Pascal Salomon

Pianist Pascal Salomon, France

Pascal Salomon studied piano at the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris with Gabriel Tacchino. He has taken numerous master classes with pianists Vera Gornostaeva (professor at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow), György Sebök, Andras Schiff and Paul Badura-Skoda. He garnered the prize of virtuosity at the “Conservatoire National de Musique de Genève” from the Edson Elias class.

Pascal Salomon also studied choral conducting with Michel Corboz at the Conservatory of Music in Geneva and conducting with Konrad von Abel, a disciple of Sergiu Celibidace and continuator of his teachings, notably in phenemology.

Winner of the scholarship for young performers in 1993 from the “Société de Musique d’Yveron-les-Bains”, Pascal Salomon also received the prize of best French pianist in the Senigalia international contest in Italy as well as the honor diploma in the Maria Canals international contest in Barcelona in 1995.

Pascal has given many concerts (Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Israel) in both recitals and chamber music. He has also participated in orchestral productions playing the keyboard with the following orchestras: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Sinfonietta of Lausanne and Orchestra of Geneva’s conservatory. Pascal has given master classes in Romania (University of Art and College of Music of Iasi) and in Hungary (Summer Institute). Currently he is a professor of piano at the Music Conservatory of Geneva.

Mari Salli

Pianist Mari Salli, Finland

Mari Salli, a graduate of Finland Sibelius-Academy and Turku Conservatory, studied piano with professors Nijole Kasperaviciute (Russia), Markku Poyhonen and Marketta Kosonen (Finland). She has wide experience in performing as a solo pianist, chamber musician and symphony orchestra soloist. She has worked as a piano teacher in different countries teaching students of various ethnic backgrounds. She has also organized various music and culture exchange events in Finland, the U.S. and China.

Martin Berggren

Martin will soon graduate from Malmö music academy. He is studying jazz piano and has worked and works as a pianist, a piano and ensemble teacher, choir leader, conductor, arranger and he also composes music. He also has his own Big Band and has received the Malmö music academy scholarship 2008.

Belle James

Pianist Belle James, USA

Belle was born and raised in Malaysia Belle studied classical piano since the age of three. Her father is an opera tenor singer and owns a music school, and her mother is a pianist. Belle started accompanying since the age of 16 and began teaching at age 18. In 1986, Belle studied piano in London for a year under Anthony Lindsay of Trinity College and John Bigg of the Royal Academy of Music. In 1987, she toured twice as the pianist of the Continental Singers all over Europe and the United States.

In 1988, she received a full scholarship to study piano in the United States, and graduated in 1995 with a Bachelors of Music Degree in Piano Performance with Honors at Northern Arizona University.

Ever since then she has been an accompanist for choirs, singers, instrumentalist, ballets, and has taught for 20 years.