Violin Masters
Oxford Philharmonic
Orchestra
Orchestra
Dubai, UAE
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra makes its debut in Dubai on Sunday 25th February with a concert at the Coca-Cola Arena as part of the 2023 InClassica International Music Festival. Marking the first time that they shall be taking part in the festival, the orchestra will be performing under the baton of Dutch conductor Daniel Raiskin, the Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. Throughout the evening, the orchestra will be collaborating with two distinguished soloists, namely Israeli violinist Itamar Zorman, the winner of the 2011 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition and recipient of the 2014 Borletti-Buitoni Award and the 2013 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and Italian violinist Giuseppe Gibboni, First Prize and multiple Special Award winner of the 2021 Paganini Competition.
“Daniel Raiskin is clearly a musician of sensibility, well versed in his craft; a further example perhaps of one last great gift of the old Soviet Union, the rigour and distinction of its conducting schools” (by David Gutman, Gramophone)
A son of a prominent musicologist, Daniel Raiskin grew up in St. Petersburg. He attended the celebrated conservatory in his native city and continued his studies in Amsterdam and Freiburg. First focusing on viola, he was inspired to take up the baton by an encounter with the distinguished teacher Lev Savich. In addition, he also took classes with Maestri such as Mariss Jansons, Neeme Järvi, Milan Horvat, Woldemar Nelson und Jorma Panula. Raiskin, who cultivates a broad repertoire, often looks beyond the mainstream in his strikingly conceived programs.
From the 2020/2021 season Daniel Raiskin is the Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in Bratislava. In addition, he is Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra since August 2018 and Principal Guest Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra from season 2017/18.
The 2021/22 season includes guest conducting appearances with Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra Moscow and Orquesta Clássica Santa Cecilia Madrid.
With the Winnipeg Symphony in May 2022 he will undertake a European tour with appearances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, De Doelen in Rotterdam and Tivoli in Utrecht among others. Raiskin served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife 2017-18, Chief Conductor of both, the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie in Koblenz (2005-2016) and of the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Lódz (2008-2015). His regular guest appearances include the Athens State, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Iceland Symphony, Japan Century Symphony, Malmö Symfoni Orkester, Mariinsky Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, National Symphony Orchestra Taiwan, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Belgique, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, Osaka Philharmonic, Residentie Orkest, San Antonio Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony, Stavanger Symphony, Swedish Chamber and the Tonkünstler orchestras.
His appearances in opera productions include Carmen, Shostakovich’s The Nose and Mozart’s Don Giovanni among others.
Daniel Raiskin is also relentlessly committed to sharing his knowledge and passion with young musicians around the world. He devotes his time regularly to working with youth orchestras in a.o. Canada, Estonia, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Russia and South Africa. Among the major soloists with whom he has appeared are Emanuel Ax, Renée Fleming, Nelson Freire, Martin Fröst, Alban Gerhardt, Vadim Gluzman, Natalia Gutman, Kari Kriikku, Simone Lamsma, Lang Lang, Francois Leleux, Jan Lisiecki, Alexei Lubimov, Tatjana Masurenko, Albrecht Mayer, Daniel Müller-Schott, Olli Mustonen, Steven Osborne, Julian Rachlin, Benjamin Schmid, Julian Steckel, Anna Vinnitskaya and Alexei Volodin. Recent recordings include Mahler Symphony No. 3 and Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 with the label AVI, both to great critical acclaim. His recording with cello concertos by Korngold, Bloch and Goldschmidt with Julian Steckel and the label AVI received an Echo Klassik Award in 2012. Other recent recording projects include a Louis Glass Symphony cycles and a concerto cycle with the entire concertos and rhapsodies by Aram Khachaturian, both with the label CPO, Lutoslawski’s vocal-instrumental works with the label Dux and a recording of Alexander Tansman’s Isaie le Prophète and Psaumes with the label World Premiere Recordings.
Itamar Zorman is distinguished by his emotionally gripping performances and unique gift for musical storytelling. A recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust award, as well as a laureate of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Itamar Zorman’s career encompasses four continents; he has given recitals in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Louvre Recital Series in Paris, and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the American Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Het Gelders Orkest, Israel Philharmonic, and the KBS Symphony Seoul. A committed chamber player, he has play-directed Camerata Nordica on several occasions and is a founding member of the Israeli Chamber Project and the Lysander Piano Trio.
