Jury Viola Competition

Irina von Bismarck was born in St.Petersburg, Russia. Her musical career began at the age of 6 when she started to play the violin and piano. She graduated from the St.Petersburg Conservatory under Prof. Alexei Ludewig (senior).

Wolfgang Klos was born in 1953 in Vienna, Austria. In 1977 he obtained his diploma with honor by unanimous decision together with the award of distinction from the Minister of Science at the then College of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. While in high school at the Theresianische Akademie, where he passed his A-Level in 1971, he studied simultaneously at the former Academy for Music and Performing Arts Vienna and Law at the University of Vienna. His repeated encounters with Ernst Krenek and Max Rostal, who was also his teacher, had a lasting influence on his artistic development. The winner of a great number of competitions combines the skills of a soloist and the competence for chamber music and orchestral performance with a strong engagement in pedagogic and socio-cultural tasks: 1975-77 member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, 1977-81 soloist for viola at the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, 1981 -89 soloist for viola with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra; 1977-89 Professor at the Provincial Conservatory of Vorarlberg; 1984-89 adjunct faculty, as of 1989 full professor for viola at the Music University of Vienna.

Considered as one of Israel's prominent string pedagogues, Violist Lilach Levanon raised a whole generation of Israeli violists, many of them won international competitions and awards (such as Tertis, Baden-Baden, Bled); performed as soloists and are members of Israel`s leading orchestras (Israel Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Israeli Opera/ Rishon LeZion Symphony Orchestra, among others).

Sheng Li is currently a Professor of Viola at Shanghai Conservatory of Music and advisor for Master’s degree pursuers, as well as the principal professor at Shanghai Conservatory of Music-Royal Academy of Music united college. Under the guidance of Professor Shen Xidi, he graduated from SCM with a master’s degree in Viola in 2002 and became a faculty member of his alma mater ever since. He is a young backbone teacher of SCM and one of the founders and members of the Quartet of the middle school affiliated with SCM.

British-Ukranian musician Maxim Rysanov studied conducting with Alan Hazeldine at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he also received his education as a violist. He also participated in masterclasses with Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Jorma Panula and most recently has been mentored by Oleg Caetani. Maximʼs conducting engagements have included the La Verdi Orchestra Milan, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Spanish Radio Orchestra (RTVE), Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Dala Sinfonietta, Danubia Symphony Budapest, London Mozart Players, Scottish Ensemble, Southbank Sinfonia, Riga Sinfonietta, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, I Musici Montreal, Detmold Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva (Moscow), Voronezh Youth Orchestra, Kiev Soloists, Częstochowa Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra Charts, Budapest Festival Academy Orchestra, Classic FM Orchestra (Bulgaria), Baltic Neopolis Chamber Orchestra, Georgian National Symphony Orchestra, Plovdiv Philharmonic, Sofia Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Sofia Philharmonic, Royal College of Music String Orchestra, Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, Badische Philharmonie, Vivaldi Orchestra Morbegno, Homecoming Festival Ensemble, Aurora Festival Orchestra, Dubrovnik Festival Ensemble, Utrecht Festival Ensemble and the Beijing Viola Competition Final.

Lars Anders Tomter is one of today's most outstanding violists. The Giant of the Nordic Viola (The Strad) was born at Hamar, Norway. He began to play the violin at the age of eight and also took up the viola. Both instruments he studied with Professor Leif Jørgensen at the Oslo Music Conservatory and the Norwegian State Academy. He then continued his studies with Professor Max Rostal and with Sándor Vegh. He was awarded a special prize for his interpretation of Bartók's Viola Concerto at the International Viola Competition in Budapest in 1984 and then went on to win the Maurice Vieux International Competition in Lille in 1986.

Alexander Zemtsov is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation and has achieved recognition as a soloist, conductor, chamber musician and teacher. Alexander Zemtsov held professorships at some of the finest conservatories in Europe: the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, the Vienna Konservatorium and current professor at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne and the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne. Many of his students are members of, often section leaders in, major orchestras around the world as well as frequent winners of international competitions.