For the seventh time, on August 14-19, 2023, we will meet in Zielona Góra to celebrate among wonderful artists. Music and education will unite us, melody will be intertwined with hours of hard work, all so that you, the listener, get what is most beautiful for your heart – real feast for the ears.
Dizzy Boyz Brass Band is a band performing in a typical New Orleans line-up and performing covers of the greatest hits of popular music, film music and jazz.
Dizzy Boyz Brass Band’s repertoire includes the most famous hits of artists such as Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. The band has performed at many music festivals in Poland and Europe, including at Pfullendorf Brass Festival, International Trumpet Guild, Enter Enea Festival, Made in Chicago and Net Fest Music Showcase & Conference.
The concert will start at 20:00 at Plac Bohaterów Westerplatte, then the artists and the audience will march to Plac Teatralny, where the main part of the concert will take place.
Jakub Domański, Kacper Grzanka – trumpet
Maciej Sokołowski, Wojciech Braszak – saxophones
Filip Szulc – baritone sax
Maciej Łakomy – trombone
Zbigniew Wilk – sousaphone
Maksymilian Mińczykowski – drums/percussion
The artists of the festival will meet on stage in various chamber ensembles. The concert will not only be an opportunity to hear outstanding performers, but also to discover the extraordinary chemistry and dynamics that arise among them during the festival.
Each new instrumental combination will open up new sound and interpretation perspectives for us. By playing brass instruments with the accompanying piano, the artists will present their unique skills and passion for chamber music.
Louise Pollock, Tomasz Hajda – trombone
Julie Bonde, Ryan Darke – trumpet
Maciej Baranowski, Matías Piñeira, Hongpark Kim, Lene Skomedal, Raimund Zell – horn
Vikentios Gionanidis – tuba
HORNET QUARTET: Gabriel Czopka, Michał Szczerba, Łukasz Łacny, Piotr Kowalski – horn
Wioletta Fluda-Tkaczyk, Natalia Domańska – piano
The concert will be led by: the legendary Hollywood Studio horn player, John Williams’ favorite – James Thatcher, Raimund Zell – professor of horn at the Anton-Bruckner-Universität in Linz and Vikentios Gionanidis – tuba player of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin.
The program includes music by the most outstanding film composers – John Willams, Jerry Goldsmith, Klaus Badelt and Alfred Newman, from such films as: Independence Day, E.T., Captain Hook, Robin Hood, King Arthur’s Knight and How the Wild West Was Taken, arranged for large brass ensembles.
James Thatcher / Raimund Zell / Vikentios Gionanidis – conductors
participants of instrumental workshops
Maciej Baranowski, Piotr Kowalski – horn
Ryan Darke – trumpet
Louise Pollock, Kris Garfitt – trombone
Vikentios Gionanidis, Roland Szentpali – tuba
A symphonic concert of the Zielona Góra Philharmonic Orchestra, which will accompany virtuosos of trumpet, French horn, trombone and tuba, i.e. the international team of CORNO – Brass Music Festival.
The musicians will be led by Maria Badstue, a Danish conductor born in India, popular mainly in Scandinavian countries. Laureate of the prestigious Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (TACF) for 2019-2021, artistic director and founder of the Nordic Masterclass for Conductors, co-founder of Copenhagen’s The Ørestad Klassiske MusikFestival, a music festival focusing on youth. In the 2022-23 season, she makes her debut in Italy, France and the United States.
The program includes:
Antonio Vivaldi – Concerto in F major for two horns, strings and b.c. op. 47/6 Georg Christoph Wagenseil – Concerto in E flat major for alto trombone and orchestra Johann Wilhelm Hertel – Concerto in D major No. 3 for trumpet, strings and b.c. Thomas Albinoni – Concerto in G minor, Op. 9, No. 8 for oboe arranged for tuba and orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Concerto in E flat major for horn and orchestra
Zielona Góra Philharmonic Orchestra
Radek Baborak, Hongpark Kim – horn
Manu Mellaerts – trumpet
Kris Garfitt – trombone
Vikentios Gionanidis – tuba
Maria Badstue – conductor
Young brass players, with the support of top international artists, will perform impressive, loud and energetic arrangements of classical and film music hits.
Adepts will surprise with their virtuosity and passion for playing brass instruments, and under the watchful eye of experienced CORNO artists, their performances will gain depth and intensity, providing unforgettable experiences to the listeners.
The concert will be the result of a week-long instrumental workshop.
participants of instrumental workshops
Andrew Stone-Fewings, Jan Harasimowicz – conductors
Los Pitutos is a Chilean-Colombian band, founded in Berlin in 2015, which specialises in adaptations of cumbias, Boleros and other musical Rythms from latinamerica in their compositions influenced by musical movements from the 60 and 70s in North America such as funk, Soul, Boogaloo among others, leading to a unique mixture which captivates its audience and brings it to Latin America on a one way ticket. Founded by classically trained young Chilean and Colombian musicians, who all came to Germany to study and to work, Los Pitutos manages to resurrect a bygone world, a world full of longing, warm Latin – American nights and charm of the slower century.
