CELLO

Peter Hudler, born in 1980 in Austria, began his studies with Robert Nagy (Vienna Philharmonic) at Konservatorium Wien and continued at Mozarteum Salzburg (Heidi Litschauer, Enrico Bronzi) where he finished both Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs with honors. He also worked intensively with Thomas Riebl and studied Chamber Music with members of the Hagen Quartett. He continued and broadened his education in various Master Classes, amongst them IMS Prussia Cove (Thomas Riebl), Accademia Chiagana Siena (Antonio Meneses), as well as in lessons with Thorleif Thedeen, Pieter Wispelwey, Patrick Demenga, Christoph Richter, Wenn Sinn Yang and Rudolf Leopold. In 2012, he studied with Enrico Dindo at the „Pavia Celloacademy“.

As an orchestra musician, Peter Hudler played with many of the best Austrian ensembles, amongst them Camerata Salzburg, Staatsoper Wien, Tonkünstler Niederösterreich and Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg. Internationally, he worked extensively with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and played as a guest with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oslo Opera Orchestra and „Le Concert Olympique“ in Belgium. In 2009, he was Solocellist at Tromsö Kammerorkester in Norway and in 2014, Solocellist with the Chamber Music Ensemble „Danish Chamber Players“ in Denmark.

As a teacher, he has been teaching in Master Classes, amongst them at the Festival „Cello Fan“ in France and as a guest teacher at the „Barenboim-Said Foundation“ in Ramallah/Palestine. During his stay in Denmark, he taught both Cello and chamber music to young students of the MGK, the Danish Preparatory Class system.

As a chamber musician and soloist, Peter Hudler works in different ensembles, amongst them Cello/Piano-Duo (with Ida Andersson, Nikolaus Wagner), a newly founded Piano Trio specialized in authentic classical performance (Ensemble Wiener Cammerstyl), Violin/Cello-Duo (with Stephane Tran Ngoc) and other formations. He has been a guest cellist with the new music ensemble „Ensemble Wiener Collage“ and has participated in Martin Grubinger’s project „Percussive Planet“. In 2006, he preformed Brahms’ string sextet together with ao. Bruno Giuranna and Marianne Sirbu. He played in a string quartet that was selected to represent the University Mozarteum Salzburg at a Festival in Montepulciano, Italy. In 2015, he toured China with the Danish Piano Trio „Trio Solaris“.

In 2016, Peter Hudler recorded a CD with Jazz and Cross Over music for Cello Solo and Cello/Piano Duo that was financed through Crowdfunding, which will be officially released in the autumn of 2016.

With his students, he likes to work intensively but always in an empathetic atmosphere where he tries to help find solutions that work for the individual student, always led by the energy of the music, the joy of playing the Cello and creating something meaningful and beautiful.

VIOLIN

Benjamin Izmajlov, a born Slovenian, is one of the most successful musicians of his generation. He is internationally acknowledged as a concert violinist, composer, conductor and producer. He also acts as artistic director of international music projects and festivals. Benjamin founded the International Academy Giuseppe Tartini and the Slovenian Summer Academy of Music as well as the Slovenian Diplomatic Concert. Since 2012, he has been performing as a guest soloist at the Moscow Philharmonics and as a guest member of the early music ensemble Madrigal. Together with his wife, they are holders of the highest acknowledgment for foreigners for intercultural dialogue from the Russian Orthodox Church, the Medal of “Cyril & Method”.
Benjamin Izmajlov graduated in 2006 and finished his Master's in 2009 as a concert violinist, professor and chamber musician at the State Conservatory P. I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow in the class of professor Marina Laursabovna Yashvili. His previous studies include prof. Evgeniya Tchugaeva at the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna, prof. Pavel Vernikov, Elizaveta Gilels, Grigoriy Zhislin, Zahar Bron, Viktor Tretyakov, Tatiana Kolchanova (Glinka Quartet), Dmitri Shebalin (Borodin Quartet), Nina Kogan and many others.
Benjamin has performed as a soloist in many world-known concert halls across Europe. He also played in front of several head of states and religious representatives. Recently, he has conducted his new project of orchestral arrangements at the Ljubljana Festival with his Slovenian Soloists Symphony Orchestra, the Cairo Opera House with the Cairo Symphony orchestra and in Yerevan and Gyumri in Armenia. Benjamin’s works has been performed on many other concerts and festivals across Europe. Chamber music pieces were performed by renowned artist such as Bernarda Fink.
Benjamin Izmajlov also teaches at international master classes and is a member of intl. violin competitions.
All four albums Benjamin has produced got awarded and sold in platinum. “The Slavic Soul” was also rebranded as “Far Away” and sold throughout Asia. Apart from producing, Benjamin is highly skilled as a mixing engineer and is endorsed by Prism Sound
Benjamin Izmajlov has worked with some of the most renowned artists such as Marina Yashvili, Natalia Gutman, Alexander Kagan, Moshe Aron Epstein, Alexander Buzlov, Roman Simović, Gokhan Aybulus, Alviya Vandysheva, Alexander Suetin, Sergei Skripka and the composer Alexander Tchaikovsky, to name a few.

