Jury (piano)
"Eleonora Bekova is truly amazing. Everything in it is wonderfully balanced: emotions, intellect, and style. In her delightful game - the abyss of imagination. The piano, as if by magic, comes to life under her fingers. The Russian pianistic school clearly shows through in its brilliant technique."- Martha Argerich
At the beginning of her creative career, Eleonora Bekova became famous as a pianist as part of the legendary trio of the Bekov sisters; then recognition accompanied her work with other chamber musicians and outstanding opera soloists.
The trio of the Bekov sisters has been universally recognized as one of the best chamber ensembles in the world; their recordings were among the discs of the year according to Gramophone magazine and the BBC Music Magazine. Recordings of pieces by Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and Martinu performed by the trio have become standards in the musical world, by which it is customary to evaluate the achievements of other chamber ensembles. Since 2003 Eleonora has been Artistic Director of the Summer International Music Festival in Malta., with her sister, cellist Alfiya Bekova, Eleonora has released recordings of Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich's cello sonatas, as well as a Brahms sonata.
Eleonora has performed as a soloist with the British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Symphony Orchestra.
In 2004, Eleonora became the founder of the annual Kazakh gala concerts (Kazakh-gala) in London, timed to coincide with the Independence Day of Kazakhstan. Since 2009, these concerts have turned into Kazakh art festivals under her management, and the proceeds from these festivals go to support musically gifted children. The main goal of the festivals is the cultural rapprochement between Britain and Kazakhstan based on the promotion of Kazakh music performed in London by Kazakh musicians.
Eleonora Bekova (Great Britain)
Jury Chairman
Gulzhan Uzenbayeva (Kazakhstan)
G. Uzenbayeva is Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Professor of the piano department of the Kazakh National Conservatory, member of Kazakhstan Union of Composers, soloist of the Kazakh State Philharmonic, the winner of a number of international competitions.
G. Uzenbayeva is a multifaceted musician who has shown herself in various activities as well a pianist, composer and teacher. She actively participates in international and national music forums as the Chamber Music Festival Pablo Casals in Prades (France), Beethoven festival in Wien (Austria), Festival "Martha Argerich projetto" in Lugano (Switzerland), "Semana Piano Festival" in Spain, the Festival of new music "Nauryz XXI" in Almaty (Kazakhstan) and others.
The compositions of Gulzhan Uzenbayeva were included in the repertoire of the world's leading musicians and performed in Kazakhstan and abroad in Great Britain, Italy, Sweden, USA, China, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey. Among them are Concertos for piano and orchestra, Sonata for violin and piano, Fantasia for piano, Piano Trio and etc.
As a soloist Gulzhan Uzenbayeva performs concerts (solo, chamber music, piano duo) and plays with orchestra with famous conductors D. Wilson, N. Krause, V. Papyan and others.
Vag Papian, pianist and conductor whos musical actovities continues more than 40 years. Conducted many symphony and chamber orchestras all over the world among them Englich Chamber, Malmo Symphony, Beograd Symphony, Israel Filharmonic, Jerusalem Symohony, Tokio Filharmonic, Russian State Symphony, and many others.He was music director of Armenian Filharmonic, Kazakhstan State Symphony. Collaborated with Mariinsky Opera House and Armenian National Opera.As a pianist he has been touring more than 50 countries. Collaborated with many significant contemporary musicians.Takes part in some of greatest music festivals, among them Proms in London, Enescu in Bucharest, Saint Denie in Paris. About 25 years tought in Tel Aviv University in Buchman-Mehta High Music School
“Kadisha Onalbayeva maximizes the intricate fascination of each work with obvious familiarity and proficiency. ...expanded one note or chord for shifting tempi, masterfully, with lovely blended tones. ...expertise and electricity. ...sumptuous evocations of sorrow, longing, romance, and elegance.” (Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower, Solo Piano Recital at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York)
Kadisha Onalbayeva was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame at the Steinway Factory, New York, USA in 2022 and she was also a Nappie Award winner: Best Local Classical Musician in Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Onalbayeva is the Director of Piano Studies and Professor of Music at the University of Mobile and is founder and currently serves as President of the Gulf Coast Steinway Society (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, & Mississippi). She is currently a member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC), Southeastern Composers League (SCL), Schumann Music Club (SMC), and Mobile Music Teachers Association (MMTA). She lives in Pensacola, FL
Kadisha Onalbayeva (USA)
Suzanna Pavlovsky (USA)
Maestra Pavlovsky has been fortunate to study conducting with internationally-hailed artists including Donald Portnoy, Neil Varon, William Winert, Leon Gregorian, Vag Papian and Tak-Ng Lai.
A member of the College Music Society, the League of American Orchestras, and the Conductors Guild, Dr. Pavlovsky earned her D.M.A. in Orchestral Conducting from the University of South Carolina; her M.M. in Music Theory from the Eastman School of Music and an M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from Michigan State University. She also holds a B.M. in Orchestral Conducting from Tel Aviv University in Israel, as well as a B.M of Music Theory & Musicology from the Ashrafi Conservatory of Music in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Maestra Pavlovsky is the founder, artistic and music director of Columbia, South Carolina’s Palmetto Chamber Orchestra
Vag Papian (Israel)