BAROQUE VIOLIN

Born in Linz, Austria; Petra Samhaber-Eckhardt began to study violin with Gunar Letzbor. After she has finished school, she started her studies on modern violin at the Mozarteum Salzburg (concert diploma and teaching diploma); during this period, she was already very interested in baroque violin and historical performance practice, and took her first studies with Hiro Kurosaki and Michi Gaigg. After her successful diplomas at Salzburg she moved to London for studying baroque violin at the `Royal College of Music´ with Andrew Manze and Ingrid Seifert. She finished her postgraduate study with distinction. While studying she has won several prizes at competitions in England (UK early music, final round BBC music award). In 2011 she finished her Master with distinction at the Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz in the class of Michi Gaigg.

She also studied with Enrico Onofri at the `Conservatorio Bellini´ in Palermo, and became a musical partner of him.

She is the leader of the successful Austrian Ensemble CASTOR, which got an excellent reputation the last years and has been invited to many famous festivals (Carinthischer Sommer, Attergauer Kultursommer, Festival St. Gallen etc.). She is also member of the `L´Orfeo Barockorchester´. She is working throughout Europe and South America also as concertmaster (Michi Gaigg, Enrico Onofri, Ton Koopman) and was invited for leading the orchestra at the Innsbrucker Festwochen in 2016. She will also join the Eszterhazy Hofkapelle Fertöd next year. Chamber music projects with Emma Murphy and Bridget Cunningham will take her to France and England.

In 2013 her first book ´Musical-rhetorical figures in the sonatas BWV 1014-1019 by J.S. Bach ´ was published.

PIANO

Biography, under construction.

CELLO

Irina Smirnova is a Violoncellist of Russian origin. She was born in 1975 in Wladimir (Russian Federation) and already in early childhood, as of 6 years old, started to play Violoncello. Irina received her first music lessons in her hometown, at the S.I. Taneev Music School & College, where she graduated and was awarded a Diplom with distinction. Then, continued her higher academic education & String Quartett postgraduate studies at the renowned P.I.Tschajkovsky Moscow State Conservatory, under the supervision of worldwide famous Professors: class Violoncello solo with Kyrill Rodin (1st Prize winner of Tschajkovsky Competition) and class String Quartett with Alexander Galkovsky (“Schostakowitsch-Quartett”). She completed both successfully and was awarded with Diplomas. After, Irina moved to Germany and studied Chamber Music at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne with Professors Günter Pichler, Gerhard Schulz, Valentin Erben (“Alban Berg Quartet”) and Harald Schoneweg (“Cherubini- Quartett”). She received the Certificate as a qualified Chamber Musician and Performer. Irina Smirnova took part in numerous Master classes: “ Amadeus Summer Course" at Royal Music Academy in London, with Professors Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel, Martin Lovett (“ Amadeus Quartett”), Internationale Sommerakademie (ISA) of the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Wien (mdw) with Professors Günter Pichler, Erich Höbarth (“Quatuor Mosaiques”), Reiner Schmidt (“Hagen- Quartett”), Laszlo Mezö, Sandor Device (“ Bartok- Quartett”), Milan Skampa (“Smetana- Quartett”), Mstislav Rostropowitsch in Moscow, Saschko Gawriloff and “Aurin Quartett” in Montepulciano, Italy. Irina Smirnova has received two important international Scholarships, the “New Names” in Russia and the DAAD in Germany. She is a founding-member of the “Twins Quartett” (est. 1994). The Quartet was awarded many international Prices: International Franz Schubert and Contemporary Music, 2003 in Graz (Austria), D.Schostakowitsch String Quartett Competition, 2001 in Moscow (Russian Federation) and they were finalists at the Osaka- International Competition in Japan. “Twins Quartett” performed and recorded live for Radio and Television (WDR Köln in Germany, Espace-2 Radio Genf in Switzerland, TV-Channel Kultura Moscow/Russian Federation, TVChannel Kiev/ Ukraine). “Twins Quartett” has also recorded numerous CDs and have been concertising all over Europe. During the years 2005-2015 they were performing in Salzburg, Austria as the Quartett in Residence of "Salzburger Schlosskonzerte" (Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg). Irina, from 2003 until 2015 was a permanent member of the Chamber Music Ensemble "Salzburger Solisten" under the direction of Prof. Luz Leskowitz. Irina Smirnova has performed Chamber music with various musicians: Karl Leister, David Geringas, Hermann Baumann, Jorg Demus, Aleksey Lubimov, Peter Lang, Wassily Lobanov, Irina Schnittke, Luz Leskowitz, Michala Petri, Marc Grauwels, Ingemar & Andreas Brantelid, Alexey Kozlov, Mette Hanskov, Joachim Schäfer, Johannes Hinterholzer, Isabella Unterer, Sergio Zampetti, Adelheid Krause-Pichler, Aylen Pritchin, "Amati- Ensemble" and others.

