Biography

TAN Xiaotang

TAN Xiaotang was born in Beijing, China in 1979. He started piano at five and was placed first at the Chinese Hope Cup Piano Competition at the age of twelve. Having scored the highest of all applicants, he entered the piano department of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China in 1998. There he studied under Professor Yang Jun who himself is a famous pianist and teacher. TAN Xiaotang was awarded a number of scholarships while studying at the Central Conservatory of Music and was also highly regarded in numerous piano competitions and concerts. After graduating at the top of the class in 2002, TAN Xiaotang went on to graduate school at the Central Conservatory of Music by special recommendation. In the same year, he won 1st place in the Golden Bell Award Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions in China. In 2003, he enrolled in Hochschule des Saarlandes für Musik und Theater in Germany to pursue his dream to become a successful pianist and has been studying under Professor Thomas Duis since then. He has also had the good fortune of being tutored by Mr. Ugorski and Mr. Fou Tsong, both of whom are prominent pianists. He has had a busy schedule, performing with various orchestras both in China and in various other countries, specifically in France, Germany and Poland. He is highly appraised for his outstanding techniques and his magnificent expressive performances by critics and audiences alike. Most recently, he won first place in the piano section at the 2nd Sendai International Music Competition held in June, 2004.

Maxim BRILINSKY

Maxim BRILINSKY was born in Lviv, Ukraine in 1985. He started to study violin at the Music School in Lviv in 1991, and then studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna under Prof. M. Frischenschlager from 1999 until 2004. He also took master classes of famous violinists such as Erich Gruenberg and Vladimir Spivakov. Since 2004 he has been studying under Jean-Jacques Kantorow at the Conservatoire National Superieur in Paris.

Maxim BRILINSKY won 4th prize at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition (France), 2nd prize at the International Violin Competition "Premio Paganini" (Italy) in 2002, 2nd prize at the 2nd Sendai International Music Competition and 2nd prize at the Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition (London) in 2004. He has been actively performing as a soloist and chamber musician at concerts held in various countries such as Austria, Ukraine, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and Japan. In August 2004 he performed Brahms Violin Concerto at the Barbican in London with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis.

HARADA Tetsuo

HARADA Tetsuo was born in 1970 and studied at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. He won the Incentive prize at the Tateshina Kogen Music Festival in 1990 when he was in school. After graduation, he attended the music department of The University of Mainz, Germany for 2 years from 1994 to 1996. He studied under MORIKAWA Junichi, KIGOSHI Yo, Julius BERGER and IWASAKI Ko.

In 1997, after receiving a scholarship from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, USA, he enrolled in the Artist Certificate course of the graduate school of the university. In the summer of the same year, he was chosen as a member of the "Cello Ensemble Saito" which had concerts in Japan, Helsinki, and the World Cello Congress held in St. Petersburg.

HARADA Tetsuo has been the first cellist of the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra since 1999, occasionally performing as a soloist at the orchestra's subscription concerts. He has also been a member of the Sereno String Quartet which consists of four Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra members since January, 2003. The Sereno was awarded a subsidy by the Matsuo Foundation and the "Midori no Kaze Music Prize" at the Haramura Chamber Music Seminar.

He was the third prizewinner of the fourth Vivahall Cello Competition. He performed at the seventh and eighth Miyazaki International Music Festivals and the 2004 Saito Kinen Festival.