The whole event will be complemented by Adam Rapa, a world-famous trumpeter, very well known to the Zielona Góra audience.
Dizzy Boyz Brass Band is a band performing in a typical New Orleans line-up and performing covers of the greatest hits of popular music, film music and jazz.
Dizzy Boyz Brass Band’s repertoire includes the most famous hits of artists such as Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. The band has performed at many music festivals in Poland and Europe, including at Pfullendorf Brass Festival, International Trumpet Guild, Enter Enea Festival, Made in Chicago and Net Fest Music Showcase & Conference.
The concert will start at 20:00 at Plac Bohaterów Westerplatte, then the artists and the audience will march to Plac Teatralny, where the main part of the concert will take place.
Jakub Domański, Kacper Grzanka – trumpet
Maciej Sokołowski, Wojciech Braszak – saxophones
Filip Szulc – baritone sax
Maciej Łakomy – trombone
Zbigniew Wilk – sousaphone
Maksymilian Mińczykowski – drums/percussion
The artists of the festival will meet on stage in various chamber ensembles. The concert will not only be an opportunity to hear outstanding performers, but also to discover the extraordinary chemistry and dynamics that arise among them during the festival.
Each new instrumental combination will open up new sound and interpretation perspectives for us. By playing brass instruments with the accompanying piano, the artists will present their unique skills and passion for chamber music.
Louise Pollock, Tomasz Hajda – trombone
Julie Bonde, Ryan Darke – trumpet
Maciej Baranowski, Matías Piñeira, Hongpark Kim, Lene Skomedal, Raimund Zell – horn
Vikentios Gionanidis – tuba
HORNET QUARTET: Gabriel Czopka, Michał Szczerba, Łukasz Łacny, Piotr Kowalski – horn
Wioletta Fluda-Tkaczyk, Natalia Domańska – piano
The concert will be led by: the legendary Hollywood Studio horn player, John Williams’ favorite – James Thatcher, Raimund Zell – professor of horn at the Anton-Bruckner-Universität in Linz and Vikentios Gionanidis – tuba player of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin.
The program includes music by the most outstanding film composers – John Willams, Jerry Goldsmith, Klaus Badelt and Alfred Newman, from such films as: Independence Day, E.T., Captain Hook, Robin Hood, King Arthur’s Knight and How the Wild West Was Taken, arranged for large brass ensembles.
James Thatcher / Raimund Zell / Vikentios Gionanidis – conductors
participants of instrumental workshops
Maciej Baranowski, Piotr Kowalski – horn
Ryan Darke – trumpet
Louise Pollock, Kris Garfitt – trombone
Vikentios Gionanidis, Roland Szentpali – tuba
A symphonic concert of the Zielona Góra Philharmonic Orchestra, which will accompany virtuosos of trumpet, French horn, trombone and tuba, i.e. the international team of CORNO – Brass Music Festival.
The musicians will be led by Maria Badstue, a Danish conductor born in India, popular mainly in Scandinavian countries. Laureate of the prestigious Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (TACF) for 2019-2021, artistic director and founder of the Nordic Masterclass for Conductors, co-founder of Copenhagen’s The Ørestad Klassiske MusikFestival, a music festival focusing on youth. In the 2022-23 season, she makes her debut in Italy, France and the United States.
The program includes:
Antonio Vivaldi – Concerto in F major for two horns, strings and b.c. op. 47/6 Georg Christoph Wagenseil – Concerto in E flat major for alto trombone and orchestra Johann Wilhelm Hertel – Concerto in D major No. 3 for trumpet, strings and b.c. Thomas Albinoni – Concerto in G minor, Op. 9, No. 8 for oboe arranged for tuba and orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Concerto in E flat major for horn and orchestra
Zielona Góra Philharmonic Orchestra
Radek Baborak, Hongpark Kim – horn
Manu Mellaerts – trumpet
Kris Garfitt – trombone
Vikentios Gionanidis – tuba
Maria Badstue – conductor
Young brass players, with the support of top international artists, will perform impressive, loud and energetic arrangements of classical and film music hits.
Adepts will surprise with their virtuosity and passion for playing brass instruments, and under the watchful eye of experienced CORNO artists, their performances will gain depth and intensity, providing unforgettable experiences to the listeners.
The concert will be the result of a week-long instrumental workshop.
participants of instrumental workshops
Andrew Stone-Fewings, Jan Harasimowicz – conductors
Los Pitutos is a Chilean-Colombian band, founded in Berlin in 2015, which specialises in adaptations of cumbias, Boleros and other musical Rythms from latinamerica in their compositions influenced by musical movements from the 60 and 70s in North America such as funk, Soul, Boogaloo among others, leading to a unique mixture which captivates its audience and brings it to Latin America on a one way ticket. Founded by classically trained young Chilean and Colombian musicians, who all came to Germany to study and to work, Los Pitutos manages to resurrect a bygone world, a world full of longing, warm Latin – American nights and charm of the slower century.
The whole event will be complemented by Adam Rapa, a world-famous trumpeter, very well known to the Zielona Góra audience.
