Gerd Tuerk

Gerd Türk began his vocal training as a member of the “LIMBURGER DOMSINGKNABEN“.  (Boys Choir of the Limburg Cathedral in Germany)He went on to study Music Education, Church Music and Choral Direction at the Frankfurt Conservatory of Music, amongst others with Helmuth Rilling and Arleen Auger.

After a two-year lectureship at the Speyer Institute of Church Music, Gerd Türk devoted his attention entirely to singing. Studies of Baroque Singing and Interpretation at the renowned “SCHOLA CANTORUM BASILIENSIS“ (with René Jacobs and Richard Levitt) and Masterclasses with E.Haefliger, K.Equiluz, N. Shetler, amongst others, led to a career as sought-after soloist, touring in Europe, South-East Asia, Japan, North and South America, and Australia.

Gerd Türk has performed at the most prestigious concert halls, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Berlin Philharmonic, Palais Garnier Paris, Teatro Colón, Musikverein Wien, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center New York, under the baton of such conductors as Ph. Herreweghe, R. Jacobs, T. Koopman, J. Savall, M. Corboz, M. Suzuki, Fr. Brüggen  and others.

Mr. Türk has been member of various ensembles, amongst them “CANTUS COELLN“, Germany’s leading Vocal Group, and “GILLES BINCHOIS“ (France), renowned for it’s interpretation of Medieval Music.

Gerd Türk has also been active on the Opera stage, having been invited to perform in, amongst others, Montpellier, Innsbruck, Barcelona, Antwerp and Madrid.

With Sony, Erato, BIS, BMG, Virgin and harmonia mundi France labels, Gerd Türk has recorded more than 100 CDs, including all Bach Oratorios, Monteverdi’s Vespers, Mozart’s Requiem and Lieder by Carl Orff, which have received numerous awards. (Edison, Gramophone Award, Cannes Award, Grand Prix du Disque, Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik)  He is regularly involved in the complete recordings of Bach‘s Vocal Music with the “BACH COLLEGIUM JAPAN“, which have been highly acclaimed by the international press and the public.

Gerd Türk is currently holding a professorship at the “SCHOLA CANTORUM BASILIENSIS“ in Basel/Switzerland and gives master classes in numerous countries, most notably Japan  (Tokyo National University of Music and Fine Arts), Germany, Spain and South Korea

 

Makoto Sakurada

He completed his master degree at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in vocal music, working with Professor Tadahiko Hirano. He continued his studies with Professor G.Fabbrini in Bologna at the National Conservatory “G. B. Martini”. He studied also with Mo. W.Matteuzzi and Ma. G.Banditelli in Italy.

He is very active as a soloist for Oratorio performances especially for the baroque era. He collaborates with various group/orchestra as Le Concert de Nacion, Accademia Bizantina, Capella della Pieta’ de Turchini, Europa Galante, Il Giardino Armonico, Orchestra Barocca di Venezia, Orchestra S.Cecilia di Roma, La Stagione Armonica, La Venexiana, Collegium Vocale, La Petite Bande, Ricercar Consort and with the numbers of conductor as J.Savall, O. Dantone, A. Florio, F.Biondi, G.Antonini, A.Marcon, S.Balestracci, C.Cavina, P.Herreweghe, S.Kuijken, T.Koopman, Ph.Pierlot in Italy and the other countries in Europe.

Since 1995, He has worked together with Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan on a regular basis, including tour-performances in Europe, U.S.A, Israel and Australia. Their successful collaboration has been documented on several CDs.

In addition to his oratorio singing career, also he has operatic repertories includes “Orfeo”, “Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria”, “L’incoronazione di Poppea” by C.Monteverdi, Don Ottavio in “Don Giovanni”, Don Basilio in “Le Nozze di Figaro” by W.A.Mozart,, Don Ramiro in “La Cenerentola” by G.Rossini and so on.

He was awarded the 2nd prize at the “International Early Music Concours Brugge” in 2002.

Andrew Kennedy

Andrew Kennedy studied at King’s College, Cambridge and the Royal College of Music in London.  He was a member of the Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden where he performed many solo principal roles.  Andrew has won numerous prizes and awards including the 2005 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Rosenblatt Recital Prize.  He is a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award winner and won the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artists’ Award in 2006.  He was also a member of BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme.

