Opettajat

Kammersänger and professor Tom Krause

In a career spanning over five decades, Tom Krause has appeared with most of the great singers and conductors of his generation and sung in the leading operas houses and concert halls in the world.

Because of his enormous experience in all the fields of classical music, (opera, oratorio, lied, etc) and his interest in passing on his legacy of great singing, Tom Krause is in great demand for master classes around the world and is highly regarded as a juror in the most important international singing competitions. He has frequently been head of the Jury or Jury Member at the most prestigious International Singing competitions such as Mobil Song Quest, Auckland; the Queen Sonjia International Singing Competition, Oslo; the Miriam Helin International Singing Competition, Helsinki; Queen Elizabeth Singing Competition, Brussels; the ARD Competition, Munich; the Tschaikowski Singing Competition, Moscow; International Competition of the Art of Lied, Stuttgart; the Singer of the World Competition, Cardiff; the Montreal International Singing Competition, Montreal, Canada; the Moniuszko Competition, Warsaw, etc.

Tom Krause regularly gives master classes at the Academy of Vocal Arts and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA; Mozarteum Summer Academy, Salzburg; Cnipal, Marseille; Villecroze Academie Musicale, France; Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, Brussels; Encuentro Musical, Santander; the Savonlinna Music Academy, Voksenåsen Summer Music Academy, Oslo; Kusatsu Music Festival, Kusatsu, Japan; etc. He has also given master classes at the San Francisco Opera, California; the Florida Grand Opera, Miami, Florida; Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Fifth International Congress of Voice Teachers, Helsinki; Kunitachi School of Music, Tokyo; the Nagoya School of Music, Nagoya, Poland, Portugal, etc.

Since 2002, Professor Krause chairs the Vocal Department at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sophia in Madrid.

In recognition of his brilliant artistic contribution to his native Finland, the Finnish State awarded Tom Krause with the Order of the Finnish Lion - the highest award for cultural personalities in Finland. He was also awarded the title of Doctor of Music, Honoris Causa by the University of Helsinki. Tom Krause has also holds the title Kammersaenger in Hamburg for his achievements there.

Tom Krause has appeared in many films, television shows, documentaries and can be heard on over 100 recordings, for which he has won many prizes.

The Düsseldorf-based”Orpheus Quartet’s concerts have inspired “The Strad” magazine to an admiring retrospective, concluding that “...one had to marvel at the Orpheus Quartet’s sense of timbre, at its unified view of the music and its ability to create both textural variety and impetus.” A truly international ensemble (Finnish, American, Dutch and Rumanian), the Orpheus Quartet won 1st prizes at every competition in which it participated: The Valentino Bucchi International Chamber Music Competition in Rome, in 1988; The Karl Klingler Competition in Munich, in 1990; and the first International Chamber Music Competition of Japan (Osaka), in 1993. As a result, it has received many invitations to perform across Europe, the United States, and Japan.

After its successful US debut in 1997, the quartet has given annual tours to great public acclaim. In the 2000/ 2001 season the Orpheus Quartet performed six times in London, including four times in Wigmore Hall, where it participated in the hall’s celebrated Schubert-weekend. The Orpheus Quartet has been touring with longtime friend Menahem Pressler in Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, the United States, and Canada. Other chamber music partners include pianists Homero Francesch, Pavel Gililov, Ralf Gothoni and Ulrich Koella and clarinettists José Luis Estelles and Sharon Kam. The Orpheus Quartet also spends a lot of time commissioning and playing contemporary music and looks to all possibilities for broadening the standard repertoire with interesting and sometimes forgotten compositions.

The Orpheus Quartet’s recordings have been greeted with international acclaim. In 1993 it was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque de L’Académie Charles Cros for its first recording, issued by the British label ASV, of the eight string quartets by G.F.Malipiero (a world premiere). They also received a Diapason d’Or in 1994 for their Channel Classics disc of the Schubert Quintet in C major with Pieter Wispelwey. To celebrate the release of the two Janácek quartets at Emergo Classics, the quartet gave two different concerts on the same day in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The next recording, dedicated to the chamber works of the great Dutch composer Tristan Keuris, who died all too soon in 1996, appeared in 2002 with Emergo Classics and was chosen as CD of the year by the Dutch book club. Most recently, the quartet has recorded a live-concert with 4 modern instruments built for this occasion by Wolfgang Kury & Caroline Krömmelbein after models of Amati; this will be released, in 2009 and includes music by Haydn, Sibelius and Beethoven.

