Critically acclaimed Czech cellist Tomas Strasil has performed widely in solo and chamber music festivals in Europe, Japan, China and America.

His orchestral engagements include the Suk Chamber Orchestra, North Bohemian Philharmonic, Talich Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Bohemica Prague, Philharmonic of Hradec Králové, Musici di Praga, Gifu Symphony Orchestra Japan, Virtuosi di Praga, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Austria and the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theater Prague.

Born 1971 in Prague he received his early musical training from Prof. J.Prazak, later at the Prague Conservatory under P. Sadlo. He gratuated at the Music Academy of Prague under R. Lojda with the highest mark.

He also participated at different master classes with A. Ariscuren, M. Roche, P. Wispelwey, A. May, F. Smetana, E. Rattay and J. Chuchro.

He was awarded with laureate title at the “Beethoven Competition” in the Czech Republic and and he was winner of the “Prix Mercury” 1994.

Between 1994 – 2000, Tomáš Strašil played as a concertmaster in the Suk Chamber Orchestra Prague. In cooperation with the famous violin player Josef Suk and Suk Chamber Orchestra he recorded several CD´s. He is member of several Chamber Music Ensembles in Prague like: Ensemble Puchber, Sebastian trio, Duo della corde. Tomas Strasil is regular guest at the International Prague Spring Festival.

Since 2000 he is professor at the Prague Conservatory.
 He plays the following instruments: “Pietro Zanetto di Brescia 1686″ and “Andreas Carolus Leeb fecit Viennae 1818 No. 3”. He plays also the cello of Radka Herout (2003) for the Contemporary Music.

Written in 1901 and 1902, it is generally regarded as Mahler’s most well known symphony. Open with a funeral trumpet solo, lets TPO bring you to explore the beauty of Mahler, a supreme orchestral technician!

Concerts:

• September 24th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• September 25th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Gudni A. Emilsson

Soloist:

Henri Bok, Bass Clarinet

Program:

• Friso van Witck: Concerto for Bass Clarinet
• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.5 in C-sharp minor

Loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Moliere’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac, Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The Suite performed tonight was produced with the assistance of the Polish conductor Artur Rodzinski.

Concerts:

• September 10th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• September 11th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Gudni A. Emilsson

Soloist:

• Vladimir Anochin, Violin
• Vladislav Shumakov, Viola

Program:

• Wolfgang A. Mozart: Overture “La clemenza di Tito”, K.621
• Wolfgang A. Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K.364
• Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier Suite, op.59 (1945) (The Knight of the Rose)

Born in Prague to a family of Jewish origin, Jaromir Weinberger later emigrated to the United States and eventually became a US citizen. The Polka and Fugue is often heard in a concert version nowadays, compare to the original work, the opera Schwanda the Bagpiper, which received a worldwide success after its premiere in 1927. Based upon themes from his opera Mathis der Maler, about the painter Matthias Grunewald, the Symphony is considered the most famous orchestral work of German composer Paul Hindemith.

Concerts:

• August 20th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• August 21st, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Gudni A. Emilsson

Soloist:

Piano Duo “Metro & Foti”

Program:

• Thai Traditional Music
• Jaromir Weinberger: Polka and Fugue from “Schwanda”
• Leopold Kozeluh: Concerto for Piano four hands in B flat major
• Paul Hindemith: Symphony “Mathis der Maler” (Matthias the Painter)

Soviet-Armenian Composer Aram Khachaturian composed the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in 1940 and dedicated the piece to the great Russian violinist David Oistrakh. Also take this opportunity to listen to the ever famous Gayane Suite by the same composer.

Concerts:

• August 6th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• August 7th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Gudni A. Emilsson

Soloist:

Aiman Musakhodzhaeva, Violin

Program:

• Thai Traditional Music
• Aram Khachaturian: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor
• Aram Khachaturian: Gayane Suite

Aiman Musakhodzhaeva, Violin

began to study violin at the Musicschool in Almaty, Kasakstan and continued her studies at the Conservatory of Moscow, where she studied with VALERY KLIMOV, the internationally highly reputed student of David Oistrach.

1976 the young violinist had her first success at the International Competition in Belgrad (Yugoslavia), where she won three prizes at the same time. Numerous prizes at other international competions followed this triumph: 1981 „Paganini“ in Genova, 1983 in Tokyo, 1985 „Sibelius“ in Helsinki, 1986 „Tschaikowsky“ in Moscow.

Her repertory encloses works of European, Russian, Kasakhian composers, music of all epochs and styles.

