Qiling Chen & Yoshiko Iwai
Biography Qiling Chen & Yoshiko Iwai
Qiling Chen
Born in Guangzhou (China), she has been influenced since childhood and started playing the flute at the age of nine. At 16, she won second prize at the Beijing Flute National Competition. She then continued her studies with Prof. Zhu Tong-De at the Beijing Conservatory. During this time she played in the "China Youth Symphony Orchestra" and also gave concerts in many European cities. In a master class of Prof. Alexandre Magnin (solo flutist in the Zurich Opera House Orchestra, and lecturer at the Zurich Conservatory of Music) in 1987 in Beijing, her talent touched the professor very much. In 1989 he organised for her to study in Switzerland. In 1993 she graduated with an orchestra diploma and a teaching diploma at the Zurich Conservatory. She continued her studies in the class of Günter Rumpel (solo flutist in the Tonhalle Orchestra). In 1996 she received her concert diploma with distinction.
Since 1990 she has worked regularly with the great flute master Aurèle Nicolet. 1991 first prize at the "Concours National d'execution musicale pour la Jeunesse" in Riddes(Switzerland).1992 second prize at the international competition for solo flute in Szeged(Hungary). 1996 first prize with her ensemble at the Kiwanis competition for chamber music in Zurich.
Besides her teaching activities in the Swiss Music Schools, she makes concert tours with various well-known Swiss musicians such as Werner Bärtschi, Eckart Heiligers, Martin Wettstein, Ulrich Koella, Anders Miolin, Martina Schucan, Felix Baumann, Yibin Chu, Chris Wiesendangen.
In 2005 she was invited as a guest professor at the Central Conservatorium Beijing, one year later she founded The First Beijing Nicolet International Flute Competition in 2006. In 2008 she founded the Asians Flutist Federation with Japanese and Korean flute colleagues, which organises annual flute festivals, competitions and concerts.
From 2008 lecturer at Zurich Conservatory Classical and Jazz and Swiss Music Pedagogical Academy.
Yoshiko Iwai
The Japanese pianist Yoshiko Iwai studied with Hitoshi Kobayashi (Tokyo) and Friedrich Wilhelm Schnurr (Detmold). 1993 concert exam with distinction, 1993-96 teaching position at the Detmold Academy of Music. Master classes with György Sebök. Winner of important national and international competitions: 2nd prize Japan Music Competition 1983, 2nd prize European Chopin Piano Competition Darmstadt 1989, 1st prize (Felix Mendelohn). Prize (Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize) Mendelssohn Competition Berlin 1991, Finalist International Piano Competition "Clara Haskil" Vevey-Montreux 1991, 2nd Prize International Piano Competition "Géza Anda" Zurich 1994. Various radio and CD productions (e.g. piano works by Mozart, 1996 and Clara Schumann, 1999). Since 2000 lecturer at the Zurich University of the Arts. International concert activity as soloist and chamber musician.
