https://andreipushkarev.com/

 

Andrei Pushkarev was born to a family of musicians in Kiev, Ukraine in 1974. At the age of five, his musical education began with the piano. In 1980 he entered the Kiev Special Music School. From a young age, Andrei delighted in music and by age 14 his concentration shifted to percussion instruments. In 1992 Andrei became a student of Kiev Tchaikovsky National Conservatory, where he continued his professional development.

 

During his studies at the Conservatory, Andrei began creating his own works including his own compositions for vibraphone solo. Pushkarev continued to study orchestral percussion, but the vibraphone has captured his soul. It became much more than a favorite instrument to Andrei. The vibraphone, a true solo instrument, was capable of transporting listeners to a world filled with new thrilling sounds and colors.

 

In 1995, the newly established “New Names of Ukraine” competition awarded Andrei with the First Prize as solo vibraphonist. Andrei performed his own musical compositions at the award ceremony. Between 1995 -1999 Andrei performed as a solo vibraphonist with many chamber ensembles throughout Ukraine. During this time, Andrei achieved another major milestone in his career. In 1996, he was selected as the main timpanist for the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of 22, he became the youngest main timpanist of the symphonic orchestra in Ukraine.

 

In 1999, his musical career escalated to a new level. Andrei Pushkarev has joined chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica. Additionally, he participated in numerous recordings as a member of the ensemble on labels such as Nonesuch, Deutsche Grammophon, ECM. As a solo timpanist he can be heard in the recording “After Mozart” which received a Grammy Award and ECHO Award in 2002.

 

In the following years, Pushkarev performed many compositions as solo vibraphonist at the Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus – along with arrangements of Astor Piazzolla, Richard Rogers, Peter Tchaikovsky, etc. He has made many arrangements for vibraphone and violin solo with and without chamber orchestra. In Lockenhaus, the idea to create a solo vibraphone project was born. Gidon Kremer proposed the idea of making jazz arrangements using 15 two-voice inventions by J. S. Bach. A. Pushkarev developed the idea, so each creation was written in the style of a different jazz pianist (Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, etc.). In spring 2004, Andrei performed this project “Bach Vibrations” for the first time in Basel (Switzerland) at Gidon Kremer’s ”Les Musiques” festival. The same year he recorded the cycle under Austrian “Gramola” label which was recently mentioned by the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Bestenliste as one of the discoveries of the year. In summer 2005, Andrei presented “Bach Vibrations” project as a solo recital at the Verbier Music Festival (Switzerland).

 

Andrei Pushkarev has performed with renowned musicians including Yo Yo Ma, Martha Argerich, Vadim Repin, Julian Rachlin, Gabriela Montero, Didier Lockwood, Michel Portal, Mario Brunello, Peter Sadlo, Katia Skanavi, Maxim Rysanov, Gabor Boldoszki. Additionally, he has worked with celebrated conductors such as Yury Temirkanov, Voldemar Nelsson, Roman Kofman. In 2004, Andrei was awarded with the solo vibraphonist prize from the “Pro Europe” foundation.

 

In 2005 Andrei did a world duo-tour with Gidon Kremer. In 2006, toured with Gidon Kremer and Lithuanian pianist Andrius Zlabys as part of Kremer’s trio project “From Bach to Piazzolla.” This project garnered huge accolades in the United States of America and in South America. Since 2009 Andrei Pushkarev has regularly given Master-classes all around the world (South America, Europe and Australia). He has served as a judge in numerous international percussion competitions such as TROMP percussion competition (Holland, 2010) and International PAS Competition (Italy, 2011 and 2012).

 

In 2010, together with Gidon Kremer and Argentinean bandoneonist Dino Saluzzi, Andrei recorded “Themes from the Songbook” – music from cinema and theater by Georgian composer Giya Kancheli. ECM Records released this CD in October 2010. Since 2013 Andrei Pushkarev is an endorser and an official performer of “Majestic Percussion” and “Innovative Percussion.” Besides creating his own works, Andrei composes many arrangements for orchestras and different chamber squads featuring world famous musicians

 

 

 

https://yunparkpercussion.com/bio

 

Yun Park is a classical percussionist, educator, and music director.

 

Hailed by many critics as a dynamic, versatile performer with sensational interpretations of modern classics, GQ Korea has described her as “Bringing a new depth to contemporary music with expressive musicality and virtuosity“ and Auditorium Magazine has described her as a “Captivating storyteller.”

 

Yun was recognized early in her career for helping to inspire and pioneer solo percussion performance and pedagogy in South Korea. She was the first Korean percussionist to be accepted at the Curtis Institute of Music and has performed at world-renowned music halls and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Verbier Festival, Seoul Arts Center, LG Art Center, Hoam Art Hall, the Tong-yeong International Music Festival (TIMF) and Pyeong-chang Music Festival(GMMFS). She has also been involved in a diverse array of works as a soloist, ensemble performer, and arranger/composer for various projects including multidisciplinary performing arts and major motion film scores.

 

Along with her many successful solo recitals, ensemble performances, and televised media exposure as a featured artist, Yun has given the Seoul premiere performances of several renowned works for percussion, including MacMillan’s Veni, Veni Emmanuel with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Kraft’s Timpani Concerto No. 1 with the Kangnam Symphony Orchestra, Hatzi’s Fertility Rites, and Daugherty’s Raise the Roof with the Seoul National University Wind Ensemble. In addition, she has commissioned and performed many composers’ new works promoted by the Asian Composers League (ACL), the Korean Society of Women Composers, and Unji Composers League.