Itamar Zorman’s diverse repertoire is reflected in his discography; June 2022 saw the release of his third CD ‘Violin Odyssey’ on the First Hand Records label, featuring works by composers such as Schulhoff, Bacewicz, Revueltas and Pejacevic, while his previous CD, ‘Evocation’ (BIS Records, 2019) featured the violin works of Paul Ben-Haim.
Born in Tel-Aviv, Zorman is a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and Kronberg Academy. He is a recipient of scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and currently plays on a Guarneri Del Jesu from 1734, from the collection of Yehuda Zisapel.
An extraordinary talent, Gibboni manages to astonish with each of his performances. Solid technique, impeccable intonation even on an instrument as unfamiliar to him as the Cannone, which he took up for the first time in these days, the young artist does not 'only' have the qualities of a great virtuoso: he also has a first-rate interpretative intelligence, a full cantabile and is capable of multiple dynamic nuances. La Repubblica, Roberto Iovino
With flawless technique and compelling expressiveness, Giuseppe Gibboni won over the jury and audience of the Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa in October 2021. The violinist, born in 2001, was the first Italian in 24 years to win the overall prize, as well as the audience choice prize and special prize for the best interpretations of Niccolò Paganini's Capriccios and Violin Concerto. Subsequently, the now 22-year-old musician has begun an extensive concert career. He made his debut with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the direction of Lorenzo Viotti. Shortly thereafter, he played with guitarist Carlotta Dalia at the invitation of Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome; the concert was broadcast live on Italian radio.
Read MoreThe highlights of the season 2022/23 include his US debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Jader Bignamini as well as concerts with the Orchestra della Toscana under Diego Ceretta and the Orchestra Teatro San Carlo in Naples under Dan Ettinger. Giuseppe Gibboni performed the Violin Concerto by Wynton Marsalis together with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI under John Axelrod and Vivaldi’s *Four Seasons* with the Sinfonietta Riga in Latvia. He regularly plays recitals all over Italy, for example at Amici della Musica in Florence, Serate Musicali in Milan, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, as well as the Stresa Festival, among others.
In autumn 2023, Giuseppe Gibboni gave his debut with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, as well as with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano under Joel Sandelson, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. During the current season, following a tour throughout Brazil and among numerous engagements in Italy, he can also be heard as part of the series “Debüt im Nikolaisaal” in Potsdam as well as at Heidelberger Frühling.
The son of a family of musicians, Giuseppe Gibboni was first taught by his father Daniele Gibboni before attending the Salerno Conservatory “Martucci.” At the age of 14, he was admitted to the Stauffer Academy in Cremona, where he received lessons from Salvatore Accardo. He also successfully graduated with a Diploma of Honor from the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. After a five-year advanced course at the Accademia Perosi in Biella with Pavel Berman, he now studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg as a student of Pierre Amoyal.
Giuseppe Gibboni had already attracted attention with a series of competition successes. He became known to a large television audience in 2016 through his success in the *Prodigi – La musica è vita* competition broadcast by RAI 1 in collaboration with UNICEF. In the same year, he won the first prize and a special prize at the Andrea Postacchini Violin Competition, followed by successes at the Leonid Kogan International Competition in Brussels (2017), the George Enescu International Competition in Bucharest (2018), and the Valsesia Musica Competition (2020).
Giuseppe Gibboni recorded his debut CD at the age of 15 for the Warner Classics label. Since 2017, he has been sponsored by Classically Connected, Inc. (formerly the Si-Yo foundation), who provided his ‘F. Tourte bow 1800 Ca.’ He plays the violin ‘Auer, Benvenuti’ by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona 1699, kindly lent to him by a German Foundation. As the winner of the Paganini Competition, he also had the opportunity to perform the "Cannone," Niccolò Paganini's favorite instrument built by Guarneri del Gesù in 1743
Since 1998, the Oxford Philharmonic has brought exciting and inspirational classical music performances to Oxford and beyond. Praised as ‘remarkable’ by The Spectator, the Orchestra prides itself on creating exceptional and unique musical experiences, bringing new and engaging interpretations to well-loved works in the classical repertoire.
