CONCERT: ANDREI SIMION (cello) and VICTOR NICOARA (piano)
Programme: Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata No 4 in C major Victor Nicoara - Inversion Bohuslav Martinu - Sonata No 1
Andrei Mihai SIMION was born on 18 August 1984 in Bucharest, Romania. He started studying the cello in Bucharest at the age of ten with Anie-Marie Paladi, and in 1999 he became a student at the "Dinu Lipatti" High School. In 2000 he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School where he studied with Leonid Gorokhov and Louise Hopkins until 2004. At present he studies under Prof. Louise Hopkins at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has won various competitions such as the National Contest of Vocal-Instrumental Interpretation held in Târgu-Jiu, Romania, International Contest of Instrumental Interpretation "George Georgescu", Tulcea, Romania, the National Olympiad (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000). He has taken part in several live radio broadcasts for the national music channel. Andrei took part in masterclasses given by Louise Hopkins, Moray Welsh, Gary Hoffman, Colin Carr, Johannes Goritzki, Cristoph Richter, Marin Cazacu, Jeremy Menuhin and Marcel Baudet. He has played at venues such as the Purcell Room, Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St. John's Smith Square, Fairfield Halls, St. James Palace, St. Luke's Church. Andrei is also a very keen chamber musician and composer. Born in 1984 in Bucharest, Romania, Victor NICOARA began his studies at the "George Enescu" music school which he attended between 1991 and 2003. During this period he won numerous prizes both in Romania and abroad, including First Prize in the National Youth Competition for Music. He is currently in his fourth undergraduate year at the Royal College of Music in London where he studies piano with Andrew Ball, composition with Huw Watkins and conducting with Patrick Bailey. Victor attended piano masterclasses with distinguished professors such as Peter Feuchtwanger, Pietro De Maria, Paul Badura-Skoda, Leslie Howard, Konstantin Scherbakov and composition masterclasses and workshops with Marek Kopelent, Vladimir Bokes, Masataka Matsuo, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Colin Matthews. His future engagements include a composition project with The National Gallery and debut recitals in Paris and Berlin.
