Hagai Shaham

Hagai ShahamDisplaying a dazzling combination of technical brilliance and a uniquely profound musical personality, Hagai Shaham is internationally recognized as one of the astonishing young violinists who have emerged from Israel in recent years. Hagai Shaham began studying the violin at age of six and was the last student of the late renowned Professor Ilona Feher. He also studied with Elisha Kagan, Emanuel Borok, Arnold Steinhardt and the Guarneri Quartet.

In September 1990, Hagai Shaham and his duo partner, Arnon Erez, won the first prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in the Violin-Piano duo category, the first competitors to be awarded this coveted first prize since 1971. His other awards include first prizes at the Ilona Kornhouser competition, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority Young Artist competition, The Tel-Aviv Rubin Academy competition, four Clairmont Awards, and annual scholarship from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation.

As a soloist he has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique Francais, Taipei, Singapore and SHanghai Symphony Orchestras, SWF Baden-Baden Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta. In 1985 he was invited to join Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman in a gala concert at Carnegie Hall, following which Zubin Mehta invited him to perform Brahms’ Double Concerto at Carnegie Hall.

In 2006 he performed once again this work under Mehta, at the Isrel Philharmonic 70th anniversary’s celebrations with cellist Misha Maisky.

Hagai Shaham is in great demand as recitalist. He regularly tours throughout Europe, North and Central America and performing at international recital series and festivals.

Hagai Shaham recorded for Decca International, Chandos, Biddulph, Naxos, Classic Talent and AVIE. He records regularly for Hyperion, where his CDs received critical acclaim.

Hagai Shaham is faculty member of the Thornton School of Music at USC, Los Angeles His Master Classes in Europe and Israel attract many students.

Together with his colleague, violinist Ittai Shapira, he is co-founder of The Ilona Feher Foundation.

Website Hagai Shaham

Tanja Becker-Bender

Tanja Becker-Bender

Tanja Becker-Bender was early on awarded top prizes at the international competitions in Geneva, Tokyo, Houston, Gorizia and Genoa. As a soloist, she performes under the baton of Kurt Masur, Gerd Albrecht, Lothar Zagrosek, Uriel Segal, Fabio Luisi, Hartmut Haenchen, Hubert Soudant, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi and Carlos Miguel Prieto with renowned orchestras such as the Tokyo Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, and Houston Symphony, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart of the SWR, Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, and the Vienna, Zurich and Prague Chamber orchestras, as well as the English Chamber Orchestra. She is a regular guest at international chamber music festivals.

Her latest CDs for Hyperion Records – Paganini “24 Capricci“, Schulhoff Works for Violin and Piano, Reger Violin Concerto, Respighi Works for Violin and Piano – were awarded numerous distinctions by the international press (Editor’s Choice, Gramophone and Classic FM, Disc of the Month, BBC Music Magazine, “Outstanding Award”, International Record Review, “Star of the Month”, Fonoforum). Working with contemporary composers is of special importance to her, leading to collaborations with Peter Ruzicka, Cristóbal Halffter, Peteris Vasks and Michael Gielen, as well as premieres of works by Alexander Goehr, Rolf Hempel and Benedict Mason. During this season, a CD of the Hindemith Sonatas will be released, played together with pianist Péter Nagy, and performances or recordings of Concertos by Strauss, Busoni and Ligeti will be a special focus.

Tanja Becker-Bender studied with the leading quartet musicians of the world, with Wilhelm Melcher (Melos Quartet) in Stuttgart, with Günter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartet) in Vienna, and with Rober Mann (Juilliard String Quartet) in New York. Important impulses came through Eberhard Feltz and Ferenc Rados.

Already in 2006, she was appointed professor at the University of Music in Saarbruecken, and since 2009, she has been teaching as a professor at the University of Music and Theatre in Hamburg.

Website Tanja Becker-Bender

Régis Pasquier

Régis PasquierIn 1958 at age 12, Régis Pasquier was awarded the First Prize for violin and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Two years later, he went to the United States to give a recital in New York. This was a decisive year because he met Isaac Stern, David Oistrakh, Pierre Fournier, Nadia Boulanger and Zino Francescatti who heard him play, was impressed by his talents and a few years later requested his collaboration to record Bach’s Concerto for two violins. From that moment Régis Pasquier entered the very exclusive circle of great violinists of world fame. He performs with the greatest orchestras, particularly in the United States with the Cleveland Philharmonic conducted by the eminent George Szell.

His art has been acclaimed and rewarded in France with numerous prizes among which the Académie du Disque Français Prize, the Georges Enesco Prize and the Charles Cros Prize in 1988. In 1985, he was appointed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and Professor of violin and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Régis Pasquier has made numerous concertos and chamber music recordings, notably Prokofiev sonatas for violin and piano with Pascal Rogé, Prokofiev violin concertos with the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, Paganini’s 24 Caprices, Berg and Bartók violin concertos. His recording of Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano has won the Victoires de la musique. Recent releases include Mozart violin concertos.

Régis Pasquier is regularly invited abroad to Japan, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, South America and the United States.

Régis Pasquier is also well known as a chamber musician of a rare sensibility. The Piano Trio which he founded with Jean-Claude Pennetier and Roland Pidoux belongs to the world’s most praised chamber music groups. He plays a magnificent violin by Joseph Guarnerius (del Gesù), Cremona 1734.