Faculty/Artists
American composer John M. Kennedy produces
an eclectic group of work, ranging from mixed ensemble and solo pieces to multi-media works (which he refers to as his “things and gadgets” series) and a group of “Songbooks” inspired by Whitman. Recent performances of his work include the premiere of “From the Ground Up” by the Olympia Youth Orchestra in June 2011. His commissions include the Olympia Youth Orchestra, the Baldwin-Wallace College Wind Ensemble and the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra. Kennedy’s work has been featured in performances worldwide including his orchestral work “Portrait…” during the 1989 Salzburg Festival at the Mozarteum, and new music festivals in Kwang-ju, Korea, and Daegu, Korea. Early recognition for his work includes the Charles Ives Prize from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and a Young Composer Award from ASCAP. His work receives continuing recognition with grants from Meet the Composer, Inc., annual Standard Panel Awards from ASCAP since 1991 and Subito grants from the American Composers Forum, Los Angeles. Since 1994, Kennedy has been professor of music composition at California State University, Los Angeles, where he is director of the Pacific Contemporary Music Center.
Natalija Raithel (violin) completed studies
at the Lviv Academy of Music and Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory with Prof. Klimov and Prof. Kravchenko. She is a prizewinner in Allunionswettbewerb the Soviet Union in Tallinn and the national chamber music competition of Ukraine (1st prize). Mrs. Raithel led engagements as a soloist with “St. Martin – in – the Fields”, “I Virtuosi di Venezia”, as a member of Vienna Pro Arte Quartet, chamber orchestra “Concerto Grosso” at the Music Academy in Frankfurt, the Museum and Orchestra Heilbronn. In duo and trio, Natalija Raithel performed with pianist Pascal Gillot and David Gregorian on podiums of Spain and England. For many years, Mrs. Raithel’s play partner is the famous clarinetist Giora Feidman. With him and the Gershwin quartet she has conquered the stages of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Munich Prince Regent Theater and the Stadt Casino Basel. Mrs. Raithel has many years of teaching experience. Her students were accepted to German and international music institutions, many of them won prizes on competitions. Recently, Natalija Raithel is active in organization of the Symphony Orchestra of India and the Music Academy in Mumbai.
Pianist Giuliano Mazzoccante (Italy) is a Winner of national and 
international competitions – “M. Clementi” of Florence, “Agorà 80″ of Rome, the “F. Liszt” of Lucca, 40° piano competition “Arcangelo Speranza” of Taranto, Tbilisi International Piano Competition (WFIMC) are among them. He studied with legendary Russian pianist Lazar Berman and chamber music with the famous “Trio di Trieste”. He performed as soloist as well as chamber musician in Europe and Asia, being soloist with the Orchestra of “Internationale Sommer-Akademie Schloss Pommersfelden”, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and the Kiev Philarmonic Orchestra. He had numerous experiences as conductor of chorus and instrumental ensembles. M° Mazzoccante regularly takes part in juries of national and international competitions. In 2001 he gave a start to “S. Giovanni Teatino” piano competition and to “Chamber music festival” of Chieti, of which he is an Artistic Director. M° Mazzoccante has recorded for Radio of Bavaria, Radio Vaticana, DAD Records and Kamerata Tokyo. From 2007 he is artistic director of the Istititution “Scuola Civica Musicale Città di San Giovanni Teatino”.
An Italian flutist Rita D’Arcangelo recorded solos for radio and TV stations of Germany, Slovenia and Japan. She holds graduate and postgraduate degrees from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, the International Academy of Music in Milan and the Hochschule fur Musik in Mannheim. Ms. D’Arcangelo studied with Sandro Carbone, Raffaele Trevisani and Jean‐Michel Tanguy. She has won the 1st prizes at International Flute Competitions in Italy, Germany and the USA. Rita attended master classes with Sir James Galway in Italy and Switzerland and she got 1st prize at Weggis 2008 Galway’s masterclass and scholarship from the March Rich Foundation. Rita D’Arcangelo served as Principal Flute with orchestras in Italy, Germany and Japan, as guest Principal Flute with the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2011 she is Principal Flute at Gorzow Philharmonic Orchestra (Poland). Ms. D’Arcangelo gave master classes in Slovenia and Japan. She is a guest flute professor at the “Kansai International Music Academy‐KIMA” in Japan. Her CD featuring the Sonatas for flute and cembalo “Il Pastor Fido” by Chedeville-Vivaldi has been released in November 2010.
