6th Edition 2015

Sergey Simakov is one of the most distinguished Russian conductors of his generation. In 2015, he was awarded the 1st prize at the International Conducting Competition Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest. He also worked as Assistant Conductor for the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Daniel Raiskin and the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz (Season 2012-2013). In 2016, Sergey Simakov worked as Music Director and Conductor at the „Oper Oder-Spree“ festival in a production of Händel’s „Orlando“ and conducted concerts during the Bucharest Music Film Festival. Sergey Simakov is founder and Artistic Director of „Giraud Ensemble Zurich“.

He conducted concerts with the following orchestras and ensembles: Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Nord Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philarmonique de Strasbourg, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Brandenburgischen Staatsorchester Frankfurt, Neubrandenburger Philharmonie, Württembergischen Philharmonie Reutlingen, Musikalische Komödie Leipzig, George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra Bukarest, Ensemble Resonanz Hamburg and others. Since 2012 Sergey Simakov has been scholarship holder of the German „Dirigentenforum“.

Kazuki Wada is an exceptional young conductor from Japan. In 2015 he won the Second Prize at the International Conducting Competition Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest. Born in 1981, he is presently studying under the guidance of Maestro Daisuke Soga at the Tokyo New City Orchestra. In 2013, he was appointed as the primary conductor of the Toshima-ku Orchestra, and in the same year he conducted over 10 concerts, the most prestigious of them being with the Japanese Traditional Instrumental Orchestra “KOU”. Kazuki’s academic achievements play an important role in his professional development. In 2004 he received a Bachelor Degree in Music Composition from the Shobi University, where he studied under Prof. Koichi Sakata. He continued his studies under the guidance of Professors Koichi Sakata (composition) and Ikuo Saito (conductor). He participated in numerous courses and masterclasses with distinguished academic figures such as Ken-ichiro Kobayashi, Tadaaki Otaka (Primary Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra), Moshe Atzmon (Honorary Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra), Michiyoshi Inoue, Jun-ichi Hirokami, Yasuhiko Shiozawa and Daisuke Soga. In 2010 he received a Bachelor of Music in orchestra conducting at the Tokyo College of Music and in the same year he was appointed as the primary conductor at the Mitsui-Sumitomo Insurance Orchestra, Sagamihara Philharmonic Orchestra and Arte Chamber Orchestra.

In 2015, the same year he participated in the competition, he conducted over 20 concerts, among which were the concert at Suntory Hall with Hitomi Niikura and the Mitsui-Sumitomo Insurance Orchestra and at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater.

June-Sung Park was born in 1982 in Seoul, South Korea. He is the first prize winner of the Aram Khachaturian International Conducting Competition 2016 in Yerevan, Armenia. In this competition, June-Sung Park also won the three special prizes, “Orchestra Award” that went to who gained a majority of votes of musicians in the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, “The interpretation Prize”, “Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra Special Prize”.

In 2015, June-Sung Park won the third prize at the 6th International Conducting Competition Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest. In 2015 he participated in Paavo Järvi’s Masterclass at the Pärnu Music Festival 2015 and his performance in the Masterclass’s Gala Concert was described as “outstanding” in the english arts journal “The Arts Desk”. In 2013 he was selected as one of 6 young conductors for Myung-Whun Chung’s Masterclass with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He has taken part several times in South Korea’s Incheon Music Festival, continuing his studies there under Myung-Whun Chung.

In 2016 he assisted Julien Salemkour in a production of Ludwig van Beethoven “Fidelio” with Expat Philharmonic Orchestra and in recording R.Wagner Tristan & Isolde with R.Wagner Tristan & Isolde in Germany. He was also Assistant Conductor of Daegu International Opera Festival 2014 in South Korea. He assisted David Cowan and Klaus Sallmann on the projects of Georges Bizet “Les pêcheurs de perles” and Giacomo Puccini “Turandot”. Plans for 2016/17 seasons include engagements with Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra as guest conductor in October in Lithuania and with State Youth Orchestra of Armenia as guest conductor in Armenia. He will conduct Gwangju Symphony Orchestra in December in South Korea.

