on a tutti second violin contract. Melody studied with José Alvarez at the CRD d’Aulnay-sous-Bois, CMA 13 and CRR of Paris and then Cyril Ghestem at the CRR of Boulogne-Brillancourt. In 2021 she obtained her bachelor’s degree at the HEMU in Lausanne,, class of Svetlana Makarova. In June 2023, she graduated with a master’s degree in performance at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, class of Eszter Haffner.
David Goltsev, Germany
My name is David Goltsev, and I started cello at the age of 6 with my great grandmother, Svetlana Savytska, and am currently studying at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Media, Hannover with Thomas Schmitz. From 2015-2022 I took lessons with professor of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hamburg, Clemens Malich where I gained a lot of musical experience, such as being part of the Felix-Mendelsohn youth orchestra in 2017, and part of the Moses-Mendelsohn Chamber Orchestra. From 2021-2022 I was the principal of the Mendelsohn Jugend Orchester and had the opportunity to play an encore with the concertmaster and pianist, Rudolf Buchbinder at the hall of the Elbharmonie in 2022. During 2019-2021 I received a scholarship of the Initiative Jugend Kammermusik where I gained a lot of chamber music experience by participation in various concerts in Hamburg as well as participation in various competitions.
Astrid Hillerud, Sweden
Astrid Hillerud, born 2000, began to play the cello at the age of 4. Born and raised in a musical family in Stockholm, she began her musical studies at Lilla Akademien in Stockholm with Mrs Elisabeth Lysell Bjermkvist and continued later with Prof. Ola Karlsson. Ola Karlsson. She fishished her bachelor studies at Edsbergs Musikinstitut with cellist Jakob Koranyi and is now a student of Prof. Torleif Thedéen at the Norwegian Academy of Music and Erkki Lahesmaa at Sibelius Academy. Astrid is a keen chamber-musician and has performed as soloist and as a chamber musician in Finland and Scandinavia and she has met teachers and musicians from all over the world. Her latest involvements include Copenhagen Summer Festival 2023, and she also appears as substitute in orchestras in Nordic countries, among others the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Autumn 2023 included a soloist performance of Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Collegium Musicum in Turku, Finland.
Cassandra Andrea Juul, Denmark
Cassandra Andrea Juul recently finished her master’s degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with Professor Tim Frederiksen. Before that she studied with guest professor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and Professor Eszter Haffner. Cassandra is an active freelance musician and in recent years she has been an assistant in Danish symphony orchestras as well as leader in Orkester Norden on its summer tour of Denmark and Iceland. She is an eager chamber musician and has participated in Danish Radio P2 Chamber Music Competition with her former piano quartet. Cassandra is a former prize winner in Jacob Gades Violinkonkurrence and Berlingske Klassiske Musikkonkurrence, and has received the DMF talent prize at Unge Spiller Klassisk. She has also taken classes and solo master classes with among others Serguei Azizian, Joseph Swensen, Gerhard Schulz, Andrej Bielow, Bård Monsen, Ole Böhm and Odin Rathnam.
Sungeon Bae, South Korea
Sungeon Bae completed her education at Seoul Arts High School in South Korea and earned her bachelor’s degree at the “Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf” in Germany. She has engaged in numerous masterclasses and specialization courses with teachers such as Eugenly Chevkenov, Eric Crambes, Chee-Yun Kim, Lucie Robert, Soo-Vin Kim, Daniel Kossov, So-Jin Kim, Peter Schuhmayer, David Yonan, Jan Bjøranger, and Krzysztof Wegrzyn. Her concert engagements have taken her to diverse venues in South Korea, Vietnam, the United States, and Germany, where she performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. Currently, she is pursuing a master’s degree at the “Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf” under the guidance of Andrej Bielow.
Iora Kama, Japan
Born in Japan, she began playing the violin at the age of 5. After she studied with Prof. Koichiro Harada in Japan, she moved to Germany, studied in Köln and completed her bachelor with top marks with Prof. Heime Müller at the Musikhochschule Lübeck. She is currently studying at the Berlin University of the Arts with Erika Geldsetzer. Iora is a prizewinner of competitions such as Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition, Osaka International Music Competition and as a soloist she performed with several orchestras in Japan. She is an enthusiastic chamber musician, as primera of the string quartet she won the 2nd prize at the chamber music competition at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and played numerous concerts in Germany and Spain. She also founded the Fiony Duo and won several competitions, The Luigi Nono International Chamber Music Competition in Italy, the IImari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition in Finland and the International Competition “Annarosa Taddei” in Rome, Italy.
