Dmitri Alexeev is one of the world’s most highly regarded artists. His critically acclaimed recitals on the world’s leading concert stages and concerto appearances with the most prestigious orchestras have secured his position as one of “the most remarkable pianists of the day” (Daily Telegraph). He has performed in all major concert halls around the world and has performed with all leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, the five London orchestras, Orchestre de Paris, Israel Philharmonic and the Munich Bavarian Radio Orchestra amongst others. He has worked with conductors such as Ashkenazy, Boulez, Dorati, Gergiev, Giulini, Jansons, Muti, Pappano, Rozhdestvensky, Salonen, Svetlanov, Temirkanov, Tilson Thomas and Klaus Tennstedt amongst many others. During recent seasons he was the Artistic Director of the Leeds International Recital Series, and Artistic Director and Artist in Residence of the concert series “Musis Sacrum” in Arnhem and Nijmegen, in the Netherlands. Alexeev has been a juror for many of the world’s most prestigious International Piano Competitions, including the Leeds, Chopin (Warsaw), Van Cliburn, Santander, Beethoven (Vienna) and Tchaikovsky (Moscow) International Piano Competition. He regularly gives masterclasses around the world. Alexeev became Professor of Piano at the Royal College of Music in 2005. Many of his past and current students are top prize winners at major international piano competitions such as the Leeds, Tchaikovsky, Liszt (Utrecht), Viotti, Sydney, Santander, Scottish, Dublin and Maria Canals International Piano Competition to name a few. His most recent recording projects include Scriabin’s complete Sonatas, Etudes and Preludes for Brilliant Classics. His recent recording of the complete Chopin Mazurkas was referred to as “one of the best recordings of the Chopin Mazurkas that have appeared in the past three-quarters of a century – one of the best alongside those of Rubinstein and Yakov Flier” by Gramophone Magazine.
Grigory Gruzman began his piano lessons at the age of five. In 2006 Gruzman was appointed as professor to the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar (including special school for gifted children „Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere“). His students won over 40 awards in national and important international competitions. He is artistic director and jury chairman at international Liszt piano competition for young pianists in Weimar. In 1977 Gruzman was accepted into Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, where he studied with prof. Vitaly Margulis. Two years later he completed the artistic exam; after that Gruzman was offered a piano-teaching post at the same University. In 1979 he attended an intensive by Diego Diez (ex-pupil of Claudio Arrau) in New York. He also participated in master classes of distinguished artists like Claude Franck, Leon Fleisher and Alfred Brendel. In 1980 Gruzman was appointed as the lecturer for the main subject-piano at the Music Academy (Akademie für Tonkunst) in Darmstadt, Germany, thus becoming one of the youngest music teachers in the german institutes for music. At the same time he resumed his studies in Freiburg under prof. Vitali Margulis. He then completed his concert exam (Konzertexamen) as a soloist in 1982 (in Freiburg). In the same year he achieved an award with distinstion at the international piano competition in Monza; and in 1984 he was a finalist in the international piano competition in Vercelli (both in Italy). „On such an interpretation of Rigoletto-Paraphrase, I’ve been waiting all my life“, once said Herbert von Karajan and has invited Gruzman to Salzburg. In 1986 his international concert career, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, wich has been growing steadily and rapidly achieved a break-trough as he joined forces with two of his colleagues to form the „Shostakovich Trio“. The ensemble performed (between 1986 and 1996) on world-renowned podiums; such as Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmor Hall in London, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, to name bute of few. Critics from all over the world have been continuously proclaming this trio to be one of the best ensembles of present day. His numerous (more than 1000 times after his emigration from Russia) performances and appearances as a lecturer on international master courses in 6 languages (Russian, German, Spanish, Hebrew, English and French) has brought him onto stages in many countries in Europe, the Far East, Australia, Latin-America and the USA. Everywhere his concerts are received with enthusiasm by the audience, the press, as well as the experts. About 100 his best performances have already been broadcast by TV and radio stations all over the world. His numerous trio-arrangements and especially his arrangement of Modest Mussorgsky’s „Pictures at an Exhibition“ for piano-trio have been received with great enthusiasm by the public and the press world- wide. Since 1988 Gruzman has been giving numerous performances of the complete cycle of Chopin’s 24 Etudes. His CD with the recording of this work (organo phon 90 112) was received in 1998 with a best estimation in music press. Gruzman is the only pianist who has recorded the complete Suite „Play Piano Play“ by Friedrich Gulda (CD organo phon 90 126, suites of Bach – Gershwin – Gulda). In 1998 Grigory Gruzman was named professor for piano at the University of Music (Hochschule für Musik und Theater) in Hamburg. 2005 to 2014 he was president of Rachmaninov Society (Darmstadt, Germany) and chairman of 3 international Rachmaninov piano competitions for young pianists (Frankfurt, Germany).
