PROGRAMME

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Prelude for Violin in G major, BWV 1007

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Duo for Violin and Viola in G major, K. 423
I Allegro
II Adagio
III Rondeau – Allegro

Jean Sibelius (1865–1957)
Duo for Violin and Viola in C major

Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
Tango Étude No. 3 for Violin

Valentyn Silvestrov (*1937)
Serenade for Violin and Viola

Georg Friedrich Handel (1685–1759) / Johan Halvorsen (1864–1935)
Passacaglia for Violin and Viola in G minor

JOHANNA VAHERMÄGI works as a freelance soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player in Estonia and abroad. Since 2016, she has been a lecturer of viola and chamber music at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. She graduated from the Tallinn Music High School (teacher V. Kuusk), earned her Bachelor’s degree in Spain at the Aragon Higher Conservatory of Music (Prof. A. Levitan), and completed her Master’s degree in Israel at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (viola Prof. R. Shiloah, chamber music Prof. Z. Plesser). She has won First Prize at the “Illa de Menorca FIDAH” Soloists’ Competition in Spain (2011), the David Gritz String Competition in Jerusalem (2015), and received the Estonian Cultural Endowment Annual Award for Music for outstanding concert activity (2017). She has performed as a soloist with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Academy Chamber Orchestra, and the Young European Chamber Orchestra in Estonia, Israel, Italy, and Finland. Vahermägi has appeared at festivals such as the Voice of Music Chamber Music Festival (Israel), Musethica Festival (Zaragoza and Tel Aviv), Berlin Music Festival, Pärnu Music Festival, Nargen Festival, and Arvo Pärt festivals in Estonia and Moscow, among others. She has collaborated with distinguished musicians including G. Braunstein, A. Grosz, N. Chumachenko, S. Roffmann, R. Shiloah, M. Chiche, Z. Plesser, I. Ilja, T. Ruubel, H.-D. Varema, R. Kallasmaa, A. Staskiewicz, and many others. She has performed with orchestras such as the Barcelona Liceu Opera Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Estonian Festival Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, and has recorded music by Pärt, Shostakovich, de Pablo, and others with ensembles including Vox Clamantis, Estonian Festival Orchestra, Ensemble Plural, and ERSO. Recent activities include solo recitals in Jerusalem, chamber concerts at the Jerusalem Music Center with Achinoam Keisari (piano) and Ido Azrad (clarinet), a solo tour in Italy with the Young European Chamber Orchestra (Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante), and a recital of young Estonian soloists at the Pärnu Music Festival with pianist Sten Heinoja. Johanna Vahermägi plays a viola made in 1650 by Thomas Urquhart, kindly provided by the Estonian Instrument Fund. She is a scholarship holder of the PLMF Musician’s Fund.

Born in Kyiv, YEVGENIY KOSTRYTSKYY began studying the violin at the age of eight. He studied at the Kyiv Music School and the Ukrainian National Academy of Music under Prof. J. Rivnyak. In 2003, he received a scholarship to continue his studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where he completed a Master’s degree under Prof. K. Śmietana and Prof. D. Takeno, along with orchestral training and chamber music diplomas. In 2007, he was awarded the Guildhall Artist Fellowship. Kostrytskyy has performed widely across Europe, as well as in Japan, South Korea, and the United States. He has participated in numerous music festivals and given solo performances with more than 20 orchestras. He has attended masterclasses with renowned musicians including O. Krysa, M. Tampere-Bezrodny, M. Lakirovich, L. Kaplan, Z. Zeitlin, C. Castleman, B. Garlitsky, M. Kopelman, A. Schnarch, Y. Kless, and S. Schwartz. He has won prizes at several competitions, including the Pierre Lantierre International Violin and Chamber Music Competitions and the Petar Conjovichi Competition, and received a special prize at the Jascha Heifetz Violin Competition. In November 2005, he was awarded the title “Slaughter and May – Musician of the Year.” The following year, he was selected for the London Symphony Orchestra String Scheme, performing for two years under conductors Valery Gergiev and Sir Colin Davis. In 2006, he was appointed a Guildhall Artist Scholar and performed with the Forte String Quartet at the residence of the UK Prime Minister. Kostrytskyy served as principal concertmaster of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra (2008–2018) and later played with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Turkey (2018–2023). He is also a soloist and guest conductor with the Dnipropetrovsk Chamber Orchestra “Seasons,” conducted by D. Logvin. Since 2014, he has collaborated with the European Youth Music Orchestra as both soloist and concertmaster under conductor P. Olmi. In the same year, he co-founded the Odessa Chamber Orchestra, which became the resident ensemble of Urban Music Hall in March 2018. Currently, Yevgeniy Kostrytskyy lives in Germany and serves as concertmaster of the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn. He plays an Italian violin made by Luigi Legnani (circa 1850–1860).