Born in Norway, but live in Gothenburg, Sweden. She has worked with numerous orchestras and ensembles in several countries, such as co-principal in Norrlandsoperan, solo horn in Copenhagen Phil, co-principal Wermland Opera, 2nd horn Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and many projects on shorter contracts with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Opera, Gothenburg Wind Orchestra, Helsingborgs Symphony Orchestra, Jönköpings Sinfonietta, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Army Band, Norwegian Marine Band, Norwegian Air Force Band, Swedish Air Force Band, Swedish Marine Band, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Dala Sinfonietta, Oscarsborg Opera among others.
Her career also includes work as playing as a soloist, in chamber music and taught or given masterclasses in a large number of projects, festivals and events, such as Citguad (Spain), Encuentro Internacional de Cornos (Chile), Carnaval du Cor (Germany) and this is her third year at Corno Brass Music Festival.
Through combining her music career with teaching her very own style of "yoga for musicians", coaching and breathing technique, she has teached at academies like Colburn School of Music (Los Angeles, US), Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London, UK), Hochschule für Musik (Hannover, Germany) and very many more.Lene has given workshops and lectures forseveral professional ensembles and orchestras, and she has personal clients that range from very young students to world star soloists, conductors and musicians in for example Berlin Phil, LA Phil and Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Louise Pollock is Principal trombone with the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden and faculty member at the Gothenburg University Academy of Music and Drama. She has been awarded numerous prizes, such as the 1st Prize and Audience Prize at the International Aeolus Competition for Wind Instruments 2016 or the prestigious "Stipendium des Deutschen Musikwettbewerbs" at the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb 2014.
She has performed as a soloist throughout Europe with orchestras such as the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Opera Orchestra Gothenburg, Bjergsted Blåsensemble or the Duisburger Philharmoniker. Before her position in Gothenburg she played with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker (Germany) for three years. She is often invited to judge competitions, for example the ITA competition, and give masterclasses and has been featured as an artist at numerous festivals, for example at the Tourbon Brass Festival in Chile, Bjergsted Brass Festival Stavanger in Norway, Tromboholizm Music Festival Poznan or the International Trombone Festival.
Louise studied at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg with Professor Branimir Slokar, where she received her Bachelor of Music with distinction. She then went on to study with Prof. Henning Wiegräbe at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, Germany (Master of Music).
She is a member of the Board of Advisors of the International Trombone Association. Louise is a Conn Artist and performs exclusively on a Conn 88H that was built in the early 1950s.
Horn player and conductor Radek Baborák is one of the most outstanding figures of the classical music scene. Since the beginning of his solo career more than twenty-five years ago, his extraordinary musical performances have enchanted audiences in major cultural venues around the world. He has collaborated with many eminent conductors, e.g. Daniel Barenboim, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Neeme Järvi, James Levine, Vladimir Askhenazy, James de Priest and Marek Janowski.
Baborák is a regular guest at prestigious festivals, such as: Salzburger Osterfestspiele, Pacific Music Festival, the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, the Chamber Music Garden in Suntory Hall, the International Music Festival in Utrecht; Julian Rachlin and Friends in Dubrovnik; Le Pontes; Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, Smetana's Litomyšl and Prague Spring.
His concerts were broadcast by TV and radio stations, including: Euro Arts, BR, ARD, NHK, CT, RTVE, he made recordings for EMI, Supraphon, Exton, Arte Nova, Artesmon and Animal Music.
In the years 2003-2010 Baborák was the principal horn player of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Innovation, passion, and versatility are the hallmarks of India born Danish conductor Maria Badstue, praised as “one of the best young Danish conductors of today,” (Berlingske Media).
An accessible collaborator and innate communicator, Ms. Badstue is a popular conductor in the Nordic countries, particularly Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The recipient of a prestigious 2019-2021 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (TACF), in addition to her guest conducting, she is Artistic Director and Founder of Nordic Masterclass for Conductors (celebrating 10 years this 2023) and INDK Symphonic Collaboration (launched in 2018), and co-founder of Copenhagen’s The Ørestad Klassiske MusikFestival, a new music festival in focusing on youth and the environment launched in fall 2021.
This 2022-23 season, she makes debuts in Italy, France and the United States. In the fall, in Italy, she makes her orchestral debut with the Orchestre di Padova e del Veneto, and in France, she debuts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice conducting Stravinsky’s Sacre de Printemps. In spring 2023, she makes her US debut with the Portland Opera conducting the production of THUMBPRINT by Kamala Sankaram.
Amongst the orchestras with which she has guested are Denmark’s South Denmark Philharmonic, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Royal Danish Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, Randers Chamber Players, and the Danish National Chamber Orchestra; Sweden’s Gothenburg, Helsingborg, and Malmö symphonies, Orkester Norden, and Kristiansand Symphony; and the Romanian Radio Orchestra.
In addition to the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, Ms. Badstue was a prizewinner in the 5th Lovro von Matatic Competition with the Croatian Radio and Television Orchestra, is a recipient of the Sonning Talent Prize, an Augustinus Foundation Jubilee Grant, and a Hämeenlinna City Orchestra Conductors Stipend.
