Music at Bray January 08

Rebecca van den Berg in 2006 received a Masters in Vocal Training from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with distinction under John Evans, winning the Susan Longfield Award for female singers and the Tracey Chadwell Memorial Award for contemporary music. During this time Rebecca benefited from coaching and masterclasses with luminaries such as Yvonne Kenny, Graham Johnson, Sarah Walker, Helmut Deutsch and Emma Kirkby.

She is currently on the prestigious Opera Course programme at the Guildhall, generously supported by The Worshipful Company of Mercers and Sophie’s Silver Lining Fund. Rebecca recently performed Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress for Opera East Productions’ 2007 UK tour. She has also performed recitals in the Paxos International Music Festival (Greece), the Edinburgh Festival at St. Mary’s Cathedral, the National Portrait Gallery, St.Olave’s church and in the Rye Festival. Rebecca performed as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Chandos Anthems under Stephen Cleobury with the Academy of Ancient Music in the 2007 Cambridge Summer Music Festival, at the Iford Festival in Bach’s Wedding Cantata with the Pepys Ensemble and in Carmina Burana at the Walthamstow Assembly Halls.

She is proud to have attended the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme and often appears with The Alethia Ensemble representing Live Music Now! throughout the UK. Rebecca also teaches singing at Forest School.

Louisa Dennehy began her flute studies with Evelyn Grant at the Cork School of Music. She graduated top of her class from the Cork School of Music with a First Class Honours BMus Degree. She was awarded the Bridget Doolan Award for her examination results and was named student of the year for the third consecutive year with the highest results in both Academic and Performance Studies. In 2001, she completed an MMus degree at the Royal Academy of Music under Sebastian Bell and Michael Cox and was awarded the Chris Taylor Memorial Prize for Outstanding Flautist at the Royal Academy of Music. She also was awarded a Leverhulme Junior Chamber Music Fellowship at the RAM with the Gallimaufry Ensemble. Louisa is currently beginning preliminary research for a PhD in Creativity and Motivation in Musicians.

Louisa has won all the major flute competitions in Ireland including the Wind Class of the RTE Millennium Musician of the Future Competition. She was also a winner in the Millennium Yamaha International Music Scholarships.

She has considerable experience as concerto soloist and has performed with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the RTE Concert Orchestra (with whom she has recorded Franz Doppler’s Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise). She performed Henk Bading’s Concerto for Flute and Wind Orchestra with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra in Pittsburgh and New York, USA. More recent solo performances include the Ibert and Danzi Concertos with Southbank Sinfonia in London's South Bank and Italy and the Bach B minor Suite with the Pepys Ensemble.

Having spent a year as Principal Flute with Southbank Sinfonia, Louisa now pursues a busy and varied freelance career playing regularly with orchestras including English National Ballet, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, British Concert Orchestra and Northern Sinfonia.

As a chamber musician, Louisa has performed with the RTE Vanbrugh String Quartet, the Coull String Quartet and the Crawford Piano Trio. She also performs on P and O Classical Theme Cruises hosted by Richard Baker (BBC Radio 3) and Humphrey Burton, promoted by Stephannie Williams Artists. Louisa’s debut solo CD with Classico Records will be released in Spring 2008.

Bojana Dimkovic was born in Belgrade in 1983 where she started studying the piano at the age of 7. Following early successes in her home country she won a scholarship to study at The Purcell School in 1999 with Roshan Magub. She graduated solo piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2005 and obtained her Masters degrees at the same institution concentrating on piano accompaniment and chamber music. Currently she holds Junior Fellowship there whilst studying with Charles Owen and Pamela Lidiard. As well as performing in concerts and festivals Bojana has participated in many television and radio programmes in Belgrade and started promoting concert exchanges between conservatoires in Europe.

Awards include numerous prizes in national and international competitions in solo and piano duo categories: Cita di Stresa in Italy, Nikolai Rubinstain in Paris, and Royal Overseas League in London, to name a few. She took part in masterclasses with Helmut Deutsch, Malcolm Martineau, Martin Katz, Fou T’Song, James Gibb, Yonty Solomon, Claude Frank as well as with Yuri Bashmet and Gordan Nikolitch…Concert appearances have included performances at the Buckingham Palace, The Queen Elizabeth Hall, St. John Smith’s Square, St.Martin-in-the-Fields and main concert halls in Belgrade. Bojana is a previous holder of the Musician Benevolent Fund’s Award for Accompanists, The Wall Trust Scholarship and many other bursaries who have helped her education at the GSMD. Future plans include a series of concerts in Belgrade as well as a concert at LSO St. Luke’s in June 2008.