The Orpheus Quartet also commissioned the great French bowmaker Stéphane Muller to build for the ensemble a quartet of bows; he responded with a beautiful set of bows themed on the four classical elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water), with which the quartet has performed since 2008. Since spring 2005 the Orpheus Quartet has been giving regular master classes at the “Liceo” in Barcelona, and has been invited to teach at the Conservatories of Zurich and San Sebastian, as well as at the Savonlinna Music Academy and Curs International de Musica in Cervera.

Kammersänger and professor Gabriele Fontana

When the austrian Soprano Gabriele Fontana marked her Debut at the Age of 21 as PAMINA in the Frankfurt Opera House under the baton of Michael Gielen, she already was a Member in the Opera Studio at the Vienna State Opera, and had won the Bachprize at the international Competition in Leipzig, and the R. Tauber Memorial Prize in London.
Her early Career continued when she became a member at the Hamburg State Opera, where she sang parts such as PAMINA, KONSTANZE, SOPHIE/Rosenkavalier and where she created the Role of SOPHIE SCHOLL in U. Zimmermann´s “Weisse Rose”.Sequently she was invited to the Bayrische Staatsoper Munich (CONTESSA/ROSALINDE),Vienna State Opera(PAMINA/SOPHIE/ZDENKA/ROSALINDE), Glyndebourne Festival(CONTESSA/FIORDILIGI), Proms(CONTESSA), Bregenz- Festival(PAMINA), Salzburg Festival and Mozartwoche, Festwochen Vienna, to various Festivals and Operahouses in Berlin, Dresden, Amsterdam, Prag, Israel, USA and Japan.

She has worked regularely with conductors as H.Blomstedt, P.Boulez, D.Barenboim, C.Davis, Ch.von Dohnanyi, B.Haitink, E.Leinsdorf, K.Mazur,Z.Mehta,W.Sawallisch, J.Tate, F.Welser-Möst u.a.
A wide Discography documents her artistic way, like “Schubert-Lieder”, Bach Cantatas, ZDENKA/Arabella and Rheingold for DECCA, ROSALINDE/Naxos, Moses ans Aron/DG, Lieder by H.Wolf/R.Strauss/Preiser and the first recording of all Songs by Clara Schumann. In 1998 she was awarded the title KAMMERSÄNGERIN of the Hannover State Opera.

Since 2003 she made such major Debuts as MARSCHALLIN/Staatsoper Berlin/Leipzig/ Dresden/ Taipeh , Arabella in Graz, MADELAINE/Capriccio at the Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam,Dresden and Edinburgh Festival, “Empress” in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, Chrysothemis in Amsterdam and Dresden, EVA and ELSA at  Deutsche Oper Berlin, Senta/Marseille,Sieglinde in Lyon, Maria Stuarda/Maria in Geneva, Euryanthe/Amsterdam/Edinburgh/Dresden, and Brussels, Ellen Orford in Geneva and over all- Fidelio in Lyon, Leipzig, Tokio, Moskau,St.Petersburg,Baden-Baden and Barceona. In 2006 she celebrated her debut as Gutrune (Götterdämmerung) in the new Ring production at Bayreuth with CH.Thielemann.

She has appeared in Recitals and Concerts in Japan, China, NewYork, Washington and Philadelphia (with W.Sawallisch),Manchester,Prag and Israel”4Last Songs” with Z.Mehta, Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome and Vienna Musikverein u.a.

From October 2007 on she teaches Lied and Oratorio at the Music University in Vienna.

