COMPETITION 2016
Our Laureates
STEFANO ANDREATTA
Italy
- 1° Prize “Città di Sacile”
- Special Prize “Concert tour”
- Special Prize “Cd recording”
- Special Prize KNS CLASSICAL
YEJIN NOH
South Korea
- 2° Prize
RUBEN KOZIN
Russia
- 3° Prize
Special Prizes
Special Prize “Luciano Gante”
– NOT ASSIGNED –
Special Prize “Lya De Barberiis”
STEFANO ANDREATTA
Italy
Special prize “CEI-InCE”
MARIIA IUDENKO
Ukraine
Special prize “Chopin”
– NOT ASSIGNED –
Special prize “Maria Puxeddu”
EX AEQUO
STEFANO ANDREATTA
Italy
YUXING CHEN
China
Special prize “F.I.D.A.P.A”
YEJIN NOH
South Korea
Jury
Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak
The celebrated Slovenian pianist Dubravka Tomšič enjoys “something of a cult status among pianophiles” (Gramophone Magazine), with performances that convey “heroic power and Olympian vision” (Los Angeles Times) as well as “splendour, drama, passion, poetry, and subtlety” (Boston Globe). The only protégé of legendary pianist Arthur Rubenstein, who considered her “a perfect and marvellous pianist”, she gave her first public recital at age five and later embarked on an international career that took her to five continents, performing more than 5000 concerts to date. Over the course of her career, Ms. Tomšič has been heard in recitals at major halls of Munich, Tokyo, Berlin, Prague, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Budapest, Madrid, Amsterdam, London and Rome and at the international festivals of Dubrovnik, Vienna, Prague, Naples, Dresden, Paris, Mexico City, Joliette (Canada), Gilmore, Newport, Tanglewood, and Mostly Mozart in New York City. Equally in demand as a soloist with orchestra, she has appeared with the Vienna Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, Czech Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Symphony, Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg, Dresden Staatskapelle, Moscow State Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Mexico City Philharmonic and the symphonies of Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco and the major orchestras of Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide). More than 90 recordings of recital works and piano concertos released since 1987 attest to Dubravka Tomšič’s status as major recording artist. In 2003, she won the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque of the Franz Liszt Society in Budapest for her album on the IPO label, featuring an all-Liszt program that includes the B minor Sonata. She can be heard on Vox Classics, Koch International and other labels. She has collaborated with other conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Hans Graf, Bernard Haitink, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Rudolf Kempe, Neemi Jaarvi, Herbert Blomstedt, John Pritchard, Edo de wart, Carlos Miguel Prieto, among many more. Ms. Tomšič began her studies at the Ljubljana Academy of Music with Zora Zarnik, and at age twelve moved to New York on the recommendation of Claudio Arrau to study with Katherine Bacon at the Juilliard School. While still a teenager, she earned a Bachelor of Science and Diploma in Piano with two special awards and made her New York Philharmonic, Town Hall and Chicago recital debuts. She also gave a recital at Carnegie Hall about which Arthur Rubinstein wrote a glowing account in his memories My Many Years. As a young pianist Dubravka Tomšič won many awards and international competitions and now serves as juror for several major piano international competitions including Bolzano, the Van Cliburn, Leeds, Beethoven, Clara Haskil, Bach, Schumann, Santander, AXA Dublin, the International Piano-e-competition in Minneapolis and Cleveland. Ms. Tomšič gives master classes in Europe and in the USA and is Emeritus Professor at the Ljubljana University Academy of Music. She is honorary member of the Slovenian Philharmonic since 1995, and she was officially awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Ljubljana by the city’s major in 2005. Ms. Tomšič is the Dame among Slovenian artists and the Cultural Ambassador in promoting Slovenian pianism to all parts of the world. This year, Dubravka Tomšič marks the 77th anniversary of her pianist career.
Natalia Trull
Natalia Trull began studying piano in her native St. Peterburg. She later moved to Moscow where she graduated from the Moscow Conservatory. Among her teachers were professors Y. Zak, M. Voskresensky and T. Kravchenko.
Her performance career was launched when she won first prize at the Belgrade International Piano Competition in 1983. However, the biggest success came in 1986 she won the silver medal at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. The public was swept off its feet by her interpretation of composers such as Schubert and Stravinsky. Her “Petroushka” suite left an everlasting impression on the public and critics alike.
In 1993, Natalia Trull was awarded the Grand Prix at the Piano Masters Competition in Monte-Carlo (where only winners of international competitions are accepted as participants).
