The Friends of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music UK would like to cordially invite you to our fundraising concert on 25th June at St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL.
Three emerging Palestinian musicians will perform alongside the acclaimed Chilingirian Quartet at Palmusic’s first public concert to help us raise funds for our music programmes in Palestine.
We are thrilled to present pianist Ramzi Shomali, clarinetist Mohamed Najem and violinist Lourdina Baboun– all graduates from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Bethlehem- who will join leading musicians in eclectic arrangements of classical Western pieces and Arabic compositions and improvisations.
After a successful Masterclass organised by the Friends of ESNCM in January 2015, Levon Chilingirian will be leading our summer concert with his celebrated Chilingirian Quartet, with Susie Meszaros on viola and Ariana Kashefi on cello. We are delighted to announce that our Trustee and renowned flautist, Wissam Boustany, will be performing one of his compositions promising a very special music evening.
Tickets can be purchased via this link: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1559944
Biographies of the musicians:
Lourdina Baboun
Lourdina Hanna Baboun was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, on 16th April 1994 and studied violin at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. Since 2013, she has been studying at the Conservatoire Regional D’Aubervilliers, France. She became a member of the Palestine Youth Orchestra in 2008 and has participated in numerous tours to Syria, Bahrain, Lebanon (Beiteddine Festival with the singer Marcel Khalifeh), Greece, Italy and Jordan. She became a member of the Palestine Strings who toured the USA in 2011 with the Swedish violinist Eva Bogren, as well as giving a concert with the British Violinist Nigel Kennedy at the Yabous festival in East Jerusalem in 2012. In 2013 she had a session with the Divertimento Symphony Orchestra in Paris. During the same year she also joined the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra conducted by Gianandrea Noseda; in 2014 they were conducted by Alain Altinogluat at the Aix en Provence Festival. In 2015 she had a chamber quartet session with the Voce Quartet in Paris. Lourdina won in the Marcel Khalifeh Competition in 2008 and 2010.
Wissam Boustany
Born in 1960, Wissam Boustany’s international career as a concert artist and teacher has taken him to South and North America, Europe Middle and Far East. In 1995 Boustany founded Toward Humanity, an international initiative using music as a catalyst to support humanitarian projects on an international scale. Born in Lebanon, Boustany began his musical studies with his stepfather. He moved to Britain in 1977 where he studied at Chetham’s School of Music & the Royal Northern College of Music, with Trevor Wye. He has received many awards, notably the Silver Medal in the 1982 Madeira International Flute Competition and (in the same year) the woodwind prize in the Royal Overseas League Competition. He received the silver medal in the Shell/LSO competition and won the 2nd prize in the woodwind section of the first BBC Young Musician of the Year. In 1997 he was awarded a knighthood by the Lebanese government (Chevalier de l’Ordre du Cedre) in recognition of his music and peace work. On 3rd February 1998 he was presented with the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. He is also Professor of Flute at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK.
Levon Chilingirian
Levon Chilingirian was born in Cyprus to Armenian parents and was introduced to music from a very early age through his pianist mother and violinist great uncle, Vahan Bedelian. After emigrating to the U.K., he later studied with his uncle, violinist Manoug Parikian as well as the Amadeus Quartet. Mr. Chilingirian’s long-standing partnership with the late Clifford Benson was launched by winning the first prizes in both the 1969 BBC Beethoven Competition and the 1971 Munich Duo International Competition. In 1971 the Chilingirian Quartet was founded and is today one of the most active and celebrated string quartets on the international scene. Its highly regarded and wide-ranging recorded repertoire spans classical to contemporary works. Levon also performs as a soloist, in recitals and concerto appearances with numerous orchestras, and with other chamber music partners. He is the artistic director of several festivals and is active in coaching chamber music with El Sistema in Venezuela. Mr. Chilingirian received the Cobbett Medal and, in January 2000, an OBE in the Queen’s Honours List. In Armenia, he has organised two competitions for young string players and numerous chamber music festivals. Levon Chilingirian is professor of violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London), the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), and the Royal Academy of Music (London). He gives master classes regularly at Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA), the New England Conservatory (Boston) and the Boston Conservatory of Music.
