The Teachers

Graduated from Osaka College of Music. Completed advanced course of Osaka college of music and attended domestic and foreign music seminars.

“I have studied under Mr. Ryoichi Sone.

The important thing in teaching is to make beautiful sounds with passion and affection. The finger does not move quickly, but the sound changes immediately depending on how it is blown. I always say to my students, “I know you can play with a cleaner sound.”

My favourite performers? I can’t choose some because I have so many favourite flutists.

There are many teachers all over the world who are better than me, but I am honoured to having received such an award this time.  Maybe only the age is the top? (I’m 68 years old). Therefore, I will consider this award as the most important award.

By the way, I have been a sponsor of World Vision since 10 years ago.”

Lukas Gabric, PhD (1987) is an Austrian born saxophonist, pedagogue, composer, and musicologist. Dr. Gabric has taught at the Juilliard School’s preparatory division and The City College of New York aside from many other teaching engagements and master classes all across the globe. His performance activity has led him to China, the US, South Korea, Brazil, Germany, Hungary, Mongolia, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland and his playing is documented on over ten albums. Dr. Gabric also holds a post-graduate Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, where he was coached by iconic artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Kenny Barron, and many others. As a composer he received a Herb Alpert Award from the American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in 2016.

“I had the pleasure and honor to study with some of the greatest jazz performers and educators such as Joel Frahm, Eric Alexander, Walt Weiskopf, Billy Harper, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, John Patitucci, Reggie Workman, Steve Wilson, Ron Blake, Carl Allen, and to many other incredible artists. The interactions with each of these iconic artists have taught me invaluable musical and life lessons that I reflect on daily and will carry with me all my life.

My main goal is to keep students inspired and assist them in achieving their short, mid, and long-term musical goals. Every student has his*her specific strengths and weaknesses and I always aim to help them as patiently and effectively as I can.

Throughout the years I had the opportunity to perform all across the globe and with innumerable wonderful artists. I consider it a big personal achievement to have completed a PhD in musicology while maintaining an active performance career. My participation in the most renowned jazz competition, The Thelonious Monk Competition, and my experiences as a student and faculty member at The Juilliard School are also something I feel very fortunate to have under my belt. I firmly believe that you’re only as a good as your last performance and so I try not to hold on to past successes and rather focus on the future and keep on learning.

Artists such as John Coltrane, Stan Getz, and Dexter Gordon are very dear to my heart and will always continue to be endless sources of inspiration for me.”

“I was born in Ankara. I am teaching the violin for 35 years with a great passion and I am the head of Ankara branch of CALF Project (Cihat Askin and little friends) since 2011. The aim of CALF team is to develop musical education all over Turkey.

Those who had very important and valuable role in my music carrier are Prof. Dr. Suna Çevik who encouraged me to pursue a academic education in music and later on Prof. Omer Can, Prof. Oktay Dalaysel and Prof. Ali Ucan. I have also worked with Cihat Askin within the project that also contributed to my pedagogical career. Thanks to all these professors who have remarkable contribution in Turkish music education.

“Teaching with love” is my sole philosophy in teaching Violin. Wherever there is Love, there is success. My greatest aim is to raise bright open minded children. Violin education is still in developing stage in my country and we all do our best to develop it to the further stages. My biggest dream is to have all my country’s children be familiar with a musical instrument and classical music and in order to realize this dream we have many social projects in cooperation with different NGOs with the hope that we will be successful to have an open minded and bright future for our children.

While my most favorite composer is Mozart, and favorite virtuoso violinist is Heifetz and in my country is Cihat Askin.

With a hope for an enlightened world with the help of music.”

Mileva Krivokapić finishes her undergraduate studies in the class of Professor Irina Jasvili, finishing his master studies at the Department of Violin Methodology in the class of Professor Dejan Mihajlović, and his master studies at the solo violin with Professor Vladimir Marković.

“I worked with Professor Dejan on the topic of comparing all violin schools and modern methods.

Professor Irina has always said that the violin is the queen of instruments but an ice queen that requires a lot of practice and Professor Vlada gives a fantastic approach to interpretation.

My philosophy of teaching is that the worst risk is not to try to take risks at all.

My biggest achievements is with my students in the solo, chamber and orchestral category.

For me, one of the best performances is https://youtu.be/56mfGTByI1g-  Eduard Grach-Frolov Koncert Fantasy of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

For a humanitarian project, I would like the concerts to unite the former Yugoslav countries after the war.”

Natan Dondalski – a violinist, soloist, the first concertmaster of Warmian-Masurian Philharmonic and Koszalin Philharmonic. He is the laureate of international violin competitions in Lublin (H. Wieniawski), Prague, Weimar (L. Spohr) and Freiburg (L. Spohr), for instance. He leads violin classes in Complex of State Music Schools in Koszalin and The Academy of Art in Szczecin and his students win countless prizes in both national and international competitions and festivals.
He is a propagator of less known violin concertos of composers such as G. Faure, J. Hubay and Ch. Sinding.

“In my life, I have had a lot of luck due to the fact that violin professors I had had a pleasure working with, were outstanding and extraordinary personalities in their profession.

I am an absolvent of one of the most valued Polish teachers Mr. Mirosław Ławrynowicz, with whom I graduated Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. I improved my violin skills with fantastic violinists such as Grigori Zhyslin (Wurzburg) and Rosa Fain (Dusseldorf). Each of them had different yet amazing and unique personalities. However, great passion to violin and music is what they all have in common.

As a teacher, I am doing my best to continue my master’s work. I constantly try to instil love to the violin, respect for work, how to reap satisfaction from their own development and awake meaningful understanding of music in young people’s hearts. I deeply desire to raise my students’ awareness of research for individual means of expression and how to reach audience’s hearts and to express emotions that come from music.

The biggest impact on my artistic path had winning awards on international competitions. Thanks to them, I got plenty of opportunities to perform in many great concert halls with magnificent symphonic orchestras.
The most valuable ones took place in Kölner Philharmonie, Beethovenhalle in Bonn, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Oslo Konserthus or recitals in many reputable music festivals in Paris, Berlin, Chisinau, Sapporo, Helsinki and Stockholm.

My personal favourite violists are David Ojstrach, L. Kogan, J. Menuhin, Kyung-Wha Chung.”

As a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music under violin performance (L.R.S.M.) in London, Tony held the sub-principal violin leader in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) for twenty-six years. 

He performed and toured with the orchestra in multiple countries across the world.

A firm believer in music as a means of communication and expression, Tony Fan has over fifty years of violin pedagogy experience nurturing the next generation of musicians and is a certified Royal Conservatory of Music violin instructor in the elementary, intermediate and advanced levels.