Alexander Beridze

Alexander Beridze

The founder and artistic director of the New York Piano Festival, Alexander Beridze is a pianist with a vision and a mission. He maintains a busy schedule equally active as both a performer and a teacher. The Gold Medalist of the 2009 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Mr. Beridze was the recipient of Georgia's President's Grant both in 2001 and 2005 and the Vladimir Spivakov Award in 2003. In the United States, Mr. Beridze won the 2004 Jacob Flier International Piano Competition held in New-Paltz, New York. He has appeared with the Tbilisi State Symphony, the Republic of Georgia State Opera and Ballet Symphony, and the Hudson Valley Orchestras.

Mr. Berdize has performed in the master classes of Yefim Bronfman, Claude Frank, Joseph Kalichstein, Jerome Lowenthal, and Menahem Pressler, and studied with John O'Conor at the Aspen Music Festival during five consecutive years.

In addition to his musical studies, Mr. Beridze holds a Doctoral degree in Journalism from the Tbilisi State University. During the years of 1996-2006, he was a correspondent for weekly newspaper Kviris Palitra for which he wrote over 500 articles on music and interviewed many distinguished musicians including Mstislav Rostropovich, Genadi Rojdestvensky, Yuri Bashmett, and Maxim Vengerov.

Mr. Beridze completed his Bachelor, Master, and Post-Graduate degrees at the Tbilisi State Conservatory as a student of Edisher Rusishvili. After receiving an invitation from the legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman, Mr. Beridze decided to move to United States. In 2008 he completed Professional Studies at the Mannes College for Music with Vladimir Feltsman and in 2013, Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Rutgers, State University of New Jersey with professor Min Kwon.

For more information please visit www.alexanderberidze.com

Matei Varga

Matei Varga

Pianist Matei Varga is established as one of the leading young artists of his native Romania. He has performed at major venues around the world, among them Carnegie Hall (New York), the Auditorium du Louvre and Salle Gaveau (Paris), Konzerthaus (Berlin), the Romanian Athenaeum and the Radio Hall (Bucharest), Royal Dramatic Theater (Stockholm) and Casals Hall (Tokyo). Mr. Varga is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions, including the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona, the Porto International Piano Competition and the George Enescu Competition in Bucharest. International reviewers described his performances as "magical" (Süddeutsche Zeitung), "elegant" (The Hartford Courant), "masterful" (New York Concert Review), while Harry Rolnick of ConcertoNet called Mr. Varga a "fearless performer". His recent CD released by Naxos and produced by multiple Grammy winner Max Wilcox, with piano music by George Enescu, was received enthusiastically by critics who wrote that "Varga makes a vivid impression" (Fanfare) and "tears into the sinew of this music with great bite and forcefulness" (American Record Guide) declaring the recording a "must" (Ritmo, Spain). During the 2012-2013 season he will present recitals all over the world with the complete piano works of Dinu Lipatti.

Mr. Varga has also participated in various prestigious music festivals, including the International Keyboard Festival in New York City, the Music Festival of the Hamptons, Festival de Sintra (Portugal); Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto, Italy), Young Euro Classics (Berlin), Festival Européen "Jeunes Talents" (Paris) and the "Hariclea Darclée" and "George Enescu" International Festivals in Romania. He has collaborated with such artists as soprano Mariana Nicolesco, flautist Carol Wincenc, pianist Ben Schoeman and conductors Otto-Werner Mueller, Edward Cumming, Eduard Zilberkant, Ludovic Bacs and Adrian Sunshine, among others. He appeared as a soloist with the "George Enescu" Philharmonic, the Hartford Symphony, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Porto National Orchestra, and the Morocco Philharmonic.

Matei Varga graduated from the National University of Music in Bucharest, and received a Master of Music degree and a Professional Studies Diploma from New York's Mannes College of Music. He studied with Pavlina Dokovska, Sandu Sandrin, Ana Pitis, Ioana Minei and participated in Master Classes presented by Murray Perahia, Richard Goode and Raoul Sosa. Mr. Varga lives in New York City, where he is a teacher at the Lucy Moses Music School and the Project Manager of the Vendome Prize Piano Competition. He is a movie aficionado, a devoted fan of actress Meryl Streep, as well as a passionate follower of the Romanian New Wave.

For more information please visit www.mateivarga.com

Magdalena Baczewska

Magdalena
Baczewska

Recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Polish Minister of Culture, and laureate of the Award for Outstanding Polish Citizen Abroad, pianist and harpsichordist Magdalena Baczewska [pronounced BaCHEVska] has been praised for her "world-class playing" (The American Record Guide). Growing up in a family of musicians, Magdalena started piano instruction at the age of five, and at twelve made her orchestra debut. As a winner of international piano competitions, she has appeared worldwide as a solo artist and in orchestral performances. Hailed as "imaginative and instructive, a player of taste, purity of tone, and clarity of line," Magdalena appeared on major radio shows across America and Europe, including NPR, WQXR, and Voice of America.

She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music (C. Keene), along with Bachelor and Master's Degree from the Mannes College of Music, New School University (J. Rose). She is Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, and the John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University in New Jersey. Every Summer, Magdalena joins the faculty of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival, and The New York Piano Festival, both in New York City. Among the master classes she has given were remote master classes using Yamaha Disklavier and the Remote Lesson technology.

Magdalena was among the jurors of the International Chopin Competition at Columbia University, and the Mozart Concerto Competition at the Manhattan School of Music. She is also a published music critic (New York Concert Review).

Her 2008 CD "A Tribute to Glenn Gould," containing Bach's Goldberg Variations received high critical acclaim. The subsequent 2-CD album "Music for Dreams" was released in collaboration with BLUESLEEP, a medical team specialized in research and treatment of sleep disorders. Magdalena continues to create music for health and wellness as Artistic Director at BLUESLEEP Music.
www.MagdalenaNYC.com

Ilya Kazantsev

Ilya Kazantsev

“Ilya Kazantsev plays with intelligence, artistic integrity and never a carelessly produced sound” -Rorianne Schrade “New York Concert Review Magazine”, Spring 2008

Ilya Kazantsev is a fresh and exciting presence on the international music scene. He began his music studies at the Central Music School at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory as a student of Valeriy Pyasetsky who prolongs traditions of the legendary G. Neuhaus. At age 17, Ilya made an impressive debut as a soloist with the Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory. Since then, Ilya performs extensively around the world, both as recitalist and soloist with orchestra and chamber musicians. Since 2002, Mr. Kazantsev resides in New York where he completed his studies at Mannes College of Music and Manhattan School of Music. He received his Bachelor and Master Degrees and his Professional Studies Diploma under the tutelage of Dr. Arkady Aronov.

Mr. Kazantsev's numerous awards include first prizes at the 1998 Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition (France), the 2001 International Competition at Grodno (Belorussia), and the 2005 Five Towns Competition (USA). Ilya was awarded prizes at the 2000 International Chopin Competition (Russia), and the 2007 and 2008 World Piano Competitions (USA). In November 2007, Mr. Kazantsev's solo début at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie was sold out when he was presented as a winner of the Nadia Reisenberg Piano Award at Mannes. His recent engagements include tours of Japan (June 2010) with Gold Medalist of the Tchaikovsky Competition cellist Sergey Antonov and North America with Julia MacLaine (July-August 2010).