Our Faculty for Workshop in Tallinn - September 2024
Our faculty is comprised of outstanding performing artists who combine concert careers as chamber players with a dedication to teaching. They are passionate about sharing their expertise in an encouraging and supportive manner to help you achieve your individual musical goals. You’ll have the opportunity to hear them collaborate in faculty recitals and, for an additional fee, sign-up for private lessons during the week.
CAL WIERSMA (violin, viola) has an impressive biography as a soloist and chamber musician that is far too extensive to include here! He was a founding member of the prize-winning Meliora Quartet and was a member of the Manhattan String Quartet for 20 years. Cal is Associate Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Ithaca College and maintains an active international career as a soloist and chamber musician. He is a noted performer of contemporary music and tours extensively with new music ensembles. His teaching and coaching prowess is as legendary as his keen sense of humor.
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LIUH-WEN TING (viola) is a former member of the award-winning Meridian String Quartet and a co-founder of Ensemble Meme, which debuted at Zankel Hall to critical acclaim. She has collaborated with artists across the spectrum, including the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, the Cassatt Quartet, the Manhattan String Quartet, and most recently as a featured artist on several sold-out North American tours with the renowned Persian vocalist Shahram Nazeri.
Her festival appearances include the Prague Spring Music Festival, Ostrava Days in Czech Republic, the Warsaw Autumn Music Festival, Primavera en la Habana international electro-acoustic music festival in Cuba. Ms. Ting performs regularly with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Composers Orchestra, SEM ensemble, and the Berkshire Bach Ensemble. She was a faculty at the prep division of the Juilliard school for many years and presently teaches at the prep division of the Mannes School of Music. |
JITKA VLASANKOVA (cello) is a founding member of the Martinu Quartet and has an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. She has received numerous prizes in cello competitions at home as well as abroad (Prague Spring International Competition, Pablo Casals Competition in Budapest and others). Jitka has been a driving force behind the Play with the Professionals (PLAYWIP) program for amateur chamber players and is regularly invited to sit on juries of international competitions. Her intense focus as a performer and teacher is combined with a radiant and enthusiastic personality.
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LECH ANTONIO USZYNSKI (viola) has been a member of the Stradivari Quartet since 2010, receiving great acclaim on concert tours throughout Europe, Asia and America. With his characteristic warm sound and sensitive interpretation, Lech has become a sought-after violist on international stages. As a soloist and chamber musician he has played in concert halls that include the Philharmonie Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Zurich Tonhalle, the Vienna Konzerthaus, London’s Wigmore Hall and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. He has also been invited in recent years as guest principal viola by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra and numerous other ensembles. In addition to his wide stylistic range as a performer, Lech is also passionate about teaching and regularly hosts masterclasses. He is Professor of Viola at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
Lech was born in 1986 into a family of Polish musicians in Padova, Italy but moved to Switzerland the following year. It was there that he grew up, studying with Ana Chumachenco, Zakhar Bron, and Michel Rouilly at Zurich’s University of the Arts. He also received mentoring and encouragement as a violist from Rudolf Barshai. Lech currently performs on a rare viola by the maker Hendrick Willems built in 1690. |
RADIM SEDMIDUBSKY (viola) is currently a member of the well-known Talich Quartet. A co-founder and member of the Skampa Quartet for more than 20 years, he is also a former member of the Pavel Haas Quartet. It seems that Radim just can’t resist playing quartets! He also enjoys an active international career as a chamber musician and soloist, touring Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Radim has led chamber music classes on many continents and in 2001 was appointed visiting professor of chamber music at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is Professor of Viola and Chamber Music at the Prague Conservatory. Radim's congenial wit and humor are a perfect complement to his wisdom and insight into playing quartets.
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