Michael visits the Competition Preliminary Panel.
From left to right: Vesa-Matti Leppänen, Goetz Richter, Wilma Smith, Dmitri Atanassov, Justine Cormack and Michael Hill.
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| Photo: Supplied |
Born in 1970, Bulgarian violinist Dimitri Atanassov gave his first public performance at the age of six. After many years studying with professor Anna Ivanova, Dimitri, he continued his studies at the Prague Academy of Arts, under the guidance of professor Vaclav Snitil, completing his masters degree (graduating with honours) in 1994.
He has also participated in master classes with Alberto Lysy and Victor Liberman.
As soloist and chamber-musician, he has performed in Austria, Germany, Greece, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, Russia and Israel.
In New Zealand Dimitri has performed with some of New Zealand and Australia’s leading musicians, including the New Zealand String Quartet, The Goldner Quartet, Patricia Wright, Donald Armstrong, Deborah Wai Kapohe, Piers Lane (England),Roy Goodman (England), The Ogen trio and many others.
Dimitri is currently the Concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, a role to which he was appointed in 2005.
LEARN MORE ABOUT DMITRI ATANASSOV @ AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA.
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A graduate of the University of Canterbury, studying with Jan Tawroszevicz, Justine went on to complete a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory with Isadore Tinkleman and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook under Joyce Robbins and Mitchell Stern. She has taught violin at Wellington’s University of Victoria and from 2004-2010 she was a lecturer in performance violin at The University of Auckland, during which time NZTrio was also Ensemble in Residence for five years.
Over the years, Justine has been singled out for many awards, including a TVNZ Young Achievers Award, two QEII Arts Council Grants, a Fulbright Scholarship, and an NZSO Alex Lindsay Memorial Award and was runner up in the 1990 TVNZ Young Musicians’ competition.
LEARN MORE ABOUT JUSTINE CORMACK @ NZ TRIO.
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| Photo: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra |
At only 16 years of age, Vesa-Matti Leppänen won the prestigious Heinonen National Violin Competition for young violinists and the same year joined Concordo String Quartet, which went on to win a special prize at the 1989 Tulindberg International String Quartet Competition. These successes helped him to develop an active stage career as both soloist and chamber musician.
Since moving to New Zealand in 2000, Vesa-Matti Leppänen has toured the country as NZSO Concertmaster, soloist and chamber musician, working alongside internationally renowned soloists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Hillary Hahn, Gautier Capucon, Freddy Kempf and Lang-Lang. Leppänen has also performed as a featured soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony and Southern Sinfonia.
Vesa-Matti Leppänen led the NZSO on its European/Japanese Tour in 2005, which included an unforgettable performance at the BBC Proms and a solo performance of Takemitsu's 'Nostalghia' in Japan. He has also appeared as a guest Concertmaster for orchestras like the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Avanti! orchestra.
Vesa-Matti Leppänen is a featured artist with Naxos Records. His latest recording of Lyell Cresswell's work for violin and voice (with Madeleine Pierard) has won critical acclaim. He also teaches at the NZ School of Music and the Queenstown Violin Summer School and is a member of the jury for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition and the National Concerto Competition in Christchurch.
Vesa-Matti Leppänen performs on a Gennaro 'Januarius' Gagliano 1770 violin, on loan from Diessl Investments Ltd.
LEARN MORE ABOUT VESA-MATTI LEPPÄNEN @ NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
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| Photo: Supplied |
Richter performs regularly as a chamber musician throughout Australia, playing with ensembles such as Trio Novalis, Novalis Ensemble and the Sydney Schubert Ensemble and as a recitalist with pianist Jeanell Carrigan. In 2005 and 2006 he was a faculty member at the Euro Arts Festival in Leipzig. Goetz Richter is the artistic director of the Kendall National Violin Competition and a member of the Board of Directors of the Sydney Symphony. He has held tenured positions with many Australian orchestras: in 1985 Goetz Richter was appointed Concertmaster of the Queensland Theatre Orchestra, in 1986/87 he joined the Melbourne Symphony as associate principal 2nd violin and from 1987 until 2002 he was Associate Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony. During his tenure with the Sydney Symphony Goetz Richter developed a strong interest in orchestral governance and musicians' working conditions. He served as Vice-President and President of the Sydney Symphony's Musicians' Association and was a principal architect and negotiator of the musicians' enterprise agreement which introduced groundbreaking working conditions for orchestral musicians to Australia following the divestment of the Sydney Symphony from the ABC in 1996/7.
Born in Hamburg, Germany, Goetz Richter studied in Germany and Switzerland with Helmut Heller (Hamburg), Gerhart Hetzel (Munich), Max Rostal (Berne) and advanced solo performance with Artur Grummiaux and Riccardo Odnopossoff. He studied philosophy from 1990 until 2007 at Sydney University where he completed a first class B.A. Honours degree and a PhD on the philosophy of music.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GOETZ RICHTER @ SYDNEY CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC.
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| Photo: Supplied |
Concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2003, Wilma Smith combines her love of the symphonic repertoire with a busy chamber music life both in her adopted home of Melbourne and in New Zealand, where she was raised.
After leaving Fiji, her birthplace, as a small child, Wilma took all musical opportunities on offer in her new home of Auckland, New Zealand, culminating in study at Auckland University and early professional experience with the Auckland Symphonia (now Philharmonia) and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She then continued her studies in Boston at the New England Conservatory with the legendary Dorothy DeLay and Louis Krasner, playing in masterclasses for many others including Joseph Gingold, Yehudi Menuhin and Sandor Vegh.
She was founding first violinist of the Lydian String Quartet, prizewinners at Evian, Banff and Portsmouth International Competitions and winners of the Naumburg Award for Chamber Music. An opportunity to start the New Zealand String Quartet took her back to Wellington in 1987 and she was first violinist until her appointment as Concertmaster of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 1993. Prior to her departure for Melbourne the NZSO named her Concertmaster Emeritus.
Wilma has enjoyed a longstanding duo partnership with pianist, Michael Houstoun and since moving to Melbourne has formed the Munro/Smith/Berlin Trio with Ian Munro (piano) and David Berlin (cello). She regularly returns to New Zealand for chamber music collaborations including a recent series of concerts for the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington with Steven Isserlis (cello), Melvyn Tan (piano), Michael Houstoun (piano) and Carolyn Henbest (viola).
LEARN MORE ABOUT WILMA SMITH @ MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
