INTERNATIONAL JURY
Elodie VIGNON
On February 2024, Elodie Vignon will present her first concertant album, Songes. After three solo albums, she pursues studying the French aesthetic and its connections. Under the baton of the Belgian conductor Eric Lederhandler, she recorded with the Czech Virtuosi, for the label Cypres.
Vignon released her last solo album Dans l’air du soir in November 2021 (Franz Liszt: Sonnetti di Petrarca, Etudes de concert/ Isaac Albeniz: Spanish Suite), which was very much appreciated by the audience, as well as the critics. Jean-Yves Clément gave her 5 Diapasons, and the CD was a « Choice of the month » on the Belgian broadcast Musiq3 RTBF. It was also awarded by a « Joker absolu » by the magazine Crescendo. A few months later (Octobre 2022), Elodie Vignon published an album on the same label, with the French contralto Sarah Laulan. Together, they got invited at the Avignon Opera, and many festivals in France, Belgium and Switzerland.
After the release of her first Debussy album in March 2018, Elodie was awarded as part of Debussy Best Performers by the german Pianist Magazine. She performed her album program all over the globe: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, North Carolina, Florida, Christ Church Cathedral of Montreal, as well as the Steinway Hall of New York City.
During the year 2020, Elodie presented her second album D’ombres (Cypres) with a commission of Claude Ledoux, during the Flagey Piano Days Festival in Brussels. This concert came right after the Festival Propulse, hosted in Flagey too, where she played with the dancer and choreographer Nono Battesti their new show « Entre Temps ». Later this year, she was invited for the Festival du Hainaut in the Palais Des Beaux Arts de Charleroi, and was asked to make the last video of the Festivals de Wallonie 2.0.
As an artist in residence of the Bell’arte foundation for 12 years, created by Nelson Delle- Vigne Fabbri, Elodie Vignon enjoys an extending of her activity as a soloist and chamber music in both Europe and the USA. Mrs. Vignon has played as a soloist and under direction of such distinguished conductors such as Ramon Tebar or Philippe Entremont, and notably has performed both Frédéric Chopin’s Concerti for piano at the Palm Beach International Piano Festival.
After the classical studies in Lyon (Conservatoire Régional de Lyon), Vignon obtained a Gold Medal in 2001. She moved to Brussels to study with Daniel Blumenthal (Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels), where she obtained two Master degrees (piano and chamber music) with a special mention. Consequently, Elodie was invited by many music festivals through Europe.
She is also regularly invited as a guest teacher or jury member (Clichy-la Garenne Conservatory, Suzuki Workshop in Brussels, Dudelange Conservatory in Luxembourg, MusicA Braine in Belgium, Concours Andrée Charlier de Charleroi, International Piano Masterclass Festival of Manilla, BAK Middle School in Florida...).
Maria Grazia TANESE
Maria Grazia Tanese’s love for music reaches far back, to her childhood.
Growing up in a family with an opera lover father, she began to play the piano at the age of 12 and continued until her university years, when she focused on her legal studies, subsequently becoming a lawyer in the legal service of a major Italian telecommunications company. Later, she joined the European Parliament in 1995, where she has worked ever since.
Since 2009, after a brief, though ill-fated flirtation with cello lessons, Maria Grazia resumed the piano, initially taking lessons with Tomoko Honda.
In parallel with her job as an official of the European Parliament, Maria Grazia has developed a vast network in the world of classical music, through an active role as music lover and concert organiser.
Maria Grazia Tanese is the President of the non-profit association MGConcerts, active in Belgium since 2013.
MGConcerts has emerged as the most prestigious house concert organisation in Belgium.
These concerts au salon in a unique frame, and attended by authentically passionate music lovers, have attracted some of the foremost artists of our times (Mischa Maisky, Maria João Pires, Lorenzo Gatto, the Esmé Quartet, the Schumann Quartet, Jonathan Fournel, Philippe Graffin and many others).
In total, MGConcerts has held something in the order of 350 house concerts since its beginnings in 2013.
In addition, since 2021, MGConcerts has partnered the CPE Festival in the organisation of concerts in the prestigious music hall of the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM) in Brussels.
Since 2019, MGConcerts has also organised several concerts in the Cultural Centre of Woluwe-Saint Pierre, in Brussels.
In 2018, MGConcerts participated for the first time in the Premio Venezia national piano competition in Venice, offering a house concert in Brussels to the first prize each year, a relationship maintained ever since.
In 2019 MGConcerts inaugurated the highly-valued Yves Quitin Award, to recognise outstanding initiatives aimed at developing skills and motivation in young musicians. Prizewinners so far: the Chamber Academy of the Festival des Resonances in Belgium; the Chamber Lab, created by Boris Kuznesow in Montecastelli Pisano, Italy; and the Music Chain for Ukraine, created by Natacha Kudritskaya in Marseilles, France.
