The Canadian pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin, silver medalist and winner of the Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, stands out today as one of the most important musicians of his generation. In 2014, he was also awarded second prize at the Montreal International Musical Competition and third prize at the Seoul International Music Competition in South Korea. Charles is a recipient of the Order of Arts and Letters of Quebec and the prestigious Career Development Award from the Women's Musical Club of Toronto. Charkes Richard-Hamelin performs regularly in Canada, the USA, Europe and on the Asian continent - as a chamber musician and soloist under the direction of renowned conductors.
Štěpán Ježek teaches violin and chamber music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and regularly gives masterclasses in Eelde (NL), Dartington UK, Sobeslav and La Pellegrina Budweis (CZ). He regularly participates as a jury member in violin and chamber music competitions. In 1998 he co-founded the Bennewitz Quartet. With this ensemble he won several of the most important chamber music competitions (including the Osaka Chamber Music Competition and Festa 2005, Premio Paolo Borciani 2008). Since then, the quartet has toured Europe, America and Asia. He has recorded CDs with the Bennewitz Quartet for various labels (Supraphon, Haensler Classic, Coviello Classics) as well as radio and television broadcasts.
Prof. Marek Jerie is one of the most distinguished cellists of his generation. As a soloist and member of the Guarneri Trio Prague, he performs in the most important music centers in Europe, Australia, Japan, Canada, USA, South America and China. With the Guarneri Trio Prague, he has recorded the classical and romantic piano trio repertoire on CD for Praga Digitals. Valuable, lost concertos from the Czech cello literature of the 18th century have been performed, recorded and edited by him. Contemporary composers such as Lubos Fiser, Thüring Bräm, Michael Beyer and Milan Slavicky have dedicated their works to him. Marek Jerie taught cello and chamber music at the Lucerne School of Music for 34 years.
Silvia Ježková, accompanist