More about Suzanne Szambelan

Written by Julia Lorenzo. Posted in Musicians

Zuzanne SZAMBELAN (b. 1993, New York City) began her music education in Poznań at the age of 5, in the piano class of Mirosława Preuschoff-Kaźmierczakowa. A year later, she also began studying the cello. It soon became evident that she developed a special affinity for this particular instrument, and with time, playing on it became her true passion.

The presently 24-year-old cellist trained under the direction of outstanding Polish pedagogues, who notably include Stanisław Firlej and Dominik Połoński. Zuzanna had the opportunity of meeting such prominent figures in the world of music as Maxim Vengerov, Jeans-Peter Maintz, Philippe Muller, Fred Sherry, and Claus Reichardt.

The list of awards won by the Polish cellist notably includes the Special Award at the 18th International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach (Austria, 2011), First Prize at the 8th International Kazimierz Wiłkomirski Competition in Poznań together with the Special Award for the best performance of the competition patron’s Aria (Poland, 2006) and the Second Prize at the International Competition in Liezen (Austria, 2002).

As a scholarship recipient of the Polish Children’s Fund, Zuzanna appeared at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Ball Hall of the Castle in Łańcut, and Aula Collegium Maius in Cracow. The Polish cellist also had the honour of performing as soloist with orchestras that include the Sinfonietta Cracovia, Kaliningrad Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist Susanne recorded her first CD with Polish conductor Robert Kabara and Sinfonietta Cracovia for DUX record company in Poland.

Zuzanna Szambelan is presently a student at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin, in the class of Stephan Forck.

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More about Elvira van Groningen

Written by Carmen Marcuello. Posted in Musicians

Elvira van Groningen was born in Zwolle in December 1992, received her first violin lessons at the age of six and studied at the ArtEZ Conservatory in Zwolle and later at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Prof. Lex Korff de Gidts. Currently she is studying at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin in the violin class of Prof. Stephan Picard. Elvira van Groningen is prize-winner of various competitions, such as the Haydn Music Festival, the Interprovinzielle music competition and the Iordens Viooldagen. In 2007 she was awarded with the 1st prize and the audience prize at the Princess Christina competition in the Hague. 2011 won a funding premium as a finalist in the XIV International Competition for Violin ‘Schöntal Monastery’. 2014, it was accepted as a fellow of Stiftung “Villa Musica” Rhineland-Palatinate. She won a 2nd Prize and the Special Prize for the best interpretation of a classic work in the International Queen Sophie Charlotte. As a soloist the violinist has performed among others with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands, the Limburgs Symfonie Orchestra, the Nederlands Symfonie Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Sopot. She occurred France and Bulgaria in all large concert halls in the Netherlands as well as in Austria, Greece, Germany.  Elvira van Groningen attended masterclasses u.a at. Ivry Gitlis, Alexandre Vinnitsky, Chaim Taub, Philippe Graffin, Liviu Prunaru, David Takeno, Gerhard Schulz and Sergio Azzolini part.

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