Violin Competition

Over the past twenty five years, Alan Chircop conducted over thirty-five international orchestras in various theatres, concert halls and festivals in twenty different countries.

Apart from the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall and Westminster Central Hall in London; the London Concert Orchestra at the London Coliseum – English National Opera; the Sofia Philharmonic – National Orchestra of Bulgaria; the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia; the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan; the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Macedonia; the Cukurova State Symphony Orchestra of Turkey; the State Philharmonic Orchestras of Astana and Almaty, the Orchestra ‘Academy of Soloists’ and the Pavlodar Symphony Orchestra of Kazakhstan; the Symphonic Orchestra of the State National Theatre of Kyrgyzstan; the Karelian State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tavrichesky Orchestra of Leningrad Region - St. Petersburg, the Kuban Symphony Orchestra, the Kislovodsk - Mineralnye Vody State Symphony Orchestra, the Altai Krai State Philharomonic, the Sochi Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow Youth Symphony Orchestra in Russia; L’Orchestra Citta’ di Ravenna and L’Orchestra Sinfonica Duchi d’Acquaviva in Italy; the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra; the Leopoli State Symphony Orchestra and the Kiev Virtuosi of Ukraine; L' Orchestre Lyrique de Région Avignon-Provence in France; the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra in Czech Republic; the Mihail Jora Philharmonic of Bacau in Romania; the Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria; the Westsächsische Philharmonie and the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Symphony Orchestra Leipzig in Germany; the Camerata con Cor(d)e of Belgium and various chamber concerts in Croatia and United Arab Emirates among others.

Francesco De Angelis is both leader and soloist of the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala and Filarmonica della Scala. He is internationally acclaimed as one of the major talented musician by critics and public alike. The peculiarity of his performances is an unmistakable romantic sound blended with the Bel canto style and with the rigour of the middle-European instrumental tradition.

He began studying violin at the age of six with Giovanni Leone, descendant of the renowned school of Pablo Sarasate. Aged eleven he participated in a prominent Italian musical event, the "Rassegna Giovani Violinisti" Città di Vittorio Veneto, winning first prize (in 1982, and in successive years 1984 and 1985).

Following the suggestion of the soloist Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Francesco De Angelis further pursued his studies with Maestro Tibor Varga at the "Académie de Musique Tibor Varga" in Sion (Switzerland).

Aged 19, he gained the position of co-leader of Teatro alla Scala Orchestra. In 1993 he was unanimously awarded first prize at the 21st Concorso Nazionale di Violino, Città di Vittorio Veneto. In 1995, he auditioned successfully for the position of leader at Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

In 1998, participating in an international competition, he was chosen by Riccardo Muti as Konzertmeister for both the Opera Orchestra and Filarmonica della Scala.
Francesco De Angelis has collaborated with the greatest conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Gary Bertini, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Myung-Whun Chung, Colin Davis, Rafael Friihbeck de Burgos, Charles Dutoit, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Valery Gergiev, Carlo Maria Giulini, Paavo Jarvi, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Kirill Petrenko,Georges Pretre, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Georg Solti, Jeffrey Tate, Yuri Temirkanov and John Williams.

Under Riccardo Muti's baton, he participated in the peace-fostering project "Vie dell'Amicizia" promoted by the Ravenna Festival in Sarajevo (1997), Beirut (1998), Jerusalem (1999), Ground Zero in New York, (on the anniversary of the collapse of the Twin Towers 2002) and Damascus (2004).

With a dynamic career that bridges performance and pedagogy, Zohrab Tadevosyan stands as a beacon of musical artistry and dedication. His exceptional journey is marked by collaborations with some of the greatest talents of our time and a passionate commitment to shaping the next generation of violinists. 

• Assistant to the Legendary Prof. Ana Chumachenco
  A rare honor, this role allowed Tadevosyan to work closely with one of the world’s foremost violin pedagogues for more than a decade , honing his insight and depth as both a performer and educator.
• Visiting Professor at Leopold Mozart University, Augsburg
  Since October 2024, Tadevosyan has shared his extensive expertise with students, infusing his classes with a blend of tradition and innovation.
• Chair of the Jury, 2024 International Aram Khachaturian Violin Competition
  Leading this prestigious competition, Tadevosyan continues to set standards of excellence and inspire young musicians from around the world.
• Professor at Reina Sofía School of Music, Madrid (2010-2020)
  For a decade, Tadevosyan taught alongside Ana Chumachenco, developing an acclaimed violin program that focused on pedagogical mastery and interpretative depth.
• Frequent Invited Artist at European Festivals and Masterclasses
  Regularly featured at top music academies, including the Swiss International Music Academy and the Mozarteum International Summer Academy, Tadevosyan brings his unique style and vision to students across Europe.
• Guest Violinist at Santander Music Festival
  His evocative performances at one of Spain’s most prestigious festivals have captivated audiences and earned him widespread acclaim.
• International Educator in Japan
  With a dedication to cross-cultural exchange, Tadevosyan offers masterclasses in Japan, nurturing talent and inspiring students far beyond Europe.
• Renowned Jury Member at Leading Violin Competitions
  Tadevosyan’s expertise is sought after worldwide, serving on juries for elite competitions, such as:
• 2019 International Louis Spohr Violin Competition (Weimar)
• 2020 Aram Khachaturian International Violin Competition (Yerevan)
• 2021 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition (Hanover)
• Global Masterclass Leader and Influential Musical Figure

Known for his charismatic teaching style and profound knowledge, Tadevosyan continues to inspire through masterclasses worldwide, fostering the growth of aspiring artists and shaping the future of classical music.

Karen Shahgaldyan is one of the most brilliant musicians of modern Russia. Laureat of Pablo Sarasate International Competition. He finished the Moscow State Conservatory at the class of Professor Victor Tretiakov and the Graduate School of the Moscow State Conservatory into the class of Professor M. Glezarova. Karen attended master-classes of Yehudi Menuhin, Vladimir Spivakov, Grigorii Zhislin, Evgeniia Chugaeva. For several years Karen performed in the orchestra "Virtuosos of Moscow" under the direction of Vladimir Spivakov. He performed at such halls as Carnegie Hall, New York, Bolshoy Hall, Moscow, Royal Festival Hall, London, Musikverein, Wien, Laeizhalle, Hamburg, Purcell Room, London, Koerner Hall, Toronto, Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Opera City Hall, Tokyo and others. He visited with concerts more than 200 cities in such countries, as USA, China, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Austria, Australia, Sweden, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, Latvia, Lietuva, Estonia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Georgia, Kuwait, Moldova, Russia and Armenia.
From 2006 violinist of Khachaturian trio.

Pavel Vernikov, a student of David Oistrach and S. Snitkowsky, gained a reputation as virtuoso violinist more than twenty years ago. Among other prizes he won the International ARD Violin Competition in Munich and the Grand Prix at the International Violin Competition “Vittorio Gui” in Florence. He has appeared at such prestigious venues as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, La Salle Gaveau in Paris, La Scala in Milan and Santa Cecilia in Rome.

For the last 30 years he has been a member of the Tchaikovsky Trio.

His artistic partners have included Sviatoslav Richter, James Galway, Alain Meunier, Patrick Gallois, Maria Tipo, Natalia Gutman, Oleg Kagan, Yuri Bashmet, Elisso Virsaladze, Christian Zimmermann and Anthony Pay. He inaugurated the Russian Academy of Higher Learning in Portogruaro and was the Artistic Director of the Gubbio Music Festival, the Dubrovnik Chamber Music Festival and the Eilat Chamber Music Festival.