Young Artists

The Soloists
Violinists Alexandru Tomescu - Romania Sayako Kusaka - Japan Pavel Sporcl - Czech Republic Marianna Racz - Violinist/Flautist, Hungary/Netherlands	Violoncellists Adolfo Gutierrez Arenas - Spain Timo-Veikko Valve - Finland Soprano LaTonya Moore - USA
Pianists Alex Slobodyanik - Russia Stanislaw Drzewiecki - Polland Amanda von Goetz - USA	Percussionist Pedro Carneiro - Portugal/France

Stanislaw Drzewiecki Pianist, Poland TOP	Stanislaw started to play piano when he was four. A year later he began musical composition classes and made his solo debut in the Grand Hall of Moscow's Tchaikovsky Conservatory. does the prodigy consider himself a modern-day Mozart?" "I am myself," he says. "In music one should strive after perfection, even if one never achieves it." TIME's Fast Forward Europe special issue featured Stanislaw on its People To Watch (October 2000). Silesian Tribune, one of the Poland largest dailies, called him the Polish Mozart. At the age of ten, he released his first CD ("Piano Concertos") together with "Small Chamber Philharmonic" conducted by Marcin Nalecz-Niesiolowski. The subsequent two CD's ("My First Gift" and "Chopin Piano Concerto & 12 Etudes"), as well as the first one, were nominated for a "Fryderyk Award" in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Moreover, Stanislaw Drzewiecki received a "Polityka" Newspaper Award in 2000, a Grand Prix Award in European Television Concert in Alicante (year 2000) and a 10th Eurovision Grand Prix for Young Musicians in Bergen (year 2001), which was viewed by 10 million people. He is a son of two distinguished concert pianist, the Pole Jaroslaw Drzewiecki and Russian Tatiana Shebanova. Since 1995 he has been attending Karol Szymanowski Music School in Warsaw and specializing in the piano under Professor Tatiana Shebanova's supervision. He has been awarded scholarship by the Republic of Poland's Ministry of Culture, by the Ewa Czeszejko-Sochacka Foundation and by the Netia Telekom S.A. In his spare time, Stanislaw is a dedicated model airplane builder, paints landscapes, skiing, skating, plays Ping-Pong, writes books, and composes his own music. In the summer of 2002, Stanislaw Drzewiecki signed an exclusive contract with the Sony Music Entertainment Company,Premiere CD on SONY is due for release in September 2002.
Adolfo Guiterrez Arenas Cellist, Spain TOP	Born in Munich, Adolfo began his musical studies at the Bayerishe School of Music. At age 8 he was selected to be a member of the Tolzer Knaben Choir and then moved to Spain, where he studied piano. He began his cello studies at age 14 with Elias Arizcuren and completed his studies in conservatory with Maria de Macedo. In 1996 he was accepted in Frans Helmerson's class at the Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid, and played recitals and chamber music in important Spanish concert halls. While studying with cellist Lluis Claret at Alcala de Henares University in Madrid, he worked in various festivals and master classes with such eminent musicians as J. Starker, T. Tsutsumi, R. Kirshbaum, D. Fershtman, A. Kavafian, B. Westfal, and I. Monighetti. He also worked with Bernard Greenhouse of the Beaux Arts Trio. As recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician, Adolfo has played in the hall of the Carlos de Amberes Foundation, the Festival Palace of Cantabria (Spain), the Munich Music Hochshule, the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Palau de la Musica Catalana, and the Ford Theatre (Los Angeles). He has appeared at the Schleswig Holstein Festival, the Los Angeles International Laureates Festival, the Holland Music Sessions, the International Organ Festival in Leon, the Palos Verdes Music Festival, the Santa Barbara Music Festival, the Taos International Music Festival, and the Academie Ravel Music Festival. For the past three years he has been invited to the U.S. to perform as soloist and chamber musician by Young Artists International (www.youngartists.org). Last season he performed the six Bach Suites and the five Beethoven Sonatas. His most recent recording on Verso Records, with pianist Luis Fernando Perez, features