Franco-American violinist Chloé Kiffer has received enthusiastic praise by The New York Times for her « pure and beautiful tone » and The Greenwich Sentinel for being « …a star in every sense: performance, exquisite technique and beauty ».

Performing solo and orchestra engagements throughout Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, and Asia, Kiffer has appeared at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Beethoven Hall in Bonn, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Hall, Tel Aviv Opera, and Beijing National Center. In October 2015, Kiffer made her Carnegie Hall debut performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in Stern Auditorium. Kiffer has collaborated with artists including Philippe Muller, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Timothy Eddy, the Emerson String Quartet, and pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine.

Kiffer is on the violin and chamber music faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, and was previously a violin professor at the University of North Texas. Her students have won prizes at national and international competitions. She is a sought-after guest teacher and faculty member for conservatories and festivals around the world—the Heifetz International Music Institute, Miami Music Festival, Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, Chamber Music International in Texas, MusicFest Perugia in Italy, Paris International Music Academy and MusicAlps in France.

Kiffer is a laureate of the Bleustein-Blanchet Foundation. She graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and earned postgraduate degrees from the Manhattan School of Music under Patinka Kopec and Pinchas Zukerman. Kiffer received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University. In 2019, she released an album of the Ravel violin sonatas on the Steinway & Sons label with pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine.

Chloé Kiffer performs on a violin that was made for her by luthier Samuel Zygmuntowicz (Brooklyn, NY, 2023).

Born in Russia, Evgenia Epshtein began her violin studies at the age of six and completed the High School for Gifted Musicians with Vladimir Milshtein. After emigrating to Israel in 1990 she studied with Arthur Zisserman, Yair Kless and Irena Svetlova at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music followed by Benzion Shamir at the Rotterdam Royal Academy, where she received her Master’s Degree. During her studies in Rotterdam she won several prizes and competitions and took part in the masterclasses of Isaac Stern, Henry Mayer and Zakhar Bron.

Evgenia Epshtein is a co-founder of the Aviv String Quartet which won the 3rd Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition and the Charles Hennen Music Competition amongst other top prizes. The Aviv Quartet was also proclaimed as the « Best young ensemble » by the Ministries of Culture of Germany and Israel (1999, 2000, 2003, 2008).

As a soloist she has performed with the Reconsil Sinfonietta in Vienna, the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra, theZagreb and  Zadar Chamber Orchestra, the Split Symphony Orchestra, the Bohemian Philharmonic, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Mexico –city chamber orchestra , Baku state chamber orchestra and  Camerata Chisinau in Moldova. She has given recitals in all major Israeli venues and radio broadcasts worldwide. She has also performed in festivals including the Estonian Baltic Festival, the Gotland Chamber Music Festival – Sweden, the Ursus Chamber Music Festival – Slovenia, the Ameropa festival – Prague, Czech Republic, the Chamber music box – London, UK and the Lunigiana International Music Festival – Italy.Osor classical evenings-Osor. Croatia, Soloist Academy –France, Montenegro. Olympus Musicus festival- Prague. Czech Republic.

As a violinist and chamber musician Evgenia frequently gives masterclasses, including the ISA International Summer Academy in Austria, the Prague Music Academy, the Shanghai Academy of Music in China, the Riga Academy of Music and Liepaja Music School in Latvia, the Sofia Academy of Music in Bulgaria, the Wroclaw Academy of Music and the Krakow Academy of Music in Poland , the University of Music and Performing arts Vienna and Arts University of the City of Vienna in Austria, the Trakai music center in Luthuania, Mexico- city universti-UNAM. Baku state cademy –Azerbajdgan.

Currently Evgenia Epshtein is working as an associated professor  at the Split Academy of Arts, professor of violin and chamber music as well as one of the leaders of Oxford Philharmonic orchestra. Founder of the ensemble of violinists KINOR.

“Béatrice Reibel is an exceptional cellist. Her lyricism and ability to transform any score into a powerful musical message make her one of France’s most promising musicians.”

This is how Philippe Muller described Béatrice Reibel-Petit, one of this generation’s most talented performers. Reibel-Petit was born in 1982. At 12 years of age, she was unanimously awarded two gold medals by the jury at the Lyon Conservatoire. She also won First Prizes in Lempdes, Nantes and Epernay. After winning the Royaume de la Musique competition, she performed as a soloist at the Radio France auditorium.