Valerii Lesho, Ukraine
Born in Uzhhorod in 2001. In 2017 entered the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music named after R. M. Glier in the class of Lidia Kovtyukh, graduated in 2021. Currently a 3rd-year student at the National Music Academy of Ukraine, in the class of Honored Artist of Ukraine Maria Puhlyanko and the chamber ensemble class of Natalia Vodoleeva. Performed with the Student Symphony Orchestra of the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music named after R. M. Glier, NCE «Kyiv Soloists», Honored Academic Symphony Orchestra of Ukrainian Radio. Laureate of the 1st prize of KyivSmartPiano (2021), UKE – PIANO (2023) and VI open competition – ICM (2021).
Arjun Ganguly, Netherlands
Arjun Ganguly is a cellist, currently studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen, with Toke Møldrup. Arjun was born to German and Indian parents but spent the majority of his childhood in the Netherlands. During this time, Arjun studied cello with Monique Bartels and was in the young talent programme of the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Arjun later moved to London, where he did a double degree in Physics and Music and studied with Jakob Kullberg at the Royal College of Music. Arjun regularly performs with chamber ensembles and with orchestras and has performed as a soloist.
LAiKA Quartet, Denmark
LAiKA Quartet is a young and dedicated string quartet, based in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. The four musicians met each other at the academy and soon formed a quartet. The quartet receives daily tuition from Fredrik Sjölin, cellist in Den Danske Strygekvartet. The quartet was formed in 2022 and since then has participated in masterclasses with among others Dover Quartet, Frederik Øland, Gunvor Sihm and Claus Myrup. Furthermore, the quartet has built up a versatile repertoire which they have performed at various concerts in the Copenhagen area and at competitions. For the musicians spreading an understanding of music is very important. The quartet strives to present a wide musical spectrum for the audience, including unknown and well known, new as well as older music, for instance through composers as Beethoven and Rued Langgaard, and through folk music, which the quartet is very fond of.
Elene Meipariani, Germany
Elene Meipariani began violin studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart at the age of 10, mentored since then by Prof. C. Busch, Prof. P. Mitchell, and Prof. T. Becker-Bender. She has won national and international prizes, including the Tomastik-Infeld Vienna Foundation Prize at the Knopf Competition Düsseldorf and the third prize at the TONALi Competition. Her trio “Trio E.T.A.” won the German Music Competition 2021. Elene Meipariani has performed in prestigious venues like the Rheingau Musikfestival and collaborated with renowned artists like Lisa Batiashvili. Notable recordings include debut CDs with her Trio E.T.A. for the Genuin label. She has also been featured in several radio productions, and since 2023, she has been showcased as SWR2 New Talent. She is a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes. Elene plays a 1740 Domenico Montagnana violin on loan from the Rudolf Eberle Foundation.
Megumi Fujita, Japan
Megumi Fujita graduated from Kyoto City University of the Arts and Kyoto Horikawa Music High School in Japan, and is currently studying with Prof. Andrej Bielow at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf. Previously she studied as an exchange student for one semester at the Freiburg University of Music. She participated in many orchestral projects, had experiences as a concertmaster and a section leader of the second violin. She also had experience as an academist of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. She has played several chamber music concerts as well as orchestral concerts.
Tze Hin Kelvin Ng, Hong Kong
Tze Hin Kelvin Ng, a talented violinist from Hong Kong, has performed at prestigious venues globally, recently performing in London at the Royal Albert Hall. His orchestral experience includes collaborations with renowned ensembles in Hong Kong and opportunities to work with esteemed conductors such as Edward Gardner and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. He is passionate about chamber music, which was recently showcased in performances at Wigmore Hall. He also participated in the Schiermonnikoog Festival with Marc Danel. Kelvin graduated with first-class honoours from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is currently based in London, pursuing an M.A. in Violin Performance at the Royal Academy of Music. Here he has benefited from coaching by acclaimed musicians, including Rachael Podger and masterclasses with violinists Rodney Friend and Pavel Vernikov. Kelvin will begin his Artist Diploma at the Royal College of Music this coming fall.