 

In 2010, Yun co-founded the contemporary project ensemble, BOIM, which debuted as the Kunstlerhaus Artist-in-residence in Lauenburger, Germany.

 

She has also worked with numerous contemporary ensembles as a guest artist, soloist and member, including the contemporary ensemble Sori, modern music ensemble Eclat, Eighth Black Bird, and ensemble Ditto.

 

Yun also attracted public recognition with her involvement in film projects as a featured artist with the recording and management label, Musikdorf. There, she collaborated on unique projects including multidisciplinary performing arts and film scores including Bong Joon-ho’s The Host. She also composed and performed on the soundtracks of other hit Korean films, including My Beautiful Girl Mari, Purpose of Love, The Red Shoes, and Princess Aurora.

 

For the theatre drama, Die Troerinnen, she combined multi-percussion improvisation and computer music at the 2007 Vienna International Drama Festival, and performed the work at the Schauspielhaus in Vienna, and later, the Seoul Arts Center Towol Theater. Yun continues to collaborate with many composers and visual artists in creating new multi-media works.

 

As a versatile arranger, Yun rearranged several symphonies for orchestra into pieces for two pianos and one multi percussion trio, including The Planets (G.Holst), Petrushka and The Rite of Spring (I. Stravinsky), An American in Paris (G. Gershwin), and many more, performing these trios every year internationally since 2012.

 

Yun has also been invited every summer since 2013 as a featured artist of the Pyeongchang International Music Festival (GMMFS), where she was appointed as the principal timpanist of the festival orchestra as well as performing her solo and ensemble work in the Distinguished Artist Series.

 

An educator at heart, Yun continues to teach students and provide master classes. She was formerly the Director of Percussion Studies at Sookmyung University as well as on the faculty at Chugye and Kunkuk Universities in Seoul, Korea. Most recently, she was invited to perform and lecture at the Seoul Philharmonic Percussion Symposium.

 

Yun has also been asked to write for different publications, most notably the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s largest daily newspaper, whereby she provided a weekly column.

 

Born in Seoul, Yun started learning the piano at four, and began to study composition and percussion at 16. She moved to Philadelphia to study with the late Michael Bookspan and Donald Liuzzi at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she graduated in 1999 with the Mary-Louisa Knapp Fellowship and the Zildjian Scholarship. She followed that with a Master of Music degree under Michael Burritt at Northwestern University. She resides in Chicago and represented by music management Subject P LLC.

 

 

 

 

Hyeji Bak has been globally highlighted as a percussionist attractive to audiences, as she becomes the first Korean who not only won a first prize of the percussion section in the Geneva International Music Competition which was held 10 years after the previous competition, but also swept six Special Prizes for the first time in the history of Geneva International Music Competition, including Audience Prize, Young Audience Prize, Students Prize, Yamaha Young Artists Scolarship, Concerts de Jussy Prize and even Bergerault Marimba Prize. In addition, she won the 1st prize and three special prizes including Recording Prize, Public Prize and Best Performance set Concerto in The Universal Marimba Competition, the 1st prize of Sparda Classic Awards, the 3rd prize of International Percussion Competition at Northwestern and the 2nd prize of August-Everding Music Competition in Munich.

 

In April 2021, Hyeji Bak performed 'Speaking Drum' composed by Péter Eötvös, as the Korean premiere, together with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra led by Osmo Vänskä in the LOTTE Concert Hall, to introduce the charm of percussion to Korea. She also collaborated with famous conductors such as Julien Leroy, Li Biao, Jaejoon Lee, Hongsik Kim, Narah Chung, etc. Moreover, she has continued the collaboration with orchestras representing for Europe and Korea, including Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Ensemble Quodlibet, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Jeju Chamber Orchestra and Daegu Prodigy Youth Orchestra.

 

As an active soloist, she has been also invited to globally renown festivals such as Festival de Pau, International Percussion Ensemble Week(IPEW), The 50th Anniversary of the Kolberg Festival and Percussion PULSE 2020 held by The Royal Danish Academy of Music, as well as the recital held by Cathédrale Sainte-Croix des Arméniens and recitals held in Jussy and Geneva in Swiss and Paris in France. She distinguished herself on the domestic stages including Seoul Arts Center, LOTTE Concert Hall, Suseong Artpia, Daegu Conert House, etc. She has thus extended her internal and external sphere of activity.

 

Hyeji Bak is scheduled to meet audiences on many global stages, by conducting a variety of performances such as the collaboration with orchestras, recitals and even ensembles. She will be visited to Festival Classique des Haudères, a recital held in Uzès France, Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra and the stage for the percussion ensemble and the collaboration with NDR Percussion, but also performed the Percussion Concerto composed by Michael Jarrell as the Swiss premiere, together with Geneva Chamber Orchestra in Swiss. In addition, She plans to perform a recital held by Seoul Arts Center.

 

Hyeji Bak, who began to study percussion when she was 15 years old, completed the master's course and the supreme performer's program in Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, after graduating from Seoul National University and studied under Gyeonghwan Choi and Marta Klimasara.