Major operatic roles include Tom Rakewell The Rake’s Progress (La Scala, La Monnaie (DVD with Kazushi Ono) and Opéra de Lyon and in concert with Noseda/Stresa Festival); Vere Billy Budd and Quint The Turn of the Screw (Houston Grand Opera); Tito La Clemenza di Tito (Opéra de Lyon, Oper Frankfurt); Tamino The Magic Flute (English National Opera and Opéra Toulon); Don Ottavio Don Giovanni and a staged Messiah (Opéra de Lyon); Belmonte Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Welsh National Opera); Almaviva The Barber of Seville (ENO and WNO); Fenton The Merry Wives of Windsor (ENO); Flute A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal Opera, Covent Garden); Jacquino Fidelio (Glyndebourne Festival and LSO/Sir Colin Davis); Ferrando Così fan tutte (Teatro Reggio Torino, Glyndebourne Touring Opera); Nemorino L’elisir d’amore (Opera North); Flamand Capriccio (Grange Park Opera); Baron Lummer Intermezzo and Belfiore La Finta Giardinera (Buxton Festival); Male Chorus The Rape of Lucretia and Oedipus Oedipus Rex for Den Norske Opera and Max in a French version of Der Freischütz for Opéra Comique, Paris under Sir John Eliot Gardiner and at the BBC Proms.

Concert engagements include Bach St. John Passion (AAM/Egarr, King’s College Choir/Cleobury, Polyphony/Layton); Bach St. Matthew Passion (Netherlands Philharmonic/Sir Colin Davis); Orfeo in Haydn Orfeo e Euridice (Boston Handel and Haydn Society/Sir Roger Norrington); Tobia Il Ritorna di Tobia (OAE/Norrington); Haydn Die Jahreszeiten (Bamberg Symphoniker/Norrington); Haydn Die Schöpfung  (BBC Philharmonic/Noseda, Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra/Sir John Eliot Gardiner, OAE/Sir Mark Elder and OAE/Fischer); Mozart Requiem (LPO/Jurowski CBSO/Nelsons); Orff Carmina Burana (LPO/Graf); Handel Il Trionfo (Gabrieli Consort/McCreesh); Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (Philharmonia/Esa Pekka Salonen, LPO/Gatti, BBCNOW/Thierry Fisher, Musikkollegium Winterthur/Boyd); Handel Messiah (Tonhalle and Tonkünstler orchestras, Zürich); Berlioz Grande Messe des Morts (LPO/Tortelier) Elgar Dream of Gerontius (Hallé) and Mozart Mass in C Minor (Hallé Orchestra/Elder).  Performances of Britten include Nocturne (BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Atherton and a studio recording for the BBC), Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (St Louis Symphony Orchestra/Robertson, Helsinki Philharmonic/Sir Neville Marriner and live broadcasts with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Nash Ensemble/Edward Gardner), Les Illuminations (Edinburgh International Festival/Scottish Ensemble) and Spring Symphony (BBCNOW/Atherton).  Recent appearances at the BBC Proms include Finzi Intimations of Immortality (BBCSO/Daniel); Hymnus Paradisi (BBCSO/Brabbins); a live televised performance of Sullivan The Yeoman of the Guard (BBC Concert Orchestra/Jane Glover) and Elgar Spirit of England at the 2007 Last Night of the BBC Proms with Jiri Bêhlolávek.

Equally passionate about song repertoire, Andrew gives numerous recitals in Europe and the UK, is a frequent performer at the Wigmore Hall, London and appears regularly with the pianists Julius Drake, Iain Burnside, Malcolm Martineau and Eugene Asti.  Andrew’s fast growing discography includes six solo albums (Hyperion, Signum Classics, Landor Records, Altara and Naxos); three shared recital discs (Signum Classics and Delphian); numerous recordings for LSO live including Mozart Requiem and Francesco in Berlioz Benvenuto Cellini both with Sir Colin Davis and Novice Billy Budd with Daniel Harding;  Haydn The Seven Last Words of Christ (LPO/Jurowski);  Elgar The Spirit of England (BBCSO/David Lloyd Jones); Shepherd in Chausson Le Roi Arthus (BBCSO/Leon Botstein); Oebalus in Mozart Apollo & Hyacinthus and Christgeist in Mozart Die Schuldigkeit des Erstens Gebots (Classical Opera/Ian Page); John Tavener Requiem (Petrenko/RLPO for EMI); Stainer Crucifixion (Huddersfield Choral Society) and Delius Mass of Life (Bournemouth Symphony/David Hill).  2013/14 will see a further six recordings released including a disc of Vaughan Williams songs (RLPO/Paul Daniel), Bach St John Passion (AAM/Richard Egarr), Britten St Nicholas (King’s College Choir/Stephen Cleobury) and Quint The Turn of the Screw (LSO/Richard Farnes).

Future performances include, Britten War Requiem (BBC Symphony Orchestra/Bychkov, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de Espana), Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge (Nash Ensemble) Beethoven 9th Symphony at the BBC Proms (National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain / Vassily Petrenko),  Mozart Requiem with the Bergen Philharmonic and Masaaki Suzuki,  a world tour of Handel’s Theodora with the English Concert and Harry Bicket and Messiah in Perth,  Adelaide and Melbourne with Matthew Halls.

Promoters please note: if you wish to include this biography in a concert programme etc, please contact Hazard Chase to ensure that you receive the most up to date version.