SHORT BIOGRAPHIES

Christos Polyzoides - violin & viola

was born in Greece and studied in Thessaloniki with Athanasios Theophanous and Alexandros Kazantzis and at the University of Music Vienna with Ernst Morawec. Since 1968 he is professor at the University of Music in Graz, 1999 he became a professor emeritus.
He was concertmaster of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra and the Collegium Musicum Instrumentale.
Countless concert tours as a soloist and chamber music player, recordings for radio, CD and television, mainly with his wife Katherina and the Camerata Polyzoides, took him to almost every country in East and West Europe as well as to South America, China and Taiwan.
Numerous premieres and CD recordings of works written for him, recently a double CD containing works by Klaus Johns (Extraplatte 2006).
In 1991 he was awarded the Medal of Honour of the country of Styria in Austria. In 1999 the Mayor of the city of Graz, 2006 the city of Thessaloniki and 2011 the university of music Graz honoured him for his services to those communities.


Margherita Marseglia - violin

was born in Friedrichshafen and studied at the University of Music in Graz with Christos Polyzoides. Other influential teachers were Franco Gulli, Max Rostal and Wanda Wilkomirska
She was concertmistress of the Graz Symphony Orchestra and from 1994 on the concertmistress in the Symphony Orchestra of Murcia (Spain).
Numerous concerts took her to nearly all European countries, to Argentina, Uruguay, Morocco and Japan. She also made regular recordings for radio, television and CDs with the pianists Janna Polyzoides, Jesús Gómez and Gustavo Díaz Jerez and the string orchestra »Il Concerto Accademico«, which she founded the year 2000.
After working as a teacher at the University of Music in Graz for four years, she became a professor at the Conservatorio Profesional de Elda, Alicante (Spain).

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Elisabeth Polyzoides-Baich - violin

was born in Graz and studied at the University of Music in Graz with Christos Polyzoides and in Vienna with Franz Samohyl.
Master classes with Max Rostal, Ramy Shevelov, Arthur Grumiaux and Wolfgang Marschner.
Her professional career included working with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra (assistant concertmistress), the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Bach Kollegium in Munich and the German Chamber Academy Neuss. From 1989 on she has been a member of the first violin section of the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne.
She has performed in nearly all European countries as well as in America, Japan and China, and is a member of the renowned »Das Kölner Streichsextett« (The Cologne String Sextett) (numerous recordings).
The ensemble released numerous CDs, which were honored in the Top 10 of the »NMZ« in the Netherlandes and the German »Phonoforum«.
She is also teaching at masterclasses in Bulgaria at the Academy of Plovdiv and Shiroka Lukka since 2008.
In 2009 she became a teacher of the class that prepares students for the university of music at the »Rheinische Musikschule Köln«.

Demetrius Polyzoides - violin & viola

was born in Graz and studied violin at the University of Music in Graz with Harald Himmel, subsequently in Vienna violin with Franz Samohyl and viola with Hatto Beyerle.
Master classes with Arthur Grumiaux, Christian Ferras, Wolfgang Marschner and Max Rostal.
Concertmaster of the Bavarian National Orchestra in Munich, the Hamburg Symphonic, and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne.
From 1995-97 first violinist of the Leonardo Quartet in Cologne (CDs). He is first violinist of the renowned ensemble »Das Kölner Streichsextett«, which he founded in 1997. The ensemble released numerous CDs, which were honored in the Top 10 of the »NMZ« in the Netherlandes and the German »Phonoforum«.
As a soloist and an ensemble musician, he has played in Europe and Asia.
Among many other CDs he also recorded "Six Sonates pour un violon seul" by Eugène Ysaÿe and recently three CDs with Bach's Sonatas and Partitas combined with Paganini's 24 Capricci.

Georg Hamann - viola & violin

was born in Vienna and studied at the University of Music in Vienna with members of the Alban Berg Quartett (Klaus Maetzl, violin, and Hatto Beyerle, viola) and took part in master classes of Max Rostal and William Primrose.
For many years he has been principal violist of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. Now he is a member of the aron quartett and teaches at the University of Music in Vienna. He has given masterclasses for violin, viola, and chamber music in Austria and Japan and regularly has guest performances at well-known festivals.
He has recorded numerous CDs with solo pieces and chamber music works. His CD with viola music of the 20th century has been highly acclaimed.

