The International Music Academy FORTE is established on the initiative of Nataliya Chepurenko (director of Brussels International Music Academy) and supported by influential personalities in the world of music.


Team 2025

Nataliya Chepurenko

Nataliya Chepurenko

PIANO | Chamber Music | Piano Ensembles
Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden

Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden

PIANO
Daniel Blumenthal

Daniel Blumenthal

PIANO
Yannick Van de Velde

Yannick Van de Velde

PIANO
Olga Zdorenko

Olga Zdorenko

PIANO
Tatiana Kozlova

Tatiana Kozlova

PIANO | Piano Ensembles
Lyudmyla Zakopets

Lyudmyla Zakopets

PIANO | Chamber Music | Piano Ensembles
Erik Sluys

Erik Sluys

VIOLIN
Alice Van Leuven

Alice Van Leuven

VIOLIN
Alexandra Cooreman

Alexandra Cooreman

VIOLIN
Valeriy Sokolov

Valeriy Sokolov

VIOLIN
Magdalena Płociennik

Magdalena Płociennik

VIOLIN | Chamber Music
Vladimír Bukač

Vladimír Bukač

VIOLA
Pierre Fontenelle

Pierre Fontenelle

CELLO
Steven Caeyers

Steven Caeyers

CELLO | Chamber Music
Oleksiy Shadrin

Oleksiy Shadrin

CELLO
Philippe Ranallo

Philippe Ranallo

TRUMPET
Franco Ascolese

Franco Ascolese

FLUTE| Chamber Music
Raffaele Ficuciello

Raffaele Ficuciello

FLUTE
Sabine Conzen

Sabine Conzen

VOCAL
Olga Artemenko

Olga Artemenko

VOCAL| Vocal Ensembles| Opera
Stefano Palamidessi

Stefano Palamidessi

GUITAR | Chamber Music
Sergio Agreda De Ro

Sergio Agreda De Ro

CONDUCTOR & VIOLA | Orchesta, Choral Conducting
Pascale Van Os

Pascale Van Os

CONDUCTOR| Orchestra, Choral Conducting
Jing Han

Jing Han

CHAMBER MUSIC
Kaliya Kalcheva

Kaliya Kalcheva

CHAMBER MUSIC
Urszula Markowska

Urszula Markowska

CHAMBER MUSIC
Jakub Jirásek

Jakub Jirásek

CHAMBER MUSIC
Khrystyna Korchynska

Khrystyna Korchynska

CHAMBER MUSIC
Çağıl Cansu Şanlıdağ

Çağıl Cansu Şanlıdağ

CHAMBER MUSIC
Myrto Sifaki

Myrto Sifaki

CHAMBER MUSIC
Oksana Stechyshyn

Oksana Stechyshyn

PIANO ACCOMPANIST | Piano Ensembles
Silviu Dumitrache

Silviu Dumitrache

PIANO ACCOMPANIST | Chamber Music | Piano Ensembles
Hyunshin Kim

Hyunshin Kim

PIANO ENSEMBLES
HueyChing Chong

HueyChing Chong

COMPOSITION
Tomoko Honda

Tomoko Honda

COMPOSITION-CONTEMPORARY PIANIST

Nataliya Chepurenko

PIANO | Chamber Music | Piano Ensembles

Founding director, piano, chamber music  teacher at the “Music Academy FORTE”  (www.musicacademy.be ). Founding director, piano, chamber music  teacher and tutor professor of piano at the Brussels International Music Academy  (www.brima.be). Founder, artistic director, president and jury member of International Competition for young pianists “Merci, Maestro!”  (www.mercimaestro.be). 

Jury member at many International piano competitions, member of EPTA, and ballet pianist.

Also working for a number of leading companies as a pianist: Pasodos Dance Company (Palma Dance Center, Mallorca); Astana Ballet (Kazakhstan); L’Hivernal de la dance (Liege, Belgium), etc.

For a number of years has performed as a main pianist at the Royal Ballet of Flanders (Antwerp, Belgium); Brussels International Ballet School (Brussels, Belgium); Royal Ballet school in Antwerp; Rosas, P.A.R.T.S. et Yantra in Brussels;  Studio Bejart (Brussels, Belgium); piano accompanist at a High school of music (Kiev, Ukraine).

Received Diplomas with distinction in Piano/Accompaniment/Chamber music/Psycho-pedagogy from three conservatories: National Conservatory Tchaikovsky (Kiev, Ukraine), Royal Conservatory of Liége (Belgique), Royal Conservatoire of Brussels (Belgium).

Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden

PIANO

Honorary Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and currently at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

At sixteen: third prize in the Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition in 1964. Studied at the Queen Elisabeth College of Music. He has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the Orchestre National de Belgique, the Orchestre de la Radio-Télévision Luxembourgeoise, the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, I Fiamminghi and the Franz Liszt Orchestra in Budapest.

Frequently performed in chamber music formation with musicians such as José Van Dam, Augustin Dumay, Miriam Fried, Silvia Marcovici, Gérard Caussé, Michaela Martin, Walter Boeykens, Frans Helmerson, the quartet Ysaÿe, the quartet Melos and the quartet Enesco.

His recordings are numerous.

Vanden Eynden was often a jury member in international competitions, primarily on the jury of the International Queen Elisabeth Competition. He was also artistic advisor for some festivals such as in Stavelot.

He has built a solid career as an international soloist. At the same time, he is an honorary professor at the Brussels Conservatory of Music and currently at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth. He is also artistic director of the Eduardo Del Pueyo Music Centre.

Daniel Blumenthal

PIANO

Professor of piano performance at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Brussels, as well as the Thy Masterclass for chamber music in Denmark. Is a member of the Piano Quintet of the Monnaie in Brussels.

His abundant discography extends to over 80 CD’s. Appears regularly in recital with internationally recognized artists such as Barry Tuckwell, Pierre Amoyal, José van Dam and Marie-Nicole Lemieux.

Between 1981 and 1983 won many prizes in international competitions: Sydney and Leeds in 1981, Geneva and Busoni in 1982 and the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium in 1983.

American pianist, born in Germany, began his musical studies in Paris at the age of 5. Studied at American University in Washington, D.C., the University of Michigan and the Juilliard School where he earned his doctorate. Then went on to study with Benjamin Kaplan in London.

Yannick Van de Velde

PIANO

Professor of piano performance Conservatory of Luxembourg and the Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt. International soloist. Is among the summit of the musical scene in Belgium and across Europe.

Mr. Van de Velde is a prizewinner in many international competitions: he was finalist of the Busoni Competition in Bolzano, Italy (2015), “Prix d’Argent” and Public Prize in the Piano Campus Competition in Paris, and first prize in the Nany Phillepart Foundation Competition.

Performed across the world in famous venues such as the Philharmonie of Berlin, the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Lincoln Center in New York, Center of Fine Arts and studio 4 of Flagey in Brussels, Casa da Musica in Porto, Palacio de Festivales in Santander, …

Studied with Klaus Hellwig, Elisso Virsaladze, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, and Jan Michiels. Has been strongly influenced by great personalities such as Arie Vardi, Menahem Pressler, Paul Badura-Skoda, Hung-Kuan Chen, Evgeny Koroliov, Rudolf Buchbinder, Brigitte Engerer, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Robert McDonald, and Jerome Lowenthal.

Olga Zdorenko

PIANO

Professor of the Conservatoire of Frosinone (Rome). Artistic director of the musical association “Angelica Costantiniana” at Rome.

She won a lot of international contests such as “Carlo Zecchi” (Rome), “Classical Sanremo”, “Sulmona Award.” She won the constest “Walter Massaza” in Alessandria and she received the O.Messiaen special award.

In 2000 she graduated with the highest grades at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia and she became the chair of the piano department at the Conservatory Gesualdo da Venosa in Potenza (Italy, Basilicata.)

She worked with record labels such as Brilliant Classics, Diapason, Movie Sound, to produce her own CD. She is always invited at international festivals and she performed all around the world: France, Austria, Germany, Romania, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Belgium and Australia.

Since 2015 she is the Lady of Malta’s Knights. She received a silver plaque from the President of the Italian Republic and the gold medal from the Italian Ministry of Culture for particular merits.

