Do you know this year's laureates and winners? Here they are!
You already know their names from the Result lists we have published back in February. Now you can learn how the most successful participants of the competition Concertino Praga 2013 had started with their music career, what achievements have come, but also what do they like to do in their leasure time.
VICTOR MASLOV (*2. 2. 1997)
piano - 1st Prize, the Overall Winner
“Incredibly beautiful, deep, melodious and warm sound – in the best traditions of the Russian piano school” (“New Russian Word” newspaper, New York, October 29, 2010).
“...Victor Maslov is one of those people, who is close to all-round mastery of his repertoire” (“New York Concert Review” edition, New York, October 23, 2010).
Here are the reviews which Victor Maslov got after his performance on festival at "Weill Recital Hall” (the small hall of Carnegie Hall Complex) when he was thirteen years old. Victor Maslov began to study music when he was five and a year later he became a first-grade pupil of Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music. Victor’s mother is his teacher and he has already been taking part in master classes of the famous professor Dmitry Bashkirov for 5 years. In 2007 Victor became a scholarship holder of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation and since then all his creative work is connected with the Foundation activities. Victor is the winner of international contests such as “Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition” in Paris (France) and “Musicale dell'Adriatico” in Ancona (Italy), awardee of five international contests including “International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz” in Kiev (Ukraine). With the assistance of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation took part in international competitions in Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland and the USA.
MARIA-ALEXANDRA BOBEICO (*16. 11. 1996)
violin - 1st Prize
Maria-Alexandra Bobeico studyes at „George Enescu” Music High School from Bucharest (with prof. Elena Baltaga, prof. Mihaela Tomescu ). She participatted at Masterclass organized by Galina Buinovski, Gabriel Croitoru, Tamara Caftanat, Stefan Gheorghiu, Liviu Prunaru, Remus Azoitei, Corina Belcea, Eduard Schmieder and Eduard Grach. She participated at Workshop organized by SoNoRo– Interferences 2012 and in Montepulciano (Italy). She was awarded many prizes in homeland and abroad, for instance Excelence Diploma “Remember Enescu” Cultural Foundation in 2012; “Remember Enescu” International Violin Competition, Sinaia, (1st Prize and Special Prize Regatta exklusive), “George Georgescu” International Competition, Tulcea (1st Prize in 2011), “Victor Giuleanu” National Competition, Bucharest (Grand Prix in 2011 and 1st Prize), „Cornelia Bronzetti” International Competition, Câmpina (1st Prize and Special Prize „Garabet Avachian” in 2010, 2nd Prize in 2008 and 1st Prize in 2006), „W.A.Mozart” International Competition, Târgovişte (2nd Prize in 2009 and 1st Prize in 2007 and in 2005) etc. She is regularly invited to concerts and recitals in Romania, Italy, Republic of Moldova.
PAVEL VERKHATUROV (* 23. 7. 1998)
piano - 2nd Prize
For the first time touched Pavel a block flute at six, his first performance took place half a year later, but already at that time Pavel became interested in playing piano rather than flute. He was as interested in performing on a scene as shy when seeing the audience, and he was very eager to overcome his shyness. In due course playing the piano on a scene became an exciting and festive event for him. Pavel at first studied the piano in the Children’s Art School “Harmony” in the small town Kraskovo of the Moscow Region having spent three years there. At nine he won the third prize of the 3rd Russian Flier Competition for young musicians in Orekhovo-Zuevo (Moscow Region), as well as the 1st Prize and Grand Prix of the 1st International Kabalevskiy Music Competition in Moscow. In 2008 Pavel went to the Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music, and he is lucky to study with excellent Professor Tatiana Zelikman there. In 2010 Pavel participated in the Rheingau International Music Festival in Germany and in the 1st International Piano Festival “Images Of Modern Pianism” in Saint Petersburg in 2011 organized by Valery Gergiev. In May 2011 he won the gold medal for piano of the 10th Delphic Youth Games of Russia and the Fifth Prize of Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City in June 2012. Pavel is fond of reading, cycling, playing football and taking photographs.