A trained trumpetist, Maria Badstue worked professionally as a trumpetist in Denmark and Finland before focusing on a career in conducting. Previous posts include serving as assistant conductor to both Esa-Pekka Salonen (Philharmonia Orchestra, 2016/2017 season), and to Michael Boder (Wiener Staatsoper, production of Hindemith's Cardillac 2015). Baddsgtue holds Master’s degrees in Orchestral Conducting from the Norwegian State Academy, and in Trumpet Performance from the Danish National Academy of Music.
Born in 1989 in Zielona Góra, he began learning to play the French horn under Ivan Moroz in Poland, and continued his studies with Prof. Christian-Friedrich Dallmann at the Academy of Arts in Berlin (Universität der Künste Berlin).
He has won numerous awards at international competitions, including those in Markneukirchen, Prague Spring in Prague, Sannicandro di Bari, Łódź, and Gdańsk. He has been a recipient of scholarships from the Ministry of Culture of Poland, the "Young Poland" program, the President of Zielona Góra, the Marshal of Lubuskie Voivodeship, the Jütting Foundation, the Paul Hindemith Society, and the Ad Infinitum Foundation.
He was a member of the famous Karajan Orchestra Academy at the Berlin Philharmonic. He collaborates with ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Staatskapelle Dresden, Staatsoper Hamburg, Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Sinfonia Varsovia, SHMF Orchestra, Bachakademie Stuttgart, and Verbier Festival Orchestra.
He currently serves as the third horn player in the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester) and is an assistant to Prof. Christian-Friedrich Dallmann in the horn class at the University of the Arts in Berlin.
She was born in Nyborg, Denmark.
She graduated from the Hanns Eisler University of Music in Berlin with prof. William Forman, Falk Maertens and prof. Kristian Steenstrup. She was a student of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden orchestra in Berlin, with which she regularly collaborates to this day. He also makes guest appearances with the Berlin Radio Orchestra, Komische Oper Berlin, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Lübeck Philharmonic Orchestra and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, founded by Daniel Barenboim.
Since 2015, she has been a lecturer at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock, where she teaches trumpet and breathing techniques to all brass instrumentalists.
Julie is also a teacher on both breathing technique and mental training.
Do you know what connects the world's greatest hits, which make you dance? In each of them, wind instruments play an important role: saxophones, trombone, tuba and trumpets, along with the percussion that binds them together. Such a set of instruments comes from the tradition of New Orleans brass bands and is a ready recipe for a unique, energetic sound.
This was the idea of Jakub Domański, the founder of the Dizzy Boyz Brass Band. In 2013, he created a band performing in a typical New Orleans brass band and performing covers of the greatest hits of popular music, film music and jazz. Dizzy Boyz Brass Band's repertoire includes the most famous hits of artists such as Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. The band has performed at many music festivals in Poland and Europe, including at Pfullendorf Brass Festival, International Trumpet Guild, Enter Enea Festival, Made in Chicago or Net Fest Music Showcase & Conference. So far, Dizzy Boyz Brass Band has released two albums.
Principal French horn at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw.
He graduated from the Academy of Music in Wrocław. Winner of awards at competitions in Łódź and Katowice. Finalist of the artEZ Brass Competition in Enschede. He honed his skills under the guidance of Dale Clavenger, William VerMeulen and William Caballero. He collaborates with Sinfonia Varsovia, the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra and the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra. In the 2015/2016 season he was on a one-year contract with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in the United States.
Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, a lecturer of trumpet at the Bob Cole Conservatory at California State University Long Beach and lecturer of pedagogy at the Colburn Conservatory of Music.
Ryan has played full seasons with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and the New World Symphony. He has played on short term contracts at Auckland Philharmonia, The Malaysia Philharmonic, and the Stavanger Philharmonic internationally.
Domestically, he has performed with the San Francisco Symphony and Brass Ensemble, Saint Louis Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and many others. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ryan has appeared as guest principal trumpet, played in the LA Philharmonic Brass Quintet, and joined two international tours (Venezuela and Scotland).
In addition, Ryan enjoys recording work in Los Angeles, and frequently performs at Warner Brothers, Sony, Capital Records, and Fox Studios. He can be heard on many motion pictures and television shows including The Greatest Showman, Turning Red, The Mandelorian, Mulan, The Suicide Squad, The Simpsons, Star Trek: Picard, and more.
Concert pianist and lecturer at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Ignacy Jan Paderewski in Poznań.
She completed BA and MA piano studies in 2013 at the Academy of Music in Poznań, and also completed postgraduate studies in "Management in culture" at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poznań. Since 2012, she has been working as an accompanist at the Academy of Music in Poznań. Her repertoire, constantly expanding, currently includes over 100 works for brass instruments. As a soloist, she performed with the Opole Philharmonic, the Poznań Philharmonic and the Poznań Representative Air Force Orchestra. As a pianist, she participates in many international competitions, festivals and master classes in Poland and Germany, in cooperation with outstanding and respected musicians.
In her free time she gives piano lessons, travels, takes photos, bakes and walks her dog.
Pianist, graduate of the Academy of Music in Krakow, which she graduated with honors. She cooperates mainly with wind instruments.