GESANG

The Russian bass Evert Sooster was born 1968 in St. Petersburg. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with Georgy Zastavny and at the Academy for Theatre with Alexander Kunizyn. In 1990 he came to Vienna in order to finish his studies at the famous Vienna Music Academy wich Kurt Equiluz, Charles Spencer, Margarita Lilowa and Curt Malm. From 1996 onwards he also attended several master classes with Evgeni Nesterenko, Inge Borkh and Irina Archipova. Private lessons with Simon Baddi, Vienna.
Evert Sooster has studied "Lied und Oratorium" in the class of Km,Sg. Prof. Kurt Equilutz and Prof. Charles Spencer Opera - class of Prof. Wolfgang Gabriel and Prof. Kurt Malm.
Within the last years Evert Sooster had a number of engagements in well known opera houses like the Wiener Kammeroper (Trulove / THE RAKES PROGRESS and Simone / GIANNI SCHICCI), the Schwetzinger Festspiele (Masetto / DON GIOVANNI), the Hungarian National Opera House (Leporello / DON GIOVANNI and Philipp II / DON CARLO), the Opera North in Leeds (Arquell /PELLEAS ET MELISANDE), the Opera Marseille (Vanuzzi /DIE SCHWEIGSAME FRAU), the Opera Helsinki (Enrico / ANNA BOLENA) and at the Teatro San Carlo Napoli to sing Abimelech in SAMSON AND DALLILA by C. Saint-Saens.
Furthermore in 2002 he was guest at the Salzburger Festspiele, singing König in DIE LIEBE DER DANAE by Richard Strauss and in 2003 singing Philisters / SAMSON & DALILA – with Placido Domingo. Later he sang at the Opernhaus Passau the part of Phillip / DON CARLO and Fiesco / SIMON BOCCANEGRA, at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden the title role in BORIS GODUNOW and Colin / LA BOHEME, at Theater Rostock König Treff in Sergej Prokofieff’s THE LOVE FOR THE THREE ORANGES and Kaspar / Eremit in Weber’s DER FREISCHÜTZ at the Festival of Reinsberg/Austria.
Since the season 2007/08 Evert Sooster is member of the opera ensemble of Landestheater Niederbayern where he sang Don Basilio / IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Fürst Gremin / EUGEN ONEGIN, Orovesco / NORMA. Future parts are Delaqua / EINE NACHT IN VENEDIG, Lodovico in Verdi’s OTELLO and Publio / LA CLEMENZA DI TITO.
In spring 2010 he performed as Mephestopheles in Berlioz’s LA DAMNATION DE FAUST in Budapest, Zagreb and Ljubljana. With this role Evert Sooster has ended his work at the Niederbayerisches Landestheater in June 2011. Since that time he is acting as a freelance artist at diverse european opera theatres. So he was singing Truffaldino in ARIANDNE AUF NAXOS by Richard Strauss, Surin in DAME PIQUE by Tschakowsky at the Theatre of Freiburg, Il saccerdotte in ASSASSINO NELLA CATTEDRALE by Ildebrando Pizzetti in the Duomo di Milano a.o.
In the current season 2013/2014 Evert Sooster is singing again at the opera of Freiburg. He is there with following rolles : Procida in I VESPRI SICILIANI by Giuseppe Verdi, Yunus Güner – Sibels Father in GEGEN DIE WAND by Ludger Vollmer, Talpa in Il TABARRO by G.Puccini.
In November 2013 Evert Sooster has sang in MESSA DA REQUIEM by Giuseppe Verdi, first in the Münster Church of Herford and at the folowing recital at the Regentenbau Hall in Bad Kissingen.
In his present career Evert Sooster performs with well known conductors and directors including Valerij Gergiev, Fabio Luisi, Ivor Bolton, Thomas Hengelbrock, Yoram David, Johannes Prinz, Achim Freyer and Ivo Guerra.
Besides his opera-roles Evert Sooster gave numerous recitals and he is also a frequent soloist at various concert halls.