PROGRAMME:

Rachmaninov: Études-tableaux, Op. 33

Shostakovich arr. Giltburg: String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor

Scriabin: Sonata No. 4 in F Sharp Major, Op. 30

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 8 in B Flat Major, Op. 84

Born in 1984 in Moscow, Boris Giltburg moved to Tel Aviv at an early age, studying with his mother and then with Arie Vardi. In 2013 he won first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, catapulting his career to a new level. In 2015 he began a longterm recording plan with Naxos Records, with the release of a Schumann recital disc.

Having won the Santander Competition in 2002 and taken second (and audience) prize at the Rubinstein in 2011, he had already appeared with many leading orchestras such as Philharmonia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Swedish Radio Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony and Indianapolis Symphony. He made his BBC Proms debut in 2010, has toured regularly to South America and China, and has also toured Germany with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. In the months following his Queen Elisabeth win in 2013, he played at the Vienna Musikverein, Leipzig Gewandhaus, London Southbank Centre, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Colmar Festival, and with the Seattle Symphony, London Philharmonic and St Petersburg Philharmonic orchestras. Last season’s highlights included debuts with the NHK Symphony Tokyo, Baltimore Symphony and Rotterdam Philharmonic, his recital debut in Tokyo at Toppan Hall and in the large hall of Brussels Bozar. He has worked with conductors such as Alsop, Bělohlávek, Brabbins, De Waart, Dohnanyi, Fedoseyev, Gimeno, Neeme Jaervi, Karabits, Krivine, Lintu, Petrenko, Saraste, Shelley, Skrowaczewski, Sokhiev and Tortelier.

In 2015/16 he returns to Rotterdam De Doelen on three occasions – for his recital debut in the large hall in the prestigious piano series; to play chamber music with the Pavel Haas Quartet; and returning to the Rotterdam Philharmonic, this time with their Music Director Yannick Nezet Seguin. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has invited him for seven concerts (three programmes) in their Rachmaninov series. Other highlights include his debut with the Monte Carlo Philharmonic (under Krivine), a Beethoven concerto cycle with Malmo Symphony and Soustrot in their new hall, and return visits to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic with Vasily Petrenko, Brussels Philharmonic with Deneve, Seattle Symphony with Dausgaard, and the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie with Guerrero. He also plays with the Takacs Quartet for the first time (in Bilbao and at Bozar).

Having initially appeared on the EMI Debut label some years ago, in 2012 Giltburg released an acclaimed CD of Prokofiev War Sonatas on Orchid Classics, earning him a place on the shortlist for the critics’ award at the Classical Brits. His Romantic Sonatas disc (Rachmaninov, Liszt, Grieg) followed in 2013. In 2015 Naxos released a Schumann recital disc, the first of many to come:

“The give and take of the music’s pulse is naturally felt, as is the spectrum of tonal and dynamic shading...Giltburg has the capacity to identify with and encapsulate the moods of each piece while artlessly crafting them into a shapely span.” Daily Telegraph, February 2015

Boris is an avid amateur photographer and blogger, writing about classical music for a non-specialist audience. 

PROGRAMME:

Mozart: Rondo in A Minor, K. 511

Scriabin: Sonata No. 3 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 23

Debussy: Preludes, Book 2

Pianist Read Gainsford has been described in the press as “the perfect combination of head, heart, and hands” and as possessing “finger-numbing virtuosity and delicately chiseled precision” yet he is also driven to pursue connections beyond the merely pianistic.  Known for his insightful introductions from the stage, reaching beyond the footlights to be what a magazine profile described as “Pianist of the People” he pursues connections wherever he can find them. From collaborating with noted oceanographers in presenting “Voice of the Whale” by George Crumb, to consulting with art historians and living artists to create a series of images to accompany performances of Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus; from historical reenactments of the famous piano duel between Franz Liszt and Sigismond Thalberg of 1837, to playing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring for live performance by a noted dance troupe, he is committed to reaching audiences in ways beyond the traditional. 

Read Gainsford has also followed the standard route for a concert pianist.  Born in New Zealand, he studied at the University of Auckland with New Zealand’s leading teachers, Janetta McStay and Bryan Sayer, before moving to London to work at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as a pupil of the renowned pedagogue Joan Havill. He moved to the USA to earn a doctorate from Indiana University, under professor Karen Shaw. He has performed widely in the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician, making successful solo debuts in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall, as well as playing in the Kennedy Center, St Martin-in- the-Fields, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and others. Highlights of the last year include performing concertos with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra in Olomouc, Czech Republic, and the Frenz ensemble in Paris, and tours across the USA including a fourth concert in Carnegie Hall.

Keen to work with other musicians, he is a founding member of Trio Solis who made their Carnegie Hall debut in May 2009; their debut recording, “Diamonds in a Haystack” was selected as Critic’s Choice in American Record Guide.  He has been associated for many years with the unique chamber music center Garth Newel, and has played with many leading musicians including the Audubon and Serafin Quartets, Richard Stoltzman, Jacques Zoon, Luis Rossi, and many others.  

