Marbella Music Masterclass Series
Faculty 2023
JÁNOS BALÁSZ
Languages: English, Hungarian
János Balázs is a born soloist who also received the ECHO (European Concert Hall Organisation) Rising Star "Artist of the Season" Award. He is well able to hold the attention of the audience by himself. Nonetheless, chamber music also plays a central role in his art, where he can delight his listeners with glamorous, sparkling and out-of-the-box performances alongside friends of a similar mindset and orientation, such as Mischa Maisky, Vadim Repin, Jose Cura, or Boris Berezovsky.
He is a returning artist of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Liszt Academy and MüPa in Budapest. He has given celebrated concerts on the stages of the Cité de la Musique, Palau de Musica, Barbican Centre, Wiener Konzerthaus and the Royal Conservatory. In the recent season, he collaborated with such famed orchestras and conductors as Peter Eötvös, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Iván Fischer, the Royal Concertgebouworkest, Mikko Franck and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
As a graduate of the Budapest-based Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, János Balázs finds it crucial to pass on Liszt's tradition to future musicians. Some major universities of the world have taken notice of this mission of his, and he has been invited by the Canadian McGill University, the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, the Hanoi Conservatory of Music to give masterclasses. He was also appointed associate professor of the Liszt Academy.
In 2016, János Balázs founded the György Cziffra Festival, which he dedicated to the conservation and care of the intellectual and musical legacy of his role model, György Cziffra. The festival has risen to one of the most high-ranking classical music festivals in Hungary; with its diversity of genres and the kind participation of international guest artists, it is an unmatched colour on the palette of the Hungarian culture scene.
2021, the 100th birthday of the legendary Hungarian pianist György Cziffra was declared an official memorial year by the Hungarian Government, with János Balázs as its artistic director. In collaboration with Unesco, within the framework of the memorial year 2021/2022, over 150 events took place in the most auspicious concert halls of 45 cities of 17 Asian and European countries with more than a hundred performers.
János Balázs is an awardee of nearly all professional and state accolades. He is so far the youngest recipient of the prestigious Kossuth Prize, and as such, he is in the same league as musicians like György Ligeti, György Kurtág, András Schiff or Iván Fischer. His Young Steinway Artist title and the accolade of the State of Poland stand out from his international awards, the latter being conferred upon him for the performance of Frédéric Chopin's complete works. Since 2021 he has been corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. In 2022, his album ImrovisArt won the first prize and the audience prize of the Music International Grand Prix in New York.
MICHAEL DAVIDOV
Languages: Spanish, English, German, Russian, Italian
Michael Davidov was born in a family of professional musicians and showed a very particular understanding of the musical ideas since the earliest childhood.
He finished his studies at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona
under Prof. Ramon Coll, obtaining a total amount of nine honors, and was given the University Director’s personal recommendation. Further studies at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory under Prof. Mikhail Petukhov, the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, under Prof. Grigory Gruzman and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria under Prof. Pavel Gililov.
Michael Davidov performed as soloist with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, the Symphony Orchestra of Rostov, the Thessaloniki Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Ciudad de Granada, the Orquestra J. Strauss of Roma, under the conductors Enrique García Asensio, Paul Mann, Salvador Mas, Valery Khlebnikov, Dariusz Mikulski, Rastislav Stur, Haris Iliadis, Nicola Samale, to name a few.
M. Davidov is a prizewinner of many international piano competitions, such as the International Piano Competition Delia Steinberg in Madrid, International Piano Competition A. Skavronsky–Inspiration in Volgodonsk, Concorso Pianistico Internazionale G. Pecar in Gorizia, Concorso Pianistico Internazionale F. Chopin in Roma, International Piano Competition G. Thymis in Thessaloniki, Concorso Internazionale di Pianoforte M. P. Monopoli in Barletta, Concorso Pianistico Internazionale Città di Massarosa, International Piano Competition J. N. Hummel in Bratislava, International Piano Competition Cidade de Ferrol, International Piano Competition in Jaén and International Maria Canals Music Competition in Barcelona.
Besides his concert career, Michael is also a pedagogue and a composer. In 2010, Michael Davidov became Germany’s youngest piano dozent, after winning an Associate Professor position at the Hochschule für Musik F. Liszt in Weimar. During the academic year 2011-2012 M. Davidov headed the piano class at the University of Augsburg in Germany. Michael Davidov has been invited as a juror at international piano competitions and has headed piano masterclasses in several countries. In 2013 Michael Davidov has founded the Marbella International Music Festival and became its Artistic Director. At the present moment, Michael Davidov is professor for piano and chamber music at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu in Barcelona.
