Master Class with Tuesday 30 May 6pm, Salon Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre This master class is supported by Dr Cherilyn Tillman & Tam Vu and YMF Australia

GUEST ARTIST Nikolai Demidenko piano

Berta Brozgul piano Aleksandr Scriabin (1872-1915) Piano Sonata No.5, Op.53

James Zong piano Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949) / Percy Grainger (1882 - 1961) 'Ramble on Love 'from Der Rosenkavalier

Gintaute Gataveckaite piano (1810 - 1856) Piano Sonata No.2, Op.22, I Vivacissimo

About Nikolai Demidenko

At six years of age Nikolai went to the Gnessin School of Music where he studied with Anna Kantor. He also completed studies at the with and was a finalist at the 1976 Montreal and 1978 Tchaikovsky Competitions. He has worked with many of the major orchestras of the world including the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic and the St Petersburg Philharmonic with conductors Sir Roger Norrington, Vladimir Fedoseyev, and Sir Andrew Davis. Nikolai Demidenko’s passionate pianism is in demand worldwide. Frequent London recitals have included a series at the Barbican, the International Piano Series at Southbank Centre and recently the London Pianoforte Series at the Wigmore Hall – a Chopin recital which was featured as the only live performance in BBC Radio 3’s Chopin Experience, a weekend celebration of his complete works. Nikolai is renowned for his authoritative performances of the Russian concerto repertoire such as Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. He has a flourishing relationship with the St Petersburg Philharmonic and Yuri Temirkanov, with whom he performs regularly. He also enjoys a fruitful collaboration with several Russian artists who have made their homes in London; a cello and piano duo with Leonid Gorokhov; piano quartets with the exciting new Hermitage String Trio; and a two-piano partnership with , who likewise studied at the Moscow Conservatoire under Dmitri Bashkirov. Concerto engagements in recent and upcoming seasons include appearances with the Adelaide Symphony, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Budapest Festival, Danish National Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Orchestra National de France, Philharmonia, Queensland Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Orquesta Nacional de España, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Ulster and Hallé orchestras and tours in the U.K. and Ireland with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and in Spain with Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. Demidenko is prolific in the recording studio. And has recorded albums of Bach–Busoni, Chopin, Clementi, Liszt, Medtner, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff for Hyperion Records. His recordings of Schubert, Schumann and concertos by Chopin and Medtner earned him each a Gramophone Award, and in 2010 his recordings of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, released on Onyx Classics, won the MIDEM Special Chopin Award for a new recording. In 2014 Nikolai was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of Music and the University. This performance marks Nikolai Demidenko’s third appearance in the Centre’s Great Performers series and includes a concert at Mildura Arts Centre on 31 May 2017. ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS

Berta Brozgul was born in Cape Town, South Africa and migrated to Australia at the age of 12. While studying at Victorian College of Arts Secondary School, she was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Margaret Schofield Prize for the best music student in the state of Victoria (2007). Berta completed both her undergraduate and masters degrees in Piano Performance at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with highest honours. During this time, Berta was prizewinner in the Australian National Piano Award (2014), and a major prizewinner in the Lev Vlassenko Piano competition (2015), taking out the fourth prize and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra vote for best concerto performance. Amongst many other performances and musical partnerships in 2016, Berta has collaborated with Australian tenor Steve Davislim in a performance of Schumann's Dichterliebe, broadcast on ABC Classic FM. Berta has also been the joint recipient of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) prize for Most Outstanding Performance in a Solo Recital in 2016. Berta is currently in her second year at ANAM, studying with Timothy Young.

James Zong is currently a third year student of the Music/Laws double degree at Monash University. Having started playing the piano in 2001, he went on to attend the Victorian College of Arts Secondary School between 2009 - 2010. During this time, James began learning with Len Vorster, continuing under his tutelage ever since. James completed his secondary education at Melbourne High School attaining both a perfect study score of 50 in VCE Music Performance and the Premier's Award. James has performed publicly at venues including the Melbourne Town Hall, the Supreme Court of Victoria Library, Abbotsford Convent, and both Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and Salon at Melbourne Recital Centre. James was awarded the Associate in Music (AMusA) and the Licentiate in Music (LMusA) by the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB), and his recent excellence in university studies has been recognised by the Monash University Faculty of Arts through the Jascha Spivakovsky Prize, the Joan Earle Prize, and the Cengage Western Music Theory Prize.

Gintaute Gataveckaite is an award-winning pianist from Lithuania. Whilst currently living in Melbourne, Ginatuate enjoys a busy performing schedule, whilst also studying a Masters of Music at the University of Melbourne under Prof Ian Holtham. Gintuate is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester U.K., completing a Bachelor of Music Performance (with Distinction) in 2012 under the tutelage of Graham Scott. Acclaimed both locally and internationally, Gintuate has performed regularly throughout Australia, the U.K., Europe, and China as a soloist, chamber musician and concerto soloist. Highlights include performances at both Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre in London, Melbourne Recital Centre, Guangzhou Opera House, Shanghai Daning Theatre and many more.

ABOUT THE MASTER CLASS LEADERSHIP CIRCLE & ENSEMBLE GIOVANE

Supporting the development of Australian artists is a key goal of Melbourne Recital Centre, with particular emphasis on providing opportunities for serious music students and emerging young artists. These young musicians tell us that the opportunity to meet and learn through master classes greatly improves their personal development. The audience members who attend suggest that master classes, at times, can be even more revelatory than concerts.

In 2011, the Centre hosted its first master class with Lang Lang and many other wonderful sessions have followed, led by musical luminaries including Jordi Savall, Susan Bullock, Joanna Macgregor, Maxim Rysanov, Midori and Amanda McBroom. In 2016 the program comprised five master classes inspiring 20 young artists and over 400 attendees. The participants include students from Melbourne’s schools and tertiary music institutions, including the Australian Academy of Music (ANAM) and the Melba Opera Trust. Students are also invited to watch. The Master Class Leadership Circle was initiated to encourage individuals with a passion for this particular form of artist development to join with like-minded supporters to expand the program. This year, the Circle has been further strengthened by the opportunity to give collectively through Ensemble Giovane. This is a group of donors whose gifts are pooled to fund a master class each year. With their help and that of our other generous Master Class Leadership Circle supporters, the Centre will provide five master classes with Great Performers in 2017.

Melbourne Recital Centre acknowledges the people of the Kulin nation on whose land this event is being presented.

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