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1st edition
2011
Conductor, founder and artistic director of the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot. He was born in Warsaw, where he studied at the Higher State School of Music in the class of Bogusław Madey (diploma with honours). Thanks to a scholarship, he was able to study at the Hochschule für Musik Köln in Cologne and participate in masterclasses in Vienna.
He began his career as a conductor in 1971 at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw with the ballet Giselle by Adam. At the same time, from 1974 to 1978, he was the conductor and artistic director of the Grand Theatre in Poznań. From 1978 to 1980, he was the first conductor of the Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn. In 1982, he established the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot and has been performing with it ever since in the greatest concert halls all over the world. In 1993–2006, Wojciech Rajski was the artistic director of the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (now Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw), with which he actively performed and registered many recordings for the Polish Radio.
In 1993, he launched his pedagogical career at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, where he received the title of professor. In 1998–2014, he was a conducting professor at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main; in 2008–2020, he ran a conducting class at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk.
In addition to his regular co-operation with Polish orchestras, Wojciech Rajski has performed as a guest conductor with numerous orchestras in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Mexico, England, Sweden, Greece, Spain and Germany, e.g. the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Geneva), the NDR Radiophilharmonie (Hannover) or the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Munich). He has led many world-renowned soloists, including Mstislav Rostropovich, Henryk Szeryng, Sabine Meyer, Ivo Pogorelić, Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna, Piotr Beczała or Krystian Zimerman, with whom he has toured Germany twice.
Mr Rajski has participated in such international festivals as the Prague Spring, the Flanders Festival, the Gran Canaria Festival, the Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival as well as in festivals in Evian, Montpellier, La Chaise-Dieu and Copenhagen. Originator and artistic director of the Sopot Classic International Music Festival.
Wojciech Rajski’s recording output includes over 80 albums released by such labels as Sony Classical, DUX, EMI, Universal Music, Le Chant du Monde, Claves, Thorofon, Tacet, Midas, Bis, Wifon, Koch and many others. He records for radio and television both in Poland and abroad. He has received many distinctions and decorations, e.g. the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2002), the Silver Medal for Merit to Culture ‘Gloria Artis’ (2005) or the Pomeranian Artistic Award (2008); in 2022, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture ‘Gloria Artis.’
Letitia Moreno is a Spanish violinist. She started her music education at the early age of 3 in both violin and piano with the Suzuki Method offering her first recitals at the age of 5. In 1996 she studied six years with Zakhar Bron at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía and in Germany at Köln Musikhochschule.
By now Leticia Moreno plays on a Pietro Guarneri (1679) property of the Stradivari Society of Chicago and has programmed concerts all around the world: Austria, England, St Peterssburg, Moscow with Spivakov, Italy, Poland, South America, Mexico and Spain conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Symphony Orchestra to cite some examples.
The Spanish Composer Francisco Lara has dedicated one composition to her: Capriccio for Leticia (2005).
Awards:
Michael Martin Kofler was born in 1966 in Villach and finished his studies with highest marks at the Academy of Music in Vienna with Prof. Wolfgang Schulz and Prof. Werner Tripp and at the Music Academy Basel with Peter-Lukas Graf. During this time he also attended masterclasses with Aurele Nicolet and Andre Jaunet.
In 1987 Michael Martin Kofler became principal flutist of the Gustav-Mahler-Youth Orchestra under the leadership of Claudio Abbado, in December 1987 Maestro Sergiu Celibidache engaged him as 1. principal flutist of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, where he is now still playing under the leadership of James Levine and – since 2004 – Christian Thielemann.
Already since his early youth Michael Martin Kofler won several prizes at international competitions, such as Prague, Brussels, Bari, Uelzen and the ARD-competition Munich. He was awarded the price of the Austrian Ministry of Art and Science.
Since 1983 Michael Martin Kofler is giving solo concerts, recitals, chambermusic evenings in whole Europe and Japan and has been engaged for CD- and radio recordins as well as TV performances. He is a regular popular guest with more than 80 renowned orchestras in Europe and elsewhere.
