Juriu

PAPADOPOULOS George-Julius

After receiving his Piano Diploma with 1st Prize in his native Thessaloniki, Dr. Papadopoulos was awarded a prestigious Entrance Exhibition for postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London, supported by various scholarships. A British Council Fellowship enabled him to complete an MMus in Piano Performance at King’s College (London).

In 1996 he commenced doctoral studies in historical musicology on a Graduate Recruitment Award by the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was nominated for the Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2003 won the School of Music Prize for the best paper of the year. That same year, his Ph.D. dissertation was unanimously awarded the Karl Geiringer Prize of the American Brahms Society. Other interests include the Aesthetics of Music and the Development of the Piano Concerto.

Following 12 years of directing Greek municipal and private conservatories, in July 2020 he was appointed Director of the Thessaloniki State Conservatory – Greece’s single state conservatory, founded in 1914.

He has appeared in solo and chamber music recitals in Europe and the US, and has performed for Greek TV & Radio, as well as for BBC World Service.

Natsumi Kuboyama

Born in 1992 in the city of Fukuoka, she began playing the piano at the age of 4 with the help of her mother. In 1998, at the age of 6, she had her first concert abroad in Moscow. In 2001, she won first prize at the Hummel competition in Slovakia. In 2003, she won first prize at the Steinway competition in Paris. From the age of 12, she held charity concerts in Japan to raise funds for Chernobyl, the construction of a school for disadvantaged children in Peru, and the removal of mines in Cambodia. For these volunteer activities, she received the Violet Richardson distinction. In 2007, she won the Audience Award at the Japan-Romania competition, the first edition of this competition held in Japan. In 2008, she moved to Tokyo to attend music high school. In 2009, she won second prize at the Steinway competition in Berlin. Also in the same year, she performed in New York. In 2015, she graduated from Toho Gakuen University, the most prestigious music university in Tokyo, as the top of her class. For this, she gave a graduation concert at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. In 2017 and 2018, she performed concerts in South Korea, China, and Singapore. In 2021 and 2022, she recorded her first CDs. In 2023, she was chosen as the face of Shigheru Kawai pianos.

Prof. Dr. Zoltán Zsigmond and Dr. Éva Pap

Dr. Zsigmondné are teachers and pianists at Béla Bartók Faculty of Arts, of the University of Szeged, Hungary. The couple forms a couple on stage and in their private lives for more than 40 years. They have a wide repertoire which extends from the baroque to the contemporary music which they perform at solo, four hands and also two pianos concerts. Both of them received many awards in the field of teaching and performing, their pupils are also debuting successfully in the national and international piano competitions (in countries like Germany, Austria, Italy, Romania and others). Prof. Dr. Zoltán Zsigmond and Dr. Éva Pap Dr. Zsigmondné are docents of the University of Szeged. Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Zoltán Zsigmond is the Head of the Piano Department. Dr. Éva Pap Dr. Zsigmondné is also a mentor teacher at SZTE Vántus István Secondary School of Music. They have been frequent participants of piano competitions in Timişoara and Deva for decades.

Manuela Iana – Mihăilescu – pianist

Ms. Manuela Mihăilescu is a graduate of the music school Ion Vidu, Timişoara, and of the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatoire (National University of Music), Bucharest. Ms. Mihăilescu is currently piano professor at the Music Department of the West University in Timişoara. She is the recipient of numerous awards, among them: 1st prize at the 1983 Dinu Lipatti Competition, Bucharest; 1st prize at the Cantarea Romaniei Competition 1979, 1985, 1987, 1989 editions.

She specialized in the domain of interpretation at the Real Conservatorio de Musica in Madrid (Spain) by studying especially the Spanish piano music with the professor and pianist Guillermo Gonzales. She integrated the study and the interpretative experience of the pieces from the Iberia series by Isaac Albeniz into her doctoral thesis The Piano Technique Concerning the Impressionism in Music, as it Appears in the Solo Piano Works of Debussy, Ravel and Albeniz, completed at the Music University in Bucharest in November 2005, thus obtaining her PhD in music. In 2005 she published Suggestions of Approaching the Piano Works of C. Debussy, M. Ravel and I. Albeniz and Elements of Musical Language in the Piano Works of C. Debussy and in 2011 – Coordinates of the musical interpretation for the West University Publishing House in Timişoara.