Natalia Trull’s complete control and fantastic virtuosity place her in a class of her own, and she is in great demand as a performer all over the world. Among the distinguished orchestras with whom she has performed are the London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Monte-Carlo, Tonhalle Symphony Orchestra and all of the major Russian Symphony Orchestras.
Natalia Trull has also played with such conductors as Raphael Frubeck de Burgos, Raymond Leppard, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Eri Klas, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Vassily Sinaisky, Yuri Temirkanov and many others.
Her repertoire includes over 50 concertos, of which the Tchaikovsky concerto has proved to be the most popular, the pianist having performed the work on over one hundred occasions in the world’s leading concert halls. Her most brilliant performances of the Tchaikovsky concerto were in Hollywood Bowl under Eri Klas and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and in Suntory Hall with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Koizumi Kazuhiro (1998-99 season).
Natalia’s performances today are remarkable for her total absorption in the music her unique stage presence and technical mastery in presenting a wide repertoire of works.
Natalia Trull is frequently invited to teach to the U.S.A., Japan, Italy, Germany and South America. She is Professor at the Moscow Tchaikovky Concervatory. She is permanently a jury member of many international piano competitions.
Recordings:
– Prokofiev – The Complete Piano Sonatas under the “DML Classic” label (Japan);
– Chopin recital including two Sonatas, the Fantasy and Mazurkas;
– Schubert recital including the Wanderer-Fantasy, Impromptus op.90 and Schubert-Liszt Song transcriptions.
– Tchaikovski – The Seasons op.37bis, Children`s Album op.39
Ick-Choo Moon
Praised by the Los Angeles Times for his “power, virtuosity and mastery of tone color (that) is vivid and evocative,” Korean-born pianist Ick-Choo Moon is the recipient of numerous awards including prizes from the Montreal International Competition, the Geneva International Competition, and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition at the Juilliard School. In 1989, he gave a critically acclaimed New York recital debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall as winner of the William Petschek Award, one of the highest honors given by Juilliard to its pianists. Since making his United States debut in 1979 with the Minnesota Orchestra under Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Moon has performed in many countries including the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan and Korea. His performances have been broadcast frequently on radio and TV in the United States, Canada and Korea.
Moon grew up in the United States and Canada as well as in his native Korea and studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and with Gyorgy Sebok at Indiana University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees with highest distinction. He later received his doctor of musical arts degree from the Juilliard School where he worked with Sascha Gorodnitzki
Currently Professor of Piano at Seoul National University in Korea, Moon has also taught at University of California at Los Angeles where he headed the piano department for 12 years. During the summers he has taught and performed at Brevard Music Center, the Chautauqua Institute, Festival MusicAlp in France, Amalfi Music Festival in Italy and in numerous festivals in Korea.
Carles Lama
Steinway Artist and concert pianist, co-founder and director of the label KNS Classical and artistic director of several cycles and festivals of music, Carles Lama has also won a reputation for mentoring a wide number of young talents.
Together with superior studies in piano performance in Spain, Paris and United States and having directed the Conservatory of Music in Girona -from 2006 to 2012 – he studied Music Business, Branding and Digital Marketing and has founded Music Talent Lab, and presented workshops and lectures in different institutions in order to guide and enlighten the musicians ‘careers.
At the same time, he has taught Master-Classes around the world and has been jury member of many renowned international competitions.
He is member of the acclaimed “Carles & Sofia piano duo” with his wife Sofia Cabruja, with whom they have played around the world, including venues like Carnegie Hall, Palau de la Música Catalana, Sala Verdi or Teatro Solís, among others. They have been praised by public and critics alike as one of the best piano duos in the world. Their discography of more than 10 CDs includes masterworks for four hands and brilliant and demanding orchestral transcriptions, as well as original and exclusive projects created by the duo, including the transcription of the opera “Goyescas” or a “Lieder Project”, with transcriptions for four hands of Brahms, Schumann and Schubert lieder repertoire.
Always committed with social needs, he has a UNICEF award for his humanitarian aid.
In 2012, together with his wife, they founded Concerts4Good, Music on a Mission, a solidarity project. And in 2020, they created their own Foundation: Carles & Sofia Music Foundation.
He has been recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation and has received the Golden Star for the Professional Excellence, the Golden Medal for the Merit at Work and the European Golden Cross.