CELLO

Mag. Jing Gatke was born in Beijing, China. In the age of 15 she makes recordings for Chinese international radio and TV programs and won the 1. Prize of the Chinese National Violoncello Competition. She studied at first at the Beijing Central Conservatory with Prof. Song Tao, Zong Bo, Wang Xiang, and later with Prof. Tobias Kühne at the University of Music and Performing Art of Vienna.

She joined master classes of Paul Tortelier, André Navarra, Daniel Shafran, Karine Georgian, Arto Noras, and Walter Nothas. Chamber music by Georg Ebert and the Altenburg Trio etc.

During her studies in Vienna, she was awarded with scholarships from the Austrian Ministry of Scientific and Research, the Austrian Institute of Asian and African Foundation and the Home Swiss Foundation.

She was invited to performing as soloist and chamber music musician at The Salzburg Festival, The Vienna Festive Week, The Weimar Festival, Blois Music Festival and as well in England, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany and China, and has leaded the cello group of the 1. Austrian Women Chamber Orchestra over 10 years.

She was invited on concert tours to China with the legendary Austrian Pianist Prof. Jörg Demus as Duo partner and as soloist with the 1. Austrian Women Chamber Orchestra.

Followed the invitation of Austrian government, she participated in the Austrian foreign ministry European and overseas music and cultural exchange project.

She makes Broadcasts and recordings in China, Austria, and Czech Republic. She was the first cellist who performed the complete Friedrich Gulda Cello Concerto with Brass Orchestra from Friedrich Gulda in China and recorded the Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra composed by David Fatherly under the Level VMM (www.skeeterpress.com/DavidFetherolf/, mit Hörbeispiele).

As a pedagogue she teaches at the International Leschetitzky Summer Academy Vienna, The International Summer Academy of Music in Shanghai Conservatory, headed workshop for chamber music at The Franz Liszt Music Academy Budapest, master class at the Music Middle School of Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, the Beijing Chinese Conservatory. Since Dec. 2013 she teaches at the Amadeus International Music & Art Academy of Vienna. There were quite a few young cellist could continue their studies at the MDW and MUK Vienna after to work with Jing Gatke. One of her former student from the Amadeus International Music & Art Academy is accepted as a scholarship student and studying now at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA.

In recent years, she has also been focusing on planning and organizing professional music education programs. She is also a consultant to the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fellowship Foundation and the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

VIOLIN

“Her performance was very expressive, passionate and played with such an easiness and understanding but most of all with heart.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany.

“The audience was overwhelmed by the emotional strength of the sound and the phrasing of Kouzmanova.” Argauer Zeitung, Switzerland
“She doesn’t just play the music, she makes you feel the inner energy of it on your own. Her precise playing is enreached with charm and elegance.” Basellandschaftliche Zeitung
Klaus Büstrin calls Bojidaras performance in Brandenburg "a firework of virtuosity". (Märkische Allgemeine Newspaper)

A native Bulgarian, Bojidara Kouzmanova began to play the violin at the age of 5 in Sofia. Later on she finished her studies at the University of Music and Arts in Vienna with Prof. Günter Pichler. She has completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in solo violin performance with honors.

She won many national and international violin competitions in Europe and USA like „Bela Bartok“ Competition (1996), „Dobrin Petkov“ Violin Competition (1996), Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition-Great Britain (2000), Hudson Valley String Competition-USA (2000), Grand Prix „Alois Kottmann“ from the City of Frankfurt (2001), Honour Prize from the University of Music and performing arts Vienna (2005) and others.

Miss Kouzmanova played as a soloist with many different orchestras, like Brandenburger Symphoniker, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Montevideo Simphony Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, Bach Soloists Vienna, Kottmann String Players - Frankfurt, New Basel Symphony Orchestra, Recreation Orchestra Graz and others.

She gives regularly concerts and teaches on different master classes all over Europe, North Africa, USA, Asia and Australia.

There are more then 15 CDs in her discography, recorded for different companies in USA, Bulgaria and Austria. Her latest CD with Brahms horn trio and Brahms violin Sonatas received the “Pasticcio Prize” of the National Radio OE1 in Austria.

Her passions are the different old, precious instruments she plays (more then 15 different Stradivarius and Guarneri Violins as well as violins from other violin makers) kindly given to her from private sponsors.

Many composers dedicated pieces to Kouzmanova (Perikles Liakakis “Tune” for solo violin, Peter Richter “Bojidara” violin concerto, Florian Meyer “Vienna Waltz Caprise”, Julia Purgina “Frederick” for solo violin, Sergio Navata “Tangara” for Violin and Piano, Thomas Wally “und ein einziger Ton weinte in einem Frühling!” Violin Concerto, Manuela Kerer “PLAS” for solo violin and ensemble Roumen Dimitrov “Solo for violin” and “Tango”, Roland Freisitzer “Music for violin and three instruments” ). One of the current CD projects is called “ EnSuite” with the violist Julia Purgina, with a combination of contemporary pieces composed specially for this project and Bach arrangements for two instruments.

She is also a member of Kreisler String Trio, Ensemble Quasars, Ensemble of the XX Century, Ensemble Collage and Reconsil, Vienna.

For the last 10 years Mrs. Kouzmanova is teaching a violin class at the Bach Music School in Vienna.

Currently she plays on a violin made by Postiglione (1890), kindly given to her from a private sponsor.