Laurence Kayaleh & Bernadene Blaha
Biography Laurence Kayaleh & Bernadene Blaha
Laurence Kayaleh
International concert performer, Laurence Kayaleh is an artist of deep musical insight, possessing a rich, singing tone and a natural feeling for style. Possessing the impeccable technique and innate musicality of the grand tradition of violin playing, while at the same time venturing regularly into contemporary music, her playing comprises all the facets of a complete musician and creates an intensely moving experience for the public.
Ms. Kayaleh’s early career took her to prestigious music centers in the world : Paris, Prague, Brussels, Zurich, Sofia, Bern, Moscow, Modena and Geneva, where she was soloist with such well-known orchestras as Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra, Geneva’s Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the RTBF Symphony Orchestra (Belgium) and the Basel Symphony Orchestra, performing the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto in B minor.
Having accomplished her artistic training in the Stage Performance Classes of the prestigious Kayaleh Violin Academy in Switzerland (Performer Diploma), she won First Prize with distinction at the Swiss Competition for Young Soloists, and was awarded the Grand Prize by unanimous decision of the Jury at the Stresa International Competition, Italy.
At her Paris debut at the Théâtre du Châtelet, the world-renowned critic of Le Figaro, Pierre Petit, described her playing as regal, praising her wonderful sound and her innate sense of phrasing. Following this event, she performed at the Gaveau Hall in Paris, has been a guest of the Lucerne Festival, and played as soloist under such well-known conductors as Pavel Kogan, John Carewe and Hiroshi Wakazugi.
Laurence Kayaleh performed as soloist at the Bolchoï Hall and at the Tchaïkovsky Hall in Moscow, performing the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Russian National Orchestra under Mikhaïl Pletnev, at the Pleyel Hall in Paris with the Orchestre Lamoureux under Grzegorz Nowak sharing the concert with violinist Igor Oïstrakh, at the Lied Center in Lincoln, USA, at the Mie Center for the Arts (Japan), and at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Her American career rewarded her with standing ovations wherever she performed : at the Blossom Festival with the Cleveland Orchestra, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin who described her as a unique musician, and at the Powell Hall with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Other engagements featured Laurence Kayaleh as soloist performing the Tchaïkovsky Violin Concerto with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela, with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit and with the Basel Symphony Orchestra under Mario Venzago in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor. Her Milano debut was marked by a brilliant recital given at the Verdi Hall.
She performed in the USA, in Toronto, Canada, as soloist with the Orchestra Stabile di Bergamo at the Donizetti Theater in Bergamo, Italy, with the Mexico City Philharmonic at the Cervantino International Music Festival in Guanajuato and in Mexico City playing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto under Martin Turnovsky, for Radio-Canada, as well as concerts throughout Canada, in Dublin, Ireland, and at the Tonhalle in Zurich. Other engagements include 20th-century chamber music concerts at Montreal’s Canadian Center for Architecture, recitals in Messina, Sicily, recordings for the CBC-Series (Canada), and for the Swiss, French, Belgium and Russian radios/televisions, concerts in the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and a Gala Concert in Switzerland that she shared with violinists Viktor Pikayzen and Ida Haendel.
Laurence has recorded for NAXOS Records the complete works for violin and piano by N. Medtner (2 volumes), A. Honegger, G. Catoire, J. Raff (2 volumes) and F. Rebay’s complete sonatas for violin & guitar, and viola & guitar.
Canadian composer, François-Hugues Leclair, dedicated to her his piece for violin and piano « Le Retour des Oies »
Upcoming events will take place in Canada and in Europe. Ms. Kayaleh is also invited to be a member of jury in Canadian and international music competitions and she is regularly invited to give Masterclasses in Canadian universities and in institutions in South America and in Europe, including festivals.
In 1996, Laurence was granted the Nyon City Artistic Award, Switzerland.
Laurence Kayaleh’s repertoire covers the works written for the violin. She performs on a magnificent Pietro Guarneri built by the Venetian master in 1742, which belonged to the eminent violinist and pedagogue, Carl Flesch. With her lovely bearing and commanding stage presence, Laurence’s violin speaks to the audience in an extremely personal and unforgettable way.
Bernadene Blaha
Bernadene's “brilliant command of the piano”, whether featured as recitalist, concerto soloist or chamber musician, has been heralded in performances throughout North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Mexico. Piano and Keyboard magazine has reviewed her as, “a pianist of integrity, with lovely sonorities and total clarity of line.” Highlights of this season include return engagements at the Piatigorsky Cello Festival, Newport Music Festival, Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Series, Worcester Chamber Music Society as well as performances in Canada, France and Italy.
Originally from Canada, Ms. Blaha first came to international attention as a prizewinner in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition; the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Masterplayers International Competition, Lugano, Switzerland; and the 11th Annual International Piano Competition, New York City. This latter award resulted in two highly acclaimed recital appearances, at Carnegie Recital Hall and the Lincoln Center Library. Soon afterward, Ms. Blaha was featured in the opening orchestra concert and a solo recital at the XXIX International Chopin Festival in Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakia, followed by performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and Disney Hall in Los Angeles.
Ms. Blaha is a founding member of the piano trio Latitude 41, formed in 2009 with violinist Livia Sohn and cellist Luigi Piovano. Their debut CD of Schubert's monumental "Trio in E flat Major" and "Notturno" was released in 2011 on the Eloquentia label to rave reviews. The group followed this success with a recording of the Saint-Saëns Trios and has a forthcoming CD featuring the Brahms Trios. Ms. Blaha’s discography also includes recordings for the CBC, Centaur and Analekta labels.
Also in demand as a teacher, adjudicator and clinician, Ms. Blaha has received the National Arts Foundation’s Outstanding Teacher Recognition Award. She has been invited to serve on the jury of the Gina Bachauer International Artist Piano Competition, Virginia Waring International Competition and the 2015 International E-Competition.
Currently residing in Los Angeles, Ms. Blaha has been a member of the Keyboard Faculty at the Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California since 1993 where she is a Professor.
