Suyeon Kang, Karolina Errera, Andrei Ioniţ, Catalin Serbană
Biography Suyeon Kang, Karolina Errera, Andrei Ioniţ, Catalin Serbană
Suyeon Kang
Korean-Australian violinist Suyeon Kang enjoys a versatile international performance career. She is currently based in Berlin, Germany.
Particularly recognised for her expressive interpretations, her musical dexterity and curiosity has brought her to stages worldwide in various roles: as a soloist, as an avid chamber musician, and in a Play/Direct leader capacity with numerous orchestras.
‘She captivated her audience- intimacy, tension, inspiration and soul in every note,‘ (Der Tagesspiegel, on Shostakovitsch Violin Concerto) // ‚ – incredible maturity…more than mere playing of the music but an appreciation and understanding its possibilities, and brought out qualities of ecstasy, pathos and introspection – at times appearing to be a human, animal or avian presence, intruding into the landscape or soaring above it.’ (National Business Review, NZ)
Laureate of several international accolades, she secured the 1st Prize & Audience Prize at the 2015 Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand). Other international awards include major and/or special prizes at the International Violin Competitions: Yehudi Menuhin (Norway), Indianapolis (USA), Bayreuth (Germany), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Leopold Mozart (Germany). At the age of 16, she was named Symphony Australia ABC Young Performer of the Year, and has since then appeared as soloist with several orchestras internationally. Her first CD was released under ABC Classics at the age of 16. Her second album was recorded in 2016, featuring works by Bartok and Bloch.
Suyeon is especially active in the chamber music scene, a sought-out guest in music festivals worldwide and collaborating with a variety of artists. She is co-founder of the Trio Boccherini (String Trio) with Vicki Powell and Paolo Bonomini. Their debut CDs of the integral Beethoven String Trios (Genuin) were released to critical acclaim, and they are due to release their third album with BIS Records in 2024, focusing on Hungarian literature for string trio.
2023 brings her to a significant new chapter of her musical journey, being appointed the newest member of the renowned Belcea Quartet alongside Corina Belcea, Krzysztof Chorzelski and Antoine Lederlin.
Her orchestral experiences have been largely crafted in her role as Concertmaster of the Kammerakademie Potsdam (Germany) and as member of Camerata Bern (Switzerland). Regular invitations as a guest concertmaster – in recent years frequently also in a Play/Direct capacity with more personal programming with several orchestras i.e. Kammerakademie Potsdam, Baroque Orchestra of Seville, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Daejon Philharmonic Orchestra, CHAARTS Chamber Artists, Camerata Strumentale Città di Prato, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen & Camerata Bern.
Her major pedagogues and mentors include Antje Weithaas, Daniel Gaede, Rainer Schmidt, Hatto Beyerle, Goetz Richter, Alice Waten and Josette Esquedin Morgan. In late 2023, she will commence teaching a violin class at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, previously having served as Prof. Antje Weithaas‘ assistant for several years.
Aside from the music-making, Suyeon has an affinity for creative writing, and has been involved in a number music-outreach projects. In 2013, as part of the AFSK course at the HfM Hanns Eisler in collaboration with the education program of the Berlin Philharmonic, she undertook a year-long project incorporating music into the lives of children with physical or mental disabilities. Previously she has worked with El Sistema, youth orchestras, homes for the blind and similar instituions, in India, Romania, Australia & New Zealand.
She plays on a custom-made violin by Julia Maria Pasch (2019, Vienna), and modern bows crafted by Franziska Gerstner and Thomas Acker.
Karolina Errera
Standing on stage and indulging in the fleeting moment in the music - violist Karolina Errera has had this special feeling for a lifetime: from when she first appeared on stage at the age of five to her collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as a student of the Kronberg Academy or as a chamber music partner at well-known festivals.
Karolina Errera grew up in a Dominican-Russian family with musical influences from all over the world. Making music was initially only intended as a pastime after schoolwork, but it quickly developed into a passion that has become an integral part of Karolina's life. After completing her studies at Central Music School, the violist studied with Wilfried Strehle as part of her bachelor's degree at the Berlin University of the Arts. Until 2019 she studied with Tabea Zimmermann at the Hanns Eisler University of Music in Berlin, then at the Kronberg Academy. During her training, Karolina Errera appreciates the support of other musicians, who always inspire her in the search for her own musical voice.
Karolina enjoys developing her artistic personality in different formations. As an academician with the Berliner Philharmoniker, she learned to be part of a bigger whole without forgetting herself. In chamber music, she is fascinated by the sensitivity of the shared creative moment and the direct communication with one another. As a soloist, she would like to tell the stories behind the pieces of music.
