Nino Gvetadze, piano
"..There's always a sense of a musing, meditative intelligence exploring their layers of meaning in the very act of playing, as if she is spontaneously creating the Music under her fingers."
BBC Music Magazine
"...a sensation."
German Hannoverische Allgemeine
"..a born pianist, gifted with ability to
speak to the heart."
NRC Handelsblad, Amsterdam
Kammerakademie Potsdam, Netherlands Youth Orchestra and Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
Born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgian pianist Nino Gvetadze leads an active international music life as a soloist and a chamber musician. Her performances have been praised by many critics throughout the Europe and Asia. Nino received various awards, the most important were the Second Prize, Press Prize and Audience Award at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition 2008. She became the winner of prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2010
Nino Gvetadze has performed with many outstanding conductors such as Michel Plasson, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Michel Tabachnik, John Axelrod and Jaap van Zweden and with orchestras such as the Rotterdam, Brussels, Warsaw, Seoul and Netherlands Philharmonic, Bergische and the Rheinische Philharmonie, Münchner Symphoniker, North Netherlands and Residentie Orchestra amongst others. She toured with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Netherlands Youth Orchestra and Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
In 2018-19 Nino was the face of Radio Classic FM Netherlands. The Dutch National TV broadcasted the concert she has performed with the Brodsky Quartet at the famous Prinsengracht Concert. She was featured in BBC4 documentary "Story of Music" and played Live on Dutch National Television on the instruments of Hector Berlioz and Vladimir Horowitz. Nino´s recorded recital at the Sendesaal Bremen has been chosen for the “ARD-Radiofestival” .
In recital as well as in chamber music settings Nino has performed all over the world, among others in Hannover (PRO MUSICA Preisträger am Klavier-Zyklus), Bayreuth, Herkulessaal and Prinzregententheater Munich, with Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the Spoleto Festival, Lucerne Piano Festival, Bunka-kaikan Hall Tokyo, Kuhrhaus Wiesbaden, the Festival Piano aux Jacobins (Toulouse), Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Finland), Wigmore Hall London and Tonhalle Zurich. In the Netherlands Nino is a regular guest at the most prestigious concert venues, among those Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, Vredenburg Utrecht.
Nino Gvetadze is a Challenge Classics artist. Her first CD on this label “Ghosts", includes the 24 Préludes of Frederic Chopin. It has been praised by many critics and was long listed by „Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik". The album "Ghosts" was presented with recitals in the Benelux and Germany. Four of Nino's previous highly appreciated CDs, were released by following labels: piano works by Mussorgsky (Brilliant Classics), Rachmaninoff Preludes op 23 and op 32 (Etcetera), “Debussy” with the Préludes book I, Estampes and Claire de Lune (Orchid) and “Widmung” with Liszt piano works (Orchid). The Debussy CD was editor’s choice of the International Record Review magazine
Nino’s most recent CD “Visions” dedicated to English composer Cyril Scott was highly acclaimed and listed by two major newspapers in the Netherlands Volkskrant and Het Parool, among the best recordings of 2019!
In Tbilisi Nino Gvetadze studied with Veronika Tumanishvili, Nodar Gabunia and Nana Khubutia. After her graduation Nino moved to the Netherlands to study with Paul Komen and Jan Wijn. Since 2008 Nino performs in a piano trio together with her colleagues Frederieke Saeijs and Maja Bogdanovic.
Nino plays on a Steinway Grand Piano, kindly lent to her by the Dutch National Music Instrument Foundation.
Nino Gvetadze is a cofounder and Artistic Director of the Naarden International Piano Festival .
Frederieke Saeijs, violin
“...The Dutch violinist impressed not only with her flawless technique and intensity of tone, but also with her mastery of a broad palette of expressive means...”
Rheinische Post
Born and bred in The Hague (The Netherlands), the young Frederieke started her violin education with Stieneke Voorhoeve according to the Suzuki method. After entering the Royal Conservatoire in her hometown at age thirteen, she studied consecutively with professors Mireille van der Wart, Lex Korff de Gidts, Peter Brunt and Jaring Walta. Scholarships allowed her to attend additional masterclasses by Herman Krebbers and Boris Kuschnir.
During her study in The Hague, Saeijs won prizes at the Princess Christina Competition, National Violin Competition Oskar Back, Vriendenkrans Competition of the Concertgebouw, the Elisabeth Everts Prize, Georges Enescu International Violin Competition and the Grachtenfestival Conservatoire Competition.
After completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with the highest marks and a special distinction for ‘creative musicality’, Frederieke Saeijs continued studying the violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington (USA) with professor Mauricio Fuks. She concluded her study years with the Performer Diploma, Artist Diploma and was given the Performer’s Certificate ‘in recognition of outstanding musical performance.’
While studying in Bloomington, Saeijs won the International Violin Competition Long-Thibaud in Paris. Besides the First Grand Prize, she was awarded extra prizes for the best interpretations of the violin concerto and the mandatory contemporary work. Also she received special distinctions from the Orchestre National de France and the Conservatoires of Paris.
As a result, she received concert invitations from all over the world.
Saeijs’s engagements as a soloist have included those with prestigious orchestras such as the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Britten Sinfonia, Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Dortmund Philharmoniker, Orchestre National de France, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra The Hague, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
She worked with such inspiring conductors as Jonathan Darlington, Antony Hermus, Neëme Järvi, Oliver Knussen, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, Friedemann Layer, Aleksandar Markovic, Christoph Poppen, Vassily Sinaiski, Vladimir Spivakov and Jaap van Zweden.