Wioletta participated in many significant auditions, festivals and competitions, where she received diplomas for outstanding/best accompaniment. She started working as a pianist in 2012 at the Wrocław Opera. In the years 2013-2019 she worked at the Krakow Opera as a choir tutor. Since 2014, she has been working at the Academy of Music in Krakow as an accompanist, and since February 2019 she has been employed at Capella Cracoviensis as a chamber musician. In 2015 she worked as a tutor at the Universität der Künste in Berlin in the trombone class.
He is a first prize winner of the International ARD Music Competition in Munich, a Courtois Performing Artist and Solo Trombonist of the WDR Symphony Orchestra. On top of this he had competition success as the Gold Medal winner of the 2019 Royal Overseas League Music Competition in London, and first prize winner of the 2022 International Soloists Competition in Grenchen, 2019 Jeju International Music Competition, 2018 International Tenor and Bass Trombone Competition in Budapest, the 2018 International Juozas Pakalnis Competition of Wind and Percussion Instruments in Vilnius and the 2019 International IPV (International German Trombone Association) Competition in Germany. As well as winning the first prize in the ARD Competition, he also won the public prize plus numerous 'special' awards.
He graduated in 2015 from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with a First Class Honours Degree. During his time at Guildhall he undertook regular lessons with Eric Crees, Peter Gane and Christopher Houlding and later with Fabrice Millischer of Freiburg Musikhochschule and Guilhem Kusnierek at the Hochschule for Music Saar.
From 2016 until 2020 Kris was working as a member of the German Radio Philharmonic, and since 2021 is the solo trombonist with the WDR Symphony Orchestra. Besides regular concerts with his orchestra, he is performing frequently as guest solo trombonist with many of Europe's leading orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich (plus many more). He is fortunate enough to have been a member of both the European Union Youth Orchestra and Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and travel extensively throughout the world, performing at places such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall in London, Salzburg Festspielhaus, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, the Semperoper in Dresden, Berlin Philharmonie, Prague's Rudolfinum, Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, the Seoul Arts Center, and perform in festivals such as The BBC Proms and Salzburger Festspiele.
Alongside his orchestral career, Kris also manages to navigate a busy schedule as a solo musician. He has performed as soloist with orchestras on numerous occasions, with professional ensembles such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Munich Chamber Orchestra. Over the coming seasons he looks forward to debut solo engagements with the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the German Radio Philharmonic, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, plus many more orchestras throughout Germany, Poland, Austria, Spain, Lithuania etc. Shortly after winning his job in 2016 Kris experienced an increased interest and love of the trombone's wonderful solo literature, leading him to start a duo with the exceptional Korean pianist, Seri Dan. Together they perform regular concerts throughout Germany and worldwide. Their debut album, 'Kaleidoscope' was released in February 2023.
Kris is also a keen educator and is 'Visiting Professor of Trombone' at the Royal College of Music as well as a teacher at the Universität der Künste (University of the Arts) in Berlin.
Vikentios Gionanidis is a Greek tuba player and arranger for brass. He was born in 1988 in Corfu and began his musical studies in 1998 at the wind band “Mantzaros”, witch included theory, percussion, euphonium and finally the tuba. Later, he Studied at the Conservatory of Corfu and in 2007 he began his studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover, Germany joining the famous tuba class of Prof. Jens Bjørn-Larsen. During his time there, he had the chance to participate in various chamber music ensembles as well as performing solo recitals and receiving orchestral training. He got his Diploma Degree on 2013.
He won first prizes in two of the most prestigious competitions for brass instruments. At the International Aeolus Competition in Düsseldorf (2010), apart from the first prize, he also won the special prize for contemporary music and the audience award, competing against other brass instruments including the trumpet and the trombone. At the International Instrumental Competition in Markneukirchen (2012) Gionanidis won the first prize. He also won prizes at the National Music Academy Competition in Lübeck (2011) and the International Brass Competition in Gdansk (2012).
Vikentios has appeared as a soloist with the Folkwang Kammerorchester, Essen, the Orchestra of the Plauen-Zwickau Theater, the Göttinger Symphoniker, the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, the Gdansk Academy Orchestra, just to name a few.
As an orchestral musician, Vikentios has performed with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Staatsoper Hamburg, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig, the Staatsorchester Stuttgart, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Konzerthaus-Orchestra Berlin, among others.
Vikentios is very passionate about chamber music. He has performed with many prestigious groups, such as the Ensemble Modern, which specialises in contemporary music, the German Opera Brass (brass ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin), the Salaputia Brass, among others.
Since 2014 Vikentios Gionanidis has been teaching orchestral and solo literature at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien, Hannover, assisting his teacher Prof. Jens Björn-Larsen. He has given masterclasses in many countries, including Greece, Germany, Sweden and the USA.
Apart of his work as a tuba player, Vikentios is also an active arranger of music for brass. His arrangements have been published and performed all over the world. His first etude book for tuba and trombone, 29 Bel Canto Studies became immediately successful and is a companion for many tuba and trombone players around the globe.
Since the season 2013/2014 Vikentios holds the position of Principal Tuba in the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin.
Vikentios is a Buffet Crampon artist and plays B&S tubas.