the Barber and Rachmaninoff Sonatas and Piazzolla’s Grand Tango. He has also recorded chamber music for Telos Records, playing Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence Sextet and Beethoven’s C Minor String Trio, recorded live in Los Angeles. In his 2002-2003 engagements Adolfo soloed with the Schumann, Dvorak, and Haydn Concertos, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, and Beethoven's Triple Concerto among other major works, and gave recitals and chamber music concerts in France, Spain, Germany, and the U.S. In 2002 he was awarded the Ravel Prize of the Academic Rave as soloist and a special prize for his performance of Phillipe Hersant's Piano Trio. "Adolfo is a cellist of exceptional ability, both as an instrumentalist and as a superbly gifted musician. I expect that these qualities will bring him a career of great importance." - Bernard Greenhouse
Sayako Kusaka Violinist, Japan TOP	Born in 1979 in Japan, Sayako graduated from the Tokyo National Fine Arts University with Professor Takashi Shimizu and studied with Professor Eduard Schmieder in Europe, USA and in Japan. 1st prize winner of the 21st Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition, Sayako also captured top prizes in the most prestigious competitions: Silver Medal at the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition in Italy, where she also won the Best Performer Caprice Award and Third Prize at the 8th Jean Sibelius International Violin Competition in Finland. Other awards include 1st Prize at the Neaman International Violin Competition in 1995, top prize at the Michelangelo Abbado International Violin Competition, and 4th Prize at the 3rd Pablo de Sarasate International Violin Competition, and numerous prizes and awards in her native Japan. In 2001, Sayako was selected by Young Artists International and was featured in its annual International Laureates Festival in Los Angeles in 2001 and 2002 as a soloist with I PALPITI orchestra under direction of Eduard Schmieder. In the spring of 2001 she was the concertmistress of the I PALPITI Japan, and in 2002, she soloed with I PALPITI in Japan in Tokyo (Nikkei Hall) and Yokosuka Festival. She also was a leader of chamber music concerts in Schubert's String Quintet (Los Angeles) and Strauss Piano Quartet (Taos, New Mexico). Her 2001 recordings of Mendelssohn' Double Concerto with Alex Slobodianik and I PALPITI, and Tchaikovsky' Souvenir de Florence are available on YAI label at the Virgin Megastore. Sayako soloed internationally with the Tokyo Symphony, Kirov Orchestra, Japan, Osaka and Kansai Philharmonics, the Geidai Symphony, and in recitals in St.Petersburg, Russia, and throughout Italy. During the next two seasons, Sayako will continue her extensive performing schedule, including 45 engagements with orchestras and recitals as a winner of the Lipizer Competition.
LaTonya Moore Soprano, USA TOP	At twenty-three years of age, soprano LaTonia Moore, has taken opera by storm. A native of Houston, Texas, Ms. Moore has been a winner of the 1999 Young Soloists at the MET and the Richard Tucker competitions. Other awards include 1998 Dallas Opera Guild Career Development Grant, 1998 and 1999 Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, and Grand Prize at the Young Patronesses of the Opera Competition. She just recently won the Mario Lanza Scolarship Competition in Philadelphia. She made her professional opera debut with the Palm Beach Opera and was an apprentice with Houston Ebony Opera in 1998. She has performed the roles of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and the title role in Suor Angelica. Ms. Moore has done scenes from Falstaff, Der Rosenkavalier, Madama Batterfly, La Boheme, Norma and Le Nozze di Figaro, among others. Ms. Moore has an extensive operatic repertoire as well as art songs and popular music. In the summer of 1999 she was selected by Young Artists International to be presented among 5 outstanding young soloists in its annual International Laureates Music Festival in Los Angeles. Currently she combines her performing schedule with studies in New York under the vocal instruction of Bill Schuman.
