ACADÉMIE ACADÉMI ACADÉM ACADÉ ACAD ACA AC A LIST OF PARTICIPANTS BIOGRAPHIES CHAMBER MUSIC RESIDENCY JUNE 12 — 20, 2020 CHAMBER MUSIC RESIDENCY The Académie du Festival d’Aix has adapted and developed new online training programs in order to continue to carry out its mission of training and accompanying young musicians in their professional development. Country borders currently pose a challenge to an artist’s mobility and so it becomes important to create new work spaces and meeting places which allow for the preservation of the vital links and intercultural dialogue at the heart of these programs. The training programs were created through a process of reflection and ongoing exchange with the artists and pedagogical experts who were initially involved in training sessions that were scheduled to take place in Aix during the 2020 edition of the Festival d’Aix. Through these newly adapted programs, the Académie du Festival d’Aix continues to defend its values which include artistic excellence, innovation, the expression of cultural diversity, and activities which promote social inclusion. MENTORS PARTICIPANTS The 2020 Académie’s chamber music residency provides five string quartets the opportunity to e-meet and exchange with prestigious artists and perfect their JONATHAN BROWN (VIOLA) STRING QUARTETS interpretations of great classical repertoires and to hone their approach to more ARNAU TOMÀS (CELLO) CONSONE QUARTET contemporary language, all thanks to the use of online communication tools. Master CASALS QUARTET ECHÉA QUARTET classes are supervised by Jonathan Brown and Arnau Tomàs members of the Casals ELIOT QUARTET Quartet, which celebrated its twenty-year career last season, and Garth Knox, altist and GARTH KNOX MONA QUARTET former member of the Arditti Quartet and of the Ensemble intercontemporain. ALTIST AND FORMER MEMBER OF VIANO QUARTET For the very first time, the Académie is organizing a call for scores by young composers. THE ARDITTI QUARTET AND OF THE Those individuals whose works are selected are invited to take part in the residency. ENSEMBLE INTERCONTEMPORAIN COMPOSERS This period of “joint residency” allows ensembles to interpret a contemporary program CLÀUDIA BAULIES while affording composers the chance to have their pieces performed and to work with CHRISTIANE LOUIS HELENA SKLJAROV the musicians. As this year marks the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s INSTRUCTOR IN ARTISTIC MATIAS VESTERGÅRD birth, his repertoire is taking the place of honor. Young ensembles from the residency ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT THE will juxtapose contemporary works with Beethoven quartets, thus demonstrating how PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS profoundly this German composer continues to inspire young music writers today. In addition, the ensembles benefit from support by the tutor Mark Withers and by MARK WITHERS Christiane Louis – an expert in career development. They discuss with the participants ARTISTIC AND EDUCATION PROJECTS the repercussions of the sanitary crisis in the cultural sector, future prospects for artists, LEADER AT THE LONDON SYMPHONY and tools for handling new and unexpected circumstances. ORCHESTRA DISCOVERY & FOR THE OUTREACH SKILLS SESSIONS OF THE This residency is supported by Aline Foriel-Destezet FESTIVAL D’AIX 3 MENTOR MENTOR JONATHAN BROWN ARNAU TOMÀS VIOLA — CASALS QUARTET CELLO — CASALS QUARTET SPAIN SPAIN Born in Chicago in 1974, Jonathan Brown began his musical studies at the age of four, Born in Barcelona, Arnau Tomàs is nowadays recognized as one of the most versatile and later began playing the viola in chamber music ensembles. He studied with Heidi cellists of his generation, combining solistic projects with an intense chamber music Castleman, Martha Strongin Katz and Victoria Chiang, before receiving his Master activity, being the founder of the Casals Quartet and the Ludwig Trio. Prizewinner Degree from the Juilliard School with Karen Tuttle. Upon receiving a Beebe Grant for in several national and international competitions, he gave numerous cello recitals Musicians, he moved to Salzburg where he studied at the Universität Mozarteum with and appeared as soloist with the Orchestras Radiotelevisión Española, Sinfónica de Thomas Riebl and Veronika Hagen. He participated in masterclasses with Diemut Tenerife, Sinfónica de Galicia and Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, among others. Poppen, Sylvia Rosenberg and Donald Weilerstein and has been profoundly influenced In 1992, he participated in a televised masterclass with Yo Yo Ma in the Amsterdam by his lessons with Ferenc Rados and György Kurtág. Concertgebouw, focusing on the suites for solo cello by J.S. Bach. He is regularly invited In 2002, he joined the Casals Quartet, with whom he has regularly appeared in the most in the