Soloists and Duos from Frisson
Available for performances and master classes
Schwarz & Bournaki, cello & piano duo
Cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Marika Bournaki met as students at the Aspen Music Festival in 2006. Over the subsequent years they reconnected at the Verbier festival in Switzerland, and as students at the Juilliard School in New York City. They began their musical collaboration in 2014 and made their debut together in recital at the Austrian Embassy in Washington DC for the Embassy Series.
In November, 2016 the duo won 1st prize in the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s inaugural “The Art of Duo” from an applicant pool of over 150. During the 17-18 season they will present 1st prizewinner recitals at the Boulder Bach Festival, as well as debuts at the University Club (NYC), Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (VA), Musical Club of Hartford (CT), Bravo Niagara! Festival (ON), the complete Bach Gamba Sonatas at Bargemusic (NYC), and a Stutchevsky retrospective at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (NYC).
In March 2017 the duo embarked on a 10-recital tour of China, including the grand-opening performance at the new concert hall in Qianjiang. Past engagements include recitals at the National Arts Club (NYC), Bargemusic (Brooklyn, NYC), Thurnauer School of Music (Tenafly, NJ), University of North Carolina Greensboro (Eastern Music Festival), Danbury Music Center (CT), Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival (MA), Rosenegg Castle (Steyr, Austria), Paul Hall at The Juilliard School, Hammond Chamber Music Series (Boston, MA), Peninsula College (Port Angeles, WA), Second City Chamber Series (Tacoma, WA), Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (Nova Scotia, Canada), and an appearance on the prizewinners program at the Mozarteum, Salzburg.
Suliman Tekalli, violinist
Violinist Suliman Tekalli has established his voice as an exciting and versatile concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. As the top-prize winner of the Seoul International Music Competition and prize winner in the Sendai International Music Competition, International Violin Competition "Rudolfo Lipizer Prize" and the Henryk Szeryng International Competition, Suliman has performed throughout the US, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia, appearing on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Wigmore Hall, and the Kennedy Center among others. His performances have been broadcasted on KBS World TV in Korea, CBC Radio 3 in Canada, and WQXR and NPR in the US.
An exponent of chamber music, Suliman has made appearances at numerous festivals, including Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, and the Banff Centre. He has collaborated and performed with eminent musicians suchs as Gil Shaham, Miriam Fried, Cho-Liang-Lin, Donald Weilerstein, Paul Watkins, Wu Han, David Shifrin, and Robert McDonald. Mr. Tekalli has also served as concertmaster of numerous critically acclaimed conductorless ensembles including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Sphinx Virtuosi, and the International Sejong Soloists, the latter of which he is currently a principal member.
As a composer, arranger, and performer, Suliman has transcribed and orchestrated classical and contemporary works for groups such as the grammy award winning Catalyst String Quartet, Carnegie Hall''s Ensemble Connect, and Sejong. In 2013, he gave the world premiere of his composition "Mephistoccata" from his solo violin suite Fables at the Montreal International Music Competition, receiving the Maurice and Judith Kaplow Prize for Uncommon Creativity from the Cleveland Institute of Music that same year.
Sam Suggs, bassist