He is constantly working together as soloist with famous conductors like James Levine, Sir Neville Marriner, Dimitri Kitajenko, Fabio Luisi, Herbert Blomstedt, Frans Brüggen, Hans Graf, Pavel Kogan, Etc.
As chambermusician he plays together with many prestigious artist.
In addition since 1989 Michael Martin Kofler is professor at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Mozarteum Salzburg with very big success and holds masterclasses in Europe, America, Korea, Japan and takes part as panel of judges at important competitions such as ARD-Munich, Cremona, Etc.
Born in Ivano-Frankovsk (Ukraina).
In year 1998 entering in Music College on violin facultet.
In 2002 entering in the National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music on vocal facultet in class of prof. V.M. Kurin and finished the study in class O.M. Dyachenko. Actual vocal teacher is Jolanta Zmurko.
Competitions:
– In year 2003 took part in the National Competition “The new names of Ukraine” and became a laureate.
– In year 2004 became a laureate in thee International Competition “Art of the XXI Century”
(3rd Prize, Ukraine).
– In year 2006 became a laureate in the International Competition of Young Singer by A. Solovyanenko
(2nd Prize, Ukraine).
– In year 2007 took part and was the finalist in an International auditions in Opera Bastille
(Paris, France).
Debut with the Ukrainian National Opera in Kiev in 2007 was as Olga in “Evgeniy Oniegin”.
In December 2007 debut in Wroclaw Opera as Maddalena in “Rigoletto” and currently is a soloist of
this opera.
In December 2008 debut in Teatro Real in Madrid as Zefka from “Zapisnik zmizeleho” by Leos Janacek.
In October 2009 debut in Opera Narodowa in Warsaw as Hostess in “ Borys Godunov” by M. Musorgsky.
In april 2010 debut in Teatr Wielki in Poznan as Charlotte from “Werther” by J. Massenet.
In april 2011 sang in Teatro ABAO-OLBE, Bilbao.
He graduated from the Vocal Faculty of Karol Lipinski Music Academy in Wrocław, under prof. Bogdan Makale. He is also the graduate of Masterstudium Mozarteum University in Salzburg in the class of prof. Elizabeth Wilke. Being granted the Erasmus Scholarship at the Hochschule für Music in Dresden he won the Grand Prix in the Third International Competition for Young Singers in Kovnie (Lithuania), won the second prize in National Vocal Competition for the 2nd Summer Academy of Singing in Sopot, won the Special Prize for the vocal of John Edward and Josephine Reszków in Czestochowa vocal contest of the Grand Theatre in Poznan. He is the finalist of the International Martinelli Pertile Montagnana Vocal Competition in Padova (Italy), also the finalist of the International L’Orfeo di Claudio Monteverdi Vocal Competition in Verona (Italy) and the winner of awards in the International Vocal Competition in Karpacz.
He has worked with such conductors as Jerzy Salwarowski, Marek Tracz, Wojciech Rajski, Jan Ślęk, Stanislaw Gałoński, Przemysław Stanisławski, Alan Urbanek, Jan Tomasz Adamus, Piotr Deptuch, Marek Toporowski, Wojciech Rodek, Ruben Silva, Benjamin Bayle, Jozef Wallnig, Eraldo Salmieri, Milos Krejci, Ernst Kovacic, Krijn Koetsveld,JensLorenz,Francesco Bottigliero.
He is the participant of Wrocław Tenors’ Tournament (2008), XIV Polish Tenors’ Tournament in Poznan (2009) and the XI Tenors’ Opera at the Castle Grand Tournament in Szczecin (2009). He has also taken part in numerous vocal courses in Duszniki, Wroclaw, Karpacz, Hedensee as well as in master classes led by Teresa Żylis-Gara, Elizabeth Wilke, Janusz Monarch, Ingrid Kremling, Oleg Melnikov, Eugeniusz Sąsiadek, Christian Elssner. He has performed in Lithuania, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Romania and China.
