Special Guest Artists

Next to the Featured Artists, IVC2018 in Rotterdam also is proud to collaborate with the following special guest artists.

Leo Samama – Composer in Residence

Leo Samama (1951) studied musicology at the University of Utrecht, and composition with Rudolf Escher. He is a much sought-after writer and speaker with a broad field of interests. His relation to the viola is rather a special one: His brother Emile Cantor is a professional violist and German Viola Society activist. In 2014, Leo Samama lectured at the 42nd IVC in Porto.

Leo is Composer in Residence for this year’s congress. Not only did he write the viola sextet “Viola Pomposa” to be premiered at the Opening Celebration, he also wrote a piece for Viola and Carillon called “Cadenzas and Songs” for the Wednesday evening pre-programme concert at the Laurenskerk (live from the tower!). Furthermore, he contributes as chairman of the jury for the “4Viola” composition contest, in the composers’ workshop and in the talk show about composing for the viola.

More information: www.leosamama.nl

Oene van Geel – Violist

Influenced by jazz, chamber music, Indian music and free improvisation, Oene has applied his virtuoso improvisation skills and his composition talents to a wide scope of musical activities. He toured in Europe, India, Japan, the USA and Canada. As a player he is currently active with Zapp4, Estafest, The Nordanians, Haanstra & van Geel and a duo with Matteo Mijderwijk. Besides these groups he is regularly invited as an improvising guest soloist. He has won the Boy Edgar Award, Sena Performers Toonzetters Award, Kersjes Award, Deloitte Jazz Award, Dutch Jazz Competition and the Jur Naessens Music Award.
Oene often gets commissions by festivals such as The National Viola Competition, Het Nederlands Vioolconcours and the Cello Biennale Amsterdam.
The combination of different disciplines is a fascinating field to work in for Oene. As a player and / or composer he was involved in theatre productions with the many companies and directors.

More information: www.oenevangeel.com

Yuval Gotlibovich – Violist

Yuval Gotlibovich is a performer, composer and teacher. As a violist he won first prize at the Lionel Tertis (UK), Fischoff (USA) and ‘Aviv’ (Israel) competitions. He performs regularly as a soloist, recitalist and is a regular guest at some of Europe’s main music festivals and venues. His arrangements of thirteen of Bach’s Goldberg Variations in different musical styles are featured on a Sony album with the Trio Garnati. A passion for combining performance, composition and improvisation, has led to the creation of original live music to accompany films of the silent era. Gotlibovich was the youngest professor on the faculty of Indiana University and currently teaches at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano and the Escola Superior de Música, Catalunya (ESMUC).

More information: Yuval Gotlibovich at Opera Musica

Drew “ThatViolaKid” Forde – Violist, rapper, vlogger

If you’re under 30 and play the viola, you have very likely heard of him. Even more likely, you already follow him on YouTube and other social media, like tens of thousands other young music fans: ThatViolaKid (TVK for short), with IRL name Drew Alexander Forde – YouTuber, vlogger, blogger, violist, you name it.

A recent Juilliard school graduate currently living in Los Angeles, he presents himself as “Violist, Rapper, Teacher, Speaker”… and the best bit: He will be at IVC2018 Rotterdam!

You can find and follow him on social media here: YouTube (30,000 followers), Instagram (120,000 followers), facebook (5200 likes),
and of course his website:  http://thatviolakid.com/

Update 02/06/2019: TVK’s report / vlog from IVC2018 is now available here.

Doelenkwartet – String Quartet in Residence at De Doelen

The DoelenKwartet is one of the most prominent string quartets in the Netherlands where modern classical music is concerned. Their repertoire encompasses more than 200 contemporary pieces and compositions dating back to the early twentieth century. With the purpose of placing their modern music within an historical context, the quartet will incidentally revive classical pieces. Collaboration with prominent composers has allowed the quartet to develop their own unmistakable musical signature: Steve Reich, Henri Dutilleux, Kevin Volans, John Adams, Wolfgang Rihm, Hans Abrahamsen, Willem Jeths, Peter-Jan Wagemans.
The DoelenKwartet also endorses the younger generation of composers at home and abroad, as can be heard each year during the Gaudeamus Festival.
The DoelenKwartet is the Quartet in Residence of the Doelen concert halls. Their concerts form a significant part of the Red Sofa Serie.The DoelenKwartet collaborates with the innovative label, Cybele-Records. The CD’s released by Cybele-Records have been rewarded several prizes including the Echo Klassik Preis (twice), the Leopold Preis, the Editors Choice of the Grammophone and nominations for the Deutsche Schalplattenpreis in 2009 and 2010.

