SEMINAR #6
Hybrid Music Orchestral Course
1st to 7th of July 2024
We kick off the Seminar #6 Program with a Hybrid Music Orchestral Course led by Conductor Conrad Van Alphen and Dutch Saxophone Quartet “Artvark”. This course is inspired by the sounds of Arvo Pärt and Aphex Twin offers students a unique blend of classical and contemporary music. It’s an excellent opportunity for students to explore innovative repertoire and broaden their artistic scope under the skilled direction of Maestro Van Alphen. This experience promises to enhance their technical abilities and creative thinking bridging diverse musical genres.
Conrad van Alphen / Conductor
Conrad van Alphen has gained tremendous popularity with orchestras and audiences alike for his visionary interpretations which he craftly directs in his energetic efficient kind and communicative performance style. Equally at ease with the classical genre as with large symphonic repertoire Conrad van Alphen boasts an impressive array of appearances with important orchestras.
Discover: https://www.conradvanalphen.com/
Artvark / Ensemble
Artvark stands for innovative original compositions, strong individual soloists and the adventurous groove of four saxophones. The quartet meanders through musical traditions sometimes on the intersection of classical and jazz while always soulful and with blues and sways across the stage according to an improvised choreography.
Discover: https://www.artvarksq.com/
Classical Music Orchestral Course
9th to 16th of July 2024
The second Orchestral Course as part of Seminar #6 will focus specifically on strings and will be led by Maestro Vesko Eschkenazy, Concert Master of the Concertgebouw since January 2000. As well as leading the program, he will also be performing as a soloist and the Program will include the beautiful Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. The entire Course will be dedicated to all aspects of playing a String instrument, exploring its versatility and different approaches in solo performance, chamber music performance, and orchestral work.
Vesko Eschkenazy / Conductor
Vesko Eschkenazy has been concertmaster of the Concertgebouw Orchestra since January 2000 having occupied the same position earlier with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Among his prizes are those of the Wieniawski Competition in Poland (1985) and the Carl Flesch Competition in London (1988). In 2010 he was voted Musician of the Year in Bulgaria. He performed as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under conductors such as Yuri Bashmet, Colin Davis, Carlo Maria Giulini, Kurt Masur, Seiji Ozawa and Mstislav Rostropovich.
Discover: https://www.concertgebouworkest.nl/en/musicians/vesko-eschkenazy
Evgeni Noev / Violin
Evgeni Noev Nikolov was born in Sofia in 1972 in a family of musicians. He started playing the violin at an early age and graduated from the bulgarian National school of Music "L. Pipkov" in the class of Prof. Evelina Arabadzhieva. He continued his education at the bulgarian National Music Academy "Pancho Vladigerov", where he obtained his bachelor and master degrees under the guidance of Prof. Petar Hristoskov.
He attended several masterclasses with the pedagogue Ifra Niman.
He is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions.
Between 2004 and 2008 he toured Europe with the Cologne Chamber Ensemble, with whom he gave dozens of concerts also as a soloist.
Over the years, he has been concertmaster of the orchestras of the National Music Theater "Stefan Makedonski", Sinfonietta Sofia and many Festival Orchestras.
From 2009 to 2023 he’s been part of the chamber ensemble "Sofia Soloists".
Since January 2024 he’s concertmaster of the Sofia Opera and Ballet’s orchestra.
In 2008 he started teaching the violin at National School of Music "Lyubomir Pipkov", where he’s also been in charge for several years of the Young Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra with concerts in Bulgaria and abroad. Lots of his students are laureates from national and international competitions.
In 2018, together with his wife, the Italian pianist Tatiana Majoni, he founded the Artiharmonia Duo, with which they’ve been active through numerous musical projects on the national and international scene.
Since 2021 Mr. Nikolov has been performing also as a violist on the concert podium.
Recording Orchestral Course
17th to 23th of July 2024
This Recording orchestral Course will be led by the international Soloist Irina Muresanu and Conductor Scott Flavin. The Course will feature lectures from both mentors and working on a Broadway–inspired Program. Exploring contemporary and challenging repertoires. This immersive course is designed to offer an in-depth exploration of the art of orchestral recording. In line with the high standards of our Recording Orchestral Course, each student will be afforded the unique opportunity to create their own professional recordings in our state-of-the-art studio. These personalized recordings will serve as valuable assets for auditions and personal artistic promotion.
Scott Flavin / Conductor
Scott Flavin is a lecturer in violin performance and chamber music and Resident Conductor for The Henry Mancini Institute at The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He has collaborated with Chick Corea, soprano Denyce Graves, the Beach Boys, Dave Grusin etc. He has appeared as a guest conductor for many orchestras, among which Alhambra Orchestra and on the JazzRoots concert series.
Discover: https://www.scottflavin.com/
Irina Muresanu / Violinist
Irina Muresanu is an associate professor of violin and strings at the University of Maryland School of Music. An internationally renowned concert violinist, she continues to fearlessly stretch the boundaries of performance and instruction through her keen interest in the digital humanities and the development of new technologies.
Discover: https://www.irinamuresanu.com/
Film Music Orchestral Course
10th to 17th of September 2024
The Seminar #6 Film Music Orchestral Course will be a unique project in collaboration with the National Cinematheque of North Macedonia, and under the mentorship of Maestro Mirian Khukhunaishvili. It will feature the preparation of a live Soundtrack Program for two silent movies that will be performed as an open-air concert at the Silent and Classical Film Festival in Skopje. Students will have the opportunity to perform new and reimagined soundtracks for the cult classics “Ballet Mechanique” by Fernand Léger and “Un Chien Andalou” by Luis Buñuel.
Mirian Khukhunaishvili / Conductor
Mirian Khukhunaishvili, co-founder and music director of the Tbilisi Youth Orchestra, is an Iceland-based Georgian conductor. Praised by Christoph Eschenbach as a "tremendously gifted young conductor" after his debut with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the young Maestro is on his way to conquering the hearts of European orchestras. Mirian has led orchestras such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Bamberger Symphoniker, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra and many more.
Discover: https://www.miriankhukhunaishvili.com/
Carte Blanche Orchestral Course
17th to 26th of September 2024
The culmination of our 2024 Seminar Program will be a tribute to the ‘Journey’ Original Soundtrack the Grammy-winning video game soundtrack composed by Austin Wintory. This soundtrack holds a special place in history as it was the first video game soundtrack ever to be nominated for a Grammy Award, specifically nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. The Course will be led by Austin Wintory and will involve a week-long preparation for a multimedia concert performance. This event will offer students an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the dynamic and innovative field of video game music. It represents a significant milestone in recognizing the artistic value of video game soundtracks.
Austin Wintory / Conductor
Austin Wintory is an American composer for film and video games. He is known for scoring the video games ‘Flow’ and ‘Journey’, the latter of which made history as the only video game soundtrack to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. Having built his career on curiosity and experimentation, he has written scores for numerous video games (among which Assassin’s Creed), well as several Film scores and has won many awards throughout his musical career.
Discover: https://www.austinwintory.com/