PIOTR PALECZNY
Languages: English, Polish, Spanish, Russian
One of the most outstanding Polish pianists and professors, laureate of five international piano competitions.
He completed piano studies at the Frederick Chopin Music University in Warsaw in the class of Prof. Jan Ekier. The opportunity of having artistic contact with Arthur Rubinstein and Witold Lutoslawski also had a huge impact on the final development of his artistic personality.
His success achieved at the 8th Frederick Chopin International Piano Competition opened to Piotr Paleczny the doors of many prestigious world concert halls. Receiving, in company of Garrick Ohlsson and Mitsuko Uchida - the Third Prize, the Special Prize for the best performance of a Polonaise and the Witold Małcużyński Prize his career, which the artist has enjoyed constantly until now performing concerts on all continents. He performed as a soloist with such prominent orchestras as the Chicago Symphony, Concertgebouw, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, RAI, Santa Cecilia, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Mexico, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Argentina and Orquesta Nacional de España… Performing in such prestigious concert halls including the Carnegie Hall, the Alice Tully Hall and the UN General Assembly Hall in New York, the Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Berliner Philharmonie, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Musikverein in Vienna, the Royal Festival Hall in London and Festspielhaus in Salzburg.
He has held master classes in New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Fort Worth, Bordeaux, Paris, Seoul, Beijing, Brescia, Madrid, Amsterdam, Hamamatsu, Montevideo, Mexico City…
He has gained a great recognition as a juror at the prestigious international piano competitions such as those organized in Warsaw (seven last editions of the Chopin Competitions), Leeds, Moscow (Tchaikovsky), Paris, Tel Aviv, London, Cleveland, Geneve, Toronto, Seoul, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Hamamatsu, Montreal, Santander, Tokyo, Sendai, Taipei, Weimar, Manchester, Los Angeles, Hilton Head, Takamatsu and Shezhen.
In July 2007, he led the Jury works at the distinguished piano competition in Cleveland, the same he was the first and only Pole invited to fulfill a function of Jury chairman at the USA international piano competitions.
Since 1993 he has been Artistic Director of the world's oldest existing piano festival – the Duszniki International Chopin Piano Festival and since 2004 he also is the Artistic Director of the International Paderewski Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz.
Piotr Paleczny conducts the piano class at the Frederick Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. His students have already won dozens of awards at the international and national piano competitions. In March 2017 Piotr Paleczny was awarded with prestigious Diploma and Title of Honorary Professor of the F.Chopin University of Music. Currently he is also Professor at the Talent Music Academy in Brescia, Italy.
The artist is honored with many superior and prestige Polish and foreign medals such as the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Mexican Order of the Aguila Azteca.
In September 2005, Piotr Paleczny was awarded the “Meritorious for Culture - Gloria Artis” Gold Medal.
In April 2017, the Board of the Polish Phonographic Academy, in recognition of his artistic achievements,
awarded Piotr Paleczny with the prestigious 'Golden Fryderyk' Award.
STANISLAV POCHEKIN
Languages: English, Spanish, Russian
Stanislav Pochekin was born in Russia and received his music education at the worlds famous Gnesin Institute in Moscow. His two main professors were the illustrious Edouard Mirzoian and Theodore Gutman. Upon the completion of his studies with the highest marks, he was directly appointed professor at the Conservatoire in Sverdlovsk (Russia). In 1989 he received a special invitation to Cuba where he became a professor at the “Instituto Superior del Arte” in Havana.
Continuing the legendary tradition of the pedagogy of Heinrich Neuhaus, Theodore Gutman and Edouard Mirzoian, Stanislav Pochekin has always been distinguished for his natural knowledge of soundmaking, his concept of musical structures, polyphonic thinking and the development of special technical methodes. Mr. Pochekin’s repertoire ranges from Baroque to the Contemporary, being a well known specialist in the music of Beethoven, Haydn, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, the Russian composers and the Spanish music.
He performed with many major orchestras and worked with distinguished conductors such as M. Paverman, F. Glushenko, I. Lapinsh. R. S. Ferrers, as well as many others. His recitals in the most prestigious halls have been very highly acclaimed by the public and the international critic.
Stanislav Pochekin became Professor at the “Concervatorio Superior del Liceo” in Barcelona in 1993. Since then, his astonishing pedagogical work produced dozens of international pianists. Nowadays, his students are well renown musicians, winners of over 50 top prizes in national and international competitions, professors in different important institutions in the whole world.
Stanislav Pochekin offers regularly piano masterclasses in the most famous music centers in Europe and America. He has been invited to serve as a jury member at countless prestigious national and international competitions in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, and the far East. Mr. Pochekin was the artistic director of the International Piano Competition in Andorra during all the editions, since its creation in 1995.