BARBORA KUBÍKOVÁ (*18. 5. 1998)
guitar - 1st Prize
Barbora Kubíková has been playing music since she was five. She used to play the recorder and sing in choirs, such as Jitřenka, Sedmikrásky, Carmínek, and Carmína. Since her first school year she has also been dancing and singing with a folklore ensemble, Borováček. However, she has mainly focused on classical guitar since she was six. She currently attends the elementary school of music and arts in Piaristické náměstí in České Budějovice, where she is taught by Pavel Steffal. She was awarded many prices in homeland. In the 2007/2008 season she received a first class honourable mention in the main round of a guitar competition and in 2009 the town of České Budějovice granted her a cultural scholarship, she won the second prize in the Talent Competition of the South Bohemian Region. That was followed by the competitions Praguitarra Clássica (2010 – overall winner, 2011 – 2nd Prize), Guitartalent International Competition in Brno (2010 – 3rd Prize, 2011 and 2012 – 1st Prize in the category for those of up to seventeen years of age) etc. In May 2012 she won, for the eighth time, the 1st Prize at the Zliv guitar competition and for four times she became its overall winner.
HEDVIKA ŠVENDOVÁ (* 23. 5. 1996)
guitar - 2nd Prize
Hedvika Švendová began to play the guitar at the age of four. She achieved her first success in 2005 in the national guitar competition Prague Junior Note, where she won the 2nd Prize. In 2006 she became overall winner in the national round of the competition of elementary schools of music and art. In January 2007 she transferred to Jiří Tomášek, under whose guidance she has been awarded by the first prize at the International Guitar Competition in Zruč nad Sázavou, and she became the overall winner of the national round of the competition for the second time. Along with her sister, Dominika, she won the first prize at the Guitarrando Hradec Králové international competition. She has won the first prize at the Praguitara clasica national competition twice and in 2009 she also received a Czech TV Award – Zlatý Oříšek (Golden Nut). After that she won the international competition Guitartalent Brno (in the under-13 and under-20 categories). She became a laureate of the International Competition in Dolný Kubín, Slovakia, and a laureate of the International Guitar Biennial in Kutná Hora in the under- 20 category, where she was also given the award of “The Young Guitar Player of the Year”. In 2011 she began to study at Pardubice Conservatory with Professor Petr Saidl, under whose guidance she won an honourable mention at Concertino Praga (guitar – clarinet combination) and took part in a Eurovision TV competition in Brno. She has won international competitions Forum Gitarre in Vienna (Austria) and Dolný Kubín (Slovakia). At the international guitar competition in Rust (Austria) she won the third prize.
MARTINA MIEDL (* 27. 4. 1996)
violin - Honorable mention
Martina Miedl started playing the violin at the age of 8 and has been in the class of especially gifted students of Prof. Alexandra Ruth Rappitsch since then. Since 2009/10 she has been member of the class of extraordinarily talented students of the “Vorarlberger Landeskonservatorium” (Vorarlberg State Conservatory). She furthermore attended master classes with Prof. Lewis Kaplan (Juilliard School of Music, New York) and with Prof. Krzysztof Wegrzyn (Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media). Martina Miedl has won several national and international awards, for instance the 1st Prize at the “26° Concorso Europeo Alfredo e Vanda Marcosig per giovani violinisti studenti” in Gorizia, Italy (2009), and the 1st Prize at the “11° Concorso Internazionale Euritmia” per giovani strumentisti in Povoletto, Italy (2007). She won several first prizes at the Austrian competition for young musicians “Prima la Musica”, on the regional as well as the national levels, she won a 1st Prize at the national competition in 2012 and as a special prize she has got a personal presentation at the homepage of www.emcy.com.
KERSON LEONG (*26. 7. 1997)
violin - Honorable mention
Kerson’s development as a violinist and artist has been largely influenced by Patinka Kopec, Jonathan Crow and Laurence Kayaleh. He has participated in the NAC Young Artist Program under the direction of Pinchas Zukerman, and in violin masterclasses with Zakhar Bron at the Kronberg Academy. His other musical interests include conducting and playing pop and jazz on the clarinet and saxophone. He is keenly interested in finding connections between music and other fields, having experienced firsthand how the concept of resonance, as taught by his physicist dad, has helped him optimize his own string tone and intonation. Kerson is the First Prize winner in the Junior Category (under-16) at the prestigious Menuhin Competition Oslo 2010, receiving international recognition when he was 13. He has also won the Grand Prize at the Canadian Music Competition for five straight years (2005-2009), each time achieving the highest mark of any age group or instrument. Kerson has appeared as soloist with many ensembles around the world. His recent solo debut at the NCPA Concert Hall in Beijing was met with critical acclaim. Since his debut performance at the age of 10 in 2007, he has been a frequent returning guest soloist with the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra, including being invited by Maestro Pinchas Zukerman to perform with him and the orchestra at two annual NAC Gala events. In the 2012-2013 season, he will make his solo debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and many other orchestras in Canada and USA.
