Prokofiev Violin Sonata No 2

Join us for the second concert in our Prokofiev afternoon series featuring Prokofiev's 2nd Violin Sonata with young musicians Vanessa White and Radu Prisada.

Programme:

Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major Op. 94a:

I. Moderato

II. Presto - Poco piu mosso del - Tempo I

III.Andante

IV. Allegro con brio - Poco meno mosso - Tempo I - Poco meno mosso - Allegro con brio

Vanessa White, violin 

Radu Prisada, piano

Biographies:

Vanessa White began playing the violin at the age of seven. She quickly decided that she would like to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a musician.

Vanessa was taught by her father, Christopher White while attending Oakham School and later Loughborough High School in the sixth form. She held music scholarships at both institutions. Vanessa was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre and National Youth String Orchestra where she was able to perform in venues such as the Sage, Gateshead and Kings Place, London.

Vanessa recently completed her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Czech violinist, Pavel Fischer. In her time there she has enjoyed the opportunity to perform in masterclasses given by violinists such as Levon Chilingirian, Yair Kless and Mauricio Fuks. She has performed as part of the RNCM Symphony Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, Session Orchestra.

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Vanessa is passionate about performing chamber music. She plays with the Alegría Piano Trio which formed at the RNCM in 2015, since then she has enjoyed regular lessons with the Elias Quartet, Trio Gaspard, Leonard Elschenbroich, Emma Ferrand and Jeremy Young and her trio was a finalists in the RNCM Hirsch Competition. Vanessa has also had the privilege to perform movements from the Mendelssohn Octet with the Elias Quartet.

Vanessa has helped run the Great Bowden Music Fest since its beginning in 2014 performing a variety of chamber works with musicians from the Tonhalle Orchestra, Zürich, Philharmonia Orchestra and other orchestras around Europe.

Vanessa has recently been accepted to the Berlin Opera Academy, where she has also been awarded the Lily Niblock memorial scholarship.

Romanian born pianist, Radu Prisada is currently reading for his Master’s Degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester after obtaining his Bachelors with Distinction from the same institution. He is studying under the tutelage of Richard Ormrod.

In this time, he enhanced his musical style having an important activity as soloist, playing in a diverse range of events (recitals, concerts, festivals). His continuous wish to self-improve made him an active participant in many national and international piano competitions, where he was awarded with good titles. He is performing regularly in UK, giving recitals in venues such as St Ann’s Church and Cross Street Chapel (Manchester),

As an active chamber and ensemble musician, Radu has played in concerts with various instrumentalists in places such as Oxford, Southport, London, and Great Bowden as well as numerous venues in Manchester. He has also been involved in orchestral projects such as playing the Celeste part in Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ as part of the RNCM’s Symphony Orchestra, and playing in a contemporary chamber orchestra performing George Benjamin’s work ‘At first light’ at Wigmore Hall.

In past years, Radu has had the privilege to perform in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Kathy Stott, Craig Sheppard and Bernard D’Ascoli, as well as having coaching from great chamber music ensembles such as Sitkovetsky Piano Trio and Gaspard Piano Trio.