Dedicated to the works of living composers, Gainsford was a member of Ensemble X, a contemporary music group in Ithaca, New York.  He has premiered many works including the 3rd Piano Concerto by Ladislav Kubik, which he also recorded with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Brno under the baton of Alex Jimenez, and Marc Satterwhite, Five Rivers of Hades, and he has recorded Ellen Taafe Zwilich, Images for two pianos and orchestra for Naxos.  He has worked with many other composers including Steven Stucky, Chen Yi, John Psathas, Christopher Theofanidis, James Matheson, Steven Burke, Robert Paterson, Mark Wingate, Karim Al-Zand, Diego Vega.

Dr. Gainsford is highly in demand as a master-class clinician and teacher and he is Professor of Piano and Coordinator of Keyboard at Florida State University.

PROGRAMME: 

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 (“Waldstein”)

Albéniz: From Iberia: Book 1 Evocación; El Puerto; Fête-dieu à Seville

Chopin: Polonaise-Faintaisie in A Flat Major, Op. 61

Delvan Lin is 17 years old, and is currently a first-year student at The University of Auckland. He began piano lessons at the age of six and studies with Dr Rae de Lisle.

Delvan has participated in and won many piano competitions since the age of 8. His first major victory was the APPA solo music competition, which gave him an opportunity to perform in Auckland Town Hall. Other notable achievements include winning first prizes from the IRMT (Institute of Registered Music Teachers) Auckland Branch Scholarships Competitions since 2011, four North Shore Performing Arts Competitions Society first prizes for solo performance and another first prize for the NSPACS Piano Concerto Competition in 2012. In same year, Delvan became the youngest winner of the Rönisch Secondary School Piano Competition, at the competition’s minimum age of 13.

Delvan was the winner of the Wallace National Junior Piano Competition in July 2014 and just a year later, at the age of 16, he went on to become the youngest winner of the Wallace National Piano Competition. Also involved in chamber music, Delvan has won the National Secondary Schools Chamber Music Competitions twice in 2013 and 2014, and his second winning trio ‘L’arc en Ciel’ has enjoyed numerous performances around Auckland.

Delvan was invited to perform Grieg’s Piano concerto in A minor with APO Summer School Orchestra in January 2015, and with the same piece he won the concerto competition held by the Curtis Institute of Music’s Young Artist Summer Programme in Philadelphia, USA.

This year, Delvan has been invited to perform Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with the Manukau Symphony Orchestra and Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor with the Bach Musica in August.

Born in Cebu, Philippines, Albert Tiu has been described as “an artist of uncommon abilities” by American Record Guide.  His 2010 recording on Centaur Records, “Nocturnal Fantasies”, featuring the music of Chopin and Scriabin, has received glowing reviews.  This “compelling and poetically imaginative recording” (Clavier Companion) has been dubbed “one of the all-time great piano recordings” (Fanfare). Gramophone hailed it as “performances where heart and mind unite in a deeply affecting union.”  According to American Record Guide, “this is one of the most inventive recital programs I have ever seen or heard. He has the heart and soul of a true romantic pianist, as well as an abundance of technical skills.  He can float a delicate melody one moment and rise to an impressive and exciting climax the next.   He is a pianist I would go out of my way to hear in concert, and I will look for his future recordings.”

Other recording projects include two discs on Decca with cellist Qin Li-Wei, showcasing the complete cello works of Rachmaninov, and the Beethoven Sonatas, for which they were nominated in the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards in 2010.  He collaborated with violinist Kam Ning on "Road Movies", a disc featuring American composers John Corigliano, John Adams, and John Novacek, released by Meridian Records (UK) in 2013. Other projects currently in the works are Schubert’s Winterreise with tenor Alan Bennett and a solo disc entitled “The Classical Elements”.

Currently an Associate Professor of Piano at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, he studied with Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School, Michael Lewin at the Boston Conservatory, John Winther at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Nita Abrogar-Quinto at the University of the Philippines, and Nelly Castro in Cebu. In 1996, he won First Prize in the UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria.  He is also a prize-winner in Calgary (Honens), Santander (Paloma O’Shea) and Helsinki (Maj Lind).

Known for his passion for innovative programming, he frequently presents recitals with themes like “The Classical Elements” (Earth, Air, Water and Fire), “Chopin without Chopin” (music by Godowsky, Busoni and Rachmaninov influenced by Chopin), and “Bee Flat” (the two Sonatas in B-flat by Beethoven).  He has appeared with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic and Philippine Philharmonic.  In 2005, he gave the Singapore premiere of Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Singapore Symphony under Tang Muhai. 

After a short teaching stint in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School, Albert Tiu joined the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in 2003 as one of the pioneering faculty members.  His students have distinguished themselves in competitions in Singapore, including winning the 1st Prize in the last three National Piano and Violin Competitions in the Artist Category, as well as in international competitions in Denmark, Italy, Japan and New Zealand.  Under his guidance, several of them have made their orchestral debut with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, Vietnam National Orchestra and the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra. 

In his spare time, he is an avid ice hockey fan and supports the Pittsburgh Penguins.  He used to be hooked on a phone game featuring irate avians but is now content with tending to his flowers in Snoopy’s Street Fair.