Symposium Tutors Biographies

London String Quartet Symposium, March 30th - April 1st 2007

Seppo Kimanen - cello
Seppo Kimanen studied the cello at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and later at the Paris Conservatory with Professor Andre Navarra. For many years he also visited William Pleeth in London to benefit from his inspiring private lessons. In 1970 Kimanen founded the famous Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland and acted as its artistic director until 2005. During this time he played chamber music with countless musicians, including many of the best known players in the world.

In 1980 he became a founder member of the Jean Sibelius String Quartet. The right to use the name was granted by the composer’s family. After their successful debut at the West Berlin Festival in 1983 the quartet became the most sought after chamber ensemble in Scandinavia with extensive tours around the world. Kimanen is recognised as one of the most important figures in the field of chamber music world wide. He has been awarded the honorary title of Professor by the President of the Finnish Republic, the Pro Finlandia medal by the Finnish State and several international distinctions. Kimanen was on the teaching staff of the Sibelius Academy from 1976-1991 and is very much in demand as teacher, lecturer and expert on chamber music. He has also been a member of the jury of many international music competitions.

Andras Keller - violin
András Keller has enjoyed a varied career as soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician at the highest level internationally. His early studies at the Ferenc Liszt Academy in Budapest led to many collaborations with György Kurtág, whose works he has been premiering and performing worldwide since 1978. He has also enjoyed working intensively with Ferenc Rados and, until his death, Sándor Végh. András Keller founded the Keller Quartet in 1987, and has since given master classes and concerts throughout the world. From 1983 till 1986 he worked as concertmaster of the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra, as well as concertmaster of the Budapest Festival Orchestra until 1991. As both chamber musician and soloist, he has appeared in every European country and in such prestigious venues as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus Vienna, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels, L'Accademia Santa Cecilia, Milan, both the Châtelet and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, not to mention all the major London venues, plus festivals such as Edinburgh, Lucerne, Aldeburgh, Schleswig Holstein and the BBC Proms.

Outside Europe, András Keller has been invited to both Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, New York, the Washington Library of Congress and many cities in Japan. During his career he has worked with world-renowned artists including Rostropovich, Natalia Gutman, Boris Pergamenchikow, Tabea Zimmerman, Truls Mork, Zoltán Kocsis, Miklos Perenyi and Steven Kovacevic to name but a few. Mr Keller’s latest CD on ECM, Kurtág's Kafka Fragmente with Juliane Banse has received the MIDEM Classical Award, the Record Academy Award, Japan/ Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and the Prix d' Academy Charles Cros.

Johannes Meissl - violin
Johannes Meissl is Professor of Strings and Chamber Music and Vice-Director of the Joseph Haydn Institute at Vienna's University of Music and Performing Arts and Artistic Director of it’s ISA (International Summer Academy Prague-Vienna-Budapest). He gives master classes at numerous renowned schools and summer academies such as CNS Paris, Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Tokyo Geidai and the Casals Festival Prades. Mr Meissl studied in Linz (violin and composition) and at the Musikhochschule in Vienna with W. Schneiderhan and G. Hetzel and drew strong artistic inspiration from Hatto Beyerle. He graduated with distinction and a special award. In 1982 he joined the Artis Quartet. After further studies with the LaSalle Quartet and prizes at international competitions he became a regular at the world's most important music centres and festivals. Numerous prizes for more than 30 recordings (such as Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d'Or, Deutscher Schallplattenpreis Echo etc.), and the "Artis Series" at the Musikverein in Vienna, now running its 19th season, prove the international position of the quartet.

Mr Meissl also appears in recitals and as a soloist and is co-initiator of numerous projects such as ECMA (European Chamber Music Academy). Having done regular coaching with several youth orchestras for many years he has recently also taken up conducting.

Vladimir Mendelssohn - viola
Born in a family with a long musical tradition Vladimir Mendelssohn followed the destiny of the name and studied viola and composition. After finishing his studies he followed a dual career which has taken him all over the world as a soloist and chamber musician as well as composer and arranger.

Vladimir Mendelssohn has performed in the USA,South America, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia, Israel, Tunisia, South Korea and all over Europe. He has also made many recordings, and won the AVRO public prize for his recording of Brahms Lieder with Jaard van Nes.

He has composed music for string quartet and other chamber ensembles, mixed choir and orchestra and chamber orchestra as well as ballet music for Le petit prince, stage music for Athalie (Racine) and Les Mouches (Sartre) and film music for Le Joueur de Violon featuring Gidon Kremer.

Christoph Richter - cello
Christoph Richter studied with André Navarra and Pierre Fournier and has collaborated many times with Sandor Végh at IMS Prussia Cove and in Salzburg. He has been a prize-winner at international competitions in Paris (Rostropovich) and Geneva, and was appointed professor at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen. Former member of the Cherubini Quartet he now plays with the Boccherini Cello Duo, the Capella Andrea Barca and the Heine Quartet. As soloist he performs with many leading orchestras (Munich Phiharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, amongst others). His strong interest in contemporary music has led him to work with composers such as Penderecki, Kurtág, Henze, Lachenmann, Holliger and Widmann. His regular chamber music partners include András Schiff and Heinz Holliger. He is a guest at festivals in Switzerland, Italy, England, USA, India, Japan and New Zealand and gives master classes in England, Austria and Finland.

Since its foundation in 2004 he also teaches at the European Chamber Music Academy, as well as at GSMD and the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Menuhin Academy, Switzerland. Christoph Richter has made recordings for EMI, cpo, Wergo, Genuin and Tudor labels.

Roger Tapping - viola
Roger Tapping played in the Takacs Quartet from 1995 until 2005, touring the world and making many award-winning CD's, including complete sets of the Bartok and Beethoven quartets. Born in England, he was a member of many of England's finest chamber ensembles, including the Allegri Quartet.

He is now on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, the Longy School and the Boston Conservatory, and he has an active performing career as a recitalist and chamber musician, appearing as a guest with groups from the USA and Europe. He teaches regularly at the Yellow Barn Music Festival and this summer he joins the teaching faculties at Tanglewood and the Seoul Arts Music Academy and Festival in South Korea.