Rising Stars | Fate and deLight

"This project aims to convey the essence of contemporary reality without words, making it a unique experience for each listener. Today, we find ourselves once again entangled in conflicts, disagreements, fears, and emotions that have persisted throughout the centuries of musical history. The program, titled Fate and DeLight, explores the intricate inner worlds of composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Bartók, Elgar, and Brahms. Each piece in the program is carefully chosen to reflect the full spectrum of emotions these composers experienced due the composition to these pieces, shaped by the challenges and influences of their own times."

Daniils Cirics

Program:

L. van Beethoven: Violin Sonata N4

A.Mozart Violin Sonata N21

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B.Bartok Rhapsody N1 for Violin and piano

E.Elgar Sospiri

J.Brahms Violin Sonata N3

Daniils Cirics is a 22-year-old Latvian violinist based in the Netherlands. He is currently a 4th-year Bachelor student at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under Professor Ilya Grubert and studies at the Davidsbündler Academy with Daniel Rowland. He began his musical training at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School in Riga, Latvia, followed by studies at the Gnessin College of Music in Moscow under Alexey Lundin, where he graduated with a diploma in 2021.

Throughout his career, Daniils has performed as a soloist and orchestra musician in prominent venues like the Concertgebouw, Bernard Haitinkzaal, Dzintari Hall, Zaryadye Hall, and the Pushkin Museum. He has appeared in prestigious festivals, including the Summertime Festival (Jurmala), Stift Music Festival, Classic-Con Brio Festival (Germany), and Salacgrīvas Klasiskās Mūzikas Festivāls (Latvia).

A winner of several international competitions, Daniils has secured first prize at the National Violin Competition (Riga, 2014) and the Saulius Sondeckis International Competition (Lithuania). He has also won awards at the Kocian International Violin Competition (Czech Republic) and the Young Musician Competition (Estonia). His masterclass experience includes working with renowned violinists such as Julian Rachlin, Boris Garlitsky, Clémence de Forceville, Daniel Rowland and Rosanne Philippens.

Daniils has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) and Virtuosi of Moscow. He has also been part of significant recordings, including Daniel Rowland’s album Max Richter: Four Seasons (2024) with Challenge Classics. In addition, he participated in a documentary titled Viss būs labi (All be alright), directed by Stanislav Tokalov.

Since relocating to the Netherlands in 2022, Daniils has continued to expand his repertoire and gain recognition, performing at major venues like the Muziekgebouw and as part of the Cello Biënnale orchestra. He currently plays a Giovanni Battista Gabrielli violin (1757) and a Nicolas Maire bow (1850), both made available by the NMF Foundation.

...an extremely talented, musical,dedicated and serious minded violinist and musician, and a born performer. Daniils has achieved a very high level of virtuosity, technical mastery, musical insight and understanding and he has a fine sense of style and interpretation...

(Concert Violinist and professor of Royal Academy

of Great Britain Daniel Rowland)

...really appreciate his special talent: his is not only very talented player, but also a very intelligent musician...

(Concert Violinist and professor at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam Ilya Grubert)

Maria Parfonova was born in 2005 in Kyiv. She started to play piano at the age of 6 and from 2012 studied at Kiev Children’s Music School No.35. In 2017 Maria participated in the school program of student self government and received 1st place in the school-wide competition “The Best Student of the Year”. At the same year entered Kyiv State Music Lyceum (KSML), one of the leading musical educational institutions in Ukraine (Piano Department), which she has graduated at the age of 17 in May 2022 with a gold medal.

In 2015, at age of 10 she got the Third Prize at Puhalski competition (Ukraine), became laureate of the First Prize in 2016 at Ukrainian piano competition “Christmas miniatures”. In 2017 performed at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine and received a scholarship, that was given for young Ukrainian musicians. In 2019 participated in Tchaikovsky Festival and won the First Prize (Ukraine). In 2021 won the First Prize at the Chamber music Competition dedicated to 125th anniversary of V. Kosenko (Ukraine). In the same year she was preparing Prokofiev’s 1st piano concerto with the school orchestra, which was supposed to be performed at the Kyiv Philharmony in April of 2022, but was not possible due to the war in Ukraine.

Because of the war in Ukraine, in March 2022 she had to flee the country. On the 8th of March she came with her parents from Kyiv to Amsterdam, and after finishing her final exams, in April she was accepted at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she studied in the class of Naum Grubert. After arrival in the Netherlands Maria participated Benefit Concerts for Ukraine in the Hague, Amsterdam, Delden, Baarn and Oranjewoud with Tatiana Abayeva, Boris Fedorov and Anna Fedorova. In May of 2022 and 2023 she participated the Stift International Music Festival. In 2024 she participated series Concert aan Zee in Muiderberg and gave solo recitals for “Ontsnapte Klanken” Festival in Amsterdam and exhibition Amnesty Gouda in Garenspinnerij.

Currently Maria is in her third year of Bachelor studies at the Amsterdam’s Conservatory with Naum Grubert. She took lessons and masterclasses from pianists such as Willem Brons, Norma Fisher, Anna Fedorova, Boris Fedorov, Marianna Shirinyan and Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden.

Our beautiful Steinway is on loan from the National Music Instrument Fund (NMF)