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Hiroko Nakamura – Japan (Chair)
Jan Jiracek von Arnim – Austria
Michael Endres – New Zealand
Mikhail Solovei – Victoria
Clemens Leske – New South Wales
Natasha Vlassenko – Queensland |
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Hiroko Nakamura – Japan (Chair) |
 Photographer: Hiroshi Takaoka
She has performed with the numerous orchestras including the Detroit Symphony, Wiener Symphoniker, USSR State Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Shanghai Symphony and under such conductors as James Levine, Kiril Kondrasin and Evgeny Svetlanov. |
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Jan Jiracek von Arnim – Austria |
Born into a family of musicians, pianist Jan Jiracek von Arnim was described by BBC Music Magazine as one of the leading pianists of his generation.
He won the first prize at the Steinway Competition in Hamburg at age ten, and made his formal debut the following year in his hometown of Hannover (Germany), performing a piano concerto by Mozart. Mr. Jiracek has since performed extensively throughout Europe, including recitals at the Herkulessaal Munich, Philharmonie Berlin, Steinway Hall London, Salle Cortot Paris, Palau de la musica Barcelona, Tonhalle Zurich, Konzerthaus Vienna, Musikverein Vienna, Musikhalle Hamburg and the Gewandhaus Leipzig, as well as orchestral appearances with the Berlin and St. Petersburg Philharmonics, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra and the Northern Sinfonia of England. |
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Michael Endres – New Zealand |
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Outstanding German Pianist Michael Endres performs worldwide as soloist and chamber music partner. He gained a Master’s degree at the Juilliard School in New York under Jacob Lateiner and studied with Peter Feuchtwanger in London. He has won prizes such as the Concours Geza Anda (Zurich) and First & Special Prizes at the International Schubert Competition (Germany) among others. His extensive prizewinning discography of 27 CD’s includes the prestigious Diapason d’or (France) which he was recently awarded for the third time and the Choc du Musique which he has won twice. His solo recordings include cycles of the complete sonatas by Mozart, Schubert, Weber and the rarely heard English composer Arnold Bax, the complete works of Ravel and works by Schumann. Endres covers a wide repertoire including seldom played composers like Leopold Godowsky, Gabriel Faure, Charles Ives and Eduard Tubin. |
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Mikhail Solovei – Victoria |
Mikhail Solovei was born in Ukraine and studied at the State College of Music, Ukraine. In 1979, he won the Ukranian Naional Piano Competition. After gaining his Master’s degree in 1980 at the Gorky Conservatorium in Russia, he was awarded his PhD in 1985, following further studies at the Gorky and Moscow Conservatoriums.
Post graduate studies followed and he gave solo concerts and performances with orchestras in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as many masterclasses in these countries of the former Soviet Union.
In 1985, Mikhail Solovei was appointed to the position of Head of The Piano Department of the Donetsk College of Music, Ukraine, after a period as Lecturer in Piano Studies at Vladivostok University and as Pianist-Soloist, Russia. He accepted invitations to make concert tours of Poland in 1990, 1991 and 1992 and gave masterclasses at the Academy of Music at Katowice and has performed and held masterclasses in Belgium. |
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Clemens Leske – New South Wales |
One of Australia's most distinguished pianists, Clemens Leske has been concerto soloist with all of Australia's symphony orchestras (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmanian, West Australian and Queensland) under such conductors as Vladimir Spivakov, Nicholas Braithwaite, Muhai Tang, Vernon Handley, Raimon Gamba and Tommy Tycho.
During his studies at the Juilliard School, New York, Clemens Leske regularly appeared at Lincoln Center in the famed 'Bang on a Can' and 'Focus' festivals of contemporary music and won numerous prizes and awards, including the ABC Young Performer of the Year, the David Paul Landa Memorial Scholarship (Australia), and the Hattori Award (London).
Leske has regularly performed with the Australian String Quartet, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Virtuosi and at such festivals as the Barossa International, Huntington, Spring and Adelaide. He was recently soloist with the Bangkok Symphony performing the Schumann piano concerto for the King of Thailand's birthday concert, and with the Sydney Symphony performing the Tchaikovsky concerto, to great acclaim.
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Natasha Vlassenko – Queensland |
Natasha Vlassenko was born in Moscow and graduated from the Moscow Central Music School and Moscow Conservatory. She studied under Professor Jakob Flier and later pursued postgraduate studies with her father, Professor Lev Vlassenko. As a student, she was awarded the prestigious Tchaikovsky Scholarship.
Natasha has won major prizes in several international competitions including the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Vienna and the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy. She has given recitals in many countries and has played under the baton of Rozhdestvensky, Osterriher, Pletnev, Martin, Verbitsky, Chivjel, Hickox and many others. Natasha has recorded for Moscow Radio and TV stations as well as ABC radio, she has released a number of CD’s.
Before coming to Australia, Natasha taught at the Central Music School of Moscow Conservatory. She is now Head of Keyboard Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
Many of her students have become prize winners of major international and national piano competitions. |
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Competition - 2011 
