MAEGi S ARTS Presents INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED SOLO VIOLINIST ALEXANDRE DA COSTA A SONY CLASSICAL RECORDING ARTIST 170522 Alexandre Da Costa is currently one of the top and most sought after violinists and soloists in the world. “When I play, my instrument He’s appeared as guest soloist and conductor in becomes the more than 2000 concerts across four continents and extension of over 30 countries in the world’s most prestigious my soul” venues with the most renowned orchestras and conductors. 2 Contents Quotes ……………………………………. 4 Rare violins experience …………….…… 20 Biography ………………………………… 6 Concerts and tours …………………….… 22 Recordings …………………………….……… 8 Proposed concerts ………………………….. 24 Orchestral engagements …………….….. 12 Artistic direction ……………………………… 36 Chamber music engagements …………. 14 Masterclasses and workshops ………….… 38 Venues and broadcasters …………….…… 16 Maegis Arts …………………………….…...… 42 Playing Stradivarius violins …………….…… 18 Contact us ……………………….……….....… 44 3 Quotes “It is with lots of enthusiasm that I recommend a great artist that I appreciate and strongly support, violinist Alexandre Da Costa.” Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos Musical America Artist of the Year 2010 “I was delighted: what a violinist, beauty of sound, fastest fingers I have heard yet, the good taste to play different styles and great humor. Chapeau!” Leon Spierer Berlin Philharmonic Concertmaster 1963-1993 "He has a virtuoso technique and a huge sound, plus passion, commitment and musicality in equal measure. This is a major talent.” Hugh Wolff Music Director, Belgium National Orchestra “His aplomb, musical generosity and virtuosity make of him a musician that fulfils the public! Yannick Nézet-Séguin Music Director, Metropolitan Opera, Music Director, The Philadelphia Orchestra "…the Beethoven Violin Concerto by Alexandre Da Costa, it’s just amazing and very special.” Anne Midgette The Washington Post, USA "Prodigious technique, beautiful sound and above all a direct, expressive and very varied musicality; we are in front of one of the great violinists of today.” Ramon Avello El Comercio Digital, Spain “I was instantly intrigued by his talent and his inspired violin playing in combination with his impressive appearance on stage. He struck me as a dedicated, extremely experienced, focused and serious artist.” Alexandre Da Costa, solo violinist Stefan Dohr Solo Horn of the Berliner Philharmoniker 4 As one of the most successful students of violin Maestro Zakhar Bron, Alexandre Da Costa is, along with fellow ex-students of Zakhar Bron such as Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin, a representative figure of the Great Russian school of violin, in direct line with David and Igor Oistrakh. David Oistrakh Igor Oistrakh Zakhar Bron Alexandre Da Costa “Alexandre Da Costa belongs to the most talented interpreters of his generation. His playing is characterized by its uniqueness and pronounced individuality.” Prof. Zakhar Bron. Cologne Musikhochschule, Germany MAEGi S ARTS Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, Spain 5 Alexandre Da Costa Biography Sony Classical artist and winner of the 2012 Juno Award, Alexandre Da Costa was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He showed an uncommon interest for both the violin and piano at a very early age. By the age of nine, he had the astonishing ability to perform his first concerts with stunning virtuosity on both instruments, which brought him recognition as a musical prodigy. His chosen professional career as a violinist began very early and, after encouragement from Charles Dutoit, he was soon performing regularly as soloist with orchestra as well as in recital. At age 18, he obtained a Master’s Degree in violin and a First Prize from the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec. Concurrently, he also obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Interpretation from the University of Montreal. Subsequently, encouraged to choose one instrument, he studied in Madrid at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia with a legendary violin teacher who became his mentor, Zakhar Bron (whose previous students famously include the likes of Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin). He later pursued post-graduate studies at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst of Vienna, Austria, with G. Schulz, C. Altenburger and R. Honeck, and is currently completing a research PhD. Among the many other prizes that followed were the Sylva Gelber Foundation Award from the Canada Council for the Arts, and in 2003 the Council’s Musical Instrument Bank decided to go further and award him the “1689 Baumgartner Stradivarius”. In 2010, he received the prestigious Virginia-Parker Prize, one of Canada’s highest cultural distinctions. Winner of many national and international first prizes, including the International Violin Competition Pablo Sarasate, Alexandre Da Costa has given close to two thousand concerts