BIOGRAPHIES
GEORGE ENESCU FESTIVAL
ROMANIA 2025
Guest artists
Itamar Golan, piano
For more than two decades, Itamar Golan has been partnering the most outstanding instrumentalists of our time. His work has brought him great critical acclaim, and he is one of the most sought after pianists of his generation, playing on the most prestigious stages around the world. Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, his family emigrated to Israel when he was a year old. There he started his musical studies and at the age of 7, gave his first concerts in Tel-Aviv. He was repeatedly awarded scholarships from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation which enabled him to study with Emanuel Krasovsky and his chamber music mentor, Chaim Taub. Later under a full scholarship from the New England Conservatory of Boston, he was chosen to study with Leonard Shure. Since his earliest years, Itamar Golan’s passion has been chamber music but he has also appeared as soloist with some of the major orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Zubin Mehta, Royal Philharmonic under the direction of Daniele Gatti, the Orchestra Philharmonica della Scala, the Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Riccardo Muti and Philarhomia Orchestra under the direction of Lorin Maazel. Over the years, he has collaborated with Vadim Repin, Maxim Vengerov, Julian Rachlin, Mischa Maisky, Shlomo Mintz, Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel, Kyung Wha Chung, Sharon Kam, Janine Jansen, Martin Frost and Torleif Thedeen among many others. He is a frequent participant in many prestigious international music festivals, such as Salzburg, Verbier, Lucerne, Tanglewood, Ravinia, and has made a numerous recordings for big labels as Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, Decca, Teldec, EMI and Sony Classical. In 1991, Itamar Golan was nominated to the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, making him one of their youngest teachers ever. Since 1994, he has taught chamber music at the Paris Conservatory. Itamar resides in Paris, where he is involved in many different artistic projects.
David Grimal, violin
A musician renowned for his intellectual curiosity, his taste for all kinds of musical adventures and his commitment to society, David Grimal regularly performs on the world’s greatest stages: Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, London’s Wigmore Hall, Zurich’s Tonhalle, New York’s Lincoln Center, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Budapest’s Liszt Academy, Geneva’s Victoria Hall, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, Brussels’ Bozar… David Grimal has collaborated as soloist with the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Chambre d’Europe, Berliner Symphoniker, Russian National Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia, Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra Lisbon, Sinfonia Varsovia. He has performed alongside conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Heinrich Schiff, Lawrence Foster, Emmanuel Krivine, Mikhail Pletnev, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Peter Eötvös, Andriss Nelsons, Jukka Pekka Saraste, Christian Arming… Numerous composers have dedicated their works to him: Marc-André Dalbavie, Brice Pauset, Thierry Escaich, Lisa Lim, Jean-François Zygel, Alexandre Gasparov, Victor Kissine, Fuminori Tanada, Ivan Fedele, Philippe Hersant, Anders Hillborg, Oscar Bianchi, Guillaume Connesson, Frédéric Verrières, Eric Montalbetti, Richard Dubugnon, Menachem Zur, Graciane Finzi… For 20 years, David Grimal has devoted part of his career to developing Les Dissonances, of which he is the founder and musical and artistic director. David Grimal has brought together musicians from some of Europe’s finest orchestras, as well as many young talents at the start of their careers, to experience music as a rediscovered joy, tackling the great symphonic repertoire in the spirit of chamber music under his musical direction.The orchestra has been a regular guest on major European stages and international festivals. Films of concerts given by Les Dissonances have been broadcast in over 60 countries. Today he works as soloist and conductor on the Dissonances model with numerous orchestras: Strasbourg, Metz, Galicia, Budapesti Vonosok, Anima Chamber Orchestra, Cracovia, Bilbao, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Radio Bucarest, Murcia, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Neojiba, Kuopio, Sonderjylland, Trondheim, Enescu Philharmonic, Lille … David Grimal has recorded for EMI, Harmonia Mundi, Aeon, Naïve, Transart, Dissonances records and is currently recording for La Dolce Volta. His recordings have been acclaimed by the press: BBC choice, Choc de l’année Classica, Arte selection, ffff Telerama, diapason d’or etc. A sought-after chamber musician, David Grimal is a guest at the greatest international festivals. Today, he regularly performs in piano trio with Philippe Cassard and Anne Gastinel, and in recital with pianist Itamar Golan. David Grimal, for whom the transmission of knowledge to young musicians has always been essential, created in 2022 the Lumières d’Europe academy festival under the presidency of Serge Haroche, Nobel Prize winner in Physics. Lumières d’Europe is aimed at talented young musicians at the start of their careers, who are invited to work and perform alongside international artists in concert. Leading scholars are invited to shed philosophical, literary, historical or scientific light on the themes addressed in each session. Lumières d’Europe takes place in several European capitals, in collaboration with major cultural institutions (Fondation Royaumont, Institut Weizmann, Jerusalem Music Center, Festival International Georges Enescu, Institut de France, Collège de France…) and contributes to the professional integration of young European musicians. In 2004, David Grimal also created L’Autre Saison: a season of concerts in aid of the homeless in Paris, now in partnership with ARTE, where the greatest artists have performed and which has enabled over 400 people to escape from extreme poverty. David Grimal was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 2008 by the French Ministry of Culture.A renowned pedagogue, David Grimal teaches violin at the Musikhochschule in Saarbrücken and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, and is regularly invited to sit on juries at major international competitions and give masterclasses around the world. He plays the 1710 Ex-Roederer Stradivarius and the Don Quichotte built for him by Jacques Fustier.He plays bows by Louis Tourte, Dominique Peccatte and Pierre Grunberger, depending on the repertoire.