First trombone player of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.
One of the leading Polish trombone players, winner of many awards at international solo and chamber music competitions, e.g. in Warsaw, Katowice, Dąbrowa Górnicza and Gdańsk. He performed as a soloist with many orchestras in Poland, made archival recordings with the NOSPR orchestra of K. Serocki's Sonatina, K. Sikorski's Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra and Wilhelm Frieman's Concerto for Trombone.
He is an active chamber musician, performing simultaneously with the Sinfonia Varsovia Brass and the Polish Brass Quintet. Since 2008, he has been a lecturer of trombone and chamber music at the Academy of Music in Wrocław.
He is a soloist of the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra and a lecturer at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
After studying at the Birmingham Conservatory (2007) and again in Poland, he continued the family tradition as a trumpet teacher at all school levels. In addition to intensive work as a trumpeter of Sinfonia Varsovia, and a lecturer, Jan remains active in music, engaging in interesting projects outside the circles of classical music (including SV Brass, Szymon Nidzworski Project).
He studied at the Seoul National University and at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg under Prof. Radovan Vlatković (Master's Degree). He completed his Soloist Diploma (Konzertexamen) at the Universität der Künste Berlin with Prof. Christian-Friedirich-Dallmann.
He was winner of many national competitions in Korea and he won several prizes of the International French Horn Competition ‘FEDERICO II DI SVEVIA’, Jeju International Brass Competition and International Horn Society ‘Philip Farkas Award’. Kim won 1st Prize and Grand Prize of all categories at Japan Winds and Percussion Competition.
From 2007 to 2010 he was an Associate Principal at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra led by Maestro Myung-Whun Chung and from 2012 to 2015 Kim was a Co-Principal at the Royal Swedish Opera. Kim has been invited to perform as Guest Principal Horn with the London Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Malaysia Philharmonic, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Asia Philharmonic and among others.
Hongpark Kim has appeared as a soloist with a number of orchestras, including the Oslo Philharmonic, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic, Busan Philharmonic, Incheon Philharmonic, Korean Chamber Orchestra.
He has performed as a guest at chamber music/horn festivals around world, such as IHS International Horn Symposium, Beijing International Horn Festival, Japan Asia Horn Festival, Seoul Spring Music Festival and Music in PyeongChang.
Currently, he is a Co-Principal horn at the Oslo Philharmonic led by Klaus Mäkelä and member of Opus Ensemble, Ensemble Club M, founding member of Going Home Project. In March 2023, he was appointed as a professor at Seoul National University.
Solo horn player of the Gdańsk Philharmonic, former horn player of the Poznań Philharmonic and Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra.
He graduated from the University of Music in Warsaw. Prize-winner at national and international solo and chamber music competitions in Marseille, Łódź, Warsaw, Katowice and Kraków. Participant of three editions of the international project I'Culture Orchestra, where he improved his skills under the direction of Jeff Bryant. He collaborates with the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the National Opera and Sinfonia Varsovia.
Co-creator and organizer of the CORNO - Brass Music Festival.
Solo horn player of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic. Former horn player of the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra and the New Music Orchestra. He graduated from the Academy of Music in Katowice. He joined masterclasses by Dale Clavenger, Denise Tryon, Markus Maskuniitta, Stefan de Leval Jezierski and Xiao Ming Han. As an orchestral musician, he collaborates with many orchestras, e.g. with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the National Opera, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra in Krakow, the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra. He has performed with Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain in Lyon, Circuit Court Ensemble and with sound engineers from IRCAM in Paris. Together with Paweł Pudło, he is a co-founder of the international educational and music project WarHorns, he is also a founding member of the Hornet Quartet.
Since 2018, he has been the representative of the International Horn Society for Europe.
studied the trumpet, chamber music and pedagogy at the Lemmens-Institute in Leuven and at the Brussels Conservatory. After having studied with P. Thibaud in Paris, R. Delmotte in Versailles and 1987 Tarr in Basel, he won the Belgian “Tenuto” contest in 1985 and was among the laureats of the international trumpet competition in Toulon (Fr.) in 1987.
From 1984 until 1986 he was solo trumpet at the Flamish Radio orchestra. In ’87 he became 1st solo-trumpet at the National Opera House “La Monnaie “(Brussels) and professor at the Royal Brussels Conservatory. He performs with chamber music ensembles, works as a guest-conductor with youth and wind orchestras and as a soloist he plays in many European countries, especially the baroque and classical repertoire.
For many years, he plays with the famous Belgian organ-player Luc Ponet and gives recitals with his wife, pianiste Katrien Verbeke. Manu Mellaerts is regularly invited as a teacher and performer in Europe, U.K., Asia and the U.S.
He is the founder and artistic director of the brass ensemble BELGIAN BRASS and part of the Trumpet-Trio “G-Brass”, together with Slawomir Cichor (Poland) and Jose Chafer (Spain), accompained by Luc Ponet (organ).
He was born in 1989 in Santiago de Chile. He started playing the French horn at the age of 18. He graduated from the Unversidad Catolica de Chile and then attended masterclasses and privacy lessons with Ignacio Garcia in Berlin.
