|
The Macedonian pianist, Simon Trpčeski [Simon Trpcheski], was born as the youngest of three children, his father was a judge and his mother a pharmacist. He studied at the School of Music of the University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje, where his most important teacher was Russian-émigré Professor Boris Romanov. In December 1998, he won first place at World piano contest Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe in Skopje; in April 2000, second place at Millennium World Piano Competition London. Trpčeski debuted at London's Wigmore Hall in 2001 From 2001 to 2003, he was a member of the BBC New Generation Artist Scheme. He also won prizes in international competitions in the Czech Republic and Italy. In 2002, he graduated with music degree from St. Cyril and St. Methodius University. In May 2003, he was honored with the Young Artist Award awarded by the Royal Philharmonic Society.
In 2004, Simon Trpčeski debuted with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in Camille Saint-Saëns' 2nd Piano Concerto, and the following year he made his first appearance with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in an acclaimed performance of the daunting Sergei Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto. Other important debuts followed, including his 2006 appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra. In December 2005, he appeared for the first time in the International Piano Series in London.
Simon Trpčeski has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians to have emerged in recent years, performing with many of the world’s greatest orchestras and captivating audiences worldwide. He is praised not only for his impeccable technique and delicate expression, but also for his warm personality and commitment to strengthening Macedonia’s cultural image. Trpčeski has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras. He is a frequent soloist with the major English orchestra, including the London Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. In Scandinavia, he has performed with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Orchestra and Swedish Chamber Orchestra. Other engagements with major European ensembles include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra and Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Royal Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In North America, he has performed with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony, among others. Elsewhere he has performed with the New Japan, Seoul and Hong Kong Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and has toured with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Trpčeski has worked with a prominent list of conductors, including Marin Alsop, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lionel Bringuier, Andrew Davis, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir Jurowski, Lorin Maazel, Antonio Pappano, Vasily Petrenko, Robin Ticciati, Yan Pascal Tortelier, David Zinman and Gianandrea Noseda.
A superb recitalist, Simon Trpčeski has given solo performances in such cultural capitals as New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich, Prague, Hamburg, Bilbao, Dublin and Tokyo. He also performs chamber music as often as he can, having performed at such festivals as Aspen, Verbier and Risor, and in Summer 2011, Trpčeski and cellist Nina Kotova preformed works by Frédéric Chopin for a theatrical event based on the life of Frédéric Chopin featuring renowned actors Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy. Among his other chamber music partners is the cellist Daniel Müller-Schott. While Trpčeski gives a fair number of recitals and chamber music concerts, his touring schedule often favors concerto repertoire, and usually of the challenging variety, with healthy portions by Franz Liszt, S. Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev. He seems fearless, though, whether in selecting difficult works for major debuts, like the Prokofiev 3rd Piano Concerto for his 2010 Carnegie Hall debut, or in championing little known music by contemporary Macedonian composers like Pande Shahov and Zivojin Glisic. But besides relishing in the challenges and risks, Trpčeski is an insightful interpreter, able to adapt to the styles of a wide range of composers, from Haydn, Felix Mendelssohn and F. Chopin to Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Scriabin. Trpčeski, who has nearly reached pop star status in his homeland, regularly tours throughout the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. In both his concert appearances and his recordings, Trpčeski has received enthusiastic responses from critics and the public alike. Many consider him an unusually gifted new artist at the outset of what promises to be a major career.
Simon Trpčeski toured Europe in the 2009-2010 season with both the Philharmonia Orchestra under Lorin Maazel and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic led by Jaap van Zweden. In 2011 he appeared in Seattle, Liverpool, Copenhagen, Oslo, Belgrade, Hong Kong, and other major cities. In 2012-2013 season he continues to perform with some of the most prestigious orchestras around the world, playing L.v. Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, S. Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto under Robin Ticciati with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with the Minnesota Orchestra under Andrew Litton and Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda. Trpčeski also performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Baltimore Symphony and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. At the beginning of 2013 Trpčeski performed F. Chopin’s E Minor concerto with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as well as the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Sinfónica do Porto. Trpčeski appears in recital at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, as well as in Berkeley, Vancouver and the UK.
Simon Trpčeski has made several highly successful recordings for the EMI and Avie labels. In 2002, his first recording for EMI on EMI Classics Debut Series, a CD of works by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Igor Stravinsky, and Scriabin, was issued to great acclaim. Gramophone gave it both the Editor's Choice and Debut Album award. He shifted to EMI's main label with his second disc; it and its two successors comprise single-composer recitals of S. Rachmaninov, F. Chopin, and Debussy respectively. His 2005 S. Rachmaninov and 2007 F. Chopin discs both received extensive praise from critics. In April 2005, his album was Disc of the Month (April) by BBC Music Magazine. In 2008, he released an all-Debussy disc entitled Debussy: Images, which was equally applauded. March 2010 saw Trpčeski’s concerto recording debut on the Avie label, showcasing S. Rachmaninov’s notoriously challenging Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The album made the Top Ten on Billboard's Classical chart and was awarded the Diapason d’Or de l’année and Classic FM’s “Editor’s Choice”. In June 2011, the Avie label released the second concerto album from Trpčeski, Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; the completion of S. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4 alongside Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The second disc has been recognized with Classic FM, Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” and Diapason d’Or distinctions.
In addition to his international engagements, Simon Trpčeski currently teaches as a faculty member at his alma mater. With the special support of KulturOp - Macedonia’s leading cultural and arts organization - and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia, Trpčeski works regularly with young musicians in Macedonia in order to cultivate the talent of the country’s next generation of artists. In December 2009, the President of Macedonia H.E. Gjorge Ivanov honored Trpčeski with the Presidential Order of Merit for Macedonia, becoming the youngest recipient of this high distinction in the history of his country. This decoration given to foreign and domestic dignitaries responsible for the affirmation of Macedonia abroad. Most recently in September 2011 Trpčeski was awarded the first-ever title "National Artist of the Republic of Macedonia", being the first artist that got this award. Simon Trpčeski makes his home in Skopje with his family. |
