B i o g r a p h y
Ivan Iliev was born in Pernik, Bulgaria, and studied violin at the National Academy of Music in Sofia with Verka Stefanova and Yossif Radionov. His interest in early music led him to studies at the Hochschule für Musik – Trossingen, Germany with Anton Steck, and with Lucy van Dael in the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where he graduated in 2011. Ivan has participated in masterclasses with, among others, members of the Amadeus, Smetana and Bartok quartets.
In 2008 and 2009 he has been a member of the European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO), working under the direction of Roy Goodman, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Enrico Onofri, Petra Mullejans, Chiara Banchini and Edward Higginbottom. He also participated in the Aldeburgh Festival with the Britten Pears Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Masaaki Suzuki. Since 2008 he is a member of Ensemble Cordevento and recorded four CDs with them for Brilliant Classics (with music by Vivaldi, Bach & Telemann) and has performed at the Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht, as well as the concert series Oude Muziek Seizoen 2014, Thüringer Bachwochen, the Early Music series of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Together with guitarist Izhar Elias Ivan recorded a CD for Brilliant Classics with chamber music by Beethoven in arrangements of his contemporaries, released in September 2013.
In 2013 Ivan won the 1st prize of the international early music competition „La Stravaganza“ in Cluj-Napoca with ensemble Cafebaum and performed with them at the London Handel Festival 2014. As a member of the international orchestra Les Ambassedeurs Ivan has performed at the Trigonale Festival, Musica Antiqua Festival Brugge, Sofia Baroque Arts Festival and took part in a recording of music by Vivaldi written for the Dresden court. He often collaborates with ensembles such as Luthers Bach Ensemble, Czech Ensemble Baroque, La Folia Barockorchester and Collegium 1704.
Born in Pilsen in the Czech Republic, Veronika Manová began her musical studies at the Pilsen conservatory with Martin Kaplan as her modern violin teacher. To deepen her experience in historical performance she moved to Utrecht to study baroque violin with Antoinette Lohmann at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten and later with Pavlo Beznosiuk, Kati Debretzeni, Catherine Mackintosh and Walter Reiter at the Royal Conservatoire in den Haag. Within the Erasmus Programme she undertook her postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. For her Master's Degree she specialized in late classical and early romantic performance practice.
As a soloist and leader she appeared with Ensemble Baroque (as a winner of the Early Music Competition in Rajnochovice), Guildhall Baroque Orchestra and Orchestra of the Royal Conservatoire.
Veronika performs with the European leading baroque ensembles including Musica Florea, Gabrieli Players, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment, Collegium 1704, International Baroque Players, Musica Poetica, Luthers Bach Ensemble and worked with such musicians as Simon Rattle, Alison Bury, Judy Tarling, Julia Wedman, Rachel Beesley, Frank de Bruine, Chiara Bianchini and Wilbert Hazelzet among others. In 2008 she was a member of the European Union Baroque Orchestra, working under Roy Goodmann, Lars-Ulrik Mortensen and Enrico Onofri and in 2012 she joined Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment as a participant of the Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience Scheme.
Jakub Verner vystudoval Církevní konzervatoř v Kroměříži ve třídě Miroslava Kašného. Souběžně se věnoval provozování tzv. poučené interpretace období baroka a klasicismu na dobové nástroje. Absolvoval barokní kursy v Prachaticích (Lucy Russel), na Dresden Akademie für alte Musik (Simon Standage), Innsbrucku.(John Holloway). V letech 2000-2004 se zúčastňoval orchestrálních a komorních projektů na Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen (Anton Steck, Karlheinz Steeb, Phillipe Pierlot Linde Brunmayr Tutz), ze kterých vzešlo klasicistní Quartetto Quadrifoglio. Spolupracuje se soubory Musica Florea, Enseble Inegal, Czech Ensemble Baroque, Hipocondria, Collegium Marianum, Societas Incognitorum, Musica figuralis. Je stálým členem Collegia 1704 a od r. 1999 Jihočeské Filharmonie v Českých Budějovicích.
Libor Mašek was born in Tišnov where he received his basic musical education. He continued his studies of violoncello at the conservatoire in Brno with Miroslav Zicha and at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts with Bedřich Havlík. Growing fascination for early music practice led him to seek out performances with ensembles focusing on historically informed practice, such as Telemann Baroque Collegium and Cappella Apollinis.
Starting his professional career as a founding member of Prague Philharmonia, Libor decided to fully devote himself to historically informed practice and became a member of a leading baroque ensemble Collegium 1704. He regularly performs with Ensemble Inégal, Czech Ensemble Baroque, Musica Florea, Musica Aeterna and Collegium Marianum, played in many of Europe's most prestigious festivals, including Salzburger Festspiele, BBC Proms, Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht, Prague Spring, Bruges Early Music Festival and recorded more than 50 CDs; many of these received valued price nominations and critical acclaim. Libor also teaches baroque cello at The Prague Conservatoire and Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts.