In 2008, Matias won solo horn player Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile, where he worked until 2014. In the same year he entered the orchestra academy of Staatskapelle Berlin. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Chile and Europe.
Since 2016 he has been a principal horn player in the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.
Los Pitutos is a Chilean-Colombian band, founded in Berlin in 2015, which specialises in adaptations of cumbias, Boleros and other musical Rythms from latinamerica in their compositions influenced by musical movements from the 60 and 70s in North America such as funk, Soul, Boogaloo among others, leading to a unique mixture which captivates its audience and brings it to Latin America on a one way ticket. Founded by classically trained young Chilean and Colombian musicians, who all came to Germany to study and to work, Los Pitutos manages to resurrect a bygone world, a world full of longing, warm Latin – American nights and charm of the slower century.
Los Pitutos have performed throughout Germany, including on the stage of the famous Berlin and Munich Philharmonics. They regularly perform in German jazz clubs, at European music festivals, and as soloists with symphony orchestras. Álvaro Zambrano (vocal, keyboard) – a classically educated opera singer with many years of experience as a soloist at the Deutsche Oper Berlin Matías Piñeira (horn, vocals) - the youngest French horn player admitted to the Symphonic Orchestra de Chile, currently a soloist of the Munich Philharmonic Pablo Camus (guitar) - a graduate of the Universidad Católica de Chile, he plays the guitar and Colombian tiple in various projects with Latin music, mainly Cuban, Brazilian, Chilean and Mozambican. Tomás Peralta (double bass, guitar, keyboard) – a graduate of studies in Argentina, The Hague and Fribourg, majoring in double bass, composition, conducting and harpsichord. He currently works as a session bass player and producer in several soul, R'n'B, pop and jazz bands. Cristian Betancourt (drums, vocals) – graduated from Latin American percussion specialization in Venezuela and Colombia, as well as from the University of Arts in Berlin.
The idea of creating the quartet was born out of friendship, sharing musical experiences and similar artistic aspirations, but above all out of love for music and the French horn. The soloists of the leading symphony orchestras in Poland - Gabriel Czopka, Michał Szczerba, Łukasz Łacny and Piotr Kowalski - have been playing together since 2009, constantly improving the artistry of team interpretation and uniform sound. The Hornet Quartet's repertoire includes mainly works of contemporary music originally composed for a horn quartet. The ensemble premiered a number of works by composers, including Kazimierz Machala, Jan Stokłosa and Paweł Pudło, with whom he created the international and unique War Horns project. Participants in the project included: Stefan de Leval Jezierski (Berliner Philharmoniker, Luca Benucci (Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino), David Bonet Piris (Orquestra Sinfonica de Barcelona), Alexandru Afanasiev (Mariinsky Theater Saint Petersburg). Their common passion for taking on new challenges and crossing established boundaries allows them to for constantly expanding musical horizons and opening up to an innovative, avant-garde approach to chamber music.
(…) is an excellent ensemble presenting great technique, powerful sound and a great sense of style. I was very impressed with the musicality and passionate expression without the unnecessary acting that is often seen in similar bands. Their artistry and passion come directly from the game.
Lee Bracegirl,
composer, director of the Australian Chamber Ballet,
former horn player of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
www.facebook.com/HornetQuartet
Adam Rapa is a dynamic performer, composer, producer and educator who has become widely known for the excitement, energy and enthusiasm he brings to stages and classrooms around the world.
Rapa was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He began studying the trumpet at 11 years old, playing professionally at age 13 and was playing lead trumpet in many of the big bands at Berklee College of Music by age 16. By the age of 18, he had appeared in many Jazz festivals around the country and played at every major Jazz club in Boston and many in New York, including the Blue Note. Rapa has been featured as a special guest artist and clinician at trumpet conferences around the globe including the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) conference, and festivals in dozens of countries.
Adam is grateful to have shared the stage and/or recorded with Grammy Award winners Nicholas Payton & Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Doc Severinsen, Soulive, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Reed, Jason Moran, Robert Glasper, Cyrus Chestnut, Fred Wesley, Jorge Pardo, Belgian Brass, Alice in Chains, Academy Award winning film composer A.R. Rahman, and many other great artists over the years.
From 2001 to 2007, Rapa starred in the Tony and Emmy Award winning Broadway show, “Blast!” and several other productions by the same company, performing over 2000 shows across North America, Japan and the U.K. Since then he has composed and co-produced several brass theater productions in Japan. His first solo album, “Life on the Road” received critical acclaim for its vast musical diversity, virtuosity and soul. And his second album, “Rebelión” (with Zoltan Kiss, of Mnozil Brass) gave the brass world a unique and unparalleled fusion of Classical, Jazz and Tango sensibilities.
Adam looks forward to a long career of producing innovative and inspiring musical and theatrical experiences, and contributing to the greater good through the medium of art.
For more info, and exclusive audio/video clips, please visit:
www.adamrapa.com
Andre Schoch has been a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker since 2017.
From 2014 to 2017 he was principal trumpet at the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg. Before that, engagements as principal trumpet took him to the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. As soloist, Schoch has performed with the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg conducted by Kent Nagano, the Polish Kammerphilharmonie as part of the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Prague Chamber Orchestra and the Berliner Barock Solisten.