Tatiana Kozlova

PIANO | Piano Ensembles

Professor of piano at the Israeli Conservatory of Music in Tel–Aviv. Artistic director of “Stretto international piano competition” in Tel-Aviv. Previously artistic director of Scherzo international piano competition.Pianist and piano teacher, graduated from the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music in Kiev, Ukraine (class of Aza Roshina). She constantly teaches around the globe in different master classes, frequently judging at  various international competitions and giving lectures about her unique teaching experience.

Lyudmyla Zakopets

PIANO | Chamber Music | Piano Ensembles

From 1989 up till now Lyudmyla Zakopets has been working as a piano teacher in Lviv State Music Lyceum named after Solomiya Krushelnytska.She graduated Chernivtsi Music College in 1984 (class by Prasol M.I) and Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (class by prof.Vitte N.M.) in 1989 with honors.Lyudmyla Zakopets has been coordinator and professor of international piano forum "Beshchady bez kordoniv" in Ukraine. Thanks to creative cooperation with Ya.Dzhevietskyi and Ya. Ostrovskyi near 300 young pianists every year for 20 years have performed on the Forum stage and took part in workshops of provident educators.Lyudmyla Zakopets is an organizator and director of the first international young pianist competition "Feurich-virtuos" in Lviv and “Bechstein”.Over the years of teaching, the achievements are: 90 prizewinners of international and national competitions, 40 performances with symphonic and chamber orchestras in Ukraine , Germany, Poland, Slowenijas. Many of Lyudmyla Zakopets' students continued the studies in Music Academies in Ukraine (Lviv, Kyiv) Poland (Krakow, Bydgosz) Austria (Graz) Spain (Barcelona).Lyudmyla was invited to "Dora Schwarzberg summer international music school"as a teacher, offen conducts master classes in Ukraine and abroad.Also worked as a member of jury of international and Ukrainian competitions.Lyudmyla is awarded with diploma by Ministry of Culture and "Achievement Medal" of Ukrainian and from Poland.

Erik Sluys

VIOLIN

Professor of violin at the Brussels Higher School for Arts (Kunsthumaniora Brussel). Teaches as an assistant of Philippe Graffin in the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

Studied at the Royal Music Conservatoire in Brussels. Then in Germany with Prof. Joshua Epstein (Saarbrücken) and Prof. Ch.-A. Linale (Düsseldorf).  Masterclasses with Sandor Vegh, Yfrah Neaman, André Gertler and Zachar Bron.

Member of the contemporary music ensemble “Musiques Nouvelles".

From 1996 till 2016 he serves as assistant-concertmaster and musical advisor of the Flemish Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded the 2 violin sonatas by Bela Bartok for UT3 Records and a his CD with the violin sonatas by Babadjanian and Janacek got intenationally high acclaim and was selected “CD of the month” in the prestigious Dutch magazine “Luister”.

Alice Van Leuven

VIOLIN

Alice is teaching the violin at the Kunsthumaniora Brussel and the LUCA school of Arts in Leuven.Alice graduated from the Universität der Künste in Berlin where she studied in the violin class of Mark Gothoni and in the chamber music class of the Artemis Quartet. Before that she studied at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel with Philippe Graffin. She feels particularly grateful to the teachers Alain Meulemans and Erik Sluys who accompanied her from her first steps with the violin to the conservatory. Throughout her studies, Alice also worked with many renowned teachers during masterclasses and festivals: Les Rencontres Musicales Internationales d’Enghien with Philippe Graffin, Priya Mitchell, Amy Norrington, David Waterman and Miriam Fried, IMS Prussia Cove (England) with Andras Keller, Bartok Seminar in Szombathely (Hungary) with Barnabas Kelemen, Savonlinna Music Academy (Finland) with Mark Gothoni, the Festival Resonances with Antje Weithaas and Yellow Barn with Donald Weilerstein and members of the Doric and Belcea String Quartet.Having played over 70 chamber music and solo concerts in the previous season, Alice Van Leuven is a sought after violinist currently based in Brussels. The highlights of the season included the release in Flagey of the Alfama Quartet’s newest album “so Far so Close”, a solo role in the new production “Kruistocht” of the Flemish Opera and the Yellow Barn festival in Vermont. In 2021, she was selected as one of the “Twintigers” (promising Twentysomethings) from radio Klara, the Flemish radio for classical music.The Alfama Quartet appointed Alice as their new first violinist in September 2021. The quartet is active since 2005 and critically acclaimed in Belgium and abroad. Their new album “so Far so Close” that was released by the label Cypres in February 2023 is devoted to the music of Mendelssohn and Schumann but also includes a brand new quartet from the Belgian composer Patrick Leterme. Alice is also a founding member of Trio Aries that won the chamber music competition Supernova Classics in February 2020. The piano trio performed at the Klara Festival in Bozar and had the honor to play the 2021 Spring Concert of the Royal Palace of Brussels. Their debut album “Awakening”, recorded in deSingel (Antwerp), has been released in November 2021 and very well received by the national and international press. Alice’s recordings have been broadcasted on RbbKultur, France Musique, Klara and Musiq3 and she has made appearances on various Belgian television channels.Despite her young age, Alice appeared already on several renowned international chamber music festivals such as Yellow Barn, Festival Resonances, Klara Festival, Festival van Vlaanderen, Midi-Minimes, Festival de musique de Dinard, Festival de musique de l’orangerie de Sceaux, Festival en Poitou, Festival Racinotes etc. She has performed alongside Aleksandar Madžar, Alasdair Beatson, Gilbert Kalish, Liza Ferschtman, Sini Simonen, Philippe Graffin, Bogdan Božović, Gregor Sigl, Lilli Maijalla, Malin Broman, Timothy Ridout, Pauline Sachse, Vincent Hepp, Amy Norrington, Ivan Karizna, Justus Grimm, Marie Hallynck, David Waterman, Martijn Vinck, Luise Buchberger and Toon Fret.Composer Frederik Neyrinck dedicated his piece "Echo de Cleves" for solo violin to Alice, which she premiered in the Henry Leboeuf hall in Bozar (Brussels) in June 2020. This led to a second collaboration for Frederik’s opera “Kruistocht” in which Alice played a solo part on the stage of “Opera Ballet Vlaanderen”. As a soloist, Alice performed with the orchestra of the Brussels Conservatory (KCB), Sinfonietta and l'Orchestre de Chambre de la Néthen. She is laureate of different competitions like Belfius Classics where she received a first prize both in the violin category as in the chamber music category. She was finalist of the Young Belgian Talent competition, edition 2015.Alice enjoyed much touring with different Belgian and German small-sized orchestras or ensembles like Het Collectief, concerts in the Muziekgebouw aan ’t Ij and Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht ; Hofkapelle Weimar South America tour in 2018 ; Kammeracademie Potsdam on tour in Germany, concerts (among others) at the Rheingau Musikfestival and in the Berliner Philharmonie ; Le Concert Olympique with concerts in the Berliner Philarmonie and the Elbphilarmonie as well as the Orchester im Treppenhaus in Hannover. She was invited for the Pacific Music Festival (edition 2019) that was founded by Leonard Bernstein and that takes place every year in Japan with artistic director Valery Gergiev.

Alexandra Cooreman

VIOLIN

Alexandra is currently studying at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where she is trained by Professor Ida Kavafian.

Alexandra Cooreman (2003) started playing the violin at the age of 5 and already performed on the stage at the age of 6.As an exceptional young talent, she was admitted in 2013 to the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, where she studied with Augustin Dumay and Tatiana Samouil. Alexandra continued her musical education at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia inMadrid with Anna Chumachenco and at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne with Michaela Martin.

The Belgian-Polish violinist has won first prizes in many competitions as the Kocian Violin Competition, the Breughel Competition and the Grumiaux International Competition. From a very young age, Alexandra has played solo with various orchestras such as the Philharmonic Orchestra of Saint Petersburg, the Gulbenkian Orchestra Lisbon, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice, the European Philharmonia and the Flemish Chamber Philharmonic. In addition, she has followed masterclasses with world-famous musicians such as Augustin Dumay, Yuri Bashmet, Giuliano Carmignola, Pavel Vernikov, Jean-Claude Vanden Eyden, Michaela Martin, Catherine Cho, Hye-Jin Kim, Ida Kavafian and Ani Kavafian...

