Macha Kanza - Schumann, Rachmaninoff: Gesänge der Frühe Op.133, Etudes-Tableaux Op.39 (Piano music) (2020)

Macha Kanza: French pianist and violinist, began her piano studies at the age of five in Saint-Quentin with Irene Kutin. A couple of years later, she was honoured with the First Prize of the City of Paris, and in the same year was accepted into the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music under Yevgeni Moguilevsky (also teacher in Moscow Conservatory, 1rst prize Queen Elisabeth competition), where she brillantly completed her Master’s Degree in performance, obtaining the highest distinctions, among others with her special rendition for Rachmaninoff’s 3rd piano concerto, two years after getting her bachelor with Prokofiev 2nd Concerto. During her studies, she participated in several international piano competitions, such as «Aqua Viva International Piano Competition » in Italy (2nd Prize), «Sergei Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition» in Los Angeles (Prize laureate), and performed in several festivals in France, Europe and the United States. She has also had the occasion to play in various famous concert halls around the world, including Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Salle Pleyel, Théâtre de la Ville d'Atri (Italy), «Aula Nova of Poznan» (Poland), «Pasadena Concert Hall» (Los Angeles), «Museum of Musical Instruments in Bruxelles», Bialystok Philarmony (Poland), Odessa Philarmony (Ukraine), Steinway Hall (New York), La Seine Musicale (Paris) etc... She was also an invited soloist with the Bialystok Orchestra (Poland) under the direction of Reinhart Seehafer (conductor of the Comic Opera of Berlin), and with the Odessa Philarmonic Orchestra (Ukraine) with Hobart Earne. Macha Kanza was a finalist and was awarded 4th Place at the «Emil Giles International Piano Competition» in Odessa in 2009. She was also invited to play live Rachmaninov 2nd piano Sonata and the violon piece «Narcisse» of Szymanowski at France Musique (Émission of Gaëlle Le Gallic). In parallel with her pianistic endeavours, Macha studied the violin at the Conservatoire Jacques Ibert in Paris with Marie-Helene Vivanco and was accepted into the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music studying under Adam Korniszewki. This dual instrumental practice has allowed her to enlarge her soloist and chamber music, and has given her the opportunity to benefit from the precious guidance of Masters as Jean-Claude Pennetier, Emil Naoumoff, Daria Hovora, Philippe Cassard, Ivry Gitlis, Laurent Cabasso, Bruno Rigutto, Tigran Alikhanov, and many others.