Artists

Andrea Guttmann was born in 1975 in Hallein (Austria). She graduated from her concert- and pedagogical studies "with distinction" at the University for Music Mozarteum in Salzburg. From 1998 until 2003 she studied recorder with Walter van Hauwe at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and graduated with a second fase/master degree in 2003. The years 1998 till 2002 included studies on late Medieval Music with Pedro Memelsdorff at the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milano and the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona. She received various first prizes at the Austrian competition Jugend musiziert and a Special prize of the Austrian Interpreter´s Society. For her Recital in May 2001 at the Mozarteum Salzburg she received the Lilly Lehmann Medaille. She was a holder of Scholarships of the Austrian and Dutch government, the Towns Council Salzburg and the European Community. She is a member of the recorder collective QNG, with whom she receive various first international prizes - among them the Concert Artists Competition 2004 in New York. She founded Via Artis in 1998.

Valeria Mignaco was born in 1975 in Rosario (Argentina). She began her singing studies in Argentina in 1990. Furthermore, she studied violin, piano and composing. In 1996 she moved to Holland to study classical singing at the Koniklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, from which she graduated in May 2003. She worked with Manon Heijne, Thea van der Putten, Maria Acda, Gerda van Zelm and Marius van Altena. She also attended regularly the baroque singing master classes given by Jill Feldman and the interpretation classes of Meinard Kraak. She has performed under the direction of Gabriel Garrido, Paul Mc Creesh (Academie d'Ambronay, 2003), Charles de Wolff, Jos van Eijk, Adrián van der Spoel, Cristián Hernández Larguía, Josep Cabré and Sergio Pelacani. In April 2004 she was invited for soli in J.S.Bach's Matthews Passion and G.F.Haendel's Dixit Dominus with the Bach-Koor Holland and the Concertgebouw Kamerorkest. In summer she will perform Mozart arias with the Orquesta de Cámara de Rosario.

Bram Verheijen. After completing his studies in English and Music at the KUN University in Nijmegen (NL), Bram Verheijen studied Early Vocal Music with Rebecca Stewart at the Schola Cantorum Brabantiae in Tilburg, a departement of the Brabants Conservatorium specialised in western modal music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.Graduated in June 2004, Bram is now following a second-phase degree (master level) at the same conservatory. As a member of the quartet Fortuna d’Esperata, emerged in 2002 in the departement, Bram toured through Slovenia and Croatia during the summer of 2004. This ensemble took also part to the fringe programme of the Holland Festival Oude Muziek, Utrecht. Bram has sung with professional ensembles as ‘Schola: Dufay’ with Rebecca Stewart and ‘Falá Musica’ with Maurice van Lieshout. He conducts several choirs and ensembles and gives workshops and vocal trainings.

Alessandro Pianu was born in 1972 in Sardinia (Italy). He studied piano at the Conservatory of Sassari, where he graduated with full marks in 1992. From 1995 he studied harpsichord with Maria Vittoria Guidi at the Conservatory of Venice "B. Marcello", from which he graduated in 1999 with distinction, being awarded a scholarship to continue his harpsichord studies abroad. In the same year he won the third prize in the 8th Harpsichord Competition in Bologna, while in 2000 he got third prize in the 1st International Harpsichord Competition in Budapest. Graduated in Electronic Music at the Conservatory of Venice with A. Vidolin in 2001, he studied Musicology at the University of Bologna. He followed 2nd phase harpsichord studies with Bob van Asperen at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and graduated in June 2003 with the 2nd phase diploma (Mmus). He has recently been awarded a first prize in the 9th Harpsichord Competition in Bologna. Currently he is following fortepiano studies with Stanley Hoogland at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Miako Klein was born in 1982 in Telgte (Germany). She studied the recorder with Gudula Rosa at the Westfalian music school, and is now student of Paul Leenhouts at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Her violin teachers were Tor-Song Tan and Prof. Martin Dehning (MHS Detmold, Abt. Münster). Miako was awarded 1st prize at the "International Recorder Competition of Engelskirchen" in 1997 and at the "SONBU" International Recorder Competition of Utrecht/NL in 1998, both as recorder soloist. She was also awarded 1st prize at Germany's National Youth Competition "Bundeswettbewerb Jugend musiziert": in 1999 and 2002 for Contemporary Music, in 2000 as recorder soloist and in 2001 for Early Music. She also won the "Prize of the City Erlangen", the Award of the "Irino Foundation Tokio" for the Best interpretation of Contemporary Music, and the Special Award for outstanding ensemble performance. Miako played the violin in the "Landesjugendorchester NRW" and she was concert master of the Westfalian Symphonic Youth Orchestra. She gave orchestra concerts in France, Norway, China and Malaysia and solo concerts in Japan. Since 2003 she is member of the recorder ensemble “The Royal Wind Music”.

Tobias Guttmann was born in 1978 in Hallein (Austria). After a few years of private lessons he studied from 1989 till 1998 as a promissing talent at the "ORFF - Institut" in Salzburg with Mari Honda-Tominaga. Since 1998 he is following intensive percussionstudies at the "Conservatorium van Amsterdam" with Jan Pustjens, Peter Prommel, Marinus Komst, Victor Oskam, Lorenzo Ferrandiz and Nick Woud. At the „Amsterdam Percussion Festival AMP“ 2000 and 2001 he gave a Marimba Solo Recital. He is a member of the „Atlas Ensemble“. At the Austrian competition „Gradus ad Parnassum“ 2002 he received a second prize (when not giving a first prize). He is “Kulturpreisträger der Stadt Hallein" as member of "Familienensemble Guttmann". He is regularely invited at important orchesters like as "Koninklijke Concertgebouw Orkest", the "Radio Kamer Orkest" and the "18th Century Orchester" under direction of conductors, like o.a. Simon Rattle, Peter Eötvös, Frans Bruggen.