In June 2022 the Oxford Philharmonic made its Carnegie Hall debut, in a concert ‘enmeshed in soul-enriching playing’ (Oberon’s Grove) of ‘world-class quality’ (Blogcritics).
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is dedicated to the highest standards of artistic excellence and musical integrity, and strives to create bold musical statements with every concert it presents. Its continual search for excellence is underpinned by the uncompromising standards of its Founder and Music Director Marios Papadopoulos and maintained by some of the finest musicians, whom ‘Papadopoulos has moulded into a stunning group’ (ConcertoNet).
The Oxford Philharmonic attracts some of the world’s greatest artists to appear in concert, including Maxim Vengerov, Angela Gheorghiu, Sir Antonio Pappano, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Martha Argerich, Sir András Schiff, Lang Lang, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Evgeny Kissin and Sir Bryn Terfel.
In addition to its annual concert season in Oxford, touring performances across the UK, family concerts, annual Oxford Piano Festival, and Chamber Music Series, the Orchestra is proud to present a growing list of international engagements including its debut at the Tivoli Festival in Copenhagen in June 2019, US debut at Carnegie Hall in June 2022, Munich with pianist Martha Argerich in April 2023, and Haydn’s The Creation in September 2023 at St Thomas Church Fifth Avenue New York, joined by the Choir of Merton College.
The Oxford Philharmonic was appointed the Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford in 2002, the first relationship of its kind between an orchestra and a higher education institution.
World-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov became the Oxford Philharmonic’s first ever Artist in Residence following his remarkable debut with the Orchestra in 2013. Over an unprecedented four-season collaboration, Vengerov performed with the Orchestra across the UK, recorded the violin concertos of Brahms and Sibelius as well as Mendelssohn’s Octet. In July 2018 Vengerov appeared at Cheltenham Music Festival and Saffron Hall with the Soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic – a tight-knit group of musicians described by Jessica Duchen as ‘a line-up to match any top-notch international chamber ensemble and probably beat them on their own turf’.
In February 2023 the Orchestra celebrates its 25th anniversary in a special concert at the Barbican with Maxim Vengerov playing Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and a new commission from John Rutter.
In December 2020, the Orchestra recorded a concert in a tribute to all those working on developing a vaccine for Covid-19 at the University of Oxford, including the world premiere of John Rutter’s Joseph’s Carol, commissioned by the Orchestra for the occasion. In addition to Rutter, the Orchestra were joined in their tribute by Sir Bryn Terfel and the Choir of Merton College, Oxford. The film was presented by John Suchet, and also included a special performance by Maxim Vengerov alongside tributes from Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford Louise Richardson, and the Orchestra’s Royal Patron HRH Princess Alexandra.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra has been firmly committed to outreach work from its earliest days, with projects taking music to areas of social and economic disadvantage, including hospitals, special schools, and partnerships with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. In December 2021 the Orchestra’s Sub-Principal Violin Jamie Hutchinson was awarded the prestigious Salomon Prize, a joint prize between the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) and Association of British Orchestras (ABO), in recognition of the educational initiatives she spearheaded with the Orchestra’s education team during the pandemic.
As Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford, the Oxford Philharmonic frequently collaborates with the Faculty of Music in educational programmes with various tuition and performance opportunities for talented young musicians, including the Side-by-Side scheme, which provides an opportunity for young musicians to perform within the ranks of a professional orchestra.
The Oxford Philharmonic has appeared on several recordings including works by Nimrod Borenstein for Chandos, cello concertos by Shostakovich and Mats Lidström (Solo Cello of the Oxford Philharmonic), both conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, on BIS Records, A Merton Christmas with the Choir of Merton College, Haydn’s The Creation with the Choir of New College, and the Handel/Mendelssohn Acis and Galatea with Christ Church Cathedral Choir. The Orchestra’s most recent disc The Enlightened Trumpet with soloist Paul Merkelo was released on Sony Classical in September 2019.
A partnership with J & A Beare provides the Orchestra’s distinguished members with opportunities to play on Stradivari instruments, adding a new dimension to the sound of the Orchestra.
The Orchestra and its Music Director were awarded the City of Oxford’s Certificate of Honour in 2013, in recognition of their contribution to education and performance in Oxford.