Ariana Kashefi
British cellist Ariana Kashefi from Persian origin has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in most major venues around London including Wigmore Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. Born in 1991, she studied at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music with Robert Max and went on to study at the Royal College of Music as a Scholar with Melissa Phelps. At the College she has been principal cello in all the major orchestras and won the Cello prize in her first year. Ariana was selected to take part in the London Symphony Orchestra string experience scheme for 2013. She was also one of the winners of the 2013 Making Music Awards for young Concert Artists, (AYCA) and is the recipient of the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society’s Julius Isserlis Scholarship for instrumental studies abroad. She is a Park Lane Group Young Artist for 2015 and recently performed as a soloist live on BBC Radio 3 ‘In Tune’. Ariana is currently completing her masters degree in Berlin at the Hochschule fur Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ with Professor Claudio Bohorquez. In Berlin she was selected to represent the school in the ‘excellence concert’ for exceptional students.
Susie Mészáros
Born in England, violist Susie Mészáros studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School. She is a professor at the Royal College of Music and has been principal viola with the Camerata Salzburg, as well as a regular chamber music partner of her teacher, violinist Sandor Vegh, who said of her, “Susie brought constantly proof as of her artistic gift, as being a deep, serious, honest musician, with all responsibility toward her work. I always had great pleasure to play with her in concerts” In 1977, Ms. Mészáros made her Wigmore Hall debut in a duo with Yehudi Menuhin and performed with Vladimir Spivakov and Arthur Grumiaux. She won the Gold Medal at the Royal Overseas League competition and was astring finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year. Ms. Mészáros was also co-founder of the Villiers Piano Quartet and leader of Kent Opera for several years, as well as leader of several chamber groups including the Fitzwilliam Quartet. She has also taught at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Purcell School.
Mohamed Najem
Born in Jerusalem and raised in Bethlehem, Mohamed started to study music in 1997 at the Edward Saïd National Conservatory of Music (ESNCM) in Palestine. In 2006, he obtained a scholarship to complete his studies at the Regional Conservatory of Music of Angers in France, with professor Emilie Jacquin. In 2011, Mohamed returned to the West Bank, where he became the first Palestinian professional clarinet teacher. He has taught clarinet and nay at the ESNCM in Ramallah, Nablus, and Bethlehem for three years. He was also the academic supervisor of the ESNCM Ramallah branch and the head of the winds section between 2011 and 2014. Mohamed is a founding member of the Palestine National Orchestra, Palestine’s first professional orchestra created in 2011. He has played as a soloist for the Palestinian Youth Orchestra for several years. A versatile and in demand performer in Palestine, he has performed and recorded with several Palestinian and international music groups and projects, including traditional, popular and classical ensembles, played in local and international festivals. Today, Mohamed is a freelance musician and resides in Paris, where he is developing his project “Mohamed Najem and Friends”. Mohamed uses classical techniques in an Arabic interpretation, and thus creates an original sound and style on the clarinet. His compositions reflect an eclectic combination of rhythms and melodies.
Ramzi Shomali
Ramzi started receiving his formal piano training at the age of 5. Some years later, he enrolled at Edward Said National Conservatory of Music-ESNCM, to become one of Bethlehem Branch’s outstanding students, and give his first solo concert at the age of 13. His journey continued in Italy where he graduated from Vicenza Conservatory of Music obtaining the first academic Diploma with honors under the guidance of Prof. Antonio Rigobello, and the second academic Diploma in Piano Performance with Prof. Riccardo Zadra. He is currently working on a second diploma in Chamber Music with Proff. Stefania Redaelli and Gianluca Saccari which will be completed in July, 2015. Ramzi has also received special training under the patronage of several renowned pianists: Daniel Del Pino, Saleem Abboud-Ashkar, Lucille Chung and Alessio Bax, Filippo Gamba, Aleksandr Madzar, Roberto Prosseda, and the late Aldo Ciccolini, among others. He also received a formative orchestral conducting course given by the Italian conductor Giancarlo Andretta. He has won many awards locally and abroad and has given solo concerts in Chicago, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Paris and Italy.