Alex Slobodyanik Pianist, Russia TOP	Gilmore Foundation Young Artist of the Year Award in 1996, Alex Slobodyanik is recognized by critics, audiences and his fellow musicians worldwide as a major figure among the new generation of pianists. His first compact disc has just been released on EMI Classics "Debut" Series to exceptional reviews. Next season engagements include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center in Washington, Columbus, Ohio and Toronto under Maestro Valery Gergiev. He will also appear at the Concergebouw in Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall in London as a part of his tour of the British Isles as well as with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Last season he made his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov, toured as soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, and appeared in recital on the "Great Performers" series at New York's Lincoln Center. Alex Slobodyanik has soloed with such orchestras as the National Symphony, Kirov Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Cincinnati Symphony, Simphonia National de Montevideo, Berne Symphony Orchestra, and Cologne Radio Symphony. Other concerto appearances have taken him to the symphony orchestras of San Antonio, Louisville, Richmond and Portland, In 1995, he toured South Africa with the National Symphony of Johannesburg and the Cape Town Symphony. His recital engagements have included London's Wigmore Hall, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles, UNISCO Hall in Paris, the Moscow Conservatory Hall, Meany Hall in Seattle and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Alex Slobodyanik has participated in many international music festivals including Ravinia, Lockenhaus, Marlboro, Musicales in Tours, France; and frequently appears in duo recitals and concerto performances with his father, pianist Alexander Slobodyanik. Alex began piano lessons at the age of six with his mother, Natalia. Upon coming to the United States he resumed his musical studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Serbei Babayan.
Pavel Sporcl Volinist, Czech Republic TOP	"..He is now a young artist firmly ensconced in the forefront of a new generation of players" Henry Roth, The Strad A leading Czech violinist, Mr. sporcl is a prizewinner of the Montreal and ARD Munich Radio International Competitions, as well as the international competitions in the United States in Kingsville and San Francisco. As a winner of the Holland Music Sessions World Tour Competition in 1993 he played debut recitals in the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, New York, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, and Ambassador, Los Angeles. As a soloist, he has appeared with orchestras in Montreal, Los Angeles, Berlin, Munich, Poznan, and Prague Symphony Orchestra. In his homeland, Mr. Sporcl came to public attention before his admission to the Prague Conservatory. There, and at the Prague Music Academy, he studied with professor Snítil. From 1991-1996 he continued his studies in the USA with Eduard Schmieder (Meadows School of Arts, Dallas), Itzhak Perlman (Brooklyn College, NY), Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki (Julliard, NY). Laureate of numerous competitions in Prague, he has been appearing with Prague Radio Symphony, Prague Chamber Philharmonic, and other orchestras throughout the country. He has been a frequent guest on Czech TV and is cooperating with Czech Radio. He recorded number of CD, among them a Mendelssohn' Violin Concerto with the Prague Chamber Philharmonic during Prague Spring Festival in 1996. His last CD on Clarton label includes works by Martinu and Suk and received very favorable reviews. He was a selected soloist with I PALPITI during its 1999 International Laureates Music Festival in Los Angeles. Among most recent performances was the solo with the Prague Philharmonic under Maestro Vlsdimir Ashkenazy performing and recording of a Dvorak Concerto ( September 2001).