In the last four years, in her professional capacity, Maria Grazia has assumed responsibility for the organisation of the European Parliament’s festival of classical music which takes place throughout the summer in the “Citizen’s Garden”, the garden of the Wiertz Museum in Brussels, around 50 concerts, showcasing the talents of hundreds of leading professional musicians per year.
It is not an overestimation to say that Maria Grazia Tanese has become the most prolific concert organiser in Brussels, averaging about 120 concerts per year.
Elena SESELGYTE
Elena Seselgyte is Lithuanian pianist with an outstanding international career. She graduated Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music (BA and MA degrees). Then she was continuing her musical education in Vienna Music University. During her studies and especially after completing it, she began to have concerts worldwide- in Belgium, Austria, Poland, Italy, France, Lithuania, USA, Japan. She had trainings and masterclasses with Michel Beroff, Philippe Entremont, Jean-Philippe Collard, Jerome Lowenthal, Jura Margulis, Daniel Blumenthal, Robert Roux, Boaz Sharon,..
In 2021 she obtained the second prize from MAP-IMC Piano Competition in California, and in 2022- the second prize in King’s Peak Music Competition in USA. In 2022 Excellence Piano Awards in London she got the Honor Mention. In 2023 Elena got an Absolute Prize in International London Music Awards.
Dina NEDÉLTCHEVA
The bulgarian pianist Dina Nedéltcheva has given recitals in Bulgaria, Spain,Belgium, Austria, France, Germany and USA. She has performed at the Passau Festival “Young Classic Europe” (München), the Pau Casals Festival, the Deià International Music Festival, the Chopin Festival of Valldemossa, the Andratx Festival, the Rafael Orozco Piano Festival of Córdoba, the Music Festival of Puigpunyent, the Fesmon Festival (Valencia), the Costitx Music Festival, the Festival in Maria Christina Hall (Málaga) and the West Palm Beach Festival (Florida), among others.
Mrs Nedéltcheva has been awarded in more than 15 national and international
competitions, from which stand out 1st prize and prize for the best interpretation of Spanish music in the VII Piano Competition "Ciudad de la Línea" and 2nd prize in the Permanent Youth Music Competition of Spain and MozartCompetition (Salzburg).
Her musical career began at the age of four with the Professor Stela Oslekova in
Bulgaria. She finished her studies with Summa cum Laude in the Conservatory of Music of Badajoz under tutelage of Angel Sanzo, Ireneusz Jagla and Mariana Gurkova. She completed her studies at the Universität Mozarteum, Salzburg (University of Performing Arts in Salzburg) guided by the Professors Peter Lang and Pavel Gililov.
She has been invited by the Young National Orchestra of Spain (JONDE) to
participate in several chamber music concerts. Currently, she collaborates with the National Orchestra of Spain (ONE).
Mrs Nedéltcheva is an active soloist, chamber musician, and she is also involved in intense pedagogical work. In 2012, she founded Musicalen, a Music Academy, in Palma de Mallorca, where she is both director and piano teacher. Since 2014 she is also a piano professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid (RCSMM).
Arvindan THEKKADATH
Arvindan Thekkadath is a Franco-Canadian pianist. He was born in Ottawa, Canada. In 2011 he moved to Paris to study classical music at the École Normale de Musique de Paris with Professor Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri. After receiving the "Alfred Roussel" scholarship, continued on with Marian Rybicki in Paris and Daniel Blumenthal at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
He was highly encouraged by jury member Cyprian Katsaris to pursue a career in performance and pedagogy at the end of his final year in Paris. He currently holds four university diplomas, as well as being a "Professeur agrégé".
He is an Artist-in-Residence of the International Certificate for Piano Artists program of the Fondation Bell'Arte.
He receives continuous support from Jerome Lowenthal, Michel Beroff, Jura Margulis, Philippe Entremont, Jean-Philippe Collard, Bruno Rigutto, Euguen Indjic, Josep Colom, and other highly acclaimed pianists around the world.
He was received by Maria Joao Pires at her home in Portugal whereupon she expressed admiration for his control of colour, singing tone, and analysis.
He is invited to teach in masterclasses and to perform in festivals and concerts internationally, notably: La Salle Cortot, Zelazowa Wola and Chopin Institute in Poland, Museu da Musica in Lisbon, Festival Chopin in Mallorca, Brussels Conservatory Hall, Fondation Hellenique de Paris, the Home of Claude Debussy, Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy Hall, Palm Beach University, Scriabin Museum in Moscow, Sevilla Conservatory, and the Fondation Bell'Arte in Belgium.