Since many years Aiman M. is the first soloist of the National Philharmony of Kasakhstan and performs with famous conductors and interpretes such as Juri Simonov, V.Gergiev, Vl.Fedoseev, S. Sondeckis, V. Tretjakov, F. Mansurov etc. She gave concerts in all parts of the USSR, in all Europe and the USA.

1986 Aiman M. was awarded the title of „National Artist of Kasakhstan“. She is professor for violin at the Conservatory of Moscow, rector of the National Highschool of Music in Astana and since 1992 member of the Jury of the International Competition „Tschaikowsky“ in Moscow.

She founded the National Chamber Orchestra „Academy of Soloists“, for which she engaged the most brillant young musicians of Kasakhstan and for which President Nasabaew let acquire Italian instruments to the value of 1,5 millions US Dollars. Every year she is invited to go on tours with this orchestra to Europe and USA .

She plays a violin of Stradivarius.

One of Rachmaninoff’s most enduringly popular pieces, the complete work was premiered with the composer as soloist. The Symphony, an early work, is the only work that Wagner has written in this form, and is a direct product of Wagner’s studies of Beethoven.

Concerts:

• July 23rd, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• July 24th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Gudni A. Emilsson

Soloist:

Sek Thongsuwan, Piano

Program:

• Thai Traditional Music
• Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, op.18
• Richard Wagner: Symphony in C major

About Pianist

Sek Thongsuwan, Pianist

Sek was born in 1985 in the province of Phayao. He was a Rock Guitarist before he starts seriously study piano until 17. Now he is a student at the Piano Faculty of the St.-Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov Russia and he’s in the class of Professor Tatiana Zagorovskaya (Prize winner of the international piano competitions, Honored Artist of Russia). Sek started playing music instrument since he was 8 years old with Nurak Nonsee (piano) and Saroch Sangthong (English). He took an English skill test when he was 17 in AFS organization and received a full AFS scholarship to be an exchange student in Russia. By the end of that year he passed the entrance examination at the Musical Institute name after Sobinova,Yaroslavl Russia in the class of Rimma Ohotina. He finished the classes in Musical Institute in 3 years, and he took a competition and entered to be a student in St.-Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. He is the first Thai pianist who’s studying piano in this Conservatory. When Sek is in Russia he always gives concerts in St.-Petersburg and Moscow and also in Thailand when he comes back.

Awards and Achievements
In primary school Boonsitvitaya

He received a diploma from the Trinity College London music level test at the 8th level.

In high-school
Srinagarindra the Princess Mother School

He received a full AFS scholarship to be an exchange student in Rybinsk, Russia (2002)

In Musical Intitute Name after Sobinova
Yaroslavl, Russia

He received a certificate “Best Piano Performer” in a competition of Musical institute name after Sobinova in Yaroslavl, Russia (2004)
He received a Diploma “Concert Master” from Musical institute name after Sobinova in Yaroslavl, Russia (2006)

In St-Petersburg State Conservatory Name after Rymsky-Korsakov
St.Peterburg, Russia

He performed in Rachmaninov School, Glazunov Hall in St.Petersburg and in Tchaikovsky in Moscow.

Although all of Glière’s most important compositions were written in the twentieth century, his style of work places him firmly at the Russian romantic tradition. The symphony by Berlioz is a piece of program music with a title of “An Episode in the Life of an Artist”. It is widely regarded as one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period.

Concerts:

• July 9th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• July 10th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Ligia Amadio

Soloist:

Christoph Ess, French Horn

Program:

• Thai Traditional Music
• Reinhold Glière: Horn Concerto in B-flat major, op.91
• Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, op.14

Christoph Ess

Christoph Ess was born 1984 in Tübingen, Germany, where he received his first french horn lessons from Peter Hoefs when he was seven years old. Since 2003 he has been studying with Christian Lampert and Wolfgang Wipfler at the music academy Basel and the Stuttgart Musikhochschule where he graduated with honors in 2008. In addition, renowned teachers like Erich Penzel, Michael Höltzel and Radovan Vlatkovic have contributed to his artistic development.

He has received scholarships for excellence from the German National study foundation and the German music foundation. He is a six-fold first prize winner of the German national competition „Jugend musiziert“ and has also won numerous prizes on an international level: He is a laureate of the European Classic Festival „Concerto per Corno“ 2002, of the Concorso D. Ceccarossi 2003 and of the competitions in Telfs/Austria 2004 and Brno/Czech Republic 2006. In September 2005 he became a prize-winner in the prestigous „International ARD music competition“ in Munich and in the following year he won first prizes in the Richard-Strauss competition and the „Concorso Internazionale per Corno di Sannicandro di Bari“. Finally, in 2007 he was awarded the first prize and no less than seven of the special prizes at the famous „Prague Spring“ international music competition and in 2008 the prize for the best soloist performance from the „Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern“. In 2009 he received a scholarship from the „Deutscher Musikrat“.

