CONCERT | ZALODEK ENSEMBLE

PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Duet for Violin and Viola B-Major KV424

Thomas Wally – 4 bagatelles

Anton von Webern – 5 movements for string quartet 1909

Bernd Richard Deutsch – No. 34, 2 stringquartet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Clarinet quintet A-Major KV 581

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Martin Zalodek was born in Vienna, where he currently resides.  He began studying the violin with his father Christian, who was a violinist in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.  He continued his studies with Ernst Kovacic at the Vienna Music University and Alfred Staar at the Music University Graz/Oberschützen.  In 1989 he was awarded first place at the Austrian Music Competition in Leoben.  In 1991 he made his debut at the Wiener Konzerthaus with Mozart’s D Major Concerto KV 218 and continued to perform as a soloist and chamber musician in Vienna. Since 1993, he has been one of the first violins in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to playing with the State Opera Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr. Zalodek has been the concertmaster for various chamber orchestras (Wiener Schubert Ensemble, Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the Aix en Provence Festival) and led the Salonorchester Südtirol as „Stehgeiger“ as well as the Irish Chamber Orchestra for its Straußgala. Chamber music, performed with his own „Zalodek-Ensemble“, especially that of the classical modern 20th-century genre, and dancing music of the 19th century, particularly Lanner and the Strauss dynasty, are essential parts of his musical life, taking part in festivals all over the world, from the US to Japan. Mr. Zalodek plays the violin made by Iofredo Kappa, Saluzzo 1695.

Violinist Benjamin Morrison began learning the violin from age 4 with his father, David Morrison and Professor Stephen Larsen, before studying with the New Zealand Symphony’s Concertmaster, Vesa-Matti Leppanen. After many successes in New Zealand, including 1st prizes in all major National solo and Chamber music competitions, Concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra for 3 years, as well as an active solo career with orchestras such as the New Zealand Symphony, Benjamin moved to Austria to continue his studies with renowned professor Yair Kless at the Kunst University in Graz. It was there with Professor Kless that he completed his Master Studies in violin performance with the highest distinction, as well as Master Studies in Chamber music with Professor Chia Chou and Professor Stephan Görner. Since living in Austria, Benjamin has gained recognition as an artist, performing the standard violin repertoire, from Baroque works to contemporary compositions written especially for him. Benjamin has worked as a soloist and concertmaster with many internationally recognized conductors, as well as having received mentoring from professors such as Ana Chumachenko, Pinchas Zukerman, Schlomo Mintz and Liana Isakadse. Ben has toured the world performing as a soloist and chamber musician in many countries including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, the United States, Austria and Germany. In August 2010 Benjamin was one of 10 from 1,000 artists chosen to perform in the prestigious prize-winners’ concert of the Salzburg International Summer Academy in Mozarteum’s Great Hall, performing Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto to a full house. Benjamin has also gained recognition on the International Competition circuit, being a prize winner in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition (2011). He is a recipient of the “Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now!” scholarship, as well as receiving the Talent Scholarship in Graz, 2011. In 2014, Benjamin was awarded one of the highest awards from the city of Graz, the Dr. Karl Böhm Scholarship. in 2003, Benjamin released a solo album in New Zealand entitled Debut. In the crossover genre, Benjamin has performed alongside such artists as Haley Westernra, Cliff Richard, Rod Stewart and The little River Band. Benjamin takes on leading roles in chamber ensembles, such as the concertmaster position of chamber ensemble ‘Con fuoco’. His accomplishments can also be seen in Chamber music, where his piano Trio, the Morrison Trio, founded in 2009, were finalists in the International Schubert Competition and, in 2013, winners of the special prize at the 20th International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria. The trio won 1st prize at the ‘Martha Debelli’ Competition (2012) and 3rd Prize at the Austrian National Competition ‘Gradus ad Parnassum’ (2011). Their recording of Composer Hooshyar Khayam’s work for Piano Trio will be featured on an album alongside recordings by artists such as the Kronos Quartet. Since September 2014, Benjamin is employed full-time as a violinist of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic.

Sebastian Fuehrlinger was born into a musical family on April 8 in 1964. He studied at the Vienna University of Music and then continued with the viola with Prof. Hans Peter Ochsenhofer. When he was still a student he won the audition for a position with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / State Opera, where he started playing on February 1, 2012. As a member of this orchestra, he was happy to play under world-renowned conductors like Ricardo Muti, Zubin Metha and Mariss Jansons. Apart from his work as an orchestra musician he dedicated himself to chamber music. He has been playing with famous musicians like Christian Altenburger, Reinhard Latzko, Ernst Kovacic, Eszter Haffner and many more, with whom he took part in chamber music festivals in Austria and abroad.

Munich–born Eckart Schwarz-Schulz studied the cello at the music universities of Vienna and Frankfurt with Prof. Wolfgang Herzer and Antonio Meneses. His first position as an orchestra musician took him to Ireland in 1998, where he worked as the solo cellist of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. In 2004 he joined the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, in 2007 he became a member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist, he played with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. In June 2010 he played the Triple Concerto with the New York Interschool Orchestra in the Alice Tully Hall at New York´s Lincoln Center. He gave master classes at the Lisbon Metropolitan Academy in December 2006, in Dublin in 2008 and at the University of Taipeh in 2010. As a solo cellist of the Irish Film Orchestra, he played the solo in “The Tailor of Panama“ with Pierce Brosnan.