Jury (violin)
Graf Murzha is one of the brightest, most gifted, original violinists.
Graf Murzha graduated from the Moscow Conservatory (1997), and did an assistantship-internship under the guidance of Professor I. Bochkova (1999). In the same period, he completed postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London with the highest score in the history of the academy and received the Hattory fondation award in London for outstanding academic achievement.
G. Murzha became a laureate and winner of many international competitions, among them: N. Paganini in Genoa (1990) and Vianna da Motta in Lisbon (1991), X International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1994), competition named after Jacques Thibaut in Paris (1996, France), the Pablo Sarasate Competition in Pamplona (1997. Spain), the Rodolfo Lipitzer Competition (2000, Gorizia, Italy), the UNISA International Competition (2002, Pretoria, South Africa), and others.
In June 2010, G.Murja won the gold medal of the Grand Prix at the most prestigious violin competition "Violin Masters" in Monte Carlo.
The violinist plays the violin Alessandro Galliano 1719, Naples, given to him for life use by a philanthropist - an amateur violin art from Israel.
Over the past four years, Graf Murzha performed a cycle of 24 caprices by N. Paganini more than 50 times. Also, this is the only violinist in the world who played the cycles of 24 caprices by N. Paganini and 6 sonatas by E. Izaya in two concerts on two evenings in a row.
Graf Murzha (Hungary)
Jury Chairman
Since 2013 is a soloist of the symphony orchestra (1st violin) of the State Opera and Ballet Theater "Astana Opera", taking an active part in the formation of the symphony orchestra of the theater, its repertoire, brilliantly performing the most difficult parts of the solo violin in many performances, such as: P.I. Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", A. Khachaturian "Spartacus", S. Prokofiev "Romeo and Juliet", etc.Thanks to Bagdat Abilkhanov, the theater orchestra's tour performances are a resounding success both at home and abroad - performances at Carnegie Hall (New York), Sony Center (Toronto), Opéra Bastille (Paris), De Dulen (Rotterdam), Opera di Roma (Rome), Konzerthaus (Berlin), Musikverein and Hoffburg (Vienna), Stadshoffburg (Antwerp), Woori Art Hall (Seoul), Carlo Felice (Genoa), the Rossiya Concert Hall, the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia and the Novaya Opera Theater (Moscow), on all 3 stages of the Mariinsky Theater (St. Petersburg). Many guest conductors of the Astana Opera, such as Valery Gergiev (Russia), Marco Boemi (Italy), Giuseppe Acuaviva (Italy), Karen Durgaryan (Armenia), Vladimir Kiradzhiev (Bulgaria) and many others, praised the first violin of the orchestra, emphasizing professionalism and skill of the musician.The musician conducts an active concert activity as a virtuoso soloist and has a fairly impressive solo repertoire. He received an enthusiastic review from the outstanding Italian maestro Pier Luigi Pizzi.
Alejandro Drago (USA - Argentina)
Alejandro Drago - violinist, teacher, conductor, composer
Hailed by music critics as “a superb musician” with the “classical virtuosity of Heifetz or Perlman,” the "suave café style of Florian Zabach” and the “jazzy insouciance of Stephane Grappelli,” Alejandro Drago has “crisscrossed the line between concerto virtuoso and jazz soloist. His discography in France, USA and Argentina includes string quartets, concertos, avant-garde tangos for the EMI International label and a two-volume CD of works for solo violin distributed internationally by Naxos Music Library Japan and CD Tradition.
As a soloist, Alejandro has performed in world-class concert halls such as the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, the Saint Petersburg State Academic Capella, Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires, The Kennedy Center and the Kolarac Zal of Belgrade, with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Belarus State Academic Symphony, among many others.
Alejandro Drago conducts master classes, seminars, lectures and lecture-concerts in Asia, Europe and the United States at the invitation of higher education institutions and regularly teaches and performs at festivals in Latin America, the United States and Europe.
Alejandro Drago is a laureate of many competitions and has received many prestigious awards: a special prize at the International Competition. Rodolfo Lipitsera (Gorizia, Italy, 1992), Third Prize at the International Competition for Young Musicians “Petar Konjović” (Belgrade, 1993) and First Prize at the “New Talents in Classical Music” Competition (Buenos Aires, 1997)
“Drago is a violinist of extraordinary talent. Combining brilliant virtuosity with deep sonority, he manages to swirl the melody in bewitching shades, brilliantly play double and triple notes with seemingly effortless bravura.” (Fort Lauderdale Connex newspaper, October 2013).
Bagdat Abilkhanov (Kazakhstan)
Studied at the Kazakh State Conservatory with Prof. V. Hess and at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Prof. B. Belenky.
Served as a Concertmaster for the Kazakh State Symphony and the 1st violin in the Kazakh State String Quartet. As a soloist appeared with such conductors as O.Dimitriadi, I.Gusman, T.Mynbayev, R.Salavatov, R. Skuratov, S.Sondeckis, L.Karytinos, A.Myrat, A.Lascae.
He also recorded two vinyl discs on the All-Union label “Melodia” – as a soloist and with the Kazakh State Quartet.
In 1991 Mavridis became a Concertmaster of “The Soloists of Patras” chamber orchestra (later renamed to “The Orchestra of Patras”). The Chief conductor of this orchestra for 7 years was the legendary Saulius Sondeckis.
Currently Mavridis works at the Patras Municipal Conservatory as a violin teacher and Head String department, teaches and conducts the student orchestra, and gives solo and chamber music concerts on the regular basis.
Gaik Kazazyan is one of the most sought-after young musicians of his generation. Twice winner of the Tchaikovsky Contest.
Kazazyan performs in the largest halls of the world, such as the Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, etc.
He is a participant in many music festivals. He performs with such well-known orchestras as the Scottish Royal Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Russian National Orchestra, the National Orchestra of France, etc. Among the partners on the stage are |V. Gergiev, V. Fedoseev, Yu. Bashmet, D. Matsuev, E. Virsaladze, N. Gutman, A. Knyazev, A. Rudin.
Studied with Professor E.D. Rook at the school. Gnesins (1996-2000) and the Moscow Conservatory (2000-2006), as well as with Professor I. Rashkovsky at the Royal College of Music in London (2006-2008)
Ioannis Mavridis (Greece)