Karolina Errera has won numerous prizes, including the important Yuri Bashmet Competition and 2nd prize at the Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition. She has already played in concert halls such as the Wigmore Hall in London, the Victoria Hall in Geneva and the Berlin Philharmonie. She is also a regular guest at international festivals such as the Verbier Festival, the Heidelberg Spring, the Seiji Ozawa Academy Festival, the Moritzburg Festival and the Krzyzowa Music Festival. In addition to her busy concert activity, the violist never forgets her goal: to play music for everyone and to invite everyone to immerse themselves in the dazzling world of classical music with her. The viola is the perfect instrument for this, its sound: “bittersweet”, enthuses Karolina Errera.
Andrei Ioniță
The Gold Medal-winner at the 2015 XV International Tchaikovsky Competition, Andrei Ioniță is one of the most admired cellists of his generation, called “one of the most exciting cellists to have emerged for a decade,” by The Times of London. A versatile musician focused on giving gripping, deeply felt performances, Andrei has been recognized for his passionate musicianship and technical finesse. His debut album on Orchid Classics combined a Brett Dean world-premiere with Bach and Kodály, prompting Gramophone to declare him “a cellist of superb skill, musical imagination and a commitment to music of our time.”
Andrei made his U.S. debut in 2017 with recitals in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and gave his New York debut recital in Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. Previous season highlights include performances with the Münchner Philharmoniker, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, BBC Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has worked with famous conductors including Herbert Blomstedt, Cristian Macelaru, Sylvain Cambreling, Kent Nagano, Omer Meir Wellber, John Storgårds, Joanna Mallwitz, and Ruth Reinhardt. He has given recitals at Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie, Zurich Tonhalle, LAC Lugano, and L’Auditori in Barcelona, as well as at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein, Verbier, and Martha Argerich Festivals. Andrei Ioniță’s exceptional talent makes him a versatile and sought-after performer of chamber music. In his concerts, he joins forces with Martha Argerich, Christian Tetzlaff, Sergei Babayan, and Steven Isserlis, among others.
Highlights of Andrei’s 2023-24 season include performances with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich under the baton of Paavo Järvi, the Mexico Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ludwig Carrasco, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ruth Reinhardt, the Opéra national de Lorraine conducted by Marta Gardolińska, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Newbury Festival conducted by Jonathan Bloxham. Also in the 2023-24 season, Andrei will serve as Artist-in-residence of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest in Timișoara, Europe’s 2023 cultural capital.
Prior to winning the Tchaikovsky Competition, Andrei won First Prize at the Khachaturian International Competition in June 2013, and Second Prize and the Special Prize for his interpretation of a commissioned composition at the International ARD Music Competition. In 2014, he received Second Prize at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin. He was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2016-18 and was the Symphoniker Hamburg’s artist-in-residence for the 2019-20 season.
Born in Bucharest, Romania in 1994, Andrei Ioniță first became a student of Ani-Marie Paladi and later of Prof. Jens Peter Maintz at the University of the Arts (UdK) in Berlin. A scholarship recipient of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, Andrei performs on a cello made by Giovanni Battista Rogeri from Brescia in 1671, generously on loan from the foundation.
Catalin Serbană
who grew up in Bucharest, lives and works in and around Berlin as a soloist and chamber musician. He began his musical education at the age of six at the Bucharest Music High School "George Enescu". He studied with Professors Martin Hughes and László Simon at the Berlin University of the Arts and with Prof. Konrad Elser at the University of Music Lübeck. He received further artistic impulses in master classes with Professors Claude Frank, György Sebök, Pascal Devoyon, Theodor Paraschivesco and Elena Lapitskaja.
At the beginning of his piano studies, Catalin Serban was already a multiple first prize winner at piano competitions in Romania and was awarded prizes at international competitions such as the Senigallia Piano Competition in Italy or the Bremen Piano Competition in Germany. He was a scholarship holder of the Berlin University of the Arts, the Paul Hindemith Society Berlin and the Marie-Luise-Imbusch Foundation Lübeck.
As a soloist Catalin Serban has performed in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Great Hall of the Berlin Konzerthaus, at the Bucharest Athenaeum, the Bremen Glocke, the Stadtcasino Basel, Radiosaal Bucharest and performs regularly in solo recitals and as a chamber music partner with renowned musicians at festivals such as the Oberstdorfer Musiksommer, the Fränkischen Kammermusiktagen, Brahms Wochen, the Brahms Festival Lübeck, Kammermusiktage Rügen or Beethovenfest Bonn.
Catalin Serban is a piano faculty member at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and the Musikhochschule Lübeck. In 2018, his solo CD with works by Enescu, Schubert and Scriabin was released on the dreyer gaido label. In 2021 his album with sonatas, fantasies and nocturnes by Chopin and Scriabin will be released by Genuin, recorded on a Bechstein D 282 grand piano.