As a soloist he has appeared with numerous renowned orchestras including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonia, the Munich, Stuttgart and Salzburg Chamber Orchestras and the Basel Symphony Orchestra. In 2007, he gave his debut at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall together with the DSO Berlin.

Christoph Ess has been the principal horn of the Young German Philharmony and the European Union Youth Orchestra. He also played at the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Bavarian State Opera Munich, the Tonhalle-Orchestra Zurich, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Ensemble Modern. During the 2005/2006 he assumed the position of the third horn player at the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra before becoming solo horn player in the Essen Philharmonic orchestra. In August 2007, he has taken on a permanent position as principal horn in the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. Conductors he has worked with include Riccardo Muti, Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Colin Davis, Jonathan Nott, Andrey Boreyko, David Zinman, Daniel Harding, Rafael Frübeck de Burgos, Pierre Boulez, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Adam Fischer.

As a chamber musician, he has been invited to numerous festivals including the Prague Spring, the Schleswig-Holstein, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Rheingau music festival. In addition, together with his pianist he has recorded works by Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Reinecke, Raff, Labor, Strauss, Vignery, Hindemith, Kirchner and Trojan for several national and international radio stations.

Celebrating the 200th year of birth year for Schumann, the TPO presents to you the Manfred Overture by Schumann, one of the composer’s finest orchestral creations.

Concerts:

• June 25th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• June 26th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Claude Villaret

Soloist:

Antonio Di Christofano, Piano

Program:

• Thai Traditional Music
• Robert Schumann: Overture “Manfred”
• Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, op.54
• Robert Schumann: Symphony No.2 in C major, op.61

Antonio Di Cristofana – Piano

Antonio Di Cristofano completed his piano studies in 1986 at the Conservatory “L.Cherubini” in Florence, under the supervision of M° Bacchelli. He has perfected with M° Damerini. He performs either as a piano soloist or in different musical ensembles; he played as a soloist with the Orchestra of the University of Milan, Strings Orchestra “Cantelli” of Milan, Chamber Orchestra of Florence, Symphony Orchestra of Lecce, Magna Grecia Orchestra, Sicily Symphony Orchestra, Solisti Aquilani, Milano Classica Orchestra, Radio Orchestra of Bucarest, Orquesta Sinfonica de l’Estado de Mexico, University Orchestra of Houston, Radiotelevision Albania Orchestra, Istanbul Chamber Orchestra, Praga Radio Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philarmonic, Lamont Symphony Orchestra Denver, Czech Philarmonic Orchestra, Izmir Symphony Orchestra, Iasi State Philarmonic, Wiener Mozart Orchestra, Toronto Chamber Orchestra, Philarmonique de Montreal, Jerusalem Symphony, Slovak Filharmonie, Kaerntner Sinfonieorchester, etc. with conductors like G. Taverna, F. A. Krager, O. Balan, M. Bosch, M. Ancillotti, M. Alsop, N. Arman, C. Schulz, M. Zanini, C. Olivieri-Munroe, L. Svarovsky, A. Chernushenko, and many others. He played, in Italy, for the most important Festival: the “Verdi Theatre” in Florence, the “Festival dei Due Mondi” in Spoleto, “Asolo Musica”, the Theatre of Alessandria, the “Bibbiena Theatre” in Mantova, the “Puccini Hall” at the Conservatory “G.Verdi” in Milan, “Politeama Theatre” in Palermo, etc., in Romania (Aeteneum and Radio Bucarest, ecc.), Espana (Festival de Vigo, Madrid, Jeunesses Musicales de Sevilla), Mexico (Belles Artes Palacio, Revueltas Auditorium), USA (Moores Opera House of Houston, Newman Center in Denver, ecc ), Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir and Adana), Bulgary (Vidin), Croatia (Dubrovnik – Rector Palace), Czech Republic (Praga – Smetana Hall and Dvorak Hall), Russia (Ciaikovsky Conservatoire), South Korea (Seoul – Leeum Auditorium), France (Nancyphonies Festival), Austria (Konzerthaus – Klagenfurt), Germany (Gasteig – Munich), Swiss, Canada, Albania, Israel, England, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, ecc.

He recorded one cd with Schubert’s music and recently a newone with music of Brahms, Berg and Scriabin. Recently he mades the debut in Carnegie Hall – New York and in Konzerthaus and Golden Hall MusikVerein in Wien.