Passionate about chamber music, Saeijs has joined with pianist Nino Gvetadze and cellist Maja Bogdanovic to form the Arosa Trio, which performs in such distinguished venues as the Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, and Tonhalle, Düsseldorf. She also regularly plays with colleagues and friends at international chamber music festivals.
One of the highlights in her career was her encounter with former Queen Beatrix during the award ceremony of the Zilveren Anjer awards at Noordeinde Palace. The conversation she had after her performance with the Queen inspired Frederieke to set up a chamber music and dance project together with others, including Zapp4 (a modern string quartet).
Frederieke Saeijs was Artist in Residence at the Dr. Anton Philips Hall (The Hague) and during the NJO Music Summer (Gelderland) in The Netherlands. To the Canadian Festival of the Sound she was invited as Stockey Young Artist.
Ms Saeijs performed live for Radio France in Montpellier and Paris; for Radio Suisse Romande in Switzerland, and for Radio 3 and 4 in The Netherlands. Moreover, producer Siety Boerhave made a short documentary about Saeijs’s passion for the violin, which was broadcast by NTR television in her home country.
Saeijs's recording of sonatas by Ravel, Respighi and Granados, recorded for Naxos with Maurice Lammerts van Bueren (piano), received enthusiastic reviews: ‘Her playing has the power to move you and make you want to hear more' (International Record Review).
Her recent recording of the sonatas for solo violin by Eugène Ysaÿe, recorded for Linn Records, was described by Gramophone as follows: 'Saeijs's is a memorable interpretation. She smoothly negotiates the works' fiendish challenges without once compromising her lustrous tone.'
In addition to performing, Saeijs enjoys mentoring new talent. She has acted as a main subject teacher at both the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio in Madrid.
Frederieke plays on the unique ‘Ex-Reine-Elisabeth’ violin, crafted by Pietro Guarneri (Venice, 1725), which was given on loan to her by the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation.
Maja Bogdanović, cello
Hailed by The Strad after her Carnegie Hall recital for “an outstanding performance of exceptional tonal beauty, great maturity of interpretation, and technical excellence”, Maja Bogdanovic continues to reward audiences worldwide as one of the leading cellists of today.
Ms. Bogdanovic’s concerto engagements include Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Berlin Symphony at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Tokyo Philharmonic, Bremerhaven Staatsorchester, Bergische Philharmonie, Slovenian, Belgrade and Macedonian Philharmonic, Orchestra del Teatro Civico Schio, Lubbock Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Munchenner kammerorchester, Sydenham Festival Orchestra, Serbian Radio Symphony, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Korean Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra, Salta Symphony Orchestra, Morelia Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Bartholomew Orchestra London, Vojvodina Symphony, Orchestre des Laureats du Conservatoire de Paris, Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle Europe as well as chamber orchestras Dusan Skovran, St. George Strings and the Sejong Soloists
The quality of her recital and chamber music interpretations continues to be applauded at many of the world’s leading venues and festivals which include the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Tonhalle Dusseldorf, Salle Pleyel, Salle Gaveau and Amphitheatre Sorbonne Paris, Palais des Congres Nantes, Prinzregententheater Munich, the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, Kuhmo Festival, Beauvais Cello Festival, Festival du Perigord Noir, Giverny Festival, European Festival of Young Talents in Paris, Plaisir de Musiques Annecy, Arcachon Festival, Classiques d’avenir Biarritz, Folles journees in Nantes, Roque d’Antheron, Zeist Festival in Holland and Amsterdamse Cello Biennale.
Among her exceptionally wide repertoire, Ms. Bogdanovic dedicates a special place as a champion of contemporary music. She has premiered works of Krzysztof Penderecki, Sofia Gubaidulina, Philip Sawyers, Nicolas Bacri, Eric Tanguy, Benjamin Yusupov, Ivan Jevtic and others.
Most notably, her collaboration with Krzysztof Penderecki began in France, with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, and continued with the Belgrade Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic and the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich. Among a select group of world’s leading artists that have included Lorin Maazel, Anne-Sophie Mutter and others, Maja was invited to give a special performance in Warsaw for the occasion of the composer’s 80th birthday, collaborating with Yuri Bashmet, Julian Rachlin and Barry Douglas. Continuing her work as a prolific recording artist, Ms. Bogdanovic produced several internationally released CD recordings for the French label Lyrinx, as well as the Nimbus label recording of the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra dedicated to her by the English composer Philip Sawyers.
Laureate of leading international competitions, Maja Bogdanovic won the First Prize at the Aldo Parisot Cello Competition, received the Second Prize and the Special Audience Award at the Gaspar Cassado International Competition, was awarded the special prize at the Concours Rostropovich in Paris and, in the same year, she also became a multiple laureate of the International Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade, as the recipient of the Third and two special awards.
In 2008, the Safran Foundation for Music presented her the prize for achievements, and was the winner of the UMUS Artist of the Year Award in 2011. Maja graduated with the First Prize at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris, where she completed her postgraduate course with Michel Strauss in addition to studying chamber music with Itamar Golan and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Following her studies in Paris, she pursued further training at the UDK Berlin with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz, as well as with Bernard Greenhouse, Alban Gerhardt, Young-Chang Cho and Heinrich Schiff. Maja’s music education begun at a very early age with Prof. Nada Jovanovic at the Kosta Manojlovic Music School in Zemun, during which time she won the highest awards at national and international competitions in the Czech Republic, Austria, France and Italy. Maja Bogdanovic plays a violoncello custom made for her by the renowned French luthier Frank Ravatin.