CLASSICAL SUNDAYS AT SIX

Samuel Nebyu & Jacopo Giacopuzzi

December 3, 2023 | 6:00 PM

Ethiopian-Hungarian violinist Samuel Nebyu has performed as a soloist at international music festivals and venues such as the Musikverein,  Berlin Philharmonie Concert Hall, KKL in Lucerne, Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York, The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills, Verizon Hall and Perelman Theater in Philadelphia, Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, the Centre of Performing Arts in Brussels (BOZAR), Peles Castle in Romania, the Wiener Saal and Grosse Saal in Salzburg, Tel Aviv Museum of Arts, Crown Hall in Jerusalem, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Teatro Mayor in Colombia, Gran Teatro Nacional in Peru, and Astana Central Concert Hall in Kazakhstan.

 Samuel has performed as a soloist with the Brussels Philharmonic, Bacau Philharmonic, Ion Dumitrescu Philharmonic, Wallonie Chamber Orchestra, Eurasian Symphony Orchestra, iPalpiti Chamber orchestra, and Anne-Sophie Mutter Virtuosi. His first CD, “Music by Composers of African Descent,” was released on the BCM+D label and was named Album of the Week by WRTI radio in Philadelphia and WQXR in New York. Samuel is featured on a second CD, called “Majestic Classics,” where he performed Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the iPalpiti Chamber Orchestra and violist Juan Miguel Hernandez. In 2019, he was the featured soloist at the Kimmel Center Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, performing the concerto for Violin with Choir and Orchestra “Singing Rooms” by Jennifer Higdon and also gave a recital with Lambert Orkis in Rock Hall, Philadelphia.

Samuel has received commendations from the city of Salzburg after his performance at the Salzburg Festspiel in 2016 and from the City of Los Angeles in Walt Disney Hall in 2019. In October 2019, Samuel joined Anne-Sophie Mutter’s Virtuosi on her sixth tour with the exclusive soloist ensemble. He performed Mendelssohn’s Octet and Bach’s concerto for two violins as soloist with Anne-Sophie Mutter. In January 2021, during lockdown, Samuel performed a recital with Charles Abramovic on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Philadelphia virtually for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He recently joined Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Mutter Virtuosi on a month-long tour in Europe, giving 19 performances in Denmark, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland. Samuel had the privilege to perform the Swiss premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Gran Cadenza for two violins with Anne-Sophie Mutter at the KKL in Lucerne. Samuel is currently working with composers Rollo Dilworth and Tyson Davis on his future compositions.

Jacopo Giacopuzzi has performed at major festival and venues throughout the U.S. and Europe including iPalpiti Festival in Los Angeles, the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Pianofest in the Hamptons, Harmos Festival in Oporto, Accademia Chigiana in Siena (IT), and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2011, Giacopuzzi formed the Mephisto Piano Duo with Sergio Baietta, and performed throughout Italy; he also has been performing regularly in duos with violinist Anastasiya Petryshak and clarinetist Alessandro Beverari. Winner of numerous international competitions including the International Piano Competition San Dona` di Piave, Premio Crescendo in Florence, International Liszt Competition in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills National Auditions, Jacopo has performed recitals throughout Europe and the United States. He has also taught at the Conservatory of Verona “E.F. Dall’ Abaco” from 2012 to 2014, and in 2010 Giacopuzzi worked as collaborative pianist at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels. Giacopuzzi has been invited to serve on competition juries and to give presentations and concerts throughout California. Giacopuzzi studied in Weimar at the Liszt Hochschule, earned his first Master`s Degree in Piano performance in 2009 under the guidance of Virginio Pavarana, Master`s in Sound Design (with Mauro Graziani) at the Conservatory of Verona in 2012, and in 2014 obtained his diploma at the International Piano Academy of Imola “Incontri col Maestro” with Leonid Margarius. Giacopuzzi is a graduate in Piano Performance from University of Southern California (2016).