Natasha Tchitch, viola
Born in Russia, Natalia Tchitch began playing the violin and piano at the age of 5. After studying at the Moscow High School of Music with Maria Sitkovskaya and at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with the famous violist Fyodor Drouzhinin, she continued her studies at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid in the class of Gérard Caussé. Holder of several international prizes (Lionel Tertis Competition in England and the Grand Prize of the Almati International Competition), Natasha Tchitch became a member of the Galician Symphony Orchestra in Spain, the Paris Opera Orchestra and was also invited as a solo viola with the Monnaie Orchestra in Brussels and the Spanish National Orchestra. She is currently a member of the Band Art Chamber Orchestra conducted by Gordan Nicolic, the Ensemble Dissonances conducted by David Grimal and a string trio with Tatiana Samouil and Pavel Gomziakov. From 2004 to 2008, Natasha was assistant to Gérard Caussé at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and since 2007, she has been a professor at the Centre Supérieur de Musique du Pays Basque, Musikene. Natalia Tchitch plays on a viola by Jaques Fustier (Lyon), made in 1985.
Torleif Thedeen, cello
Swedish cellist Torleif Thedéen is one of the most distinguished instrumentalists in the Nordic countries and enjoys an international profile as a recitalist, concerto soloist, recording artist and pedagogue. He is a first prize winner of international cello competitions, including the Casals Competition. He is Visiting Professor of cello at the Royal College of Music in London and Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. In a career spanning four decades, Torleif has performed with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, among them the Czech Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, The Hallé Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, City of Birmingham SO,Dresden philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic. He has worked with conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paavo Berglund, Petrenko, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Franz Welser-Möst, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Osmo Vänskä, Mario Venzago and Leif Segerstam. He continues to perform with all the major Nordic orchestras and enjoys a burgeoning relationship with orchestras and festivals in the Antipodes. As a chamber musician, Torleif is familiar with the prestigious stages of the Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, Philharmonie in Berlin and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has appeared at the Prague Spring and the Verbier Festivals, and at the chamber music festivals in Schleswig-Holstein, Bordeaux, Oslo, Bath, Stavanger, Kuhmo and beyond. His collaborators have included Janine Jansen, Marianna Shirinyan, Julian Rachlin, Itamar Golan, Maxim Rysanov, Leif Ove Andsnes, Marc-André Hamelin, Lars Anders Tomter, Henning Kraggerud, Roland Pöntinen and Martin Fröst. Thedeen is since 2005 member of Spectrum concerts in Berlin, having performed numerous concerts in die Philharmone, Kammermusiksaal, Berlin. Torleif’s recordings have attracted numerous accolades. He was awarded the Edison Prize in 2018 for his recording of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time with Martin Fröst, Lucas Debargue and Janine Jansen on the Sony label. His recording of the Shostakovich Cello Concertos won a Cannes Classical Award and his account of the Bach Cello Suites was selected as a ‘Choice of the month’ by BBC Music Magazine. His discography also includes the concertos of Dvořák, Elgar, Saint-Saens, Lalo,Kabalevsky,Lutoslawski and a wealth of contemporary music. He plays the 1783 Guadagnini cello on loan from the Norwegian Dextra foundation, previously owned by M. Rostropovich.
