Contestants 2019

Duo Holm/Haagen

FIRST PRIZE

Singer: Sophie Haagen

Pianist: Elias Holm

Theo Platt & Keval Shah

SECOND PRIZE

Pianist: Keval Shah

Singer: Theodore Platt

Duo NewBrook

THIRD PRIZE

Pianist: Johannes Stenberg Brooks

Singer: Johanna Nylund

Joakim Larsson & Markus Kvint

FOURTH PRIZE

Singer: Joakim Larsson

Pianist: Markus Kvint

Behiel/Williams

SPECIAL PRIZE: Best performance of a song by Carl Nielsen

Singer: James Williams

Pianist: Meghan Behiel

Møller/Mhaanna

SPECIAL PRIZE: Best performance of Danish repertoire

Pianist: Rames Mhaanaha

Singer: Mathias Monrad Møller

Sara Swietlicki & Markus Kvint

Singer: Sara Swietlicki

Pianist: Markus Kvint

Fagerfjäll/Graiff

Pianist: Tommasso Graiff

Singer: Arvid Fagerfjäll

Richardson / Jensen Duo

Singer: Anne Sofie Søby Jensen

Pianist: Cameron Richardson-Eames

Vansìsiem Lied Duo

Pianist: Alfredo Blessano

Singer: Paola Componova

Duo Baxter Ilie

Pianist: Ioana Ilie

Sanger: Sarah Baxter

Appelon & Ventegodt

Pianist: Alexander Ventegodt

Singer: Lykke Appelon Ilkjær

Duo Holm&Haagen

SINGER: Sophie Haagen has studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Music and Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York. In 2019 Haagen was accepted at the Opera Academy in Copenhagen.

Haagen has participated in masterclasses with Bo Skovhus, Andreas Haefliger, Julien Prégardien and Anne Sofie von Otter.

In 2016 Sophie Haagen was the semifinalist in the London Handel Singing Competition. In 2018 she participated in the Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, Colorado, USA. Sophie Haagen is a sought-after soloist in oratorios and concerts in Copenhagen.

PIANIST: Elias Holm studied privately with Tove Lønskov and at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with Professor Amalie Malling. He is currently studying at the University of Arts Berlin with Professor Klaus Hellwig and privately in Portugal with Maira João Pires. Holm is studying lied accompaniment in Berlin with Professor Eric Schneider and has received lessons with Helmut Deutsch.

Elias Holm is a very active Danish concert pianist and has played at several of the main music festivals and music societies in Denmark. Holm has been engaged both as a soloist, chamber musician and Lied accompanist, with some of the most prominent musicians in Denmark.

Holm has received The Sonning Talent Prize.

Theo Platt & Keval Shah

SINGER: British-Russian baritone Theodore Platt has received several prices: He was the winner of the 3rd Prize at the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, 2nd Prize at the 2019 Kathleen Ferrier Award, and 1st Prize at the 2018 Lies Askonas Competition.

Platt studies at the RCM Opera Studio with Russell Smythe, supported by: The Marc Feigen, Sybil Tutton Trust, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and the Josephine Baker Trust.
Theodore Platt recent engagements includes the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, Internationale Meistersinger Akademie, Verbier Festival Academy, and the first Wigmore Hall French Song Exchange.

PIANIST: Keval Shah is a sought-after accompanist and chamber musician, appearing at venues including Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. He has been engaged at the Aldeburgh festival, Oxford Lieder festival, and Heidelberger Frühling Festival.

Shahs upcoming engagements include recitals at the Buxton and Edinburgh Festivals, a debut album with Linn Records, and the continuation of a project to perform the complete songs of Wolf. Keval Shah studied at Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, graduating from both institutions with distinction. In 2019, he was appointed Edison Fellow of the British Library, London.

Duo NewBrook

SINGER: Johanna Nylund is a Finnish soprano located in Copenhagen. She finished her master in voice at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2019, and is now enrolled in the soloist class there. Nylund has studied with Eva Hess Thaysen, Helene Gjerris, Annastiina Tahkola and Rita Susovsky.

Johanna Nylund has performed in many stage productions and performed soloist parts with repertoire such as Messiah by G.F.Händel and The Christmas Oratorio by J.S.Bach. Nylund was a soloist in two Opera Gala-concerts with Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra after receiving The Bel Canto Institute Orchestral Award 2018. In June 2019 she performed opera arias with Plenum Symphony Orchestra.

PIANIST: Johannes Stenberg Brooks is a young Danish pianist studying at The Royal Danish Academy of Music with Professor Jens Elvekjær. He has recently done an exchange program at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Prof. Markus Bellheim. Brooks has also studied composition, conducting and French Lied repertoire with Prof. Céline Dutilly.
Brooks has participated in master classes with pianists such as Paul Roberts, Mikhail Voskresensky and Boris Berman.
Brooks has received prizes at several piano competitions, in 2015 he received the Danish Musicians' Association's talent prize.

