Liza Ferschtman, violin
Violinist Liza Ferschtman, still in her twenties, is already recognized as one of the most significant artists of her generation. Her performances are known for their passionate and at the same time intellectual qualities.
In recent seasons Liza Ferschtman has performed with all the major Dutch orchestras, such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra, Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, as well as La Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias, the Prague Philharmonia, Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, Slovenian Radio Orchestra, Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchester and the Israel Symphony Orchestra; she has worked with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Lev Markiz, Lawrence Renes, Jaap van Zweden, Frans Bruggen, Ed Spanjaard, Thierry Fisher, Mendi Rodan, Christoph von Dohnanyi and Shlomo Mintz.
Other highlights of recent seasons include an open air concert attended by an audience of 20,000 people and broadcasted live on television, as well as another televised concert from the main hall of the Concertgebouw celebrating the 10th anniversary of its well known Sunday series.
As a daughter of Russian musicians, she started playing the violin when she was 5 years old and received her first violin lessons from Philipp Hirschhorn. Attending master classes with Yvry Gitlis, Igor Oistrach and Aaron Rosand at a very young age, her extraordinary talent was discovered immediately. Until 1998 she studied with Herman Krebbers at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, after which she also worked with Ida Kavafian at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and David Takeno in London.
As Artistic Director of Holland's most important chamber music festival, the Delft Chamber Music Festival, Liza Ferschtman is also a passionate chamber musician.
In the 2005-6 season she performed the complete Beethoven sonata cycle at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with pianist Inon Barnatan, which was greeted with enormous critical acclaim, and broadcasted on national radio.
She performs regularly in France, Belgium, Germany, UK, Russia, the US, Switzerland and Austria, and at festivals such as Ravinia festival in Chicago, West Cork Festival, Risor Festival and Prussia Cove in Cornwall. In April 2006 she made her New York recital debut with Inon Barnatan. The concert was received by such great critical acclaim that they were immediately re-invited for the 2008 season, the same season in which she made her Washington concert debut, together with Inon Barnatan and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
In the summer of 2008 Liza was a special guest at the summer series of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. She was invited to programme a mini-festival of 2 chamber music concerts and 2 concerts with orchestras in July and August 2008. All 4 concerts were completely sold-out.
Future engagements include; performing all Beethoven Sonatas in Italy, a series of three concerts at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (solo, duo, trio), recitals in her home country The Netherlands as well as abroad, performances with orchestras such as the Radio Filharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra de Padova, Wiener Concertverein, Orquestra Nacional de Porto, Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra and the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam.
She will appear at festivals such as her own Delft Chamber Music Festival, West Cork, Kempten Festival, Rolandseck Festival and many more.
Her debut solo CD, with works from a.o.,Debussy, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky with pianist Bas Verheijden was received with great praise in several music magazines and newspapers. Her second CD, with works from Beethoven and Schubert with pianist Inon Barnatan, was released in 2007 by Challenge records and was extremely well received by the critics.
On 24th November 2006 Liza Ferschtman received the Dutch Music Award 2006, which is the highest distinction awarded to musicians in the Netherlands.
Liza Ferschtman
Upcoming Appearances at Chamber Music Society:
Search for Liza Ferschtman CDs available for purchase at the Chamber Music Society
photo credit: Marco Borggreve