Johannes Kropfitsch
Johannes Kropfitsch (born 1960) is one of the most outstanding Viennese pianists. His performances convince with intellectual power as well as high virtuosity. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna with Hans Petermandl and Hans Graf and received his final diploma with unanimous distinction in 1985. He attended master classes with Stanislav Neuhaus (Moscow), Alexander Jenner and Wilhelm Kempff. He received his doctorat in law in 1987.
Johannes Kropfitsch was prize-winner /finalist at the „Busoni“ competition in Bozen, the concours „Marguerite Long“ in Paris, „Alessandro Casagrande“, „Citta di Senigallia“ in Italy and won a new Bösendorfer grand at the “Bösendorfer“ competition (1985) in Vienna.
Since then he performs regularly as a soloist, but also with his sister Elisabeth (violin) and his brother Stefan (cello), forming the famous JESS-TRIO-WIEN, wich has ist own series of Concerts in the Wiener Konzerthaus.
Johannes Kropfitsch was soloist in concerts of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the RSO Vienna, the Slovenian Philharmony, the 21st Century Orchestra Kobe (Japan).
He performs worldwide in the most important music centers, as London (Wigmore Hall), New York (Carnegie, Lincoln Center), Tokyo, Seoul (International Artist Center), Moscow, Barcelona.
In addition to the standard repertory he performed all 32 Sonatas by L. v. Beethoven, the entire Wohltemperiertes Klavier by J. S. Bach and the 24 Studies by F. Chopin.
He founded the well known Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach am Wörthersee in 1993. Johannes Kropfitsch is also a specialist for dodecaphonic music (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and successors). He is member of the board of the International Chopin Society in Vienna.
He became assistant teacher for the class of Hans Graf at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna in 1985. Since 1998 he is professor at the Music and Art University of the City of Vienna and was appointed chair of the department of keyboard instruments in 2008. Since 2014 he has been elected vice-dean.
Roberto Turrin
Italian concert pianist Roberto Turrin graduated from the “G. Tartini” Conservatory of Music (Trieste, Italy) where he studied with Luciano Gante, as well as Lya De Barberiis in Italy and Switzerland. After receiving awards from international music competitions in Stresa and Morcone, he began his career as a soloist, performing throughout North America and Europe. Among Turrin’s accomplishments include duo ensembles with violin , cello and clarinet, as well as numerous recordings for television and radio (RAI Italy, RadioTv Slovenia, Tv Polska, Bulgarian State TV, Belarus TV). Turrin currently serves as director of the “G. Tartini” Conservatory of Music; he previously served as artistic director of International Music Festival “Echoes” (Central European Initiative) and has been invited for the masterclass “The Piano Literature of the XX century” by many North American and European Universities, including San Francisco State, Stanford, Northern Arizona University, University of Toronto, University of Illinois at Chicago, Roosevelt University at Chicago, Escola Superior de Musica Lisbon (Portugal), National Music Academy Sofia (Bulgaria), Music Academy Zagreb (Croatia), Royal Danish Academy of Music (Denmark), Norges Musikkhogskole Oslo (Norway), and Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (Austria).
Andrea Bambace
After graduating in 1971 under the guidance of Nunzio Montanari, Andrea Bambace immediately obtained the professorship of piano at the Conservatory of Bolzano, alternating intense didactic and international concert activities, often in various chamber ensembles (since 1998 in a duo with his wife, the Korean pianist Hyun Jung ‘Sabrina’ Kang). He performed in several music festival both in Italy and abroad (Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Korea), playing piano solo recitals, piano concertos with orchestra and chamber music repertory in many important venues at the Scala Theatre in Milan, the Regio Theatre in Turin, “Settimane Musicali di Stresa”, the Brahms Festival in Sofia, the Mozart Festival in Rovereto, the Musikhalle in Hamburg, and in Warsaw, London, Prague, Salzburg, Zaragoza, Rome, Seoul, Pusan, etc. He has performed with orchestra in Italy and abroad with such conductors as Stefan Anton Reck, György Györivany Rath, Wilhslm Barth, Maurizio Colasanti, Stephen Kramer, Hermann Michael, Alberto Peyretti and many others. The premiere performance of unpublished piano pages of Ferruccio Busoni, Giacomo Puccini and Mario Pilati stands out in his rich artistic curriculum. Often invited to join the juries of major national and international competitions, for many years was a member of the Board of the International Piano Competition “Ferruccio Busoni” in Bolzano. Since the 1970s is a music critic for the daily press, for National and Regional RAI, and for the monthly “Piano Time”, “Applausi”, “Suonare” and “Musica” magazines.