Chamber Music Evening N° 2

Born in Dessau in 1966, Jörg Faßmann started violin lessons at the age of five. Only four years later he gave his solo debut with an orchestra. He studied violin from 1983 to 1989 at the Leipzig Conservatory of Music under Gustav Schmahl and Klaus Hertel as well as under Reinhard Ulbricht in Dresden. He has been a prize-winning entrant in international violin competitions.

After joining the Staatskapelle Dresden in 1987, Jörg Faßmann became deputy concertmaster in 1989. Alongside his orchestral duties, he has been a member of the Dresden String Trio since 1995, during which time the group has performed many concerts in Europe and elsewhere and produced numerous CDs. 

In addition he has collaborated for many years with the pianist Gunther Anger, frequently appearing at chamber music festivals and performing regularly in the Semperoper Dresden. As a solo performer he has been invited to appear with a number of German orchestras on tour in Italy and in Asia.

Furthermore, since 1991 Jörg Faßmann has been on the faculty of Dresden’s Conservatory of Music. In 2009 he was appointed to teach a masterclass at the Conservatorio Real Superior in Granada. In the same year he was invited to give concerts and workshops at the University of Wisconsin.

Hailed equally by audience and press for her »profound musicality, refined sensitivity and wide colour palette«, German born pianist Sonia Achkar has performed in concert halls worldwide such as Mannheimer Rosengarten, Stuttgarter Liederhalle, Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Philharmonie Ludwigshafen, Beethovenhalle Bonn, Semperoper Dresden, National Center for Performing Arts Beijing (China), Shanghai City Theater and His Majesty’s Theater Perth (Australia). As a recitalist, soloist and accomplished chamber musician she has been invited to festivals throughout Europe, USA, Canada and Asia including Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival, Bachfest Leipzig, Kurt Weill Fest Dessau, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Carl Orff Festspiele (Germany), Thy Chamber Music Festival (Denmark), Toronto Summer Music Festival (Canada), Val Tidone Music Festival (Italy), Festival de Música de Cámara León (Spain) and Nancyphonies (France). The young Steinway Artist has been granted numerous awards at national and international competitions such as the Val Tidone International Music Competition and the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb. Her career has been supported by various foundations including Rotary International Foundation, Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, Richard-Wagner Foundation, PE-Trust, German Music Foundation, Culture Foundation Rhein-Neckar and Willy Robert Pitzer Trust. A dedicated chamber musician, Sonia Achkar is a very diverse and highly sought after partner. Together with Julius Bekesch (violin) and Jonathan Weigle (cello) she is a founding member of the State of the Art Piano Trio (SOTA Piano Trio), named after the SOTA Resonance Festival in Hyderabad (India) where they were invited in 2019.

Sonia Achkar regularly broadcasts and takes part in productions on German radio and television such as SWR, WDR, NDR, MDR, BR, Deutschlandradio Kultur and Phoenix. Born into an international family with German-Polish-Moroccan roots, Sonia Achkar has started studying with Rudolf Meister and Ok-Hi Lee (University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim) from the age of 13 until she received the artist diploma. She subsequently pursued a degree at the Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington, USA) with legendary pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio Menahem Pressler. Additionally, Sonia Achkar has received inspiration and guidance from Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Paul Badura-Skoda, Andrzej Jasiński, Janina Fialkowska, Alain Planès and Joseph Kalichstein. After working as an Assistant Instructor at the Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington, USA) and the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim (Germany), the committed pedagogue is currently teaching chamber music at the University of Music and Theatre »Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy« Leipzig (Germany) and as a permanent faculty member at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart (Germany).