23 - 27 February 2015 

Organisation: Vienna International Masterclasses

LIINA LEIJALA
Finnish cellist Liina Leijala was born 1984 in Keuruu, Finland. She has studied in Sibelius Academy with Heikki Rautasalo and Marko Ylönen, and chamber music in Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, with Ralf Gothoni. Leijala finished her master’s degree in Sibelius Academy with excellent marks in spring 2012. In addition to these she finished Post Gradual studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Liina Leijala is a finalist in EBU young soloist competition and a prize winner in International Gaetano Zinetti Chamber Music competition and Majano Chamber music competition. Leijala’s Gironcoli Quartet won the International Chamber Music Competition in Bled summer 2013.
In September 2012 started working with the Barbirolli Quartet, London. She was nominated for “Young Talents” of Musikverein Wien concert series 2013, she made her debut at the Musikverein in their opening concert of the season. She has performed widely all over in Europe, USA and Asia.
Leijala is in European Chamber Music Academy ECMA with her quartet.
Leijala played as a solo cellist in Orchester Academy of Vienna Philharmonic 2009-2011. Since 2011 Leijala is playing in Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Leijala is also member of Verbier Festival Orchestras and the Salzburg Chamber Soloists.

9 - 13 March 2015 

«SUSANNA ARTZT’s tone colours are second to none. … an immaculate performance in which the sheer beauty of tone, superbly captured in this recording, leads one to hang onto every note this pianist plays. A thought-provoking recital by a magnificent pianist. »  PAUL LANFEAR, Piano Journal, England"Cultured touch is the magic word, with which Susanna Artzt’s play can be characterized. At the same time she accentuates with fascinating tension, so that these well known pieces sound in a fascinating novelty." (Piano News)

The Austrian pianist comes from a multicultural family with mainly Indian roots. Susanna Artzt showed a special musical talent since her earliest childhood.
At the age of 15 she was the youngest student when she was accepted in the class of Vladimir Krpan at the Zagreb Music Academy.

At 16 she was discovered by Paul Badura-Skoda, who described her as an „exceptional piano talent“ and immediately invited her to attend his class in Vienna at the University of Music. She completed her piano studies there as a Magistra artium with Michael Krist and achieved perfection during her post-graduate studies with Peter Efler. She also worked together with Jacob Lateiner, Murray Perahia, Rudolf Kehrer and Evgenij Timakin in the course of many master classes. During her study period Susanna Artzt was several times a prize winner in international piano competitions.

Both of her CDs have brought her high critical acclaim internationally and Piano News in Germany named her debut CD „CD of the months“.Recitals followed at the Vienna Musikverein, at the „KlangBogen Wien“ festival, at the „Biennale Zagreb - World Music Days“, the „Heidelberger Frühling“ festival, the „International Chopin Festival in Gaming“, the „Contemporary Music Week“ in Bucharest, live concerts with the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne and at the International Schönberg Centre in Vienna, numerous piano concertos with orchestras, and radio- and television recordings for the ORF, WDR, RAI and HRT, among others.

One of the highpoints of her career to date is undoubtedly the concert with Zubin Mehta, which took place on invitation of the maestro in Munich, and in which she celebrated a sensational success with the Second Piano Concerto by Saint -Saens. Only a few months later she played for the first time in New York, where she gave the first american performance of the Two Waltz-Impromptus op. 9 by Franz Schreker.

While her lively solo concert activities are at the core of her artistic life, Susanna Artzt also undertakes chamber-music encounters with popular partners, such as the cellist Othmar Müller (Artis Quartett) or Tamás Varga, the principal cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. With her husband, the pianist Manfred Wagner-Artzt, she performs since 1998 successfully as the „Arsio Piano Duo“. She also has worked together with actors like Karl Markovics, Dorothee Hartinger, Michael König, etc.

Susanna Artzt's wide-ranging repertoire includes works trom the Baroque to the contemporary modern, whereby she gives special attention to Mozart. Schubert and Chopin as well as the French and Russian modernist fore-runners.