Daniel Raabe - violoncello

Daniel Raabe had his first cello lessons with Rudolf Metzmacher. He studied with Wolfgang Boettcher, Zara Nelsova and Lynn Harrell - also as his assistent at the University of Southern California.
As a member of the Ponche String Quartet he was prizewinner of several international competitions and got invited for a one year residency with Walter Levin and the LaSalle quartet in Cincinnati, Ohio. Several invitations to music festivals (Aspen Summer Music Festival).
Former member of the Chamber Orchestra of the Young German Philharmonic (today: Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen)and founding member of the Ensemble Oriol in Berlin. Intensive occupation with New Music and a regular guest of the Ensemble Modern and the Musikfabrik NRW.
Member of the Gürzenich Orchester Cologne and the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, teaching experiences as an associate teacher at the Folkwang Music Conservatory Essen.

Katherina Polyzoides-Sourvali - piano

was born in Thessaloniki. She studied piano with Vasso Devetzi, Kiki Manou-Stavrou, Athanasios Kontos and chamber music with Alexandros Kazantzis and Dimitris Georgiou. Final degree for music education and for solo piano (3rd place in the All-Greece Piano Competition). Further piano studies (degree 1959) with Margarete Gelbart and Tonis Georgiou as well as with Dr. Josef Dichler and Walter Panhofer at the University of Music in Vienna, and Cembalo with Eta Harich-Schneider and Vera Schwarz.
In 1963 she began teaching piano at the University of Music Graz, a position she held until 1990.
As a soloist and ensemble musician, mainly with her husband Christos and the Camerata Polyzoides, she has played in many European cities as well as in Brazil, China and Taiwan. Various CD recordings containing contemporary music, recently works by Klaus Johns (Extraplatte 2006).
In 1999 the mayor of the city of Graz and 2006 the city of Thessaloniki honoured her for her services to those communities.

Janna Polyzoides - piano

was born in Graz. She studied at the University of Music Graz with Sebastian Benda.
Additional influential teachers were Rudolf Kehrer, Alexander Jenner and György Kurtag. Her carrier has led to appearances at renowned festivals, such as Wien modern, the Menuhin-Festival in Gstaad, the »styriarte« festival in Graz and the Wiener Festwochen. She has been invited to many famous concert halls, for example the Cologne Philharmony, Wigmore Hall London, Warsaw Philharmony, the Konzerthaus and the Musikverein in Vienna and the Mozarteum Salzburg (in 2007 with the »Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss«). She is a founding member of the Arcus Ensemble Vienna.
So far she recorded 25 CDs, lately a CD (ORF) with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna (Christian Offenbauer's piano concert) and a CD of the »Duo Demetrius & Janna Polyzoides« (Aulos). 2008 she was nominated for the ORF-Pasticcio-Price and the German Record Critics' Award for a solo CD (einklang-records).

Li-Fang Su - accompaniment

was born in Kaohsiung/Taiwan.
After her diploma at the University Fon-si in Kaohsiung 1994, she continued her studies in Austria at the University of Music in Graz as a student of Walter Kamper. She finished there 1998 with the first diploma. Subsequently she studied in Paris at the »Conservatoire National Régional de Rueil-Malmaison«, piano with Pascal Amoyel, chamber music with Jean-Pierre Berlingen and accompanying with Angéline Pondepeyre (Diplomas 2005).
She studied also Lied accompaniment at the »Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse« in Paris with Erika Guiomar.
She attended master classes for piano with Matin Isepp and Lada Valešová (France), Claus-Christian Schuster (Austria) and master classes for chamber music with Angéline Pondepeyre (Belgium).
Since 2007 she is professor for accompaniment at the Conservatoire National Régional Amiens and for Lied accompaniment at the music school »La Schola Cantorum« in Paris.
Lately she played piano recitals in Braine l'Alleud/Belgium, Sully-sur-Loire and Rueil-Malmaison/France, and in Graz/Austria, where she also appeared as a soloist with the Johann-Joseph-Fux-Orchestra, and in Taiwan.

Nikolaos Zafranas - accompaniment

was born in Greece. He studied piano with Domna Evnouchidou at the National Conservatory of Athens, with Ian Hobson at the University of Illinois and with Walter Kamper at the University of Music Graz.
He has participated actively in numerous master courses taught by Katherina and Janna Polyzoides, Leon Fleischer, Claude Helffer, Karlheinz Kämmerling and Lev Vlassenko.
His performances include recitals and chamber music concerts in many European countries and the USA. He has appeared in television and radio programs in Greece, Cyprus and Slovenia and has recorded 2 CDs with contemporary solo and chamber music works. He is a founding member of the Piandaemonium ensemble and the Transcription Ensemble.
He holds a PhD in Music Education from Brunel University, London and is Lecturer of Music Pedagogy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.