The program includes two pieces of the Japanese composer Takemitsu Tôru in the opening, as Orion for violoncello and piano and Rain Tree Sketch II: In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen. The event will continue with Robert Schumann’s Sonata in A-minor, op. 105, for piano and violoncello, followed by Ludwig van Beethoven’s 12 Variations, op. 66, “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen” from W. A. Mozart's “Magic Flute for Violoncello and Piano”. In the end the musicians will perform César Franck’s Sonata for violoncello and piano.

Michèle Yuki Gurdal was born near Brussels, the daughter of a Belgian pilot and music lover (father) and a Japanese artist (mother). She discovered the world of music when she was six years old. Her parents provided her with a real grand piano and they were not disappointed: at the age of 9, she made her first appearance on Belgian TV, performing Haydn’s concerto in D major accompanied by the Belgian Chamber Orchestra.

Eight years later, at 17, she completed her studies with honors at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles), where her major subjects were piano, chamber music, and music history. She received guidance from the masters: Karl-Heinz Kämmerling in Hannover, Homero Francesch in Zurich and Anatol Ugorski in Detmold.

In 2005, Michèle Gurdal was awarded a fellowship at the prestigious International Piano Academy Lake Como and continued to receive lessons from numerous celebrated musicians.

The pianist proved her worth through numerous performances in her homeland and beyond, including appearances in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, Canada and the U.S.A.

Danjulo Ishizaka is the son of a German-Japanese family, born in Bonn, received his first cello lessons at the age of four. After completing studies with Hans Christian Schweiker, he spent time in the United States studying at Indiana University. He studied at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin from 1998 until 2004 in the class of Boris Pergamenschikov. From 2004 to 2006, he studied at the Conservatory with Tabea Zimmermann. He has also been strongly influenced by Bernhard Greenhouse, Michael Denhoff, György Kurtág, Menahem Pressler and the Amadeus-Quartet.

After previously winning 1st prizes at the 1998 international Gaspar Cassado Cello Competition in Spain and the 1999 International Lutoslawski Cello Competition in Warsaw, Danjulo Ishizaka won the 1st prize at the renowned ARD international music competition in Munich, Germany in 2001. In 2002, he claimed the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann of the Kronberg Academy and the Universität der Künste in Berlin. Danjulo Ishizaka has been performing with leading orchestras around the world. He is currently Professor for cello at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden. The event will be held at 7.30 pm. on Friday, December 19th, at the Home of the Japanese-German Center on Saargemünder Straße 2, 14195 Berlin. The admission is free but unfortunately the concert is already booked out.

• For more information: http://www.jdzb.de/en/events/single-view/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1100&cHash=ce18239c6196faa6be34e48be7f5d8e8
• For more information: http://www.michele-gurdal.com/biography/?lang=en
• For more information: http://danjulo-ishizaka.com/biography.html

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