Ms. Mihăilescu appears frequently with the Philharmonic orchestras from Romania (Timişoara, Arad, Oradea, Craiova, Constanţa). She is part of the Piano-Duo ansemble of the Philharmonia Banatul from Timisoara (www.filarmonicabanatul.ro/Ansambluri), an active chamber musician and recitalist, performing in the main musical centres of Romania, as well as abroad, in piano duo with Dragos Mihailescu in Germany, Italy, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Austria, Hungary, Greece.

Manuela Iana Mihăilescu was present as part of the jury at prestigious piano competitions such as the competitions in Jaen (2002, 2005) and Valencia – Jose Roca (2003), Spain; National Competition for students Belgrade, Serbia (2011); Euroregional Competition Alma Cornea Ionescu – Timisoara, Romania (2012,2014,2015, 2016, 2018, 2019), Pro Piano competition – Timisoara (2016, 2018); International Competition Citta di Cosenza, Cosenza, Italy – President of the Jury (2013), International Competition B. Bartók, Szeged, Hungary (2017).

Since 1990 she is teaching as Professor in the Faculty of Music – West University Timisoara, Romania.

She was invited to teach piano masterclass in Spain (Granada, Guadix), Italy (Adria, Campobasso, Mantova), Norway (Kristiansand – Agder University), Finland (Oulu), Bulgaria (Sofia), Portugal (Porto) and Romania (Timisoara, Oravita).

She has recorded 3 professional CDs (by Videoton Budapest, Hungary and Show Factory, Romania) with Dragos Mihailescu and she recorded also for the Romanian National Television and Romanian Radio.

Manuela Iana-Mihailescu organized 13 editions of the Music festival Zilele Muzicii la Oravita (2008 – 2019, 2022).

Adriana Dogariu

Pianista Adriana Dogariu și-a desăvârşit formarea muzicală la Universitatea Națională de Muzică din Bucureşti, apoi la Facultatea de Muzică din cadrul Universităţii de Vest Timişoara, studiind cu profesori reputaţi, precum Dana Borşan și Dragoş Mihăilescu. A urmat cursuri de măiestrie interpretativă cu Gabriel Amiras, Andrei Gavrilov, Jean Francois Antoniolli, Gerard Fremy. În anul 2010 Adriana Dogariu și-a susținut doctoratul la Universitatea Națională de Muzică din București, subiectul ales fiind literatura muzicală pentru două piane, gen muzical în care a susținut o bogată activitate concertistică, alături de pianistul Sorin Dogariu.

Este laureată a mai multor concursuri naţionale şi a Concursului Internaţional “Remember Enescu” (Bucureşti – 1999). A susţinut recitaluri în Austria, Germania, Italia, Republica Moldova si în ţară, precum şi concerte în calitate de solistă alături de Filarmonicile din Timişoara şi Arad. A înregistrat trei CD-uri (editate în 2012 şi 2013 în România şi Germania) alături de pianistul Sorin Dogariu şi tubistul Walter Hilgers. Aparițiile solistice și camerale includ muzicieni precum: Alexandra Guțu, Janos Balint, Răzvan Suma, Alexandra Crișan, Walter Hilgers, Marie Isabel Kropfitsch, Emil Sein, Cristian Miclea etc.

Adriana Dogariu este conferențiar la catedra de pian a Facultății de Muzică și Teatru din cadrul Universității de Vest Timişoara, instituție în care coordonează două programe importante: Panoramic XX și Muzica de la ora 12. Susține masterclass-uri și este invitată în jurii de concursuri. În 2005, pe o perioadă de 3 luni, Adriana Dogariu a fost invitată să îndrume o clasă de interpretare pianistică în Studioul AHN din Jejudo Island – Coreea de Sud.