In 2014, Alexandra played at the Christmas concert in the Royal Palace in Brussels. She also took part in the Eurovision Young Musicians competition in Edinburgh in 2018, where she represented Belgium. Together with Renaud Capuçon she performed Bach's double concerto at Flagey, accompanied by the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia conducted by Frank Braley. In 2022, she was invited by Renaud Capuçon to perform a recital at his festival 'Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad' with pianist Kojiro Okada.

This last summer 2023, she performed 5 times Beethoven Violin Concerto and the Saint-Saëns Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso with the Flanders Festival Orchestra conducted by Dirk. This year, she received the special prize for the best interpretation of Tigran Mansurian’s “Lamento” piece at the Khachaturian International Competition.

The violinist has a modern violin (2017), built by Charles Coquet, on loan from El Pasito. 

Valeriy Sokolov

VIOLIN

International soloist.

He was awarded the Study Grant Prize at the International Pablo Sarasate Competition in Pamplona, Spain in 1999 which provided him with a scholarship to study with Natalia Boyarskaya at the Yehudi Menuhin School, England.

In September 2005, Sokolov took part in the George Enescu Festival and won the Grand Prix with a performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto; he also won Best Performance for Enescu’s Violin Sonata No. 3 as well as the Enescu Foundation Prize.

Sokolov made his US orchestral debut in summer 2007, performing at Aspen Music Festival and Grand Teton Music Festival, and, upon special invitation of David Zinman, at the Blossom Festival with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Upon Lawrence Foster’s personal invitation, Sokolov recorded Enescu's Violin Sonata No 3, complementing Mr. Foster's recording of Enescu's Octet in a transcription for symphony orchestra, released on CD at the beginning of 2009 on the EMI/Virgin label.

He has appeared with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, and made debuts with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Orchestre National de France and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Conductors with whom he has worked include David Zinman, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ivor Bolton and Ludovic Morlot. He has appeared in recital at the Wigmore Hall, the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

Magdalena Płociennik

VIOLIN | Chamber Music

Professor of violin, chamber music  at the F. Chopin State Music School, the Music School No. 2 (1st level) in Wrocław and at the K. Szymanowski State Music School (1st and 2nd level) in Wrocław, where for many years she was the Head of the first level of the string instruments and guitar section.

Graduated from the State Conservatory of Antonina Nieżdanowa in Odessa, in the violin class of Aleksander Pavlov.

For many years - member of the 1st violins in the orchestra of the Lower Silesian Opera in Wrocław. Co-founded the Wrocław String Quartet, with which performed in Poland and Europe. Juror of various national and international violin competitions. Co-founder of the Lower Silesian Society of F. Chopin in Wrocław, where she held the position of the vice-president for 9 years.

Twice she received an individual award from the Director of the Artistic Education Center for a special contribution to the development of artistic education in Poland. Was awarded the Bronze Cross of Merit and the Silver Medal by the President of the Republic of Poland.

Vladimír Bukač

VIOLA

Since 2002, Vladimír Bukač has been a much sought-after professor at the University of Music in Dresden and since 2016 at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles. He is repeatedly invited to the juries of major international competitions (L. Tertis, ARD Munich, etc.). In addition, he is the artistic leader of the master classes organized by the Czech- French Academy in Telč (www.akademietelc.cz). He is regularly invited to music festivals not only in Europe (Helsinki, Sardinia, Prades ..), but also in Japan, Israel and the USA, where he collaborates with important artists. The concert of the concert series "International recitals" for the BBC from Bristol, England, broadcast live to 60 countries, was particularly well received.

Vladimír Bukač is one of the foremost viola players in the Czech Republic. He was born in1964 and started playing violin at a very early age, continuing his studies with Nora Grumlikova at the Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and then with Wolfgang Marschner at the University of Music in Freiburg, Germany. Already during his studies Bukac gained attention by winning prizes in several domestic and international competitions.

Between 1990 - 1993 was Vladimir Bukač engaged in Japan as soloist and chamber musician, performing in all prestigious venues of Japan, as well as touring Australia and New Zealand. After returning to Europe Vladimír Bukač was invited to join the renowned Talich string quartet, (1993-2017) which has been considered for many years to be one of the worlds ́s finest string quartets. Over the past few decades, the Talich string quartet has been representing Czech musical art through the whole of Europe, Japan, North & South Americas, and South Korea, making dozens of rewarded records and giving master classes world-wide. After finishing his quartet career in 2017, he devoted himself to solo & chamber music performances and more to pedagogical activities.

His rich viola repertoire includes compositions and concerts of all styles, many of which are recorded on CDs or Czech Radio and the BBC. An exceptional recording can be considered a complete performance of M. Reger's Suit and a recording of a concert by B. Bartók, B. Martinů with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, which was ranked among the TOP 10 CDs of Gramophone 2007. He made the very first recording ever of all sonatas for viola and piano composed by Jindřich Feld, of the concerto by A. Stamic in B flat major and the very first world recording of the viola concerto by F. Domažlický, composed in 1966, in collaboration with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. He made several acclaimed recordings on viola for the Czech Radio and BBC. Some of his CDs were voted one of Classic CD magazine’s “Choices of the Month” and were also praised with similar enthusiasm from The Strad Magazine and the Gramophone.

He plays an Italian instrument built from the workshop of two important masters - Santini Lavazza & G.B. Guadanini, Milan 1725/75. 

Pierre Fontenelle

CELLO

Teacher at the IMEP (Royal Institute for Music and Pedagogy Namur);  Founder and artistic director of the Concerts des Dames at the Abbaye Notre-Dame du Vivier (Marche-les-Dames).

He initially took up the cello as an autodidact in his hometown of Seattle before studying traditionally at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg, then the IMEP (Namur) with Éric Chardon, before specialising in Soviet music with Han Bin Yoon at the Mons Conservatory. He then continues studying in Paris with Anne Gastinel at the Académie Jaroussky.

Former cello-soloist of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège and Namurois of the Year 2020. From 2019 to 2022, he had the pleasure of joining the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège as cello-soloist, becoming the youngest tenured musician of the orchestra. He has also appeared as guest first cellist of the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, and the Belgian National Orchestra.

Committed to all the various aspects of being a musician, classical or otherwise, Pierre composes and explores popular and contemporary music with his cello-accordion Duo Kiasma with accordionist Frin Wolter (1st Prize - Accordé’Opale Competition). He collaborates with artists such as Jodie Devos, Gergely Madaras, Christophe Rousset, Philippe Graffin, Jean-Claude Vanden Eyden, Gwendoline Blondeel and Mathieu Herzog.

1st Prize of the 2022 Breughel Competition, he also won the Public Prize and the Best Interpretation Prize. In October 2020, he received the 2nd Prize “Van Hecke” at the 1st BCS International Cello Competition and won the First Prize and the Feldbusch Prize at the Concours International Edmond Baert (2019).

Pierre performs on a private loan of a 1690 Ruggieri cello, as well as a Nicolas-François Vuillaume cello from 1860, instrument made available by the King Baudouin Foundation thanks to the Léon Courtin-Marcelle Bouché’s Fund's gift and managed by Strings For Talent.

Steven Caeyers

CELLO | Chamber Music

Professor of violoncello at the Kunsthumaniora in Brussels and at the Municipal Conservatory of LeuvenCellist with 'Le Concert Olympique' and a Professional cellist with the Ensor string quartet, soloist at the “Beethoven academy”.

Won a First Prize for cello and chamber music at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels. 

As a soloist at the “Beethoven academy” he performed throughout Europe with well-known soloists and conductors and provided radio, TV and CD recordings with this ensemble. 

At the Royal Conservatory of Music in Antwerp, he obtained the Higher Chamber music diploma. Studied at the Kunsthumaniora (Brussels), went to the Brabant Conservatory in Tilburg (NL) for a solo diploma with Prof. G. Schiffer.

Oleksiy Shadrin

CELLO

International soloist, previously artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapelle.