Professor Hartmut Höll

Hartmut Höll's pianism is distinguished by an awareness of sound textures. He sensitively finds emotion at the heart of music, creating sonic atmospheres and bringing emotions to life. For over three decades, Höll has been in

demand as one of the music world’s most esteemed chamber musicians and lieder accompanists. Focusing on a few choice musical partners of magisterial talent, Höll has consciously cultivated a rare consistency – and longevity – in performance collaborations in hundreds of concerts and over 70 recordings, many of which have received international awards.

Between 1982 and 1990, Hartmut Höll performed as the legendary baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s titular accompanist, in hundreds of concerts and many recordings both live and in the studio. Höll and Fischer-Dieskau were applauded in concert at the Salzburg, Edinburgh, Florence, Munich, and Berlin Festivals as well as New York’s Carnegie Hall. For over 30 years, Höll has performed lieder concerts all over the world with the distinguished Japanese-German mezzo-soprano Mitsuko Shirai. The recordings by Höll and Shirai on the Capriccio label have won multiple prizes, and are considered among the most significant modern recordings of the lieder repertoire.

Among the many career honors and distinctions awarded to Höll and Shirai are the Carte blanche series at the Louvre Auditorium, Paris in 1993 and the ABC International Music Award in 1997. Shirai and Höll’s “European Lieder Book” CD of 20th century compositions, was named one of the best CDs of 2003 by “The Boston Globe’s” veteran critic Richard Dyer.

Since 2001, Höll has accompanied the famed American soprano Renée Fleming in tours through Europe, Asia, and the USA. He has also performed with counter-tenor Jochen Kowalski; tenor Christoph Prégardien; the late baritone Hermann Prey; the British baritone David Wilson-Johnson; the Polish contralto Jadwiga Rappé; the German tenor Peter Schreier; the Polish soprano Urszula Kryger; and the German baritones Roman Trekel and Konrad Jarnot.

Since 1985, Hartmut Höll has performed chamber music with the violist Tabea Zimmermann throughout Europe, Israel, and the United States. Mutual recordings included Schumann, Brahms, Schostakovitch and Britten.

In 1990, Hartmut Höll received the much-coveted Robert Schumann Award by the City of Zwickau. He has been named an honorary member of the Robert Schumann Society of Zwickau and the St. Petersburg Philharmonia Society.

Previously a full professor at the conservatories of Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany, Hartmut Höll currently teaches at the Karlsruhe Conservatory, where he maintains a close connection to the younger generation of performers. He has given seminars and master classes in Finland; the Weimar International Music Seminar; the Schleswig Holstein Festival; the Salzburg Mozarteum; in Jerusalem; and the USA. In 1998-99 Höll served as visiting professor at the Helsinki Conservatory and at the Salzburg Mozarteum between 1994 and 2003. Starting in autumn 2004, he is visiting professor of lieder at the Zurich Conservatory. Since October 2007 Hartmut Höll is dean of the University of Music Karlsruhe.

As juror or chairman of the jury, Hartmut Höll has served at the Robert Schumann Contest, Zwickau; the Naumburg Competition, New York; and the International ARD Music Contest, Munich.

1985 – 2007 Hartmut Höll was the longtime artistic director of the International Hugo Wolf Academy of Song, Poetry, and Lieder in Stuttgart. The many festivals presented by the Wolf Academy have repeatedly drawn international praise. They include programs devoted to “Eduard Mörike” (1988); “Deutschlande” (1990); “Europa im Aufbruch – Menschen/ Metropolen/ Wanderungen” (1992/93, under the auspices of European Minister Simone Veil); a complete cycle of Schubert's works as grouped into 108 categories by Schubert himself (1997); “Naturlaut / Menschenlaut” (with a salute to Weimar, 1998’s European Cultural Capital); and “Donaureise” (2002), a musical, literary, and cinematic trip along the Danube river; this “Donaureise” project attracted special attention and drew invitations to Lincoln Center, New York and the Louvre Auditorium, Paris. In 2001, Höll organized and launched the “International Lieder-Art Contest Stuttgart,” a much-respected competition based on essential criteria of musical expression.