Bošković Novicki Maja

Bošković Novicki Maja born in Belgrade-Serbia where she graduated high school of music – piano
She finished studies and specialization at the Kiev conservatory-Ukraine ( SSSR-thos days).
She attended multiple master classes with eminent professors.
Dedicated herself to her teaching work and achieved very important recognitions with her students, winning over 200 awards in the country and abroad.
She was worked as an accompanier in ballet in National theater in Belgrade and performed concerts with soloists.
Received several recognitions and otherwise she is the head of the piano department for many years in school „Jovan Bandur”-Pančevo, where she work dedicatedly todays

Mădălina Dorgo

Prof. Dr. Mădălina Dorgo, Head of the Piano Department at „Ion Vidu” Art Highschool, Timișoara, Romania, member of the jury at national and international piano competitions, is a pianist with recitals in Romania (Timisoara, Arad, Oradea, Cluj Napoca, Braşov, Sebeş, Cernica, Târgu-Mureş, Deva, Bucharest) and abroad (Hungary (Budapest), Denmark (Copenhagen, Roskilde, Rodovre), Slovenia (Celia), Germany (Leipzig, Weimar, Friedensau).

With over 20 years of teaching experience, her results include more than 300 student awards at national and international piano competitions, and over 150 student concerts and recitals on national and international concert stages.

Graduate of “Ion Vidu” National College of Art, Timișoara, with a Bachelor degree at Faculty of Music, West University of Timișoara, specialised in Instrumental Interpretation – Piano, continued with Ph. D in Music, Doctor of Music degree, with the thesis Emotion, emotionalism and stage fright in musical interpretation, at “Gh. Dima” Academy of Music from Cluj – Napoca, Romania.

Enrolled at Post-Doctoral studies, researcher at Makedonia University, Thessaloniki, Greece, she continues to try to find the right answer at the questions “How can I understand my emotions? How much do I let them control my artistic act? When is it too much really… too much, and how can we be on stage without stage fright? Because music and art are about beauty. About the joy of being on stage and in the audience.”

Amongst her numerous publications, you can find books, articles, rewarded researches and authorship, not only on Stage Fright subject, but also on Elearning, children musical education, integrating the roma children into the educational system, musical education at early ages or other subjects.

Invited as Lecturer on Stage Fright subject at Universities and Conservatories in Greece, she continues the research, involving students, artists and teachers from Spain, Italy, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, France, Romania, United Kingdom and Denmark.

Invited as member of the jury at national and international piano competitions, she is also actively involved in Erasmus+ project, Leonardo Da Vinci and POSDRU projects, tutor, teaching practice coordinator for the students of the Faculty of Music, specialization Music, Artistic Director of ”TimorgelFest” International Festival, Artistic Director of ”Baroque in contemporary situations” International Festival and Project Manager at “Alma Cornea Ionescu” Festival and International Piano Competition.

Oana Grosu

Oana Grosu, este absolventa specializării pedagogie instrumentală pian a Facultății de muzică din cadrul Universității de vest Timișoara, clasa maestrului Sorin Dogariu .
Este profesor de pian la Liceul de artă „Ion Vidu” din Timișoara , profesor metodist al Inspectoratului Școlar Timiș si profesor la Centrul de excelență Timiș, membru in Corpul Naţional de Experţi în Management Educaţional .

De peste 25 ani desfășoară o bogată activitate didactică obținănd cu elevii săi performanțe deosebite,  peste 250 de premii la Concursuri  naționale și internaționale de interpretare instrumentală din România, Serbia, Franța, Grecia , Germania, Austria, Norvegia, Italia, Spania, Belgia, Japonia, America.

Este manager artistic al Asociatiei Compania Volutarte , a organizat 15 editii ale Festivalului „Sincretismul Artelor- Barocul „, a publicat articole și lucrări de specialitate, a absolvit cursuri de perfecționare și specializare: „High Pedagogical Skill”, Serbia, „Preparing for competition , evaluation of performance” , Letonia , „Dezvoltarea Inteligenței emoționale” , „Perfecționare muzicală și integrare europeană”, Universitatea Națională de muzică, București.

A participat în calitate de membru al juriului la numeroase competiții artistice  Olimpiada Națională  Zalău , Timișoara, Arad, Deva, Reșița, Alba Iulia ,Concursul internațional Sigismund Toduță ,Deva, Concursul Internațional Clara Peia , Concursul Național PianoArt , Lugoj, Concursul Național Arta Sunetelor, Petroșani ,iar în ultimii 12 ani la Concursul Internațional „Alma Cornea Ionescu”