Oleksiy Shadrin received his Bachelor and Master of Musical Arts at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover with Prof. Leonid Gorokhov.

He won the first prize of the 4th M. Lysenko International Music Competition in 2012. In 2018, he has been awarded the 3d Prize at the Prague Spring competition.

Following his early successes in numerous competitions, including the National Ukrainian Competition for Strings in Lvov/Lemberg and the 8th National Ukrainian Competition “New Names” in Kiev, he became in 2004 a scholar of the International Foundation of violinist and conductor Vladimir Spivakov.

In 2005, Oleksiy Shadrin was a finalist in the 3rd David Popper International Competition in Hungary, and in 2008, he won the 2nd prize at The International Competition in Minsk. Following his competition successes, he has performed in major concert halls of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, France, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Holland and Portugal.

In 2016, he made his debut appearance at the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2017, he appeared as a soloist with the NDR Radiophilharmonie with Andrew Manze in the Grosser Sendesaal in Hannover, and made his debut appearance at the Hamburg Chamber Music Festival.

Philippe Ranallo

TRUMPET

Professor of trumpet at the Royal Conservatory of Liege.

Soloist at the Liege Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has been teacher assistant for trumpet and orchestral excerpts at the Higher Institute of Music and Education (IMEP) Namur from 2008 until 2021. Since several years, he devotes himself to coaching various instrumentalists who wish to prepare for orchestra recruitment auditions.

He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liege where he obtained a Higher Diploma in Trumpet and Chamber Music with great distinction.

He began his professional career at the age of 19 as soloist in the Royal Belgian Navy Band. Soloist at the Liege Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 1991, Philippe Ranallo has been very active in the world of big bands and studios.

In 1996, he joined Ictus, a contemporary music ensemble based in Brussels, with which he performs regularly as soloist and participates in many festivals (Wien Modern, Musica Strasbourg, IRCAM, Biennale Venezia...), recordings and creations. His contemporary repertoire includes several pieces for solo trumpet and electronics (J. Harvey, L. Vierk, C. Dambrain, Y. Maresz, G. Drouin ...).

In 2012, he created a new concerto for trumpet by R. Cendo at the Festival Musica in Strasbourg. Abroad, he has collaborated with various contemporary music ensembles such as Avanti! (Finland), Icarus (Italy), Lucilin (Luxembourg).

He played in many brass ensembles (Ensemble de Cuivres Mosan, Ensemble de cuivres de l’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Brass Label Quintet…) and in the major Belgian orchestras.

Franco Ascolese

FLUTE| Chamber Music

International Soloist. Passionate about teaching, he conducted a Masterclass in Moscow, taught at conservatory in Udine and currently in Benevento.

He completed Advanced Studies at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, earned a Master of Arts in Music Performance in Lugano and the Soloist - Specialized Master with Maestro Andrea Oliva.

He refined his skills with renowned flutists such as Emmanuel Pahud, Sir James Galway, Jean-Claude Gèrard, Patrick Gallois, Sébastian Jacot, Jacques Zoon, and other notable figures in the flute world.

He has performed as a soloist in prestigious concert halls worldwide, including the Beethoven House in Bonn, the A.N. Scriabin Hall in Moscow, the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York, Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, TASIS Hall in Lugano, Solitär - Mozarteum in Salzburg, Kleine Zaal - Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Tribute Communities Recital Hall in Toronto, Amphitheatre - Cité de la Musique - Philharmonie in Paris, Elgar Room - Royal Albert Hall in London, and Studio Recital Hall - Bozar in Brussels.

He performed in concert at the EXPO in Milan, sponsored by the Baptist Hospital of Miami - Florida and in a series of concerts in Naples with the renowned pianist, Maestro Bruno Canino.

Recently, he performed as a soloist with various orchestras, in live radio and television broadcasts at the RSI studios in Lugano with the ensemble900, at the Royal Palace of Caserta performing Jacques Ibert's concerto.

Raffaele Ficuciello

FLUTE

President of TYM COMPETITION and TYM FESTIVAL.Raffaele Ficuciello, born in 1998, graduated at the Conservatory in Salerno, Giuseppe Martucci, with Maestro Salvatore Lombardi and after he is in the process of obtaining the graduation at the Conservatory in Avellino, Domenico Cimarosa, with Maestro Roberto Maggio. He studied for three years the annual courses held at the Falaut Association by Maestro Jean Claude Gerard as an active student. In 2019 he attended the course at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with Patrick Gallois, where he performed the Karl Stamitz concert as a soloist in the academy hall. He partecipated to many masterclasses with: Larrieu, Gerard, Bruneel, Finco, Oliva, Loi, Evangelisti, Taballione, Fassbender, Macalli, Mario Caroli, Pretto, Manco, Marasco, Francesconi etc.He is attending the annual chamber music course in flute and piano training with maestro Vito Venezia at the Nocerina musical academy. He played in concerts as a soloist and in chamber ensembles at the Italian Consulate of Culture in Paris, the Philharmonic Hall of the Sinfonietta Vidin, Vratsa and Montana in Bulgaria, Conservatory of Sofia NMA, the Verdi Theater in Salerno, St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, the Feltrinelli in Naples, the American Church in Paris, the Euterpe León Hall (Spain), Montligeon Cathedral - Mamers (France), San Carlo Theater Foundation in Naples, Reggia di Carditello, Amalfi Cathedral; he participated in the music day at the Salerno social center in the years 2016 - 17 - 18, Castello della Leonessa in Montemiletto , Circolo Unione Pagani, Villa de Marco Montella.He is the winner of more than 25 international and national competitions both as a soloist and in chamber music, City of Lamezia Terme, Sala Consilina, Eboli, Campagna, Nocera Inferiore, Baronissi, Sapri, Angri, Scafati, Caserta, Cava de' Tirreni, Auletta, Pertosa.He recorded 5 CDs with the Alfonsiana di Pagani ensemble (SA).

Sabine Conzen

VOCAL

Professor of vocal at the Royal Conservatory of Liege.

Trained in the performing arts at the Ghent Opera Studio and a graduate of the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music in singing and flute, Belgian soprano Sabine Conzen is recognised as a sensitive artist and musician with a voice of rich, colourful timbre.

Sabine Conzen distinguished herself in various competitions and was semi-finalist of the Queen Elisabeth International Competition (2004). At the age of 22, she was awarded the "Prix au plus Jeune Finaliste" and the "Prix Francis Poulenc" at the Concours International de Chant de Paris. The international press highlighted her young talent at the time, describing her as "the revelation of the competition" and a "sensitive and already expert musician" (Opera International, September 2001). (Opera International, September 2001)She made her debut at the Vlaamseopera as Anna in Verdi’s Nabucco, followed by Pamina (Mozart/Zauberflöte), 1. Dame (Mozart/ Zauberflöte), Zerlina (Mozart/Don Giovanni), Thibault (Verdi/Don Carlos),… At the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Sabine Conzen sang Musetta (Puccini/La Bohème), La fillette (Raffaele Sargenti'/Lupus in Fabula), Poussette (Massenet/Manon),  Fatmé (Gretry/Zémire et Azor), Javotte (Massenet/Manon), Maya (Franceschini/Milo et Maya), Marguerite (Auber/ Manon l’Escault),…Amond the différents roles she had also the opportunity to sing « Elle » in Poulenc’s La voix Humaine (Opéra de Metz) or Josepha in L’auberge du cheval bland of Benatsky in a coproduction  (Opéra de Metz et Opera de Reims), Blanche (Poulenc/ Les dialogues des Carmélites), Suzanna (Mozart/ Le Nozze di Figaro), Adina ‘Donizzetti/ L’Elisir d’Amore), Antonia (Offenbach/Les Contes d’Hoffman), …

Olga Artemenko

VOCAL| Vocal Ensembles| Opera

Vocal teacher at Brussels International Music Academy.Graduated from the National Musical Academy of P.I. Chaivosky (Kyiv, Ukraine).Singing teacher and Soloist of MM Academy of the La Monnaie de Munt (Brussels, Belgium). Laureate of international competitions. Worked as a soloist at the Kyiv Opera on the Podil (Ukraine).

Stefano Palamidessi

GUITAR | Chamber Music

Member of the jury in national and international competitions, he teaches in master classes in Italy and Europe and he is full professor of guitar at Conservatory in Frosinone. He is actually the Didactic Director of the Civica Scuola delle Arti, Music Academy in Rome, where he is also teacher of the Post Degree Master. He also takes part in the artistic programming of the Associazione Fabrica Harmonica, working on Symphonic and Chamber Music Seasons, Summer Festivals and other events.

Stefano Palamidessi was born in Rome in 1960; he got the guitar diploma at “S.Cecilia” Conservatory, studying at the same time composition and Musical Disciplines at the Bologna University. While winning a plenty national and international guitar contests (among them the "Mauro Giuliani", "Fernando Sor", "Emilio Pujol", "Nicola Fago", "Lagonegro" for contemporary music, "Città di Mondovì", "Città di Ancona" contests), at 20 he starts the concert career as soloist, with orchestra and in ensembles, playing through Europe, Africa and Asia. He collaborates with prestigious soloists, like Aldo Redditi, Renato Bruson, Camillo Grasso, Claudia Antonelli, Raffaele Mallozzi, Marco Fornaciari, Vadim Brodsky, Giuseppe Nova, Franco Mezzena, Massimiliano Pitocco and many others.

He regularly gives concerts in prestigious halls and Festivals: Como Music Autumn, Rendano Theatre of Cosenza, Auditorium Conciliazione, Auditorium Parco della Musica and Ghione Theatre of Rome, Teatro delle Erbe of Milan, Piccinni Theatre of Bari, Fermo Festival, Wiener Festwochen, Lublijana Festival, Belgrado University, Zagabria Conservatory, Palais Wittgenstein of Dusseldorf, Cordoba Guitar Festival, Tychy Guitar Festival, Bath Festival, Santo Tirso Festival, Israel Guitar Festival, Tsavta Hall of Tel Aviv, Rebecca Crown Auditorium of Jerusalem, Guitar Festivals of Rome, Ascoli, Milan, Torino, Berlin, Paris, Palencia, Stockholm, Barcelona, Siracusa, Wien, Parma and many others.

Recordings and live performances by him have been broadcast by the three TV and radio networks of the RAI, by TeleMontecarlo, Vatican Radio and the national radio and TV broadcasting stations in Yugoslavia, Germany, France, Poland, Holland and Israel. As a member of Concentus Guitar Trio, he has recorded six CD’s for Nuova Era, Ribot Classic, EdiPan and Rivo Alto. The last chamber music CD issues include the CD “Out of Classic” with the 360° Guitar Duo and the CD “Guitalian Live” with the Guitalian Quartet. Again with the Guitalian Quartet a new interesting CD has recently been published by NY label Bridge Records, including Italian contemporary works devoted to the quartet (Sollima, Nicotra, Jappelli, Schiavone, etc).

He recorded a CD as soloist for Niccolò label, including a selection of the didactic works by Fernando Sor. Again as soloist his recent important issue is the complete Fantasias by Sor in three CD's for Brilliant Classic: again for this label Stefano is going to record the complete solo works by Eduardo Sainz de la Maza. 

Sergio Agreda De Ro

CONDUCTOR & VIOLA | Orchesta, Choral Conducting

Music teacher and instrumental ensembles at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege Brussels.

Viola player with a great passion for chamber music, choir- and orchestra conductor, composer and teacher.

Studied at the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven with Marc Tooten and received a Master's degree in viola  and chambermusic.

Viola player of the "Arion Trio" with Mikhail Bezverkhni and Stefaan Bataille.

Principal violist at Accademia della Speranza and Speranza Symphonic.  Conductor of the Sint-Jan Berchmans Youth Choir and the Berchmans Collegium Vocale.

Previously conducted the orchestra of the Ghent Conservatory, the orchestra of Sint-Job in Aalst and the string orchestra of the University of Ghent.

Pascale Van Os

CONDUCTOR| Orchestra, Choral Conducting

Pascale teaches orchestral and choral conducting in Academie Ekeren.Pascale Van Os studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with Levente Kende, Heidi Hendrickx and Nikolaas Kende and studied the violin as a secondary instrument at the conservatory with Dirk Verelst, Vegard Nilsen and Guido De Neve.From September 2010 Pascale was admitted to the master's programme in choral conducting with Luc Anthonis and Geert Hendrix and the master's programme in orchestral conducting with Ivo Venkov and Koen Kessels at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp. In 2013 she graduated with great distinction for choral conducting (2013) and orchestral conducting (2014).In 2021-22 Pascale Van Os was the Assistant Conductor for the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège (Gergely Madaras). As a conductor she is associated with the Flemish Chamber Philharmonic, Virago Symphonic Orchestra, Stringendo, Symphonic Orchestra Artemis,...She conducted concerts with Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, KLK Symphony Orchestra and Lviv Philharmonic (Ukraine), Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria), Orchestre de Picardie (France), Elblag Chamber Orchestra (Poland),...In addition, she has worked with various other choirs and orchestras such as Bachwerk, Kempens Symfonisch Orkest, the Ghent Singers, Jong Symfonisch Antwerpen,... and she has been selected by À Cœur Joie (Régionale de Bruxelles) to perform Verdi's Requiem in Bozar (Brussels) in 2022.In August 2023 she won the 1st prize, orchestra prize and audience prize at the International Conducting Competition Opéra de Baugé.In December 2022 she was awarded with a honorable mention at the “VIENNA NEW YEAR’S CONCERT” International Music Competition 2022 and in July 2023 she won the 2nd prize in the New York Classical Music Competition 2023.In November 2021 she received the Award Ernest van der Eycken as an upcoming conductor.In December 2011 she won the conductor's competition organised by Klara and she conducted the Belgian Chamber Philharmonic, broadcast live on Klara. With the Vocal Ensemble Caloroso she won the 2nd prize in the category chamber choir at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 2013 in Wales and the Prize of the Ministry of Culture at the Bydgoszcz Musical Impressions 2016 in Poland.She was admitted to masterclasses in orchestral conducting with Kristiina Poska, Robin Engelen, Romolo Gessi, Lior Shambadal, Giancarlo Andretta and Konrad Von Abel, Jessica Cottis, Mark Shanahan, Richard Hetherington, Michalis Economou and conducted Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, the Collective, the Berliner Symphoniker, l'Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Philharmonic Mihail Jora in Bacau, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Ensemble Chroma the Lviv Philharmonic and Athens Philharmonia Orchestra. She followed masterclasses in choral conducting with Vic Nees and Michael Scheck, among others.

Jing Han

CHAMBER MUSIC

Teacher at the Brussels International Music Academy & the Royal Conservatory of Liege.

Organiser of the “Kreutzer International Music Competition” and International Music Workshops. Organiser of artistic exchange projects between Belgium and China.

Worked as additional violinist in the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra of Liege, Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra and in the orchestra “Il Novecento”. Appears on stage on a regular basis as a soloist and within various formations, in Belgium and abroad.

Won numerous prizes in national and international competitions.

Kaliya Kalcheva

CHAMBER MUSIC

Currently on the conservatory faculty at the National Music Academy “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia.

Bulgarian pianist Kaliya Kalcheva “has the ability to see familiar works from a new light, thanks to her imagination, intelligence, and sensitivity”, as claimed by Matti Raekallio. Since winning her first piano competition at the age of 6, Kaliya holds 16 first prizes from international competitions, the EMCY prize, and a Grand Prix at the 13th Evangelia Tjiarri International Piano Competition. In 2014 Kaliya was the youngest recipient of an honorary diploma from the Ministry of Culture in Bulgaria for her high artistic achievements. Recognitions include Bronze Medal at the Premio Amadeus 2022 in Lazise, Italy, Second prize and Best Interpreter of J.S. Bach at the 5th Vigo International Piano Competition, the Grand prize at the International Music Competition Borovets 2021, as well as 6th prize and the Federico Mompou prize at the 2021 Maria Canals competition. Kaliya has performed in major venues, such as the Center of Fine Arts in Brussels and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall where she played Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with theJuilliard Orchestra under maestro Karina Canellakis, as Juilliard’s concerto competition winner.

Kaliya’s debut performance with orchestra was in Sofia at age 9 with Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C Major K 415, followed by a national orchestral tour of Bulgaria. Since then, she has been a frequent soloist of many orchestras, such as the National Orchestra of Belgium, Bulgarian National Radio Symphony, Sofia Philharmonic and Classic FM Radio Orchestra. Since performing her first solo recital at age 9, Kaliya has given recitals in the United States, Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Russia. She has had the honor to perform for many influential pianists, including Nicholas Angelich, Bernd Glemser, Derek Han, Leonid Margarius, Claudio Martinez-Mehner, Robert McDonald, Menahem Pressler, and Arie Vardi.

An active chamber musician, Kaliya is a prizewinner of the Fuchs Chamber Music Competition and the Balsam Duo Competition. She has been heard in chamber music masterclasses of Clive Greensmith, Ivry Gitlis, Frans Helmerson and Anton Nel, and has attended the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, Summer Academy Orpheus in Vienna, and Musica Mundi in Brussels, where she also served as a Young Faculty member in chamber music in 2017 and 2018. Upon invitation, Kaliya has participated several times in the festival Moscow Meets Friends, hosted by the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation.

A graduate of the National Music School “Lyubomir Pipkov” in Sofia in the class of Milena Mollova, Kaliya completed her Bachelor of Music at Manhattan School of Music, where she was awarded the Harold Bauer Commencement Award for “outstanding accomplishment, cooperation and promise.” She received her Master of Music from The Juilliard School, under the guidance of Stephen Hough and Matti Raekallio, where she was a Gina Bachauer Grant recipient for 2020/2021, among other scholarships. As a Gluck Community Service Fellow, she gave 12 interactive online performances in the 2020-21 academic year to metropolitan hospitals, nursing homes, and alternative care facilities. Kaliya is a proud scholar of the Thanks to Scandinavia foundation with the Victor Borge music scholarship, class of 2019 and 2020.

Urszula Markowska

CHAMBER MUSIC

Cello teacher at Brussels International Music Academy.Graduated from Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels (Master of Music) in Prof. Jeroen Reuling’s class. Obtained her Bachelor Degree and Master of Music from Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź (Poland).Served as a jury member during the International PRIMUZ Strings Competition member of The Primuz Foundation’s Council.Member of the string orchestra Young Belgian Strings (Brussels, Belgium). Member of the PRIMUZ Chamber Orchestra, founded by dr hab. Łukasz Błaszczyk (Łódź, Polska). Member of the Vene Piano Quartetconcert of the Vene Piano Quartet during 7th Festival EMANACJE, organized by Krzysztof Penderecki’s European Center of Music in Lusławice (Poland).

Jakub Jirásek

CHAMBER MUSIC

Currently works as a piano teacher at the Brussels International Music School and other music schools.

Jakub Jirásek (*1994) is a Czech pianist. At the age of 6 he started learning to play the piano with Ludmila Zemanová. Later he studied at Pardubice Conservatory with Inna Tolmačová and at Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory Prague in the class of Irina Kondratenko-Parker. Since 2018 he has lived in Belgium, where he graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in the class of Aleksandar Madžar. Moreover, he participated in masterclasses with Alexander Romanovsky, Jan Michiels, Antonio Rósado, Alessandro Commellato, etc.

During his studies he won prizes at several international piano competitions and festivals. In addition to solo piano, he devotes himself to chamber music, especially to collaboration with singers. In 2022 he was selected as one of the participants of the Udo Reinemann International Masterclasses for duos (singing + piano) in Brussels, which gave him the opportunity to gain several months of experience in song accompaniment under the guidance of renowned professors from Europe and the USA (Alexandra Coku, Anthony Spiri, Margreet Honig, Jochen Kupfer, Alexander Fleischer, Marti Hirvonen, Claar ter Horst, Christian Libor by Christianne Stotijn).

He also got a master's degree in English philology at Masaryk University Brno (Czech Republic) where he connected his knowledge of music and linguistics in phonesthetic research.

Khrystyna Korchynska

CHAMBER MUSIC

Teacher at Brussels International Music Academy; Founder of ArtSoir Agency ASBL, an artistic agency based in Brussels.

Khrystyna Korchynska is a Ukrainian oboist who lives in Belgium. She was born in Lviv, Ukraine, into a family of professional musicians.In 2010, while studying at the Lviv College of Music, she was awarded 1st prize at the Surmy Boukovyny International Wind Competition (Chernivtsi, Ukraine), playing as a soloist with the Lviv Chamber Orchestra.Khrystyna studied at the Mykola Lysenko National Academy in Lviv (Ukraine) with Lev Zakopets, at the Maastricht Conservatoire (Netherlands) with Marc Schaeferdiek and at the Conservatoire Royal de Liège (Belgium) with Alain Lovenberg and Sébastien Guedj, where she obtained her Master's degree.She has taken masterclasses with Christian Hartmann, Washington Barella, Dominik Wolenweber, Igor Leshchishin, Christian Schmitt, Elizabeth Kenwood-Herriott, Olivier Habran, Jeroen Baerts, Fabrice Melinon, Alexander Krimer and others.Khrystyna often plays chamber music concerts, but she is also a frequent guest with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, the Opéra Royal de Liège, the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Chamber Players, the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg etc.

Çağıl Cansu Şanlıdağ

CHAMBER MUSIC

Currently teaching at the Near East University Cyprus.

Cansu Sanlidag, a passionate and warm-hearted artist known for her rich sound and vibrant personality, is drawn to the world of chamber music, particularly Lieder, where she combines her love for literature and the arts. Her performances have graced stages across Europe, including prestigious venues in Brussels, Florence, Paris, and Vienna.

In addition to her extensive musical career, Cansu has served as a collaborator pianist for renowned events, including the International Buchet Competition, Masterclasses of the Belgium Cello Society, Masterclasses of Philippe Graffin, International Arthur Grumiaux Competition and International Instrumental Competition Markneukirchen.

Myrto Sifaki

CHAMBER MUSIC

Myrto studied piano under the guidance of Michail Galinos at the Municipality Conservatory of Thessaloniki, where she also completed her music theory education. She was awarded her Diploma in piano performance with full marks in 2008. Soon afterwards she has her first experiences with teaching piano while she is also majoring in Psychology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She keeps following masterclasses and performing in chamber music concerts.In 2013 she moves to Brussels in a life-changing move, and soon starts teaching piano there. She quickly becomes a successful teacher thanks to her enthusiasm, patience, and passion for her profession. She has a deep knowledge and understanding of the art and technique of the piano and she places a lot of emphasis on the importance of the body and its mechanics, in order to help unlock the students' potential and help each one find their own expression. She has taught numerous students in private practice, Academies, schools and cultural centers, both in one-to-one and in group settings.She is also an experienced accompanist and has worked with violinists, flutists, cellists, singers and choirs for conservatory exams, auditions, concerts and competitions. She was an accompanist for the Forte one-round competition in July 2023.In her free time she studies voice in private and is a passionate choir singer.

Oksana Stechyshyn

PIANO ACCOMPANIST | Piano Ensembles

Since 2023, she is teaching at the Hübner Private Music School while actively performing concerts in Ukraine and Europe.

She began her musical journey in 2012, winning the first prize at the "Young Creativity" regional competition and the Vasyl Barvinsky competition in Ternopil.

In 2013, she started her studies at the S. Krushelnytska Ternopil Music Academy and earned the third prize at the International Competition named after Vasyl Barvinsky in Drogobych. She secured her place in the international music scene with a diploma from the Sviatoslav Richter Competition in 2014.

Oksana achieved the Grand Prix at the prestigious "ProArt" competition in Khmelnytsky in 2015. In 2016, she was celebrated as a laureate of the Sviatoslav Richter Competition and also triumphed at the All-Ukrainian competition in Lviv. The year 2017 saw her participation in the "Musical Premieres of the Season" festival in Kyiv. From 2017 to 2021, she honed her skills at the M. Lysenko Lviv National Music Academy under the tutelage of Professor Oksana Rapita.

2018 marked her victory at the "Répertoire pianistique moderne" competition in Paris and a diploma at the "International Piano Competition Citta DI ACQUAVIVA DELLE FONTI" in Italy. She continued her international success in 2019 with the second prize at the "Merci, maestro!" competition in Brussels and the third prize in Kyiv.

Oksana claimed the first prize at the "JISKRA 2020 Piano Competition" in Prague and the "ESTRELLAS BRILLANTES" festival in Spain in 2020. In 2021, she reached the pinnacle, winning the Grand Prix at the Canadian-Ukrainian Festival of Youth Creativity and the International Competition "Talents of 21 Century" in Bulgaria. Her artistry has graced the stage of the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, and she's shared her talent through concert-lectures in children's homes. In 2022 and 2023, she enriched her musical experience at the "BIESZCZADY BEZ GRANIC" pianist forum in Sanok, Poland.

Oksana has created three unique piano music collections: "Nightingale Piano," "Numoplay," and "Silent Night," which have garnered global acclaim.

Silviu Dumitrache

PIANO ACCOMPANIST | Chamber Music | Piano Ensembles

Silviu Dumitrache is a pianist and teacher. Currently teaching at Music Academy of Uccle.

Between 2018 and 2019, he engaged in teaching activities in an exceptional setting, under the tutelage of Mr. Johan Schmidt at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, becoming one of the youngest employees in the institution's history. Simultaneously, he guided young piano enthusiasts in the world of music through private musical institutions, also participating as a jury member in piano competitions for young pianists.

In 2014, he earned his Bachelor's degree with distinction, "Cum laude" from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel under the guidance of pianist, Daniel Blumenthal. Since 2014, Silviu Dumitrache studies under the guidance of Mr. Johan Schmidt and Mr. Gabriel Teclu, at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Four years later, he completed both his Master's and Specialized Master's degrees with "Great Distinction," earning the "Geroffi Baschwitz Award" for outstanding results from the National Heritage Commission. As the laureate of the "Concerto Competition" organized by the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Silviu Dumitrache was invited to perform a recital at the Belgian Center for History and Science in Rome, "Academia Belgica."

Between 1999 and 2004, he won over twenty national and international awards and was invited to radio and television programs under the guidance of Professor Alma Peter. In 2014, he won the "Piano Competition of Liège," leading to several concerts on Belgian stages.  In 2015, he was a finalist in the "Bluthner Competition," and in 2016, he reached the finals of the "Classic Academy" competition, during which he performed Grieg's Concerto in A minor with the Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mr. Christian Arming.

Invited as a soloist or chamber musician in Romania, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, he expanded his repertoire across all historical periods, from Baroque to contemporary, with a primary focus on romantic and folk-influenced music.

To mark the 140th anniversary of George Enescu's birth, Silviu Dumitrache played a central role in the "Virtual Stage" project organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels.

Hyunshin Kim

PIANO ENSEMBLES

Hyunshin Kim is a South Korea-born international concert pianist and independent music teacher who is currently based in Belgium.

Beginning her musical journey at the age of 4, she made her orchestral debut at 13 with the National Police Symphony Orchestra in Seoul. She earned her Postgraduate degree in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under the guidance of Professor Dani)l Blumenthal, a Master’s in Piano Solo from the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts with Professor Friedemann Rieger, and a Bachelor’s in Piano from Seoul National University with Professor Hyeongbae Kim.

Hyunshin has performed widely across Europe and South Korea, with appearances in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and her native Korea. She has also earned recognition in several international competitions and has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists.

Currently, she combines her performing career with teaching in Belgium, where she continues to inspire the next generation of pianists.

 

HueyChing Chong

COMPOSITION

Currently teaching at the Brussels International Music Academy. Before she moved to Brussels, she was teaching as a senior lecturer at the University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) including music theory, history, composition, and supervising postgraduate candidates (master’s and doctoral degree) in their creative research.Dr. HueyChing Chong began her composition studies with Malaysian composer, Yii Kah Hoe. From 2010 to 2017, with the full support of the Japanese Government Monbukagakusho Scholarship Award, she continued her musical exploration under the tutelage of Prof. Keiko Harada at Toho Gakuen School of Music and Tokyo College of Music. In 2017, she obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts (Composition) from Tokyo College of Music. Besides that, she has also studied with Prof. Akira Nishimura, and Prof. Michio Kitazume. From 2020 to 2022, she continued to develop her compositional ideas and skills with the guidance of Spanish composer, Alberto Posadas.In 2014, her composition RAW for 13 instrumentalists was awarded the 12th President Award of Tokyo College of Music. In 2017, introspection-intro for solo accordion was awarded the best solo composition at Composers+ Summer Academy. Her music has been performed in many countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Spain, Germany, Netherland, Switzerland, Turkey, Malta, and Lithuania.She has been invited to numerous international music festivals and conferences including Indonesia Composers Week 2022, Malditas e Inéditas Música se escribe con M de Mujer with musicologist, Elsa Calero-Carramolino, Universidad de Granada (2021, Spain), Festival Mujeres en la Música Nueva (2020, Colombia), Mostra Sonora (2019, Music Festival in Sueca, Valencia, Spain), Tokyo College of Music Symposium - Creative Possibilities of East Asian Traditional Musical Instruments (2014, Japan), Geijutsu Dangi Vol. 1 - Special participation as international student (2011, Japan), Yogyakarta Contemporary Music Festival (2009 & 2010, Indonesia).She has been selected to participate in numerous international masterclasses, including the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) 2016/17, Composers+ Summer Academy 2017, Curs Internacional de Composició Institut Français-Barcelona Modern Project 4th Edition (Nov 2017, Jan 2018, May 2018), Experimental Thai Music Laboratory 2016, Burapha University (March 2016), Atlas Lab 2016, DAAD International Exchange Creative Exposition, HfM Würzburg X Tokyo College of Music 2015, Ensemble Modern and Tokyo Wonder Site Academy 2011, Manila Composers’ Lab 2009 and many more.She has also collaborated with international renowned musicians including Iñaki Alberdi (Accordion), Ricardo Descalzo (Piano), Elena Casoli (Guitar), Wu Wei (Chinese Sheng), Naoko Kikuchi (Japanese Koto), Atsushi Sugawara (Percussion), Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, ARCIS Saxophone Quartet, and Duo Jeux d’Anches (Accordion Duo).In 2018, she started to experiment with improvisation performances with Istanbul-based multidisciplinary group Klank.ist, and Malaysian improvisors including Yong Yandsen (Saxophonist). She has also co-founded The New Music Room with two other Malaysian composers, Zihua Tan and XiaoXi Tee, all of whom are based in different continents to create an international platform – be it virtual, live, or a hybrid of those two – for composers and performers around the world to discuss and create new music through a series of forums, performances, masterclasses, and reading events. 

Tomoko Honda

COMPOSITION-CONTEMPORARY PIANIST

Collaborative pianist and accompanist in Classical and Contemporary Music at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. She has collaborated with composers such as G. Kurtág, G.Ligeti, P.Eötvös, P.Dusapin, T.Hosokawa, G.Crumb, and has premiered, performed, and recorded numerous new works. . 



Previous Years

Team 2024

Team 2024

Class Masters
Team 2023

Team 2023

Class Masters
Team 2022

Team 2022

Class Masters

Team 2024

Class Masters

Our team Music Academy FORTE 2024:

NATALIYA CHEPURENKO (Belgium/Ukraine)

PIANO, Piano Accompaniment, Chamber Music, Piano Ensembles

Artistic Director and Founder of MUSIC ACADEMY FORTE, International competition for pianists «Merci, Maestro!». Founder, Professor of piano & chamber music at the Brussels International Music Academy.

JEAN-CLAUDE VANDEN EYNDEN (Belgium)

PIANO

Honorary Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and currently at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

DANIEL BLUMENTHAL (Belgium)

PIANO

Professor of Piano at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Brussels, Thy Masterclass for chamber music in Denmark.

YANNICK VAN DE VELDE (Belgium)

PIANO

Professor of Piano performance at the Conservatory of Luxembourg and the Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt.

TATIANA KOZLOVA (Israel)

PIANO, Piano Accompaniment, Chamber Music, Piano Ensembles

Professor of piano at the Israeli Conservatory of Music in Tel–Aviv. Artistic director of “Stretto international piano competition” in Tel-Aviv. Previously artistic director of Scherzo international piano competition.