Cesar Viana, composer in residence
Composer, recorder and shakuhachi player, conductor and musicologist. His composition teachers were Christopher Bochmann and Constança Capdeville. Viana’s works are included in the repertoire of institutions such as Gulbenkian Ballet, National Ballet of Portugal, Teatro da Trindade, Mafra International Festival, and others. Among the interpreters of his chamber music are Ensemble João Roiz, Lev Vinocour, Luís Cunha, Tatiana Samouil, Christian Scholl, Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, Teimuraz Janikashvili, Malte Refardt, Stephane Levesque, Ensembre Cinque Elementi, Liviu Scripcaru, Cecilia Bercovich, Carlos Marín Rayo, João Roiz Ensemble, Natalia Tchitch, Quarteto Sao Roque, Laura Granero, Ajay Ranganathan, Adrian Florescu, Gerardo Gramajo, Pavel Gomziakov, Daniel Schvetz, Bertrand Raoulx, Carlo Colombo, Quarteto Lopes-Graça, Síntese-Grupo de Música Contemporânea, among many others. As a conductor, Viana has recorded for EMI classics, BMG, Philips, RCA, Strauss, Xerais and Bajja records, and has been invited by orchestras such as Radio-Philarmonie Hannover (NDR), RIAS Big Band Berlin, Metropolitana de Lisboa, Filarmonia das Beiras, Clássica da Madeira, Francisco de Lacerda (Azores), etc. As a performer, Viana’s activity ranges from medieval to contemporary music, from the Japanese Shakuhachi flute to the shepherds bagpipes, from baroque to sefardic music… In these and other musical fields, he has collaborated with Nuno Torka Miranda, Mika Suihkonen, Cristiano Holtz, Maria João Pires, Annemieke Cantor, Hugo Naessens, among many others. Also with the ensembles Sinfoniab, Birundum, Cobras e Son and Vozes Alfonsinas. All these musical references contribute to a rich and varied musical universe, and have an obvious influence on his compositions. Cesar Viana did an extensive research on the mostly unknown Portuguese orchestral repertoire from baroque to romanticism, having edited, restored, published the scores, presented in concert and recorded for main international labels works by João de Sousa Carvalho, João Domingos Bomtempo, Francisco de Sá Noronha and Francisco dos Santos Pinto. Viana was artistic director of the ensembles Sinfoniab and Cobras e Son, of Belgais – the arts center founded by Maria João Pires – and of Sesimbra’s Early Music Festival. He also had directive or coordination responsibilities at Fundacion Caja Duero (Salamanca) and Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa. Until 2013 he was a member of the board of OPART (National Opera and Ballet of Portugal) and artistic director of ‘Festival ao Largo’, one of the main classical music festivals in Portugal. Currently he teaches composition at Centro Superior de Enseñanza Musical Katarina Gurska (Madrid), is music director of Concerto Moderno (a Lisbon based string orchestra) and is musical director of Bajja Jazz Ensemble (Madrid).
Scientists
Paul Audi, philosopher
Born in Lebanon in 1963, Paul Audi is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and holds a doctorate in philosophy. To date, he has written a thesis on J.-J. Rousseau, as well as some fifteen books and thirty articles, most of which are devoted to the relationship between ethics and aesthetics in the West during the Modern Era. Believing that these relations cannot be taken into account without at the same time questioning the ins and outs of human subjectivity, Paul Audi aims to found on this basis an “ethics of creation” to which, since his work Créer, he has given the name “Esth/ éthique”. He has also worked on the work of Romain Gary. In 2003, he published an analysis of Gary’s vision of Europe in an essay entitled L’Europe et son fantôme; a few years ago, he also edited and prefaced Gary’s texts on General de Gaulle for the “Folio” collection. He has also published numerous works on Schopenhauer and the tradition of German “philosophical pessimism”.
Asma Mhalla, political scientist and essayist
Asma Mhalla is a member of the LAP (Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Politique) at EHESS/CNRS, and teaches at Columbia GC, Sciences Po and École Polytechnique. Her work focuses on new forms of power and might between States and Technological Giants (BigTech) in the civilian and military fields (hybrid wars), democratic issues and the governance of social networks, the geopolitical and ideological dimensions of AI, and technological sovereignty.
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