“… the outstanding Hartmut Höll. The way Höll perfectly adapts himself to the
tones of the most variable compositions, capable of maintaining the musical line
even during the slowest passages, is absolutely riveting. His heartfelt pauses
each made a musical point, and his ambition to take artistic risks should
encourage every other musician.”
DER TAGESSPIEGEL Berlin, 2003.

"Hartmut Holl, one of Europe’s most distinguished pianists and accompanists of
classical song..." -- WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE, January 2005

Mark Gothoni

Violinist Mark Gothoni began his musical training at the age of six at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and subsequently became a pupil of Ana Chumachenco in Munich. He received further guidance from Shmuel Ashkenasi in Chicago and Sandor Vegh in Salzburg. A major prizewinner at international competitions, including the Johannes Brahms Violin Competition in Hamburg in 1990, Gothoni was honored in 1991 as “Debut-of-the-Year” at the Jyväskylä Arts Festival in Finland. Since then he has performed as a soloist and as chamber musician around the globe, including major festivals in Europe, Israel, the United States, and the Far East and concert halls like the Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Lincoln Center New York and Casals Hall Tokyo.

He served as concertmaster of the Zurich and Munich Chamber Orchestras amongst others and in 2004-08 he was the musical director of the European Union Chamber Orchestra. Since 2004 he is the first violinist of the Orpheus Quartet and member of the Mozart Piano Quartet, with whom he is recording exclusively for the German label MDG. Gothoni is also a composer, and his music has been performed in Europe and Japan.

He taught violin at McGill University in Montreal and besides giving master classes all over the world he is now member of the violin faculty at the Berlin University of Arts. In 1998-2011 he was the artistic director of the "Festivo" music festival in Rauma, Finland and since 2011 he is head of the Savonlinna Chamber Music Academy. Mark Gothoni has been actively involved in several projects that bring chamber music to youth prisons. He is playing on a Premysl Otakar Spidlen violin, dated 1957.

Opera director Eija Tolpo

Eija Tolpo has a wide experience of TV work as a director, producer, coach and dramaturge. She has also directed operas for 15 years. Eija Tolpo has worked for the Savonlinna Music Academy since 1996. She is a member of the Artistic Board and responsible for the opera training of young international opera singers. Together with baritone Tom Krause, she has been teaching in the Music Academy’s master classes in Savonlinna, Finland as well as in Cairo, Egypt and in Ankara, Turkey. She is also an executive coach in communication of the top leadership of Finnish economy, politics and society.

Eija Tolpo has widely studied drama, expression and communication in Helsinki and at the University of Tampere. At the end of 1980’s, she continued expression and drama studies in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1990–1992, she finalized her studies in opera directorship at Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria.

In 1978–1992, Eija Tolpo has been a TV-director and couch at the Finnish Broadcasting Company. Since 1992, she has worked as a freelancer among others for the Finnish Commercial TV Channel MTV3. Since 1996, she has been a dramaturge for MTV3 in all the national Parliament elections and the elections for the Finnish Presidency. Since 1996, she has been coaching the news’ anchors of both the Finnish Broadcasting Company and MTV3. She has also act as an adviser and coach for Swedish TV and Estonian TV.

Eija Tolpo has been an assistant director at Vienna Staatsopern, Stockholm Opera, Cologne Opera, Schwetzinger Festival and Savonlinna Opera Festival.

Her own opera productions are such as TV Opera Hund by Gothoni (1995), Opera Sudenmorsian (Wolf’s Bride) by Pylkkänen (1996–97), TV Production of Winterreise by Schubert (Baritone Tom Krause, 1997), Opera Night: A Collection of Operas (1997), Stage Production: Boundless Eros by Motaleff (1997), Carmen by Bizet (1999), The Cunning Little Vixen by Janacek (1999), Rigoletto by Verdi (2001), Cosí van Tutte by Mozart (2003)  and Curlew River by Britten (2006). She has also directed and dramatized many concerts such as Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch.

Currently, Eija Tolpo prepares for directing the Opera Prodigal Son by Britten which is in the program of the Naantali Music Festival in June 2009.