Voice

Larisa Kholodnaya,(soprano) is a native of Moscow, Russia where she received her degrees in vocal performance from Moscow State Institute of Music, a major music institution in Russia. One of her voice teachers was Natalia Pustovaya, a premier soloist of the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow. Later, while she lived in the United States, Kholodnaya also graduated from Boston University, Massachusetts, with a degree of Master of Music. Among her teachers were such well- known singers and vocal coaches as Laurel Miller, former soloist of the Metropolitan Opera in New-York and Kathleen Kaun, former soloist of Zalsburg Opera in Austria and Voice Coach for the Houston Grand Opera Young Artists Program in Houston.  In 1996 Kholodnaya moved to the United States where she continued her music career singing numerous solos recitals as well as performing with various musical groups and opera companies. The most well-renowned musical groups, where Kholodnaya performed, include “Musica Sacra of Southeast Iowa” and the “Classical Singers of Cary”. Her operatic repertoire includes roles of Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro) as well as role of Lover in Il Tabarro that she performed with Opera in the Heights in Houston, Texas. Her solo recital appearances included such famous stages as The Majestic Theatre in Dallas, The Hamman Hall in Rice University, Houston; The Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall in Vanderbilt University, Nashville; The Mount Erin Hall in University of Incarnate Word, San Antonio; The Wright Music Hall in Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University Performing Arts Center Theatre, Nashville; The Sale Hall in Morehouse College, Atlanta, and The Broomfield Auditorium in Denver. As a solo singer, Kholodnaya was also invited by The Tennessee Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra to participate in the concert that took place at The Tucker Theatre. During several years Kholodnaya closely collaborated with contemporarily composer Olga Harris, former student of the world famous composer Aram Khachaturian, and winner of the “2007 Composer of the Year” Award. Kholodnaya sung her compositions in numerous concerts including retrospective recital at the Performing Art Center in Tennessee State University, Nashville.   Since 2009 Kholodnaya resides in Vienna, Austria, where she also continues her singing carrier. She sings solo concerts and participates in various music projects, including multiple solo recitals at Elizabeth Cappella, Concert Hall Urania, Russian Cultural Institute, Wienner Musikakademie and other venues. She also regularly sings in Akademietheather. Most recently Kholodnaya participated in the concert that took place on the famous stage of Goldener Saal in Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.

PIANO

Prof. Nelly Banova-Kostner, born in Plovdiv (Bulagaria), performed as a soloist and in chamber music formations among others with her piano trio with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in South East Asia, America and Europe (Concertgebouw, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wiener Staatsoper, National Palace of Culture in Sofia...). She played with partners such as Rainer Küchl, Volkhard Steude, Clemens Hellsberg, Günter Seifert, Johannes Kostner, Laura Vikman and Georgy Goryunov.

She completed her education at the University of Music in Vienna (Professor Noel Flores, piano and Prof. Avo Kouyomdjian, chamber music) as well as at the National Academy for Music in Sofia (Professor Milena Mollova, a student of Emil Gilels). She recieved further instruction from Lasar Berman, Leon Fleisher, Vladimir Krainev, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Boris Bloch and John O'Conor.

In 2012 she was the founding member of the „Hietzinger Kammerkonzerte“ with her ensemble „Wiener Artists“ with which she is currently involved with great enthusiasm and success. During the same year she became Piano-Professor at “Gustav Mahler Conservatory” Vienna. She is winner of several international competitions and has made recordings and has appeared with ORF, Radio Sofia, Bulgarian, Italian and Portuguese Television.

VIOLIN

Tímea studied violin at Franz Liszt University of Music in Györ and graduated as a violin teacher and chamber musician. She continued her studies at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in the class of Prof. Klara Flieder and received her master’s degree  in violin performance.
Later, she majored in baroque violin with Michi Gaigg at Anton Bruckner Universität Linz and graduated with highest distinction in baroque violin and historical performance.
She completed a postgraduate course in violin performance with Lavard Skou Larsen at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg and another postgraduate course in baroque and historical performance in Midori Seiler’s class at the Universität Mozarteum.
Tímea had the privilege to complete her studies at mastercourses led by Dénes Zsigmondy, Midori Goto, Helfried Fister, Hiro Kurosaki, “Freiburg Baroque Orchestra”- Daniela Helm and Rachel Podger.
She gained a wide range of orchestra experience as a soloist and member of the chamber orchestra “Cis” in Salzburg, as the concertmaster of the “Collegium Musikum Salzburg”, as section-leader at “Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra Pécs” and as a member of the “Salzburg Chamber Soloist” chamber orchestra, performing on tournées around Europe, in South America and Asia.
She had the opportunity to play several ORF live recordings and play concerts with the “Acrobat” contemporary quintet  in Europe and South Africa.
Since 2008 Tímea has been a member of the “Vienna Chamber Orchestra”, since 2012 the baroque ensemble “Bach Consort” and the baroque “Ensemble 1756”.
Tímea regularly performs with the baroque ensemble “Les Passion de L’Ame” in Bern and abroad, as well as with the French baroque ensemble “Les Concert Lorrain”.
She played as a guest violinist in “Concentus Musicus” with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, with “L’Orfeo” baroque ensemble and she was invited to play with “Freiburg Baroque Orchestra”. 

VIOLIN

Tanja Palu, born in 1982, is a finnish violinist, saxophonist and music educator with French roots. She began learning the violin at the age of six and started performing only a year later.

Tanja has been giving concerts for more than 20 years all over Europe and since 2010 also in China.

First she studied at Helsinki Conservatory where she graduated in 2006, then continued her studies at Vienna Conservatory where she got her Solo Violin Diploma with honors in 2010 and her Music Pedagogue Diploma in 2013 (major in Classical Violin, minor in Jazz Saxophone).

Tanja Palu is a soloist, a chamber musician and an orchestra musician (Österreichische Symphoniker, Junge Philharmonie Wien,  Tanja Palu is a soloist, a chamber musician and an orchestra musician (Österreichische Symphoniker, Junge Philharmonie Wien,  Modus 21...) and her wide repertoire goes from classical music to pop, jazz, electronic music and improvisation. In 2014 she founded together with Austrian violinist Ismene Weiss the ensemble Modern Sounds Vienna, a young and dynamic formation which is building bridges between classical music and modern elements such as electronic music, jazz, dance and visual elements.