and recitals throughout the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. He has performed in the major halls of Vienna (Musikverein), Berlin (Philharmonie), New York (Carnegie Hall), Beijing (Poly-Theater) and beyond. He has played 6 and recorded as guest soloist with more than 100 different seller status, and was converted into a multimedia concert orchestras including London’s Royal Philharmonic, the Vienna, booked around the world. Berlin, Montreal and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, the Dresden, Bergen, Buffalo and Prague Philharmonic Orchestras, the BBC Alexandre Da Costa is Music Director of both the Acacia Concert Orchestra, the National Radio & Television Symphony of Ensemble (Canada) and the Indian Ocean Ensemble (Australia). Spain, the YOA Orchestra of the Americas and many more. He also regularly performs as guest soloist and conductor (Play & Conductors he has played under include Rafael Frühbeck de Conduct) with ensembles such as the Queen Sofia Chamber Burgos, Leonard Slatkin, Lorin Maazel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Tugan Orchestra, the “Virtuosos de Venezuela” Symphony and the Sokhiev, Vasily Petrenko, Matthias Bamert, John Axelrod, Johannes Vienna Symphony (Wiener Symphoniker). Wildner and Peter Oundjian. His live performance broadcasts have aired on BBC, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), CBC, NPR, ORF and In addition to his soloist activities, Alexandre Da Costa is Associate many others. Da Costa has given world premieres of works by Elliott Professor and Head of Strings at the Edith Cowan University and Carter, Michael Daugherty, Lorenzo Palomo, Jean Lesage and regularly gives masterclasses at various universities and Airat Ichmouratov. Alexandre Da Costa is also active as a conservatories around the world. Institutions he visited include the chamber musician and recently has recorded the complete Sydney Conservatorium, the University of Toronto and the Superior Brahms sonatas, alongside pianist Wonny Song. Da Costa has Conservatories of Montreal, Madrid and Shanghai. He also served performed alongside acclaimed chamber musicians such as as benchmarking consultant for the Hong Kong Academy for Menahem Pressler, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Matt Haimowitz and Performing Arts, and guest speaker for TEDx. As Concertmaster, Hélène Mercier. he regularly leads orchestras such as the Wiener Symphoniker, the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse and the Singapore As a recording artist, he has recorded 25 albums with various labels Symphony, under conductors such as Philippe Jordan, Tugan such as, Sony Classical, Warner Classics, JVC/Victor, Naxos, Acacia Sokhiev, Günter Herbig and Lorin Maazel. He currently holds the Classics/Universal, ATMA, XXI-21 and Octave/Universal, among position of Artistic Director of the Laurentians Classical Festival of them the world premiere recordings of the Violin Concertos by Canada and Artistic Director at Acacia Classics Productions. Portuguese composers Luis de Freitas Branco and Armando José Alexandre Da Costa plays a Stradivarius of 1701 on long-term Fernandes. In 2012, he won the JUNO award for “Classical Album loan by the “Château du Lac Sacacomie”. of the Year” for his recording of the concertos by American composer Michael Daugherty, with the Montreal Symphony under Pedro Halffter for Warner Classics. The Washington Post selected his recording of the Beethoven concerto with Klezmer cadenzas by A. Ichmouratov as CD of the Year. He now records for Spectra and Sony Classical. His latest release Stradivarius at the Opera, MAEGi S recorded with the Vienna Symphony, quickly attained the best- ARTS 7 Recordings STRADIVARIUS AT THE OPERA WIENER SYMPHONIKER (VIENNA SYMPHONY) Audio Video CONDUCTOR/SOLOIST: ALEXANDRE DA COSTA SONY CLASSICAL STRADIVARIUS AT THE OPERA WIENER SYMPHONIKER (VIENNA SYMPHONY) CONDUCTOR/SOLOIST: ALEXANDRE DA COSTA SPECTRA MUSIC L. V. BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO - SYMPHONY NO.7 TAIPEI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DIR.: JOHANNES WILDNER WARNER CLASSICS WASHINGTON POST CD OF THE YEAR 2013 MICHAEL DAUGHERTY - FIRE & BLOOD / LADDER TO THE MOON MONTREAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DIR.: PEDRO HALFFTER WARNER CLASSICS 2012 JUNO AWARD WINNER CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR C. ST-SAËNS VIOLIN CONCERTO NO.3 - INTRODUCTION & RONDO CAPRICCIOSO OVIEDO FILARMONIA DIR.: MARZIO CONTI WARNER CLASSICS 8 ÉDOUARD LALO MOZART FREITAS BRANCO VIOLIN SYMPHONIE ESPAGNOLE DUOS FOR VIOLIN & VIOLA CONCERTO NATIONAL RADIO & TV VIOLA: CHRISTIAN FROHN EXTREMADURA SYMPHONY SYMPHONY OF SPAIN XXI-21 RECORDS ORCHESTRA DIR.: CARLOS KALMAR DIR.: JESUS AMIGO WARNER CLASSICS XXI-21 RECORDS / VMS P. I. TCHAIKOVSKY WILLIAMS - SCHINDLER’S LIST / VIOLIN CONCERTO - AIR OF BLOCH - HEBRAIC SUITE, LENSKY CONCERTO GROSSO JALISCO PHILHARMONIC BIEL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DIR.: MARCO PARISOTTO