Emanuel John C. Villarin, the Philippines
Filipino violinist Emanuel John C. Villarin has been studying at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin under the tutelage of Prof. Eva-Christina Schönweiss since 2022. As an active participant in several local and international competitions, his achievements include 1st prize in the 2020 National Music Competitions for Young Artists, 1st prize in the 2021 New York Young Performers Prize, laureate in the 2021 Chicago Violin Competitions for Young Artists and Silver Award at the 2021 Singapore Raffles International Music Competition. He is a member of the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra where he was appointed concertmaster in 2021, and in 2022 he graduated with honours from the Philippine High School for the Arts. As a soloist in the Philippines he has performed with the Manila Symphony Orchestra , the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also received masterclasses strengthening his training as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician.
Nicole Biegniewska, Sweden
Nicole Biegniewska is a Swedish classical violinist. At the young age of 20, she’s already made a name for herself on the classical music scene of the younger generation. For over a decade she has charmed the audience with her strong charisma and stage presence. Her solo debut took place when she was a 9-year-old girl with Bråviken Symphony Orchestra. She received public recognition in Sweden after performing works by Niccolò Paganini at numerous concerts and competitions. Paganini’s compositions continue to hold a central place in Nicole’s repertoire, reflecting her unwavering dedication to mastering his mesmerizing pieces. x Nicole has been elected as the Polar Star Violinist by the esteemed Polar Star Prize in Sweden. Nicole Biegniewska has been called “one of Sweden’s most promising violinists” and has been praised for her passion, expression, charm and virtuosity.
Karina Kaluga, Ukraine
I studied at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine and received a master’s degree. I am currently studying for a Postgraduate Art Studies degree. I am a winner of national and international festivals and competitions. I work at the Department of Special Piano at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine and at the Tchaikovsky International Academy of Music and Arts at Hengshui University as a teacher.
Anastasia Chesnokova, Ukraine
Anastasia Chesnokova was born in Kyiv. Graduated from the R. Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music (Master’s Degree). Currently, she is a Creative Postgraduate Student at the Department of Special Piano at the National Music Academy of Ukraine, Professor Maria Pukhlianko. She has participated in masterclasses with François-René Duchâble, Natacha Kudritskaya and Oxana Yablonskaya. Anastasia is actively involved in performing and creative activities, giving solo recitals, playing with orchestras, working as an accompanist, participating in the ‘Pianist’s Orchestra’ project and performing in various chamber ensembles. Additionally, she is a piano teacher at the College of R.Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music. In recent years, she has been actively promoting contemporary music by Ukrainian composers in collaboration with violist Oleksandr Sviet. Anastasia is a laureate of national and international competitions.
Oleksandr Sviet, Ukraine
Oleksandr Sviet was born in Kyiv. He graduated his Master’s Degree from the R. Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music. He is currently pursuiong an assistantship at the String Department of the National Music Academy of Ukraine. He has performed with leading orchestras in Ukraine, including New Era Orchestra, Artehata, Pop-Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Kyiv Chamber Orchestra chamber orchestra ‘Kyiv Camerata’ and ensemble ‘Kyiv Soloists’. He is actively engaged in creative activities as a soloist, performances with orchestras, as a member of quartets and in vaarious chamber ensembles. Now he is an artist of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine and teaches viola and quartets at the R. Glier Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music.
Stefan Cholakov, Denmark
Stefan is a young violist with a great passion for classical music. He was born and raised in Bulgaria and started playing the violin as a seven-year-old. At the age of 11 he moved to Denmark and continued his violin studies with among others Kristoffer Dolatko and Bodil Rørbech. Now he has discovered the viola and in August he will start at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Prof. Claus Myrup. Claus Myrup is Stefan’s first viola teacher, and they have worked together for about a year. Stefan finds great enjoyment in music, both solo and chamber music.
