About
BAROQUE
About
BAROQUE MUSIC
About
BAROQUE
From
MEDIA
From
MEDIA
2023/2024
ARTISTS
PEPE BECKER is a classically trained singer, known for her purity of tone and versatility. In her youth she sang as a treble in the Nelson Cathedral Choir, and also played oboe and piano. After completing a BMus at Victoria University of Wellington, she spent two years overseas studying baroque singing / early music - in London with Jessica Cash and at The Hague's Koninklijk Conservatorium. Whilst in Europe she gave many performances with with groups such as the Utrechts Baroque Ensemble, BBC Daily Service Choir and Nederlandse Bachvereniging. She also did a fair bit of busking, and when in Dublin, Ireland was selected to sing in a short film. Pepe was a founding member of The Tudor Consort 1986-91, has been in Voices NZ Chamber Choir since 1999, established her own vocal ensemble, Baroque Voices in 1994, and recently helped form a new chamber group, Elementi, with like-minded musicians she's known for decades. As well as being a soloist alongside internationally renowned singers such as Emma Kirkby and Andreas Scholl, Pepe has featured on several CDs of baroque, classical and contemporary NZ music, and her voice is regularly heard on RNZ Concert. She has also sung on several movie soundtracks, including the iconic NZ film, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople", and thoroughly enjoys both live performance and studio session recording.
​
Violinist RAKUTO KURANO has been eviewed as a musician with “flair and panache” by the Christchurch Mail, Rakuto Kurano has established himself as a versatile Japanese/New Zealand Performer-Composer. As a multi award-winning performer and composer, he has appeared in many concert halls across the country. Overseas appearances include performances in Japan and Vietnam. As an active performer on the violin, viola, and piano, he currently averages 60 performances each year. Repertoire ranges from anything written in the Renaissance period (14th century) to music by young living composers.
​
TOMAS HURNIK has a rich musical career performing with Czech symphonies, recording for radio and television, winning various chamber music competitions and taking part in prestigious chamber groups such as Talich Chamber Orchestra. He has played with various period instrument groups such as Musica Florea, Capella Regia Prague and Solamente Naturali with which he performed and toured around Europe.
He continues to be passionate about period instrument playing and organizes and performs in concerts, workshops and master classes of Baroque music in New Zealand.
EDITA KEGLEROVÁ graduated at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Prof. G. Lukšaité Mrázkova. She studied with J. Ogg at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and then at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2007, she defended her doctoral thesis on Interpretation and Theory of Interpretation at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She is a laureate of several international music competitions. As a soloist or member of chamber ensembles, she has performed in many important concert halls not only in Europe but also overseas (Japan, New Zealand, Africa, USA). She cooperates with many ensembles, including the Prague Baroque Ensemble, Hipocondria, and Barocco Sempre Giovanne.
She is teaching at Jan Neruda Music Grammar School in Prague. In 2011, she became a professor at the Prague Music Conservatory. She has repeatedly led master classes at the Summer School of Early Music in Prachatice.
​
SZABOLCS ILLÉS studied at Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. He studied baroque violin and early music presentation led by Dario Luisi and Susanne Scholz in Vienna and Graz. On courses he studied with famous baroque violinists as Enrico Gatti, Marinett Troost, Lucy van Dael or Simon Standage. At Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig studied with Susanne Scholz. In 2009 he gained the Master in Music degree at Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Sigiswald Kuijken’s class. He has been performing as a member of world-famous orchestra, the La Petite Bande. . Since 2008, he has been a concertmaster of the Hof-Musici orchestra which is primarily working on the reconstruction and presentation of baroque operas with authentic instruments, costumes and original settings. He gives concerts with his own ensemble the Accademia Capricciosa and other baroque ensembles (Dolce Risonanza, Cammermusik Potsdam, Concert Royal Köln) in Germany, Austria, Belgium the Czech Republic and other European countries.
MARK MENZIES Described in the Los Angeles Times as an ‘extraordinary musician’ and a ‘riveting violinist’, Mark Menzies’ career as a viola and violin virtuoso, chamber musician and pianist, conductor and advocate of contemporary music, has seen performances in Europe, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and across the United States.
​
Pianist ANNA MAKSYMOVA is the winner of the Lewis Eady Charitable Trust Emerging Artist Series and a 3rd prize winner of Kerikeri International Piano Competition. She is a recipient of George Russell Music Scholarship, Ruby Hay Scholarship, Pettman Special Programme Scholarship, Leslie Atkinson Memorial Prize in Music and the Dame Malvina Major Scholarship. Since the completion of her Masters degree in Germany, where Anna studied with the renowned professor Lev Natochenny, Anna has returned to Christchurch to continue doing what she likes to do best of all – perform and teach. Since last year Anna has performed as a soloist with the CSO, and was involved in concerts at the Akaroa Summer School and Dame Malvina Major Foundation. She enjoys playing with other musicians and this year she has been collaborating with cellist Tomas Hurnik, clarinettist Mark Walton, soprano Anna Hoetjes and string trio Tres Cordes among others. Anna also enjoys teaching at her music studio at The Piano.
​