From the heights of Marcel Proust to the decadence of the Moulin Rouge, the belle époque (circa 1871-1914) was a time when culture flourished more than ever in Paris. The salons of Paris became places where poets, painters and composers would meet to share their art.

The French soprano Laetitia Grimaldi and South African/Israeli pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz offer a program of romantic French songs, presented in the style of a Parisian salon concert from the Belle Époque. The songs will be introduced by the artists, who will communicate with the audience and will talk about the backgrounds of the various songs.

THE ARTISTS

Laetitia Grimaldi Spitzer Lyric Soprano

Since her debut in the Carnegie Hall of New York in 2013, Laetitia Grimaldi has sung in many renowned halls and opera stages worldwide. She has been invited to festivals such as the Verbier Festival (Switzerland), the Aix-en-Provence Festival (France), the Ravinia Festival in Chicago (USA), the Festival Pitic (Mexico), the Festival Musica Classica of Montreal (Canada) and the Leipzig Music Festival (Germany).

Born in France, Laetitia Grimaldi spent her childhood in Lisbon and London. After beginning her vocal studies with Teresa Berganza, she continued her studies in New York City, first at the Manhattan School of Music, followed by a Masters degree from the Juilliard School.

During her studies at the Juilliard School, Ms Grimaldi was awarded first prize in the Kate Neal Kinley Memorial Fellowship International Competition. She is also a top prizewinner in the Concours Léopold Bellan in Paris. In 2017 she was awarded the 1st prize at the Concours International Robert Massard in Bordeaux, France, as well as the 1st prize at the Concours International de Melodies Françaises in Montreal, Canada. She has received mentorship with some of the world's leading artists, including Dame Emma Kirkby, Alfred Brendel, Teresa Berganza, Sir Thomas Allen and Masaaki Suzuki, amongst others. In 2016, Ms Grimaldi changed to soprano under the mentorship of the renowned German baritone, Matthias Goerne.

Ms Grimaldi has appeared in many opera productions internationally, including Albert Herring under the baton of David Jackson in Tampa, Florida; Massenet’s Cendrillon in Belgium under the direction of David Miller, the American premiere of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Kommilitonen under the direction of Anne Manson. In 2012 she made her debut at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland in Le Nozze di Figaro under the baton of Jayce Ogren. In 2014 she sang the title role of Rameau’s Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour at the Kennedy Center of Washington DC. In 2015 she was once again invited to the Verbier Festival to perform the role of Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème.

Recent and upcoming performances include extensive recital tours in South Africa, Mexico and concerts throughout Europe, the USA and China.

Ammiel Bushakevitz Pianist

Ammiel Bushakevitz is internationally acclaimed as one of the notable art song pianists of his generation. He is especially noted for his interpretations of the works of Franz Schubert, for which he received the 2011 International Schubert Institute Award in Vienna.

Born in Jerusalem, Israel and raised in South Africa, Mr. Bushakevitz has collaborated with and received mentorship from notable singers including the late Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elly Ameling, Thomas Quasthoff, Thomas Hampson, Barbara Bonney, Robert Holl, Matthias Goerne and Teresa Berganza. He has received mentorship from pianists and accompanists including Alfred Brendel, Boris Berman, Helmut Deutsch and Graham Johnson. One of the last private students of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Mr. Bushakevitz was invited in 2011 by Fischer-Dieskau to accompany his masterclasses at the Universität der Künste in Berlin and at the Schwarzenberg Schubertiade in Austria.

Mr. Bushakevitz has performed as a soloist and vocal accompanist at notable venues across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Festival appearances include the Bayreuth Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the Festival d'automne à Paris, The Vancouver Chamber Music Series, the Festival Pontino di Latina in Rome, the Lucerne Festival, the Jerusalem Schubertiade and the Heidelberger Frühling Festival. Mr. Bushakevitz has received top prizes at numerous art song competitions including the International Schubert Lied Competition, the International Johannes Brahms Competition, the International Art Song Competition in Stuttgart, the Concours Léopold Bellan in Paris and the Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition in London, where he was awarded both the Schubert Prize and the Best Pianist Prize. Mr. Bushakevitz's other notable awards include the DAAD International Scholarship for Artists and the prestigious European Union Commission Award.

After receiving a Masters degree in solo piano performance, Mr. Bushakevitz completed a Masters degree in Lied Interpretation at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig, Germany under Phillip Moll. Thereafter he studied the French mélodie under François le Roux and Pierre-Laurent Aimard at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieur de Musique in Paris, France.

Mr. Bushakevitz is fluent in five languages and regularly coaches singers and pianists in the intricacies of the art song at workshops and masterclasses worldwide. As a soloist, he is involved in charity work and has offered workshops for young musicians in Ethiopia, Morocco, Mozambique, Egypt, Mexico and Zimbabwe. He is a member of the International Hugo Wolf Academy, an honorary member of the Richard Wagner Society of South Africa and an Edison Fellow of the British Library, London.

23 Song Zhu Yuan Sha Tan Bei Jie, Dong Cheng District, Beijing

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