most important festivals and concert cycles and he took part in the Cellobiennale important concert halls and festivals around the world. The quartet records exlusively of Amsterdam in 2018. for Harmonia Mundi, for whom they have recorded extensively covering a wide range of He has compiled a substantial and extensive discography with repertoire ranging repertoire from Boccherini to Kurtág. from the Baroque Period until 20th century, with more than fifteen cds. Especially He has also been a featured guest of other chamber music ensembles, including the remarkable are his recordings of the Bach suites (2014) and the sonatas and variations Tokyo, Kuss, Miro, Quiroga and Zemlinsky Quartets and the Kandinsky Trio. A dedicated by Beethoven (2016)- in both cases he used historical bows of the composition’s period. performer of new music, he is a fouding member of Funktion and has often appeared In addition to his concert activities, he has been guest professor at the Hochschule für as soloist with BCN216, performing works of Morton Feldman and Luciano Berio. He is Musik Köln and has given various masterclasses and courses both in Europe and the currently professor of viola and chamber music at ESMUC in Barcelona and assistant United States. professor of viola at the Escuela Reina Sofía in Madrid, and is frequently invited to give masterclasses throughout Europe and America. www.arnau-tomas.com 4 5 MENTOR MENTOR GARTH KNOX CHRISTIANE LOUIS VIOLA PLAYER INSTRUCTOR IN ARTISTIC IRELAND / FRANCE ENTREPRENEURSHIP FRANCE Garth Knox was born in Ireland and spent his childhood in Scotland. After studying After obtaining a Master of Advanced Studies in Comparative Literature, Christiane at the RCM, he played with most of the leading groups in London in a mixture of Louis began a career in the field of social science research. She worked first as Head all repertoires, from baroque to contemporary music. In 1983, he was invited by of the Documentation Department at the Centre for Employment Studies (known as Pierre Boulez to become a member of the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris, the CEET in French), and later for the French National Agency for Improved Working involving extensive solo and chamber music playing, touring widely and appearing in Conditions which is based in Lyon. Alongside this, she continued to do research in international festivals. In 1990, he joined the Arditti String Quartet, playing in all the collaboration with the Georges Pompidou Centre, the Cinémathèque française and major concert halls of the world, working closely with and giving first performances of with film festivals, while also writing for design, architecture and cinema magazines. In pieces by most of today’s leading composers including Ligeti, Kurtag, Berio, Xenakis, 1996, she joined the Cité de la musique and helped develop their information services Lachenmann, Cage, Feldman and Stockhausen (the famous Helicopter Quartet). He as well as the professional orientation being offered in the music and cultural sector. now lives in Paris, where he enjoys a full time solo career, giving recitals, concertos and Since 2005, she has piloted a program on professional development for musicians. chamber music concerts all over Europe, the USA and Japan. He is also a pioneer of the Her program and its training modules have now been integrated into several different viola d’amore, exploring its possibilities in new music, with and without electronics, and university courses, conservatories and professional support organisations. Since 2016, is in the process of creating a new repertoire for this instrument. she has been delivering these training modules on a regular basis to young artists who take part in the residencies of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and in the Outreach Skills www.garthknox.org sessions, which help participants gain professional skills that are vital today so that artists can carry out innovative and participatory projects for highly diverse audiences. 6 7 MENTOR PARTICIPANT MARK WITHERS CONSONE QUARTET INSTRUCTOR IN ARTISTIC UNITED KINGDOM AND EDUCATION PROJECTS Agata Daraskaite — violin Magdalena Loth-Hill — violin UNITED KINGDOM Elitsa Bogdanova — viola George Ross — cello Mark Withers performs old music and creates new music working alongside the widest Formed at the Royal College of Music in London, the Consone Quartet is dedicated to possible range of musicians. He has collaborated with numerous orchestras and opera exploring Classical and Early Romantic repertoire on period instruments. Winners of the companies in his own country and abroad. As a clarinettist playing both period and 2016 Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Prize in London, the ensemble was also awarded modern instruments, he has appeared with groups such as Orchestre des Champs- two prizes