Vely
Stoyanova and Ilia Tosheff began their
professional career as duo pianists - one piano (4 hands) and
two pianos in 1997. Described by critics and press as "…brilliant
concert artists…", they possess "…captivating
stage presence...", "…fascinating temperament...",
"…charm and spontaneity that grabs the audience…"
The Tosheff Piano Duo have given performances in Japan,
Germany, Holland, Malta, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Switzerland
and the United States. They have won numerous
honors and awards at prestigious international competitions and
festivals worldwide.
PRIZES
AND HONORS
THE
GRAND PRIZE
Tokyo
(Japan) 1998 International Piano Duo Competition
THE GRAND PRIZE
Dobrich
(Bulgaria) 1997 The Coast of Hope International Contest
FIRST PRIZE
Rome
(Italy) 1998 Valentino Bucchi Two Piano International Competition
FIRST PRIZE
Rome
(Italy) 1999 International Music Tournament (TIM)
FIRST PRIZE
Sofia
(Bulgaria) 1997 Music and Earth International Competition
WINNERS
Zaragoza
(Spain) 1999 International Music Tournament
WINNERS
Michigan
(USA) 2003 International Web Concert Hall Contest
WINNERS
Miami
(USA) 2003 Best performers of newly commissioned work - Alvin
Perlman Foundation
WINNERS
Los Angeles (USA) 2004 USC Concerto Competition
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
1998 Sofia (Bulgaria) Most Successful Debut "Allegro Vivace
Awards"
PREMIO "G. Zinetti"
Award
for Excellence Verona/Sanguinetto (Italy) 2002 G. Zinetti Chamber
Music Festival
PREMIO "V. Bellini"
Caltanissetta (Italy) 1999 International Chamber Music Contest
PRIZE
for
the Most Promising Performers Groningen (Holland) 1998 Peter the
Great Festival
PRIZE
for High Artistic & Performers Achievement 1998 Sofia (Bulgaria)
The State Academy of Music
LAUREATES
Biel
(Switzerland) 1998 "Chain" Competition for Contemporary
Music
NOMINATION
for
Crowning Achievement in Musical Art 1999 "Crystal Lyre Awards"
Bulgaria
ORCHESTRAL
APPEARANCES
Tosheff Piano Duo made their orchestral debut with The State
Academy Symphony Orchestra in Sofia (Bulgaria). In 2001,
they made an acclaimed West European debut (more than 1500 people
in the hall) with the Klassische Philharmonie
Bonn (Germany) under the direction of Oliver Leo Schmidt.
One of their latest notable appearances was a performance with
The Staatsorchestrer Braunschweig under the baton of
Jonas Alber. The German critics hailed Tosheff's performance describing
it as: "…Grosse Klasse…" [World-class/High
caliber]
FESTIVALS
Tosheff have appeared as guest artists to the Valentino Bucchi
Festival (Malta), Peter The Great Festival (The
Netherlands), Apolonia Easter Festival, Pianissimo Festival
of 20th Century Music, the Sofia Musical Weeks Festival
(Bulgaria), Tastentaumel Braunschweig, Musiktag Hannover (Germany)
and Altra Musica Festival (Italy). In 2003 they gave their American
debut at The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.) followed
by an appearance at The Cultural Center (Chicago).
DEDICATIONS
In 2003 the duo made the European/Italian premiere of "Pieces
for Two Pianos" by the famous Hollywood film composer Marco
Beltrami (Terminator III, Dracula, Scream), which
they later recorded at Warner
Bros. in Los Angeles. They were also invited to give
the opening recital at the 7th World Piano Pedagogy Conference
in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the conference they met jazz legend
Mike Garson,
who was very inspired by their performance and is currently composing
a two piano work specifically for the duo. Two of Bulgaria's most
popular contemporary composers, Yossifov and
Petkov, wrote and dedicated to Tosheff Piano
Duo two magnificent works - "Chromatic Prelude and
Fugue" and "Adequacy".
Adequacy was premiered in 1999 in a live television broadcast
in Bulgaria.
CHARITY
In 1999 Tosheff Duo gave a charity recital for the world campaign
The Power of Humanity organized by the Red Cross
and the Red Crescent. In Hanover (Germany), they gave
numerous Young Person's Concerts and provided educational
commentary on Stravinsky's duo version of The Rite of Spring.
In 2002/2003 they appeared at numerous events, raising funds for
arts education in Los Angeles. Tosheff's projects have been supported
by the Rotary Club's Inner Wheel (Germany), Alitalia
Airlines (Italia), Soros Center for the Arts, Future
for Bulgaria Foundation, Bistra-Galina Foundation (Bulgaria),
International Music Foundation, Sylvia Grancell Foundation
and the Adams-Mastrovich Foundation (U.S.).
BROADCASTS
Broadcasts of the duo include Radio DRS 2
(Switzerland), Radio France International,
the Italian and Bulgarian
National Television, NDR Radio 3 Klassik
(Germany) and Radio WFMT Chicago.
Tosheff Piano Duo are members of the
distinguished International Piano Duo Association
in Tokyo (Japan). Originally from Bulgaria, they currently reside
in Los Angeles, California.
Any changes subject to approval by artists
EDUCATION
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