Alexandru Tomescu Volinist, Romania TOP	"This Romanian has everything to become one of the violin greats of tomorrow: technique, grand sound and a noble style." - Classica, Paris, 2001 Winner of 28 international awards, including a 2nd Gran Prix/Menuhin Prize at the Jacques Thibaud International Violin Competition in Paris (1999) and a Gold Medal in the Enescu International Violin Competition, Romania (2000), as well as top prizes in such competitions as "Premio Paganini" Italy, "Tibor Varga" Switzerland, "Pablo de Sarasate" Spain, and many others, Alexandru enjoys recognition being among elite violinists of his generation. In 2003 he was named an official Soloist of the Bucharest National Radio Orchestra, producing four recordings annually, this season to include Lalo' Spanish Symphony, Mozart' Concerto N 4, Piazzola - Four Seasons and Dvorak's a minor concerto. He was chosen a Musician of the Year 2002, a recipient of the "Flacara" prize awarded only to highly acclaimed Romanian artists. Alexandru was invited to be a member of the jury in the 2003 Sarasate International Violin Competition in Spain, making him the youngest ever to receive such honor. Upcoming concerts include appearances at Thčatre des Champs Elysées with Kurt Masur, recital at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, US concert tour, and tour in the Philippines, among others. Recent engagements included a tour with National Paris Orchestra, solo with Jerusalem Symphony, extensive two-month tour with the all the Romanian Philharmonics, concert tour in Japan and solo recitals in the Gulbenkian Center in Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Los Angeles, and Meyerson Hall in Dallas. Alexandru was born in 1976 in Bucharest into a family of musicians. He started playing the violin at the age of 6 and was accepted to "George Enescu" Music School where he studied with his mother, Professor Mihaela Tomescu. He graduated from Academy of Music in Bucharest with Professor Stefan Gheorghiu, took master classes with Ruggiero Ricci and Igor Oistrakh, and continued his studies with Professor Eduard Schmieder in Europe and at the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas. Hailed in international press as "a violin superstar", Berliner Morgenpost, "one of the great players of violin in the world", Le monde, France, "is a wonder indeed", De Gool-en Eemlander, Holland, Alexandru Tomescu's first public appearance took place in Bucharest when he was 8. Since then he has played with all Romanian orchestras, including Bucharest Philharmonic and Bucharest National Radio Orchestra, as well as with orchestras in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Holland, Italy, Poland, USA, UK, Hungary, Finland, Costa Rica, Ukraine, South and North Korea, Philippines, Turkey, Japan. His recitals have been broadcast on television in Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Germany and UK. Mr. Tomescu's repertoire counts over twenty-five concertos, over fifty sonatas and all major works for violin solo and with accompaniment. In the summers of 1998-2000 he was selected by Young Artists International to be presented among five outstanding young soloists in its annual International Laureates Music Festival in Los Angeles, and since is presented in numerous appearances in the USA. In Europe Mr. Tomescu is represented by Valmalete Management, Paris.
Timo-Veikko Valve Cellist, Finland TOP	A Prize winner of Eurovision Grand prix 2000, Timo-Veikko has soloed throughout Finland with major orchestras including the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Strings Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared both as a soloist and a chamber musician in France, Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, South Africa, and Norway. He has also made recordings for the Finnish Broadcasting Company and will have a TV recital in September 2001. Timo-Veikko Valve began cello studies at the age of six under Eleonora Joffe and, since 1997, has continued at the Sibelius Academy with Heikki Rautasalo and Marko Ylonen where he has also studied chamber music and Music of your time. He has participated in master classes with renowned cellists Natalia Gutman, Gary Hoffman, Steven Isserlis, Frans Helmerson, and Lluis Claret. In 1994 he was a finalist at the Moscow International Competition for Young Soloists. Timo-Veikko likes to perform both modern and romantic repertoire for the cello. Concerts in 2001 included the Dutilleux Concerto, Gubaidulina's "Seven Words," Bloch's "Schelomo," Tchaikovsky's "Rococo Variations," and recitals with the Bach "6 Suites for Violoncello" He is a founding member of the Helsinki Cello Ensemble together with Anssi Karrunen; the group released its first CD, "Cellos Galore," in December 2000. An active participant in numerous festivals, Timo-Veikko is a member of I PALPITI since 2001, and also is a selected soloist for the Festival's chamber ensemble concerts. Concerts in 2002 include performing the Schumann concerto with Sinfonia Lahti conducted by Paavo Berglund and playing a solo recital in Lux Musicae festival.
Pedro Carneiro Percussionist, Portugal TOP	Pedro Carneiro took up the piano at the age of five, later studying cello and trumpet. At the Conservatorio Nacional in Lisbon and at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama he studied percussion, composition and conducting with his father and with David Corkhill. Due to his outstanding talent his studies were funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation and Centre Acanthes. Since his concert debut at the age of 15, which included a performance of Xenakis' Psappha from memory, Pedro Carneiro has performed at numerous prestigious venues and festivals, including Cité de la Musique in Paris, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and BBC Proms, the Capital Theatre in Beijing, Chicago's Grant Park Music festival, the Festival d'Avignon and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

The Soloists