More information: www.doelenkwartet.nl

Lisa Eggen – Violist

Lisa Eggen has been active as a versatile viola player from an early age. With great pleasure she gives solo recitals, chamber music concerts and plays in orchestras. At the moment she is following a master’s program at the conservatory of Amsterdam with Nobuko Imai. She previously studied with Francien Schatborn and Karin Dolman. She has followed master classes with, among others, Tabea Zimmermann, Jürgen Kussmaul and Lawrence Power.
Lisa successfully participated in competitions in the Netherlands. Amongst others, she won the first prize of the Maassluise Muziekweek, an honorable mention during the national final of the Prinses Christina Concours, a first prize at the National Competition of the Young Musical Talent Foundation and the Labberté-Hoedemaker Prize of the Peter the Great Festival. In February 2015 she was a prize winner at the National Viola Competition. Lisa is the violist of the ambitious Dostoevsky Quartet, with whom she is currently studying at the Dutch String Quartet Academy in the program for conservatory students.

More information: www.lisaeggen.nl

Jutta Puchhammer – Violist

Born in Vienna, Jutta Puchhammer is principal viola of the Laval Symphonie Orchestra and full professor for viola and chamber music at the Université de Montreal (Canada). She has toured extensively as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and lecturer, giving master classes in the most prestigeous schools and summer programmes such as Juilliard, the Curtis Institute, Vienna University of Music and the Heifetz International Music Program. She was the host of the 36th International Viola Congress in Montreal (2006), and is currently Vice President of the International Viola Society. Her interest goes to rediscovering late romantic music written for the viola, many of which she has recorded on CD.

Robyn Schulkowsky – Percussionist

Born and raised in South Dakota (United States), percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky has been an innovator and collaborator throughout her life. Already during her studies in Iowa and Germany and later on her international solo tours, Robyn Schulkowsky has dedicated herself to revealing the wonders of percussion to people all over the world. Her continuous exploration of new sound dimensions has led to the development of many new and unusual instruments. An active musician on five continents, Robyn Schulkowsky is an experimental and adventurous percussionist.

Letizia Sciarone – Violinist

Letizia Sciarone started playing the violin at the age of 7 and she performed with members of the Rotterdam Philharmonicfor the first time when she was ten years of age. After her violin studies at Rotterdam Conservatory she studied at the Royal College of Music in London. With the former Sciarone String Trio she she played at Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles. When Letizia returned to Rotterdam, after a world wide tour with The European Union Chamber Orchestra, she joined the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in 2001. She is active in organizing festivals and musical theatre events. Letizia founded The Young Arts Academy and she specializes in coaching talented young musicians. She teaches orchestral performance at the Rotterdam Conservatory.

The Zemtsov Viola Quartet – Viola ensemble

Husband (Mikhail), wife (Julia), daughter (Dana) and uncle (Alexander): Together they perform beautiful and seldomly performed classical compositions and arrangements for four violas. All 4 have studied (amongst other) at the Maastricht Conservatory with the great Russian Viola virtuoso Michael Kugel. Each of them has developed a brilliant professional solo-career. Mikhail is a member of the Utrecht String Quartet and teaches at the conservatories of The Hague and Utrecht. Julia teaches at the conservatories in Rotterdam, Arnhem and Maastricht and stands in regularly as first viola player in various well-known orchestras. Dana is building an international career as soloist and chamber musician, and was invited as Young Guest of Honour at the 43rd IVC in Cremona, 2016. Alexander was, for a long time, soloist at the London Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches at the London Guildhall School of Music and the Viennese Conservatory. Their debut performance was in 2010 at the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam. After this outstanding performance they are unconditionally loved by their international and varied audience. The way they express their joy for the pieces they play, the viola, each other and their public makes their concerts very well visited.

More information: www.zemtsov.info