Joakim Larsson & Markus Kvint

SINGER: Joakim Larsson studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and The Manhattan School of Music. In 2018 Larsson graduated from The Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen. Larsson debuted at the Copenhagen Opera in 2017 and has performed the roles of Larkens (La Fanciulla del West) and Frank (Flagermusen). Joakim Larsson has performed several roles: The Count and Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dancaire (Carmen), Collatinus (The Rape of Lucretia), Umberto (La Serva Padrona). Larsson is also a passionate recitalist, having performed in Sweden, Denmark, and the United States.

PIANIST:

Markus Kvint graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in 2017. Kvint also studied at Hochschule für Musik in Weimar and Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

With support from the Idella Foundation Kvint has developed his concert program with the pianist Konstantin Bogino in Bergamo, Italy.

Markus Kvint toured in USA, Canada and Sweden with the soprano Sara Swietlicki. And performed at several festivals in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Austria. In 2020 Kvint will perform a series of family concerts on Beethoven with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

Markus Kvint is also a part of the production group at Opera Warberg.

Behiel/ Williams

SINGER: James Williams is a British baritone, who appears frequently across Europe and Asia, both on stage and in recital. His performances have been noted for their "considerable musical integrity" and "honey-toned" delivery (Christopher Field). Having studied in London with Eugene Asti and Joan Rodgers, Williams holds a strong passion for the songs of Franz Schubert and Hugo Wolf, while advocating the works of lesser-known English composers.

Papageno, Don Giovanni and Schaunard fall within Williams's operatic repertory, while his recent portrayal of Don Alfonso was deemed "suavely resonant" (Stage).

PIANIST: Appearing regularly in concert throughout Europe and North America, Canadian pianist, Meghan Behiel, has recently performed as a soloist with the Orchestre de Chambre de Saint-Paul and the Bern Symphony Orchestra, appearing live on Radio Swiss Classic. As a Lied pianist, Meghan studied with Rudolf Jansen and Elly Ameling at the Mountain View International Festival of Song and Chamber Music in Canada. Concert highlights include Lieder-Abende at the Tonhalle Zürich, Yehudi Menuhin Forum, Casino Bern and the Théâtre Granit de Belfort.

Møller/Mhaanna

SINGER: Mathias Monrad Møller
Mathias Monrad Møller is a Danish-German tenor and composer. Born in Odense, Denmark, Møller grew up in Germany, and was a member of St. Thomas Boys Choir in Leipzig. He holds a bachelor in singing from Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ Berlin and and master from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. He is attending the Opera Academy at the Royal Danish Opera. Mathias Monrad Møller also holds a master in composition from Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt am Main. Møller has been awarded numerous stipends and scholarships, both as a singer and a composer.

PIANIST Ramez Mhaanna grew up with a Russian mother and Lebanese father in Copenhagen. Mhaanna received private piano lessons as a child and was early on noticed at music competitions and piano festivals. At the age of 16, he performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Copenhagen Sinfonia in 2008. He studied his bachelor at Gnesins Academy of Music in Moscow, and obtained his masters degree from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2018. Mhaanna was admitted to the soloist class at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2018, and in 2019, he received Léonie Sonnings Talent Prize.

Sara Swietlicki & Markus Kvint

SINGER: Soprano Sara Swietlicki graduated from the Opera Academy in Copenhagen.

in 2016. In 2015, Sara was elected the 50th Swedish Jenny Lind scholar.
In May 2019 Naxos released a recording of Beethoven’s 9th symphony, with Sara as the soprano soloist, working with The Danish Chamber Orchestra and conductor Adam Fischer.
In the season of 2019/20 Sara will sing the soprano part in Mozart’s Requiem at Malmö Opera, a collaboration between Malmö Opera and Skånes Dansteater. She will also sing the role of Ofglen in The Handmaid’s Tale by Poul Ruders at The Royal Danish Theater.

PIANIST:

Markus Kvint graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen in 2017. Kvint also studied at Hochschule für Musik in Weimar and Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

With support from the Idella Foundation Kvint has developed his concert program with the pianist Konstantin Bogino in Bergamo, Italy.

Markus Kvint is also a part of the production group at Opera Warberg.

Fagerfjäll/ Graiff

SINGER Arvid Fagerfjäll is a lyric baritone from Sweden. The focus of his work lies in Lied and Bel Canto. He completed his education in Sweden, Germany and Italy by renowned teachers such as KS Prof. Regina Werner-Dietrich, Prof. Peter Anton Ling and Monica Thomasson.

Defining artistic influences were received through his studies and numerous masterclasses from among others Jan-Philip Schulze, Alexander Scmalcz, Peter Berne and Philip Moll.

PIANIST Tommasso Graiff

The Italian pianist Tommasso Graiff studied with Nicoletta Antoniacomi at the Conservatorio F.A. Bonporti in Trento (Italy), and since autumn 2015 at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy" in Leipzig, earning in 2019 his diploma in piano. Masterclasses with Phillip Moll, George Kern, Balázs Réti, Sofya Gulyak, Robert Levin and Pietro de Maria offered a significant contribution to his musicianship. Since 2019 Tommasso is recipient of a scholarship by the foundation Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now; in 2018 he was awarded a scholarship by the Europäische Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst.