Halina Zhuk (cello, viola da gamba), born in L’viv, Ukraine was 
an intellectually gifted child and grew up with the instrument of her choice, the cello. After leaving school, she studied with professors E.Spitzer, Y.Lanyuk and I.Monigetti, won a number of prizes at international contests, made her PhD on the work of W.Barwinsky. She worked as lecturer at L’viv Lysenko Conservatory and extended her studies in Germany to the music of Baroque times with professor R.Bruggaier. Halina Zhuk has an extensive and longstanding international concert career. She performs as cello soloist with L’viv Virtuosos Chamber Orchestra and Staatsphilarmonieorchester. She is a participant at international music festivals: “Festival of Young Artists” (Bayreuth, Germany) “Forum of Youth” (Kiev, Ukraine), “Virtuoso” (Lviv, Ukraine), “Contrasts” (L’viv, Ukraine), “Organum” and “Bach Festival” (Sumy, Ukraine), “Early Music” (L’viv), “Maj z musykom dawnej” (Wroclaw, Poland).
Violinist Martin Tittor is a freelance soloist and teacher. Besides his 
extensive teaching activities he leads several ensembles. In numerous concert tours he appeared in the USA, in Israel, Mexico, and in Russia. He studied (among others) with Boris Goldstein, and he attended master classes with N. Milstein, H. Szeryng and V. Gradow.
Katja Avdeeva (piano) studied at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire in St. Petersburg before settling first in Neuenburg and then in Basel; in the latter city she continued her training and was awarded the soloist’s diploma with a distinction. Her teachers were the acclaimed professors Marina Wolf, Pavel Egorov, Marc Pantillon and Thomas Larcher. Fascination for contemporary music led Katja Avdeeva to work on several projects in this field – she has worked together with the composer Pierra Boulez, Heinz Holliger, Georges Rochberg, Otto Zikan and Igor Drukh. Sony BMG has produced her first recording: the Rachmaninov’s Etudes-Tableaux op.33 & 39. Katja Avdeeva has appeared in quite a few festivals and international competitions, in which she won several prizes. She has performed with orchestras like St. Petersburg’s Conservatorium’s Orchester, «Windkraft Tyrol» and the Basel Symphony Orchestra. Katja Avdeeva performs in many concert halls of Russia and Switzerland.
Volodymyr Baran (violin) read his Masters in Classical Music in Ukraine
and Switzerland. He studied under the auspices of Maître Tibor Varga, Prof. Victor Pikaizen, Christine Ragaz and Anne Bauer-Loerkens. Volodymyr is the winner of international music competitions in Rome and Toronto. He won scholarships from the “UWL” (USA) and “Rotary International” (Switzerland). Volodymyr attended courses with the acclaimed Prof. Igor Ozim, Vladimir Spivakov, Ivan Monighetti, Thomas Kakuska and Prof. Michael Tseitlin. He performed solos with symphony orchestras and chamber music formations in International Music Festivals in Europe, China and Canada. For four years Mr. Baran was appointed Assistant Concertmaster of the Zurich Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland) and taught violin and arts in Ukraine and Switzerland. Volodymyr Baran is Artistic Director of Malta International Music Competition, VFIMF International Music Master Classes and Violin & Friends International Music Festival (Malta).
Commotio (United Kingdom) is one of Oxford’s foremost chamber choirs, formed in August 1999 to provide a refreshing alternative to the more readily available repertoire offered by most other choral groups, performing primarily lesser known material of the 20th and 21st centuries. Matthew Berry, the founder and conductor of the choir, enthusiastically promotes the work of a younger generation of composers, as well as bringing to the fore little-known works of more established writers. In short, Commotio offers singers and audiences alike something a little different.
