Mazen Jasim (oud) with Nibras (keyboard)
Joseph Wolfe
Joseph Wolfe was recently a prize-winner in the 7th Leeds Conducting Competition. He has recorded Haydn Symphonies 34 & 52 and Elgar's Introduction & Allegro with the Munich Chamber Orchestra in a production for Bavarian Radio and recently conducted Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony and Elgar's Enigma Variations with the Bavarian Youth Symphony Orchestra, giving concerts in the Munich Gasteig and Nuremberg. He founded Ensemble Flux in 2002, with whom he has recorded a CD and a film soundtrack. In London he is a guest conductor of the Haydn Chamber Orchestra and Kensington Chamber Orchestra.
Joseph first started conducting whilst studying at the Hochschule Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden where he founded and directed the Dresden Kammersinfoniker from 1990-95. During this time he was also guest conductor of the Brandenburg Philharmonic and on his return founded the Nimrod Ensemble of London. He studied conducting with Konrad von Abel (assistant to Celibidache) in 2000 and has since attended master-classes with Professor Jorma Panula (Helsinki) including courses with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.
He is also an accomplished violinist: leader of the Cromwell Quartet from 1982-90, the Wolfe Quartet from 1990-97, joint leader of the Academia di San Giorgio in Venice from 1999-2000 and he has since played with the English Chamber Orchestra.
Levon Parikian
Levon Parikian's first musical influence was his father, the renowned violinist Manoug Parikian, whose musicianship and experience as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader instilled in Levon from an early age a deep appreciation of the tradition of musical performance.
While studying timpani and percussion at the Royal Academy of Music, Levon developed his interest in conducting, and subsequently studied privately with Michael Rose and David Parry. Following further study with George Hurst, and at his encouragement, Levon auditioned successfully for a position in Ilya Musin's class at the St. Petersburg conservatoire. Here he gained an insight into Musin's rigorous technique of conducting, which has influenced generations of Russian conductors.
Since his return from Russia, Levon has pursued a freelance conducting career, and is much in demand as Guest Conductor with orchestras in Britain. He currently holds Principal Conductor posts with several London-based orchestras, such as the London Phoenix Orchestra, and is Chief Guest Conductor of the City of Oxford Orchestra, with whom he made his South Bank debut in July 2000. He was recently appointed Conductor of the Royal College of Music Junior Sinfonia, Visiting Guest Conductor at Royal Holloway University of London, and Artistic Director of The Rehearsal Orchestra, only the second person to hold the post in the orchestra's 45-year history. Levon has been Assistant Conductor on recordings with the Philharmonia and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and to Sir Simon Rattle in The Rehearsal Orchestra's weekend on Bruckner's Ninth Symphony.
www.levonparikian.com
Tara Persaud
Tara Persaud began studying traditional Irish folk music on the violin at the age of six, before also taking up classical music a year later. For three years she was a member of the London Schools' Symphony Orchestra, touring Barcelona and Japan under conductors such as Christopher Adey, Meredith Davies and John Lubbock.
Tara went on to gain a BA Joint Honours degree in German and Music and an MA in German culture at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she led all of the university ensembles and performed several solo recitals. During her degree, she lived in Linz, Austria for a year, playing with a number of ensembles, both amateur and professional.
She has studied with, amongst others, Stephen Bingham of the Bingham String Quartet, has had masterclasses with Emanuel Hurwitz and the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, and has taken part in a number of music festivals including Dartington, Minehead and Aldeburgh. Tara is currently a member of the London Phoenix Orchestra, Kensington Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, National Musicians' Symphony Orchestra, Rehearsal Orchestra, the Wallace Ensemble and the Britten-Pears Orchestra, and since January, has been working for the music publishing house Boosey and Hawkes Ltd.
She'Koyokh
She'Koyokh formed in July 2001 after winning a millennium award to study Eastern European Jewish Music. They have performed at all kinds of events from the London Jewish music festival to a Catholic funeral in Wimbledon. Performing was:
Susie Evans: Clarinet
Jim Marcovitch: Accordion
Ben Samuels: Mandolin
Meg Hamilton: Violin
Oli Baldwin: Double Bass
If you would like to contact She'koyokh please call Jim on 07817367044 or Susie 0n 07812110924.
Email: shekoyokh@yahoo.com.
Mazen Jasim (oud) with Nibras (keyboard)
Mazen and Nibras will will be a playing a mix of improvisations, modern and traditional Iraqi songs. Mazen started playing oud as a hobby when he was 14 and found it so interesting that he developed this hobby into a professional activity. Once his family was forced to leave their country, Iraq during the regime of Saddam Hussein, he found music almost the only way to keep them all in touch with their beloved culture, their roots, their home. Mazen and Nibras usually play for Arabic communities, but also at the Royal National Theatre and at the opening of a modern art exhibition, at the Iraqi Night, Victoria Park Festival. Mazen can be contacted on 07810 554142.