Graiff is very active as a collaborative pianist, and has been part of the teaching staff at the Internationale Sängerakademie in Torgau (Germany) since 2019. Graiff has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in several European countries, with a wide repertoire ranging from Bach to contemporary music.

Ridchardson & Jensen Duo

SINGER: The UK-based Danish mezzo Anne-Sofie Søby Jensen is a Royal Academy of Music Scholar and member of the Academy's prestigious Song Circle. Jensen appears frequently in lieder recitals in the UK and in Denmark.

In 2018 Anne-Sofie Søby Jensen was commended the Isabel Jay Prize and was a Schumann Lieder Prize finalist. Jensen has performed major baroque oratorios with Trevor Pinnock, Instruments of Time & Truth and Camerata Øresund. In May 2019 she received critical acclaim for her debut as Rosmira in Handel's "Partenope" with Hampstead Garden Opera.

Anne-Sofie Søby Jensen is supported by the Augustinus Foundation.

PIANIST: British pianist Cameron Richardson-Eames studied at Cambridge University, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and as a Fulbright Scholar at The Juilliard School. He has broadcast on BBC Radio 3 (including on the 2016 BBC Proms Launch Night with trumpeter Matilda Lloyd), Classic FM, SWR Deutschland, and WQXR.

Richardson-Eames has performed in many prestigious concert halls including the Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Carnegie Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. Festival appearances include Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ryedale, Jeunes Talents (Paris), Bach en Combrailles, Ravinia and Joye in Aiken (South Carolina).

Vansìsiem Lied Duo

SINGER: Paola Camponovo graduated in Opera Singing in Milan. She is currently a student (M.A. Lied Duo) at the Conservatorio L. Cherubini in Florence. Camponovo has attended master classes with F. Le Roux, J. Drake, U. Eisenlohr, A. Le Bozec, J. Cohen and C. Ivaldi.

In 2013 Camponovo won the 64th AsLiCo Competition for Young Opera Singers of Europe (Como). With the pianist Alfredo Blessano she was awarded in the main Chamber Music competitions in Italy, including the Respighi International Competition in Verona (2016, First Prize) and the Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Verona (2019, Third Prize).

PIANIST: Alfredo Blessano graduated with highest honors’ in Piano and in Piano Performance (M.A) at the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Milan. He attended master classes with F. Le Roux, J. Drake, U. Eisenlohr, B. Kehring, A. Le Bozec, J. Cohen and C. Ivaldi.

Alfredo Blessano is currently student (M.A. Lied Duo) at the Conservatorio L. Cherubini in Florence. With the soprano Paola Camponovo he was awarded in the main Chamber Music Competitions in Italy, including the Respighi International Competition in Verona (2016, First Prize) and the Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Verona (2019, Third Prize).

Duo Baxter Ilie

SINGER: Californian soprano, Sarah Baxter received a scholarship to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and completed her bachelor at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. Baxter is currently studying her Performance Masters at the Musik Akademie Basel, with Isolde Siebert. In 2012, Sarah Baxter won the third prize in the Scot’s Song Competition in Glasgow, Scotland. Baxter’s roles include Zerlina, Erster Knabe, Bradamante, and Theodorine. She sang in Marius Felix Lange’s “Die Schneekönigin” at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein as "Mimosa".

PIANIST: Ioana Ilie won the "C. Silvestri Scholarship" in 2005 and was awarded another 3-year scholarship by the Notenstein La Roche Private Bank in 2014. Ilie has enjoyed valuable input from distinguished names such as Stephen Kovacevich, Piotr Anderszewski, Adrian Oetiker and Fabio Bidini, and has toured throughout Europe, the US, and Japan.

Ioana Ilie dedicates herself passionately to vocal accompaniment and chamber music. She is currently a student of Jan Schultsz in the Master of Specialized Performance in Liedgestaltug.

Appelon & Ventegodt

SINGER: Lykke Appelon is studying at the Southern National Academy of Music in Odense. She has studied with Armeen Dishtchekenian Rasmussen, Henriette Bonde-Hansen and Christian Westergaard.

Appelon has through her travels to Rome explored the traditions of the Italian baroque music and the bel-canto period with Chiara Guglielmi and Emiliano Randazzo. Appelon has participated in Masterclasses with Bengt Forsberg, Ursula Rüttimann, John Ramster, Daniel Bohr, Christian von Gehren and Lars Ulrik Mortensen.

Lykke Appelon was in 2019 one of the winners in the SDMK’s soloist competition and will be performing Mozart’s ‘Exsultate Jubilate’ with the SDMK chamber orchestra.

PIANIST: Alexander Ventegodt holds a masters degree from the Southern National Academy of Music in Odense. In 2014 and 2015 he performed the 48 preludes and fugues from "Das Wohltemperiete Klavier" book I and II by J. S. Bach in Copenhagen and Odense.

Ventegodt has performed in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France and Italy. He has played in venues such as The Danish Radio Concert Hall, Tivoli Concert Hall, Carl Nielsen Hall, Teatro Metropolitano and Windsor Church Hall. Ventegodt has been engaged as a soloist with Copenhagen Youth Symphonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Selandia, Copenhagen Audience Orchestra and Vejle Symphony Orchestra.