Concerts in Association with the German YMCA in London
Programme
Programme
Fanny Mendelssohn
Das Jahr, H385: Januar - Ein Traum
Das Jahr, H385: Februar - Scherzo
________
Clara Schumann
Romance op. 21 Nr. 1 in G-Minor
________
Anne de Belleville
Opera Fantasie ‘Rigoletto’
-------- 20 Minute Interval --------
Lily Boulanger
Trois Morceaux pour Piano:
D’Un Vieux Jardin
D’Un Jardin Clair
Courtège
Melanie Bonis
Barcarolle for piano in E flat major, op. 71
________
Dora Pejacevic
Piano Sonata in A Flat Major, Op. 57
presents
Overlooked
Great Women Composers
Music and Life Stories of Female Composers of the late 19th Century
featuring
Diana Brekalo
Piano
Thursday, 14 March 2024, 19:00
Lancaster Hall Hotel
35 Craven Terrace
W2 3EL
Diana Brekalo
Diana Brekalo was born and brought up in Stuttgart, Germany, and is of Croatian descent. Formative studies in Germany with Ana Hartauer, Monika Giurgiuman and Prof.S.Rudiakov revealed her talents not only as an imaginative and thoughtful solo pianist, but also as notable accompanist and fine chamber musician.
By the age of twelve, Brekalo had already won four first prizes as soloist and two first prizes as a chamber musician in the German "Jugend musiziert" , and her precocious musical development was continued through generous grants from the "Oskar und Vera Ritter" foundation, the Baden-Württemberg Associations Patronage Price, and the ZEIT grant in the "Deutsche Sitftung Musikleben".
2001-2004 she was a Junior Student at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart, where she started her studies in 2004 in the class of Prof.S.Rudiakov. In 2006, she came to London to undertake further studies at the renowned Guildhall School of Music & Drama under the guidance of Joan Havill, having gained a distinction in the Bachelor of music (Hons) as well as in her Master of Music (performance).
Diana Brekalo has performed in cities and major concert halls throughout Europe, USA, Japan, China (Oriental Arts Centre Concert Hall, Shanghai, Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing), Croatia including international live broadcasts on the TV and radio.
She has performed in many cities in the UK including the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St.James Piccadilly, St.John´s Smith Square, St.Martin-in the-Fields, Bridgewater Hall, Fairfield Halls, St. David's Hall and with numerous professional orchestras including the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Dubrovnik Symphonie Orchestra and others.
Diana had her début with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall in April 2011. She performed two piano cocertos in one concert: A world premiere of English composer Peter Fribbins and D. Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.1 with great acclaim.
She was Artist in residence at Middlesex University in London 2010/2011. Since 2011 she works at the Musikhochschule in Würzburg. In May 2012 her live CD from the début with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall (April 2011) was released to great critical acclaim.
Since 2014 she has taught at international master classes in China, England and Germany, as well as adjudicating in piano competitions in England and Germany. Apart from that, she had the honour to perform the world premiere by Milko Kelemens' 2nd Piano Sonata oubliee at St. Martin-in-the-Fields which was dedicated to her by the composer.
She loves to discover new music and enjoys the friendship with living composers such as Christopher Gunning, whose Piano Sonata was also written for her, recorded by her and appeared on the BBC.
In 2021, Diana had the pleasure of being part in the film by Canadian director I. Drljaca 'The White Fortress', which was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival and in which she performs the Piano Concerto by Clara Schumann.
In the past years she extended her approach to create unconventional concerts by including texts and talks about the composers and their lives.