He is often invited as a judge in international Piano Competition (Compositores de Espana – Madrid, Varallo, Cantù, Osijek, Gante – Pordenone, Parigi, Viardo – Belmont, Rachmaninov – Moscow, Iturbi – Valencia, Parnassos – Monterrey, ecc) and to teach in Ciaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, in the Summer Academy in Dubrovnik, in Denver University, in the SMC Academy in Seoul and in Thessaloniki Conservatoire.

Many critics refer to the era of composers like Korngold, Newman and others of the 1930s through the 1950s as a sort of “Golden Age” of excellent film music. Many of these composers were refugees from Germany during and after the Second World War. More recent composers such as Morricone, Williams and Webber have recreated that tradition in a number of film scores of rich orchestration and high quality.

Concerts:

• June 11th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• June 12th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Gudni A. Emilsson

Soloist:

Simone Zgraggen, Violin

Program:

• Thai Traditional
• Film Music by Korngold, Newman, Strauss, Gershwin, Morricone, Williams and Webber.

Simone Zgraggen

Simone Zgraggen was awarded the concert diploma from the Basel Academy of Music, gained a postgraduate music qualification and then passed the Karlsruhe Academy of Music concert examination, all with distinction. She has won several prizes in national and international competitions as well as scholarships from the Migros Federation and the Kiefer-Hablitzel Foundation. In 2002, she won first prize in the German Music Academy Competition. Besides numerous radio recordings at international level, she has played with orchestras in many countries across Europe, America and other parts of the world. She works regularly with Ulrich Koella.

Inspired by the poem L´Après-midi d´un faune by Stephane Mallarmé, the prelude is one of Debussy’s most famous works and is very free as to tonality and harmonic function. The Prélude is followed by another piece of Debussy: La Mer is a masterpiece of suggestion and subtlety in its rich depiction of the ocean. Joining together with the TPO is our own Agrita Lakute, presenting the Flute concerto by Ibert, written in 1934.

Concerts:

• May 28th, 2010 / 7.00 p.m. / MACM
• May 29th, 2010 / 4.00 p.m. / MACM

Conductor:

Claude Villaret

Soloist:

Agrita Lakute, Flute

Program:

• Thai Traditional Music
• Claude Debussy: Prélude á “L´Après-midi d´un faune” (Afternoon of a Faun)
• Jacques Ibert: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra
• Claude Debussy: “La Mer”

Agrita Lakute

Agrita Lakute earned the Art Masters Degree in the flute performance in the Latvian Academy of Music (former Soviet Union). She studied the flute performance with the Principal Flute of the Latvian National Opera – Prof. Imants Sneibis (Republic of Latvia), and with the Principal Flute of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra – prof.Vilnis Strautins ( Republic of Latvia), also with Prof. Carlo Janss (Luxembourg), Prof. Craig Goodman (USA/France) and Prof. William Bennett (England).

Agrita Lakute worked as a Principal Flutist in the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra (1992-2001)-cond.Im.Resnis/Latvia and in the “All Baltic Stars Symphony Orchestra” (1998, 1999 )-cond.Anders Berglund/Sweden. She has played concerts with many world famous conductors – Laurent Petitgirard (France), Enrique Batiz (Mexico/Latin America), Gustavo Plis- Sterenberg (Argentina/ St. Petersburg/Russia), Anders Berglund (Sweden), Pauls Megi and Peters Sauls (Estonia), Domarka (Lithuania), Gudni A. Emilsson ( Germany) , Claude Villaret ( Switzerland) and other conductors.

She has played also solo with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, Latvian Chamber Orchestra of the Latvian Philharmonic in the Liepaja Town Theatre, White Hall, Richard Wagner Hall, Munster Hall of the Latvian Philharmonic, in Denmark Thisted Town Theatre, in Switzerland Conservatoire of the Music in Geneva.

Agrita Lakute took part in both – solo and symphony orchestral tours ( principal flute) in Spain, Sweden, Germany, Malaysia, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Ireland, England, Holland, Poland and Hungary.

She has been a guest Principal Flutist in the Latvian National Opera for P. Tchaikovsky “Swan Lake” and “Sleeping Beauty”.

She has won two grant from “Art life International Fund” (Paris/France) for seminar studies in flute performance.

She won the Prize of the Latvian Ministry of Culture in the “Andrejs Jurjans Competition of Performing Artists”. Her students are winners of national competitions. She has also taught Flute Master Class in Malaysia and Thailand.

Now she is a member of Woodwinds Faculty in the College of Music Mahidol University in the Thailand – instructor of the Major Flute Performance and performs the Principal Flute in Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra.