The acclaimed Slovenian pianist Tomaž Petrač graduated with distinction from the Ljubljana Academy of Music in the class of D. Tomšič Srebotnjak. He went on to study in Basel (Switzerland) for four years, at the end of which he received a concert diploma in the class of R. Buchbinder. He received the 1988 student Prešeren Award from the University of Ljubljana. To date, he has performed at many concerts at home and abroad. As a soloist, he has performed in many famous cultural centres and halls with various orchestras such as the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana Orchestra, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Maribor Chamber Orchestra, the DSS Soloist Chamber Orchestra, the FMU Symphony Orchestra in Belgrade, the Varaždin Chamber Orchestra, the SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra, and with conductors A. Nanut, M. Munih, M. Letonja, S. Robinson, H. Rodmann, N. Alexeev etc. He often gives concerts with acclaimed Slovenian and international musicians. Tomaž Petrač is currently a Full Professor at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.

The Slovenian pianist and Emeritus Professor Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak has for many years been considered Slovenia’s No. one cultural ambassador. This exceptional musician is the first lady amongst Slovenian musicians in promoting Slovenian pianism to all parts of the World.
Ms. Tomšič began her piano studies at age 4 with Zora Zarnik in Ljubljana. At age twelve she continued her studies in the USA at the famous Juilliard School in New York, with Katherine Bacon, and at seventeen she graduated with distinction and two special prizes. She then spent two years studying with the famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein. She gave her first public recital at age of 5 in Dubrovnik and from then onwards has not stopped performing for 77 years. Her magnificent piano career with over 5,000 concerts has taken her to the most prestigious world concert halls on all continents, performing in recitals, at important music festivals and as soloist with major, great orchestras and famous conductors.
Her repertoire includes works for piano from the Baroque to the 21st century and around 50 piano concertos. She has made recordings for important radio and television stations around the world. Since 1987 her playing has been recorded on almost 100 CDs by different record labels. In 2003 she won the “Grand Prix du Disque” from Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc Society for the CD of the year featuring works by Franz Liszt.

Despite his youth, Ricardo Castro was exceptionally accepted to join the School of Music and Performing Arts of the Federal University of Bahia at only 5 years of age. In 1984 he began his studies in Europe, joining the Superior Conservatory of Music in Geneva in the virtuosity class of M. Tipo, while also attending the conducting class of A. Gerecz. He completed his piano studies in Paris with D. Merlet. In 1987 he was the exaequo winner of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, which kickstarted his international career. In 1993 Castro also received the first prize at the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in England, becoming the first Latin American to win the competition since its foundation. Throughout his career, he has played or conducted in some of the most important concert halls in the world alongside great and renowned orchestras. He has been a professor at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne in Switzerland and at a prestigious school the Fiesole School of Music. From September 2020 on he’s engaged as a piano teacher at the prestigious Haute École de Musique de Geneve and from 2021 he is also head of the keyboard department. Invited by the Government of the State of Bahia, Castro created NEOJIBA (State Centers for Youth and Children Orchestras of Bahia). In 2013, he became the first Brazilian to receive the Honorary Membership from the Royal Philharmonic Society.

Barry Douglas has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Moscow. As Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage whilst also maintaining a busy international touring schedule. Barry regularly plays in recitals throughout the world, he has previously given concerts with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Staatskapelle, Hallé Orchestra, L’Orchestre National de France, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Barry Douglas received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for services to music. Barry is an exclusive Chandos recording artist. He recently completed recording the full works for solo piano of Brahms, and he is also exploring Irish folk music through his own arrangements.

Ick-Choo Moon is the recipient of numerous awards including the Concours Musical International de Montréal and Concours de Gene`ve, and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition at the Juilliard School. In 1989, he gave a critically acclaimed New York recital debut at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall as winner of the William Petschek Award. Since making his US debut with the Minnesota Orchestra under S. Skrowaczewski, Moon has performed in many countries including Canada, the UK, Russia, Japan and Korea. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and at Indiana University with G. Sebők, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees with highest distinction. He received his doctor of musical arts degree from the Juilliard School, where he worked with S. Gorodnitzki. Currently Professor Emeritus of Piano at Seoul National University in Korea, Moon has also taught at UCLA and at the University of Southern California. He has taught and performed at the Brevard Music Center, the Chautauqua Institute, Festival MusicAlp in France and at numerous festivals in Korea. He has also been a jury member in several international competitions, such as the Cleveland, Franz Liszt, Seoul, and Honens competitions etc.

Leonel Morales is a professor at the Sommerakademie in Salzburg and at the Alfonso X el Sabio Univeristy in Madrid, Exclusive Artist of Yangtze River Piano, Artistic Director and Founder of the Maria Herrero in La Rioja and the Spanish Composer International Piano Competition and academic member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel de Hungría in Seville. He graduated from the University of Havana under the tutelage of F. Fernandez. He carried out postgraduate studies with D. Voskresensky and J. Latainer. He gives masterclasses in places such as the Mozarteum in Salzburg, as well as in Korea, Italy, Mexico, France, Belgium, and China. He was awarded the prestigious “Tasto D´Argento 2008” for his international career. On tours in the US with the Spanish National Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, he has had the opportunity to play in the most important concert halls in North America, such as Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. Over his career he has worked with many major Spanish and international conductors such as F. de Burgos, E. García Asensio, M. Tardue, G. Pehlivaniam, F. Krager, Y. Traub, P. Baleff, and E. Shao etc.