Born in Sicily, Giuseppe Guarrera completed his studies in 2018 at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin with Nelson Goerner. In the same year he won a Tabor Foundation Award at the Verbier Festival Academy, received a prestigious Klavier Ruhr Festival scholarship, and was selected by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT). In 2017 Giuseppe won 2nd Prize at the Montréal International Competition along with five other awards: the People’s Choice, best semi-final recital, the Bach, Chopin and compulsory work awards. Solo highlights include appearances with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal conducted by Claus Peter Flor, and the Orchestra del Teatro la Fenice conducted by Dimitroj Kjtaenko. He premiered a new concerto by Benjamin Attahir with the Pierre Boulez Ensemble conducted by Daniel Barenboim in the opening concert of the PIerre Boulez Saal in Berlin. Giuseppe has performed widely in Europe appearing at the Studio Flagey in Brussels, Luis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, Auditorio Sony in Madrid, Fenice Theater in Venice, Giuseppe Verdi Theater in Trieste, Leeds University, Bologna Festival and Palazzo Ricci in Montepulciano. Future engagements include recitals at Wigmore Hall, the Klavier Ruhr Festival, Boulez-Saal, Estivales de Musique en Médoc, Festival Armonie in Valcerrina, near Turin, St. James’s Guernsey, and performances of concertos by Saint-Saëns and Beethoven in the UK, and with the McGill Chamber Orchestra in Montreal and the New Generation Festival in Florence. As a chamber musician he collaborates with Ramon Ortega Quero, Pascal Moragues, Benjamin Goldscheider and Elena Bashkirova at festivals in Jerusalem, Alderney and Berlin. He frequently works with violinists Mayumi Kanagawa and Jiyoon Lee and in 2018 recorded with cellist Alexander Warenberg. Prior to joining the Barenboim-Said Academy, Giuseppe studied in Italy with Siavush Gadjiev and Giuseppe Cultrera, and in Berlin with Eldar Neblosin at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ graduating with a Masters in 2016. During his studies he won numerous awards including 2nd Prize at the 2015 James Mottram Competition in Manchester and 1st Prize at the 2010 Concorso Nazionale Premio Venezia. He has taken part in masterclasses with Daniel Barenboim, Ferenc Rados, Mikail Voskresensky, Sergei Babyan, Richard Goode and Michel Beroff, and assisted Nelson Goerner at the Barenboim-Said Academy.
Julia Kociuban is considered as one of the leading polish pianists of her generation. Her debut solo album “Schumann, Chopin, Bacewicz” was praised by critics as one of the most interesting piano debuts of the past years and her recording of Grażyna Bacewicz’s Piano Sonata No. 2 was described as the best recording of a piece in the world. Two latest CDs with Bacewicz and Tansman Piano Concertos and Quintets were nominated for the Polish Music Industry Prize “Fryderyk”. In 2022 artist released her second solo album “Polish Polonaises”. She has already been invited to perform in renowned European concert halls including the Herkulessall in Munich, the Konzerthaus of Vienna and of Berlin and the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg. She has also performed in America and Asia and at the most known international music festivals in the world, including La Rouge d’Antheron, La Folle Journee, Kissinger Sommer, The Young Euro Classic Piano Festival, The Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. She performs regularly solo recitals, in chamber music and as soloist with renowned orchestras (including Wiener Symphoniker, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg). She has collaborated with such great conductors as Howard Griffiths, Hans Graf, Nemme Järvi, Kristjan Järvi, Lahav Shani, Heribert Beissel, Aziz Shokhakimov, Ken-David Masur, Antoni Wit, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Paweł Przytocki, Marek Pijarowski among others. She has recorded for many European radio and television stations as well as for the international labels such as Sony Classical, Gramola and Polish DUX. Julia Kociuban graduated from the Royal College of Music in London, Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg and Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw where she studied with Dmitri Alexeev, Pavel Gililov and Piotr Paleczny. In 2019 she received her doctoral degree in music, and a year later she completed postgraduate studies for cultural managers at the Warsaw School of Economics. Alongside her solo career Julia Kociuban teaches at the Bacewicz University of Music in Lodz (Poland). She is also a founder and director of BISMA Bacewicz International Summer Music Academy.