Concert

Lora Marinova (cello) & Asako Ogawa (piano)

Programme:

Robert Schumann – Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Bloch – Nigun (Improvisation), no. 2 from “Baal Shem”
G. Rossini – “Une Larme”
Dmitri Shostakovich – Cello Sonata, Op.40

Biographies:

Lora Marinova (cello)
Following her graduation with distinction, in 2003 she was awarded full scholarship by the City of London Corporation to study with Prof.Stefan Popov at the Guildhall School of Music&Drama in London. She obtained both her Bachelor and Master of Performance (Guildhall Artist) degrees with distinction.

Lora has performed in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St. James’s Church Piccadilly (UK), Belford (France), Bulgaria Concert Hall-(Sofia, Bulgaria) and has taken part in the International festivals “Casalmaggiore”, Italy, “Apollonia”, “Varna Summer” and “New Year”- Bulgaria. In 2002 Lora made her debut as a soloist of the Varna Philharmonic Orchestra, with D.Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto and Elgar Cello Concerto. Among her numerous prizes and awards are the first prize in the “Svetoslav Obretenov” and German Music International Competitions, the Czech and Slovak Music Competition, the International Festival “Hopes, Talents, Masters” in Bulgaria, as well as being a laureate of International Competitions “Premio Francesco Geminiani”, “Premio Citta ‘Di Padova”-Italy and awards from London Philharmonia Orchestra /Martin Musical Scholarship Fund and “Sydney Perry” Foundation, London.

A successful audition in 2009 allowed Lora to play with the Southbank Sinfonia, where she has gone on to work with the orchestra in English National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Queen Elizabeth Hall. The Raina Kabaivanska Foundation has twice awarded her an annual scholarship for classical music.

Lora has appeared in broadcastings and recordings for the Bulgarian National Television and Radio, BBC-Radio 3, Classic FM-London and regularly performs with All Souls Orchestra in Royal Albert Hall (London) as a principle cellist.

Asako Ogawa (piano)
Pianist and harpsichordist Asako Ogawa is a performer with a wide-ranging repertoire, from early baroque to contemporary. She is equally at home at the keyboard of the modern piano, fortepiano, chamber organ, and harpsichord, and has performed throughout Europe and Japan.

Asako’s strong interest in chamber music and accompaniment led to her specialising in these fields at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, gaining a Distinction in her Postgraduate Diploma in Accompaniment, MMus and a Fellowship in Chamber Music.

As a collaborative pianist, she received the Honour Award in the Peter de Grote International Music Festival in the Netherlands, and the Sir Henry Richardson Award from the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund. She has performed in numerous international festivals and concerts’ venues including Banff International Summer Chamber Music Festivals, Los Angels Piano Festival, the Wigmore Halls, St John’s Smith Square.

Asako’s career as a historical keyboard player developed with her taking up the harpsichord in 2006. She formed an immediate and deep feeling for the instrument, and received scholarships to take part in the Aestas Musica International Baroque Course in Croatia and the Dartington International Summer School. Asako obtained her postgraduate diploma in Early Music in 2006.She was awarded the Accompanist’s Prize in the London Handel Singing Competition 2007, and performed with the winners of the competition for the Brighton Early Music festival, broadcast on BBC Radio Three’s Early Music Live show.

She has been regularly giving solo recitals and concerts with her baroque ensemble LUX at the Handel House Museum. She has also been working as an official accompanist for the London Handel Singing Competition and has been giving performances in the London Handel Festival since 2008.

Asako studied piano with Masaru Yazima, Robin Bowman, Ronan O’Hara, Iain Burnside, John York and Nina Sereda, harpsichord with Nicholas Parle, James Johnstone, and Laurence Cummings, fortepiano with Steven Devine.

Currently she works as a staff accompanist and teaches a baroque repertoire class for postgraduate accompanists at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She also teaches harpsichord at the City University.