ALEXANDRU-CADMIEL BOTAC (*16. 1. 1997)
piano - Honorable mention
Since 2011 till now Alexandru-Cadmiel is student at High School of Music “ Sigismund Toduţă” from Cluj-Napoca. Between 2002-2011 he was student at Secondary School with supplementary program for Music and Arts ( piano and theory-solfeggio) in Sighetu Marmaţiei. He has won many competitions in homeland and abroad, the most significant are International Music Competition in Montrond les Bains (France, 2012) and the International Piano Competition in Zagreb (Croatia, 2008) and then the national competitions, for instance the National Music Olimpics (2012-2009), the National Piano Competition “Dinu Lipatti”, organized by Radio Romania-Romanian Music Channel (Bucharest, 2011), the National Music Competition “Carl Czerny” in Piatra Neamt in 2011 and 2009, the National Piano Competition “Pro Piano” (Bucharest, 2008) etc. Besides playing piano, he likes poetry, learning languages (English and Italian) reading, playing football and biking.
MATYÁŠ NOVÁK (*20. 6. 1998)
piano - Honorable mention
Matyáš Novák began to play the piano at the age of five . He is currently a pupil at the Jižní Město school of music and arts in Prague led by professor Ivo Kahánek. Matyáš has won fifteen first prizes at national and international competitions (Prague Junior Note 2006 and 2012, Pro Bohemia Ostrava International Competition 2007, international competition Piano über Grenzen 2008, international competition Amadeus Brno 2009, Young Pianists International Competition in Glubczyce 2009, international competition Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte in Ústí nad Labem 2009, international competition Broumovská klávesa 2011, International Vítěszlav Novák Competition 2012, etc.). As a soloist he has performed with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, and repeatedly with the Hradec Králové Philharmonic Orchestra. Apart from the piano he also plays the violin. Matyáš performs as a soloist, but he also belongs among sought-after chamber music players. Along with Julie Svěcená (violin) and Libor Suchý (clarinet) he is a member of a chamber trio called Sol de Praga, with which he won the 2nd Prize at the Concertino Praga International Radio Competition for Young Musicians in 2012. Matyáš performs both in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Austria, Poland, Luxembourg).
VILÉM VLČEK (*26. 4. 1998)
cello - Honorable mention
Vilém Vlček began to play the cello at the age of five under the tutelage of Professor Martin Škampa. His first significant achievement was the 1st Prize at the National Competition of Elementary Music and Arts Schools in 2008. That was followed by first prizes in Liezen, Austria (2010, 2012), at the Talents for Europe competition in Dolný Kubín, Slovakia (2010), and at the Heran Cello Competition (2011). He is currently studying with Martin and Mirko Škampa at the City of Prague Grammar and Music School. In 2010 and 2012 he performed within the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra’s series of concerts for children. As a soloist he has performed with orchestras in Lithuania, Germany, and Poland, and he has also played in Croatia, Hungary, Norway, Denmark, and Italy.
YOSIF SHUKEROV (*23. 1. 1997)
guitar - Honorable mention
Yosif Bratanov Shukerov began to play the piano at the age of five, later the guitar. Since 2009 he has been a student at the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School, Sofia, in the guitar class of Stolina Dobreva. He takes part in the master classes of Georgi Vassilev, Ivo Kalchev, Magdalena Kalcheva, Jorgos Panetsos and Kerstin Neubauer. Yosif is a laureate of many prizes, for instance The 47th Music Competition “Youth Makes Music”, Lübeck, Germany, (2010 - 3rd Prize in the Chamber Music category), The 7th Young Virtuosi International Competition, Sofia (2011 – 2nd Prize), The 16th Marin Goleminov International Classical Guitar Competition, Kyustendil (2012 – Special Award), The 17th International Youth Competition of Forum Gitarre Sien (2012 – Special Prize for the best interpretation of a lyrical composition). Yosif Shukerov has also participated in numerous concerts and television programmes, both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles.