Alongside his orchestral engagements Andre Schoch is also in high demand as a chamber musician. He is a founding member of the ensemble “10forBrass” and the Duo Schoch/Höricke. Regularly Schoch is also invited to play with the famous ensemble “German Brass”.
Since 2020 Schoch is tutoring trumpet students at the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker and frequently leads rehearsals for the academy’s brass ensembles. From 2015 to 2017 he taught at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. Schoch has given serval acclaimed Masterclasses at the Karajan Academy, the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Manhattan School of Music.
Born in 1987, Schoch was given his first trumpet lesson at the age of eight by Ansgar Dümchen. From 2004 to 2007 he was a student at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, studying with Professor Reinhold Friedrich and Professor Klaus Bräker. Later he studied with Professor Matthias Höfs at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and from 2010 to 2012 with Gábor Tarkövi at the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Schoch‘s versatile repertoire, as soloist and chamber musician, has been released on various audio- and video recordings by labels such as Berlin Classics, Dabringhaus & Grimm and Genuin.
He studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire. He won the Alfred Corfield Competition in 1988 and was a semi-finalist in the Maurice Andre International Trumpet Competition in Paris.
Since graduation, he has collaborated with most of the UK's orchestras, performing opera, ballet and orchestral repertoire. Since 1996, he has been the principal trumpeter at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is also a member of the Cambrian Brass Quintet and Brass Explosion (a band made up of musicians from the brass section of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra). He also performed with the Brass Ensemble in Fine Arts.
He has lectured at masterclasses around the world for musicians of all ages. He taught trumpet with the National Youth Orchestra and gave several masterclasses at Wells Cathedral School. He is a trumpet teacher at the Birmingham Conservatoire as well as at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Over the last few years, he regularly traveled to Poland as a soloist and tutor, and conducted workshops with the brass section of the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra. Since 2020, we are happy to host him at CORNO in Zielona Góra.
First horn player of the Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk, where he also graduated from the Academy of Music.
He attended masterclasses with Froydis Ree Wekre, Radovan Vlatkovic, Wolfgang Gaag and Thomas Jobstl, among others. He collaborates with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Polish Chamber Philharmonic, Polish Orchestra Sinfonia Iuventus. He has also performed with the Finnish Ostrobothian Chamber Orchestra. He is a lecturer at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk.
An outstanding tuba player, composer, teacher and performer born in Hungary.
Winner of many awards at prestigious brass music competitions, e.g. in Finland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Poland and France. Mainly performing as a soloist, he also collaborates with most of the most important orchestras in Hungary, but also with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the World Orchestra for Peace. He is a lecturer at the University of Debrecen and a visiting professor at the Royal Northern College of Music - Manchester, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music - Bloomington, USA, and the Academy of Music in Lucerne, Switzerland. His compositions are published by the prestigious publishing house Editions BIM, Switzerland.
If you’ve seen a Hollywood movie in the past 30 years, chances are excellent that you’ve heard the majestic horn playing of James Thatcher.
Los Angeles Time
As one of the industry’s busiest French horn musicians, Thatcher has done soundtrack work on thousands of titles. He performed solos on James Horner’s scores for “Titanic” and “Avatar,” helped to evoke the wintry landscapes in the animated hit “Frozen” and contributed to the big-band sound of this year’s lascivious bear comedy, “Ted 2.”
A NARAS (Grammy) Award winner, Thatcher began his career playing with the Utah Symphony, Phoenix Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. As a soloist and collaborator, he has played with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Cincinatti Symphony, Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Music Center Opera and Opera Pacifica, to name a few. Thatcher has also appeared as a soloist in thousands of films, recording music by: John Williams, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, James Newton Howard, Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Randy Newman and many others. His recordings can also be found on albums by Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Dave Grusin, Harry Connick Jr. and Mel Torme. Thatcher currently travels the world teaching and playing festivals with artists from orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony. His solo album "Now Playing" was on the "Must have horn cd" list of the Amazon platform.
This year, he will release another album, which will include "Serenade" by Britten, Concerto No. 1 by R. Strauss and "Auf dem Strom" by Schubert. He will record in Vienna with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.
He was born in 1977 in Germany. He studied with Michael Höltzel in Detmold and with prof. Christian-Friedrich Dallmann in Berlin. He was a member of the German Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra. After performing with the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, the Komische Oper Berlin and the Staatskapelle Dresden, he was a member of the Gewandhausorchester in Leipzig for almost ten years.
He is a prize-winner at several international competitions. In addition to playing in the orchestra, he is active internationally as a chamber musician, soloist and teacher. For six years he taught at the Universität der Künste Berlin in the horn class of Christian-Friedrich Dallmann, in 2011–2012 he was a professor of French horn and chamber music at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern, Switzerland, in 2012–2015 he taught French horn at the Universität für Musik und Musik darstellende Kunst in Graz, Austria. Since 2012, he has been professor of horn at the Anton-Bruckner-Universität in Linz.
He is a professional mental trainer, lives in Vienna.