Maestro Matthew Berry, the conductor and joint-founder
of the Commotio choir, studied music at University College, Oxford, where he was Organ Scholar and then Assistant Organist. He has studied organ under David Sanger, David Goode and Ian Curror. After conducting The Oxford Chamber Choir for two years as a student, he founded Commotio in 1999. Having finished his degree he studied post-graduate choral direction with Patrick Russill for two years at the Royal Academy of Music in London. His expertise lies in the research and promotion of little-known contemporary choral repertoire, principally from Scandinavia, South Africa, the United States and Slovenia. In 12 years working with Commotio he has initiated many UK and World Premieres.
Elisa Kawaguti (violin) was born in Kitakyushu, Japan. 
She studied at the University of Music and Arts, Tokyo, with Hisaoki Ohno and Yoshio Unno, then at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with A.Gertler. Elisa Kawaguti is a laureate of several international competitions including Wieniawski Competition (Pl), Paganini Competition (It) and the Queen Elisabeth Competition (B). Elisa Kawaguti played solo and chamber music in Japan, Latin America, China and Europe. She was concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flandern from the period 1996 till 2000. In 1994 she grounded the Euro Nippon Music Festival, in which young musicians around the world are united. The Festival organised masterclasses in: Alden Biesen (Belgium), Kitakyushu (Japan) and Bordeaux (France). Elisa Kawaguti is professor of violin at the ‘Lemmensinstituut’, Leuven (Belgium) and first violin of the Spiegel String Quartet. She is regularly invited to give mastercourses around the world and as a juror to divers Japanese competitions and festivals. She forms a musical duos with Yves Storms (guitar) and Sayaka Seidel (piano). Elisa Kawaguti recorded several CD’s (Spiegel String Quartet, duo Kawaguti-Storms). Elisa Kawaguti is admired for her crystalline sound and her rich musical soul. As a teacher students praise her for her methodology based on physical awareness.
Anne Lofgren (oboe) received Diplomas from Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austia and the Conservatory of Vienna, Austria.
In Vienna, she was a member of the Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra, the First Women’s Chamber Orchestra of Austria and the orchestra of the United Theaters of Vienna. During studies in English at Columbia University, New York, she played with the American Chamber Opera and participated in the Bach Aria Festival of 1993. Before joining the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006, she was in the orchestras of Queretaro and Monterrey, Mexico.
Cellist Anja Inge studied with Mats Rondin and Stanimir Todorov at Malmö Academy of Music, Sweden, achieving a Master of Music. A member of De Villier Ensemble, Camilleri Ensemble and Berwald Ensemble, she has toured frequently in Great Britain and Scandinavia. As a soloist she performed Edward Elgar’s cello concerto with the Bergslagen Chamber Orchestra in 2007, and during 2008 she toured with the Kirseberg Chamber Choir, performing Olof Lindgren’s Concerto for cello and choir. During her studies she became a member of Lisa Torun Dance Company, performing as a dancing cellist in the piece ”See-Saw”. Later in 2009 she also played a role in the dance piece called ”Torskarna” directed by Lotta Garton in Stockholm. Anja is also a member of the cello pop band trio Provköket. They released their first album in Japan in December 2008. She was a member of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-2009). Currently she is freelancing and coaching young cellists in Stockholm, Sweden.
Rihard Verins (French horn) was born in Riga, Latvia. Since early
childhood one could observe his great interest and talent in music. He studied with professors Arvids Klisans, Gatis Evelons, Viesturs Vardaunis, Juris Knabe and earned a Masters in Music. Rihard Verins is the first prize winner of the International Horn Competition in Latvia 2004. He attended master classes with various internationally recognized professors from Finland, Sweden, USA and Germany. Mr. Verins has performed as a soloist and a chamber musician in various international music festivals in Latvia, Estonia, Sweden and Germany. Since 2010 Rihard Verins has been the Sub-principal horn of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
Yanika Borg (flute) started learning the flute at the age of seven with the Choral and Orchestral Society Maria Bambina. Later, she studied with Malta Philharmonic Orchestra Principal Flutist Rebecca Hall. Yanika received her ABRSM Diploma in Flute Performance in 2008. She has played with various chamber groups and orchestras, and has recently taken part in the production of ‘Noye’s Fludde’ by Benjamin Britten, held at the Manoel Theatre. She has also played with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Yanika is a member of the DegreePlus Wind Ensemble at the University of Malta, directed by Dr.Philip Ciantar.