Reibel-Petit studied with Philippe Muller and Pierre-Laurent Aimard at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSM de Paris). She graduated in 2002 with prizes in cello and chamber music (first prize with the unanimous congratulations of the jury). She is a representative of France’s renowned cello school, but is also influenced by the American school (Janos Starker and Aldo Parisot) and the Russian school (studying with David Guéringas and Frans Helmerson). She completed the Concert Examination programme at Cologne’s Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, and has benefited from the teachings of Christophe Coin and Anner Bylsma. She has received support from the Natexis Groupe Banque Populaire, Cziffra, Zonta Clubs and Meyer foundations, as well as the Institut français. She has also won prizes at prestigious international competitions in Warsaw (2nd Prize, 2001), Larnaca (Special Prize, 2003), Belgrade (2nd Prize, 2005) and Helsinki (2nd Prize, 2007).

These international teachings allowed Reibel-Petit to develop a unique tone and musicality. Her instrument is a voice, which allows her to share her interpretations and express herself in many different styles. Her first CD for solo cello, Main Ouverte, combined music by Bach and work by contemporary composers such as Dutilleux, Benzecry and Maratka (she performed work by these composers and music by Karol Beffa, Yves Chauris and Piotr Moss). She also seeks to contrast formal music and popular traditions. With saxophonist Julien-David Petit, she recorded a Jewish-themed CD (Mosaïque, Integral Classic 2007) and developed Une Voix dans le désert, a performance that has toured Russia, from Moscow to Vladivostok. Building on these projects, she co-founded the KolorBach ensemble, combines Bach transcriptions, traditional music, improvisation and original compositions.

She has also recorded These three remain presenting an integral Brahms with pianist Delphine Bardin (Proclam’Art Productions, 2019).

Reibel-Petit has been invited to play at many festivals. She has appeared at Prades, the Rencontres Musicales de Haute-Provence, Aix-en-Provence, the Festival International des Graves, the Concerts Jeunes Solistes du Théâtre Mogador, the Auditorium du Louvre and the Festival Musique en Brionnais. She has performed alongside Jean-Guihen Queyras and François Salque under the conductor Pierre Boulez (at the Festival de Fontainebleau). She has played in Belgium, the United States, Canada, Germany, Sardinia, the Netherlands, Poland and Russia. She has played as a soloist with the Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, the Camerata Varsovia, the Filharmonia Poznańska, the Filharmonia Śląska of Katowice, the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

She has played several radio programmes for France Musique, Radio Classique and France Culture, with presenters Arièle Butaux, Gaëlle Le Gallic, Mitsou Carré, and Michel Schaeffer.

Reibel-Petit helped found Proclam’Art, a cultural centre in Clamart that hosts experimental artistic projects, a recording studio and music lessons.

www.beatricereibelpetit.com

Après de brillantes études au CNR de Nancy, elle rentre première nommée au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon et au CNSM de Paris à l’âge de 18 ans. Elle choisit celui de Paris et intègre la classe de P-Y Artaud. Elle y obtient 3 ans plus tard le 1er Prix de flûte à l’unanimité ainsi qu’un 1er Prix de musique de Chambre dans la classe de Ch. Ivaldi avec le Pierrot Lunaire de Schoenberg.

Soucieuse d’élargir la palette de ses influences et grace à une Bourse Lavoisier du gouvernement français, elle rejoint Michel Debost à Oberlin (USA) pour préparer l’Artist Diploma.
C’est en toute logique qu’elle se tourne alors vers l’enseignement: elle réintègre le CNSM de Paris en classe de pédagogie et obtient son Certificat d’Aptitude de professeur de flûte en 1995. La même année, à l’âge de 24 ans, elle gagne le concours de flûte solo de la Philharmonie de Lorraine à Metz, avant de remporter celui de Strasbourg en 1996.

Actuellement première flûte solo de l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg , elle est également professeur de flûte à l’Académie Supérieure de cette ville et prépare les élèves pour la licence et le master d’interprète.

