EUROPE DAY CONCERT

The concert, organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands during the EU Presidency, will present a bridge between the harmony of different cultures, social and political relations and fundamental values ​​in the story of the European Union as part of the Imago Sloveniae program. The program is focused on the future, on the search for something new, so we will listen to three successful young musicians, winners of the prestigious Dutch Princes Christina Concours competition.

The Princess Christina Concours competition in the classical music group presents the best young musicians in the age category from 12 to 19 every year. In addition to the annual competition in classical music, there are also jazz and composition competitions every two years. The success of the interpretation, the persuasiveness of the creative will and the talent are the key factors that represent new opportunities for the most successful participants to perform at home and abroad. Among other things, they take care of the quality growth and development of music education for young people, which directly enrich the fundamental values ​​of life, such as respect for one’s neighbor and a diverse form of personal expression. With young artists, new ideas come to the fore, which they present in the magazine Choose an instrument, and present their specialty as a unique adventure with the Classic Express project, where Princes Christina Concours contest participants travel to many cities and perform for children, represent the world of music and directly invite you to into its world.

Laura Lunansky, Rik Kuppen and Jelmer de Moed are young, extremely promising musicians, one of the chosen ones who are constantly knocking on doors, behind which lead promising corridors of hope that their path of self-development will find the path of self-realization. Laura Lunansky, as the soloist and concertmaster of the JeugdOrkest Nederland orchestra and the Dutch National Youth Orchestra, manages to maintain the freedom and sovereignty of musical diction in musical play. Rik Kuppen and Jelmer de Moed, also members of the JeugdOrkest Nederland, are successfully developing and perfecting musical expression in the spirit of rich, dynamic interpretive knowledge by participating in master classes and training with famous musicians as soloists. The present concert will reveal two sound images, solo and chamber. We will listen to them as soloists in the works of composers T. Keuris, L. Janàček and S. Prokofiyev, and they will present their mutual cooperation in music making in chamber compositions by composers D. Milhaud and A. Khachaturian.

Laura Lunansky (1995) studies violin under the mentorship of prof. Ilone Sie Dihan Ho at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She is the winner of numerous awards, including the 2014 2nd prize at the Princes Christina Concours competition. She trained in master classes with renowned mentors such as Maurizio Fuks, Gary Hoffman and some members of the quartets (Jerusalem Quartet, Szymanovski Quartet and Borodin Quartet). As a member and soloist of the chamber ensemble, she has given concerts all over the country. Among other things, she was the concertmaster of the JeugdOrkest Nederland and the Dutch National Youth Orchestra. She is currently participating in the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. Participation in the Princes Christina Concours competition enabled her to perform in Italy and Mexico.

Jelmer de Moed (1995) began learning the clarinet at the age of eight. He continues his studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory under the mentorship of prof. Arna Peters. He regularly attends master classes by famous mentors such as Charles Neidich, Jörg Widdman and Wenzl Fuks. As the winner of the Dutch Princess Christina Concours competition in 2014, he received invitations to perform at home and abroad (Italy, Switzerland, Mexico). As the 1st clarinetist of the Princes Christina Orchestra Concours, he has performed in many prestigious concert halls, including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. He plays as a soloist with many orchestras and participates in chamber ensembles. He regularly performs music by young Dutch composers.

Rik Kuppen (1994) began playing the piano at the age of thirteen. He studies under the mentorship of prof. Ellen Corver at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He upgraded his knowledge with famous pianists: Dmitry Bashkirov, David Kuyken, Graham Johnson, Irwin Gage and Stefan Vladar. In 2012, he received the 1st prize at the Princess Christina Concours competition and was given the opportunity as a soloist in collaboration with the JeugdOrkest Nederland Orchestra. Despite being fascinated by the diverse repertoire, he prefers to stay with chamber performances. In 2015, at an invitation to participate in the Princess Christina Concours competition and the Dutch Embassy in Malta, Rick represented the Netherlands at the Valletta International Piano Festival. That same year, he went on a tour of Mexico with Laura Lunansky and Jelmer de Moed.

Rik Kuppen, piano
Jelmer de Moed, clarinet
Laura Lunansky, violin

Programme:
T. Keuris:
Canzone for clarinet solo
L. Janáček:
On the Overgrown path
D. Milhaud:
Suite for clarinet, violin and piano, Op. 157b