He was invited among 14 conductors (out of 400 applicants worldwide) to participate in the renowned Mahler Conducting Competition with the Bamberg Symphony. He won Second Prize in the 11th International Cadaqués Conducting Competition where he conducted the Cadaqués Symphony in an internationally televised concert in L’Auditori Hall, Barcelona.

He studied with David Zinman at the 2016 Tonhalle Orchestra Masterclass, with the late Kurt Masur at the 2015 Manhattan School of Music Conducting Seminar, and was selected for two consecutive years as one of seven conductors from around the world to study with Bernard Haitink at the 2013 and 2014 Lucerne Easter Festivals. Vizireanu was one of the last students of the late Lorin Maazel under full fellowship at the 2014 Castleton Festival. He also received the prestigious 2013 Chautauqua Conducting Fellowship in New York.

In Fall 2013 he was invited to debut at the renowned George Enescu Festival in Bucharest where he conducted a side-by-side concert with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Royal Camerata. He conducted the Royal Camerata again in the 2015 edition of the George Enescu Festival with sololist Rebekka Hartmann. He has since made his debuts with the Iasi Philharmonic, Sibiu Philharmonic, Constanta Symphony, Translyvania Philharmonic, and New Valley Symphony.

An ardent advocate of new music, Vizireanu has showcased new compositions with the Castleton Festival Orchestra, Cadaqués Symphony, and Hebrides New Music Ensemble. Some new works he has recently recorded include Light Show by Max Grafe, Scherzo for Orchestra by Joshua Groffman, and Evelyne Davis’ Concerto for Two Percussionists. He recently commissioned several new compositions by renowned Los Angeles composer Michael Glenn Williams and conducted the world premieres with the Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble and Sibiu Philharmonic.

Vizireanu made his operatic debut in 2013 with Arizona State University Opera and Die Fledermaus. He served as assistant conductor to Lorin Maazel and Timothy Muffitt with productions of Les Dialogues des Carmelites, Madama Butterfly, and Don Giovanni.

Vizireanu currently serves as Music Director of the North Shore Symphony Orchestra in Long Island, NY and Assistant Conductor for the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic in Thousand Oaks, CA. He previously served as Conductor for New West Symphony’s Harmony Project, which is aimed at inspiring young children to develop a lifelong love of music through education and exciting musical experiences. He also serves as Artistic Director of Enescu & The Americas, an organization that fosters cultural exchange between Romania and the United States through the music of Romania’s greatest composer, George Enescu.

Jonathan Mann is one of Wales’ most exciting musicians. He has conducted extensively internationally and has broadcast on television and radio. Prize winner at the Jeunesses Musicales International Conducting Competition 2015 in Bucharest, he received the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra prize and an invitation to make his Polish conducting debut.

As founder and Music Director of the Cardiff Sinfonietta he has overseen the orchestra’s expansion over a 11 year period. The orchestra has broadcast for the BBC and S4C and have collaborated with artists such as Nicola Benedetti, Benjamin Grosvenor, Julia Lezhvena, Sunwook Kim and Dennis O’Neill.

A keen interest in contemporary music Jonathan has conducted two BBC National Orchestra of Wales, ‘Composers of Wales’ concerts with his mentor Jac Van Steen, premiered five new operas with the Size Zero Opera Company in London and Singapore and collaborated closely with composers Diana Burrell, Peter Maxwell Davies and Mark-Anthony Turnage. He also conducted the London Sinfonietta in masterclasses with Pierre Andre Valade.

Passionate about inspiring young musicians, Jonathan Mann has worked in Europe and most recently throughout Asia at numerous youth orchestra festivals. He has a close association with AMIS Music Educators and has worked as clinician for music festivals including Hong Kong International School, Singapore American School and International School of Bangkok.

Since 2014 Jonathan has become increasingly involved in working with young orchestral musicians from the Bangkok, Thailand slums. The Music for Life Project set up by Immanuel Music School in Bangkok is similar to that of the renowned Venezuelan music programme El Sistema. Jonathan is honoured to be the Artistic Director of Music for Life. He visits the school several times a year to conduct concerts and mentor the students.

Jonathan Mann studied at the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His conducting mentors are Colin Metters, George Hurst, Jac Van Steen and Bernard Haitink with whom he worked with at the Lucerne Easter Festival.

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