YURII KOT (Ukraine)

PIANO, Piano Accompaniment, Chamber Music, Piano Ensembles

Honoured Artist of Ukraine. Professor of Piano at the National Music Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine.

PHILIPPE RANALLO (Belgium)

TRUMPET

Professor of trumpet at the Royal Conservatory of Liège.Soloist at the Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and member of the Ictus Ensemble.

JOANIE CARLIER (Belgium)

BASSOON

Bassoon teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and professor at the Amay Academy. Principal bassoon of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège.

OLEKSIY SHADRIN (Ukraine)

CELLO

International soloist, previously artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapelle.

PIERRE FONTENELLE (Belgium)

CELLO

Teacher at the IMEP (Royal Institute for Music and Pedagogy Namur). Previously Cello-Soloist at the Opéra Royal Wallonie-Liège. Founder & artistic director of the Concerts des Dames at the Abbaye Notre-Dame du Vivier (Marche-les-Dames).

STEVEN CAEYERS (Belgium)

CELLO

Professor of Violoncello at the Kunsthumaniora in Brussels & at the Municipal Conservatory of Leuven.

SABINE CONZEN (Belgium)

VOCAL

Professor of vocal at the Royal Conservatory of Liège.

VALERIY SOKOLOV (Ukraine)

VIOLIN

International soloist.

ERIK SLUYS (Belgium)

VIOLIN

Professor of violin at Kunsthumaniora Brussel. Teaches as an assistant of Philippe Graffin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Member of the contemporary music ensemble “Musiques Nouvelles".

JING HAN (Belgium/China)

VIOLIN, Chamber Music

Teacher of violin at the Brussels International Music Academy & The Royal Conservatory of Liege. Organiser of the Kreutzer International Music Competition and International Music Workshop.

MAGDALENA PłOCIENNIK (Poland)

VIOLIN, Chamber Music

Professor of violin & Chamber Music at several Music Schools (Wrocław). Consultant of the Artistic Education Center (Warsaw). Co-founder of Lower Silesian Society of F. Chopin in Wrocław.

SERGIO AGREDA DE RIO (Belgium)

ORCHESTRA, Chamber Music, Viola

Conductor of the Sint-Jan Berchmans Youth Choir and the Berchmans Collegium Vocale. Music teacher and instrumental ensembles at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege Brussels.

ENSEMBLES | CHAMBER MUSIC | ACCOMPANISTS

URSZULA MARKOWSKA,cello (Poland), OLGA ARTEMENKO,vocal (Ukraine), ÇAĞIL CANSU ŞANLIDAĞ,piano (Cyprus), MYRTO SIFAKI,piano (Greece), OKSANA STECHYSHYN,piano (Ukraine), SILVIU DUMITRACHE,piano (Romania), KHRYSTYNA KORCHYNSKA,oboe (Ukraine), Jakub Jirásek (Czech Republic)

 

Team 2023

Class Masters

Our team Music Academy FORTE 2023:

Nataliya Chepurenko (piano)

Artistic Director and Founder of “ Music Academy Forte”, «Merci, Maestro!” , director, Professor of piano&chamber music at the  Tchaikovsky Music School (Brussels). National President of WPTA for Belgium.

Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden (piano)

Professor at the Royal Conservotory of Brussels and at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. International soloist.

Daniel Blumental (piano)

Professor of Piano at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Brussels, Masterclass for chamber music in Denmark.

Yannick van de Velde (piano)

Professor of Piano performance Conservatory of Luxembourg and the Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt. International soloist.

Yurii Kot (piano & chamber music)

Honoured Artist of Ukraine, a laureate of numerous national and international piano and piano duets competitions.

Zohrab Tadevosyan (violin)

2010-2020 Professor at the Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid.

Myrto Sifaki (chamber music)

Piano teacher at the Conservatoire des Amis des Arts et Lettres of the city of Serres (Greece). Private piano teacher in Brussels. Accompanist of musicians including opera singers. Teacher of musical theory.

Valeriy Sokolov (violin)

International soloist.

Jing Han (violin, chamber music)

Teacher of violin at the Brussels International Music Academy; Co-organiser of the "Ysaÿe International Music Competition" and International Music Workshops.

Oleksiy Shadrin (cello)

International soloist. Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapelle.

Steven Cayers (cello)

Professor of Violoncello at the Kunsthumaniora in Brussels & at the Municipal Conservatory of Leuven. International chamber music soloist.

Sergio Agreda de Ro (viola, orchestra, chamber music)

Viola player of the Arlon Trio and first viola player in the orchestra Academia della Speranza; Conductor of the STRING ORCHESTRA at the music academy of Aalst and Schaarbeek; Music teacher, conductor of instrumental ensembles and chorus at the Sint Jan Berchmans Collegium.

Isabelle Bialek (flute)

Professor and teacher of flute and piccolo class at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels; Professor at the Conservatory Charleroi.

Barbara Ferraz (flute, chamber music)

Master in Modern and Baroque Flute. Professor of flute at the Brussels International Music Academy.

Magdalena Płociennik (violin, chamber music)

Professor Violin and Chamber Music at several Music Schools (Wrocław). Consultant of the Artistic Education Center (Warsaw).

Co-founder of Lower Silesian Society of F. Chopin in Wrocław.

Team 2022

Class Masters

Our team Music Academy FORTE 2022:

Nataliya Chepurenko (piano)

Artistic Director and Founder of “ Music Academy Forte”, «Merci, Maestro!” , director, Professor of piano&chamber music at the  Tchaikovsky Music School (Brussels). National President of WPTA for Belgium.

Tatiana Samouil (violin)

Professor of Violin at the Royal Conservatoire Brussels (Belgium) & Musikene Superior Arts Center in San Sebastián, Spain. International soloist.

Justus Grimm (cello)

Professor of Violoncello & Artistical Director at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp.International soloist.

Zoya Nevgodovska (violin, viola)

Dozent at Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler (Berlin), leads a violin class for gifted young Violinists.

Daniel Blumental (piano)

Professor of Piano at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Brussels,Masterclass for chamber music in Denmark.

Yannick van de Velde (piano)

Professor of Piano performance Conservatory of Luxembourg and the Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt. International soloist

Erik Sluys (violin)

Professor of Violin at the Brussels Higher School for Arts and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.International soloist.

Karel de Wilde (organ, orchestra)

Artistic director and main conductor of the orchestra La Chapelle Sauvage (Belgium), the resident conductor of Beauraing Festival of Sacred Music, artistic director of Cause Classic is Cool and Borluut chamber music festival.

Steven Cayers (cello)

Professor of Violoncello at the Kunsthumaniora in Brussels & at the Municipal Conservatory of Leuven.International chamber music soloist.

Benjamin Braude (violin, viola)

Faculty member at the Royal Flemish Conservatory (Antwerpen), artistic director of  “Rencontres musicales de Leotoing“ (France), teacher at London Royal College of Music

Alexey Semenenko (violin)

Professor of Violin of the Essen Folkwang University of Arts.International soloist.

Olga Zolotareva (violin)

Professor  of Violin in Gent Conservatory (Art School by the High School Consortium Gent

Magdalena Płociennik (violin)

Professor Violin and Chamber Music at several Music Schools (Wrocław). Consultant of the Artistic Education Center (Warsaw).

Co-founder of Lower Silesian Society of F. Chopin in Wrocław.

Liudmila Harbyza (violin)

Concertmaster of Belgian orchestra La Chapelle Sauvage.

David Makhmudov (violin)

Teacher of Violin at the Tchaikovsky School of Music (Brussels), soloist at the Flanders Symphony Orchestra

Barbara Ferraz (flute)

Master in Modern and Baroque Flute. Professor of flute at Tchaikovsky Music School.

Tine Janssens (viola)

Professor of viola at the Luca School of Arts(Leuven) and the Lemmensinstituut Secundary School of Music. Solo Viola – Principal at the Royal Opera

David Baltush

professor of music history and musicianship (analysis, counterpoint, harmony, world music) at the International School Musica Mundi in Waterloo (Belgium).