SYMPHONIC CONCERT
Bulgaria, State Opera Ruse, Philharmonic Hall • 09 february 2024 • 19:00 https://ruseopera.com/
soloists:
REIKA SAKAMOTO, violin, Japan
ARISTOTELIS PAPADIMITRIOU, piano, Greece / Switzerland
REIKA SAKAMOTO
ARISTOTELIS PAPADIMITRIOU
WOLFGANG HARRER, conductor, Austria, https://wolfgangharrer.at/
program:
Béla Bartók, violin concerto no., Sz. 112, BB 117
Sergej Rachmaninov, piano concerto no.2, op.18
Reika Sakamoto has won numerous awards such as the 1st Prize at the European Soloist
Competition, and the 2nd prize in memoriam of Stefan Balkanski at the Sixth International
Violin Competition “Vasco Abadjiev” 2021.
She was also a semifinalist at the George Enescu International Competition in 2022 and
Bartok World Competition in 2023.
As a soloist, she performed at renowned venues around Europe and in Asia, where
includes Concertgebouw Amsterdam (Netherlands), Beethoven-Haus Bonn (Germany),
Teatro La Fenice (Italy), Kroměříž Castle (Czech Republic), Peles Castle, Mogosoaia
Palace (Romania), Turkiston Palace Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Sheremetev Palace Russia
National Muséum of instruments (Russia). Also,she gave numerous recitals in Japan.
She has also performed as a soloist with Savaria Symphony Orchestra in Hungary,
Uzbekistan National Symphony Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra in
Czech,Óbuda Danubia Orchestra in Hungary, and L’Orchestre de St Maurice in
Switzerland etc.
Admitted to Toho Gakuen Music High School at the top records. She continued her studies
at Toho Gakuen College Music Department Soloist Diploma Course under Koichiro Harada
and Michiko Kamiya and in 2019, she received the Soloist Diploma and graduated. She
graduated from Haute École de Musique de Lausanne (Switzerland) Master’s program
specializing in music performance in 2020 with her master’s thesis on Bartok’s First
Sonata for violin and piano, and from the same year, she started her studies at Musik und
Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien under Pavel Vernikov. Currently, she is studying at
The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Prof.Ivan Štraus.
Aside from her solo studies in Vienna, in 2020, she was admitted to the Orchestra
Academy of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at a top record among the other violin
section contestants and completed the program in 2023.
From the 2023/2024 season, she will be joining the Národní Divadlo in Prague as a second
violinist
Aristotelis Papadimitriou was born in Athens. At the age of 5 he started piano lessons. At the age of 9, he won the 2nd prize and the silver medal at the Greek-Cypriot Piano Competition „Golden Musa“. He was a prizewinner in the German music competition „Jugend Musiziert“ 10 times. In 2011 he earned the diploma in harmony from the National Conservatory in Athens. At the age of 17, he also earned the highest greek diploma in piano solo performance at the Conservatory of Nikos Skalkotas with the highest grade, the first prize and the golden medal.
At the age of 18, he was admitted to the class of Prof. Catherine Vickers at the University of Music in Frankfurt. In July 2015, he completed his bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance with the grade „very good“ and in 2018 completed his Master in Piano Pedagogy in Frankfurt. He completed his Master in Piano Performance at the Zurich University of Arts in the class Prof. Eckart Heiligers. He also received the Diplôme d‘ Enseignement, the Diplôme d’Execution and the Diplome Superieur d’Execution after competitions in the final exams in the classes of Nathalia Michailidou, Henri Barda and Victoria Melki at the Ecole Normale of the Musique de Paris as a scholarship holder of the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot.
He won the 1st prize in the international Competitions „Citta di Barletta“ in 2020, „Concorso Clara Wieck-Schumann“ in 2021 in Italy, „Cap Ferret 2021“ with unanimity, „Grand Metropolitain“ in 2021 in Canada, „Citta di Massa“ in 2021, „Cles d‘ Or“ in 2020 with unanimity and Congratulations of Jury in Paris, „Grand Concours“ in 2020 with unanimity in Paris and „Franz Liszt Center“ in 2021 in Spain. He won the 2nd Prize in the „WPTA International Piano Competition 2021“, „Leopold Bellan Competition 2021“ in Paris, „Adilia Alieva Competition“ in Geneva, „Amigdala International Competition 2021“ and the 4th prize in „Premio Ciccolini 2021″. He won the 3rd prize in the “ Young Euregio Piano Competition 2021″ and in the „Conero International Competition 2020“. He was one of the finalists in the Prix Cortot in May 2019 in Paris and in the Competitions „Val Tidone 2021“ and „Orbetello 2021“.
From 2012 to 2014 he was a scholarship holder of DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). He was also promoted several times by the Society of Friends and Supporters of Hfmdk Frankfurt. From March 2016 until March 2018 he was a scholarship holder of the Polytechnic Society Frankfurt. He appeared as a soloist in various festivals, such as Thessaloniki Piano Festival, Frankfurt liest ein Buch, Sacred Music Festival in Athens (organized by the Greek National Opera), New Music Night at the Hfmdk, St Lizier Festival and in halls such as Alte Oper Frankfurt, Hall of Music Athens, Salle Cortot and Salle Munch in Paris. The young pianist also deals with works of New Music and had the opportunity to work with Helmut Lachenmann a Lachenmanns work.
He has participated in masterclasses with Maria Joao Pires, Rena Shereshevskaya, Paul Badura-Skoda, Robert Levin, Dmitri Bashkirov, Jacques Rouvier, Michel Beroff, Anne Queffelec, Jean-Philippe Collard, Vladimir Viardo, Robert Levin, Dr. Milana Chernyavska, David Lively, Dr. Matti Raekallio, Dr. h. c. Arbo Valdma, Günther Ludwig, Friedemann Rieger, Helmut Deutsch (Lied Accompaniment Masterclass), Jacob Leuschner, Ralf Nattkemper and Malcolm Bilson (Fortepiano-Masterclass), Giuseppe Devastato, Benjamin Engeli, Carmen Piazzini, Jesper Christensen (Fortepiano-Masterclass), Uta Weyand, Justas Dvarionas, Laurent Boullet.