Très active en musique de chambre, elle s’illustre dans différentes formations (Flûte et piano, flûte et harpe, flûte et percussions, flûte, trio à cordes et harpe, flûte et clavecin, flûte et cymbalum, flûte et chant, etc …) avec des partenaires prestigieux tels que P. Ibanez (guitare), F. Macarez (percussions), E. Deleplace, P-M. Vigneau ou E. Adler (Harpe), Ph. Barbey-Lallia (piano), Thomas Kentz (orgue) et ses partenaires de l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg…et joue régulièrement en soliste avec différents orchestres (Concerto de Jolivet, de Mozart, Galim de Dusapin, Suite en si de Bach, Concerti de Vivaldi, Concerto de Jacques Ibert …) et avec l’Ensemble Accroche-Note. Elle crée le Trio Nympheas avec Géraldine Casey (soprano colorature) et Jean-Baptiste Lhermelin autour d’un vaste répertoire du baroque au contemporain , partenaires avec lesquels elle a de nombreux projets …

Régulièrement invitée à siéger à différents jurys de concours (CNR, CNSM, DE, CA), elle est également sollicitée par des élèves de toutes nationalités pour les préparer à différents examens ou concours. Elle est aussi demandée pour des Master-class, notamment en Suisse, à Hong Kong, en Pologne, au Japon, en Chine, en Corée, au Montenegro, en Tchéquie, en Sardaigne, en Angleterre , aux USA , au Canada ,en Lettonie et en Bulgarie.
Dans cet esprit, elle a animé pendant plusieurs années une session aux Rencontres Musicales en Lorraine avant de créer en juillet 2005 son propre stage: ‘Flutissimo’ parrainé par Michel Debost.
En juillet 2011, elle a enseigné et joué aux Rencontres Musicales des Graves .
Durant l’été 2012, c’était au Stage International de Musique et de Danse en Lozère.
En août 2013, elle a enseigné à L’Académie de Sorak en Corée et en master-classes à Séoul.
Puis à Rouffach à l’Académie Musicalta en 2014 et la Vanderbildt music Academy à Aix en Provence. Elle enseigne tous les étés à l’Académie musicale de l’île de Groix puis fin août 2016 , également à l’Académie internationale d’été du Grand Paris.
En juillet 2018, elle enseignera aux Rencontres musicales en Lorraine et à Groix en août .

Elle a enregistré avec Ph. Barbey-Lallia un CD intitulé ‘Bluesy Prélude’, d’après les oeuvres de R. Guiot. En juin 2013 est sorti un second CD intitulé Aubade à la lune avec l’Ensemble Aeneas regroupant des pièces françaises des années 1920.
Elle a créé le spectacle musical pour enfants «La Flûte de la Salute» (www.laflutedelasalute.com) et le produit avec grand succès dans différentes structures et écoles avec la comédienne Delphine Kammerlocher sur un texte de Marie Malherbe.

• Concertist
• Musical Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Lyon
• Artistic Director, Major Cultural Projects, Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University
• Professor at the CRD of Nevers

Born in Bordeaux, he began his career as a pianist at the age of eight and became a laureate of several competitions at a very young age, including the International Competition of Arcachon and the one of the city of Paris. He then performed on many French stages, notably in the largest Parisian venues such as the Théâtre des Champs Elysées and the Salle Pleyel, as well as in the magnificent Grand-Théâtre de Bordeaux, a venue he is particularly fond of. Vincent is a graduate of the Bordeaux Conservatory and of the famous Siena Academy in Italy, “La Chiagiana”.

In 2003, he graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with a first prize in piano and chamber music after studying with Nicholas Angelich, Christian Ivaldi and Alain Meunier. He successfully started writing and conducting. In 2004, he moved to New York to study at the Juilliard School where he graduated with a Master degree in piano from Jerome Lowenthal.

He was invited by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for several concerts in the famous “Orpheum theater”, and was unanimously acclaimed by the press and the public. Vincent Balse received the city’s highest honor from the mayor for his involvement in the community. He then recorded his first solo album and performed throughout the United States.

For over ten years, his performances have taken him to the four corners of the world, with exceptional concerts in Soweto, Tel Aviv and Alaska… Recognized by his peers, he has recently performed with violinist Maxim Vengerov, the Fine Arts Quartet, Maestro Rostropovich and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

Passionate musician and brilliant teacher, Vincent teaches at the CNSM of Lyon and at the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3. For the past few years, he has been dividing his life between Paris, Lyon and New York, and has been exporting his art all over the world with an overflowing energy.

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LANGUAGES: Classes are given in French and English