Li Xie (piano)
Born in Shanghai in 1987, Li Xie began studying piano at the age of four. In 2005, she pursued her studies abroad being accepted to Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria. She graduated with Highest Distinction (cum laude) receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Solo Pianist under Professor Peter Lang. She then continued under Professor Jacques Rouvier, receiving a Master of Arts once again with Highest Distinction. Given her cum laude achievements, she was selected for the highest degree program of Postgraduate in Solo Pianist, completing this degree and her studies at Mozarteum in 2013. During her postgraduate studies, she began participating as a piano accompanist and playing chamber music. In 2014, she moved to Paris to begin her studies in Piano Accompaniment at the Conservatory of Paris (CRR de Paris) under Professor Arian Jacob and Professor Jean-Marie Cottet. She received in 2016 the highest degree in piano accompaniment: Concertiste – Accompagnement au Piano. In 2016, Li Xie began her professional career in piano teaching and accompaniment at the Conservatory of Paris (17ème Arrondissement). And in 2021, Li Xie joined the Musica Mundi School as an accompanist. Li Xie has demonstrated her excellence as both a concert pianist and in playing chamber music. She won the second prize at the Mozart Prize Competition (Salzburg), and attained the semi-final in the Richard Vines International Piano Competition (Lleida).
Sofía Raichenko (piano)
Sofía Raichenko, originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, discovered her love for the piano at the age of 4. Her passion for music led her to pursue studies at the Kiev Music Institute with Anna Smekhova, at the Tchaikovsky Academy in Kiev with Yuri Kot, at the Maastricht Conservatory with Katia Veekmans and Henk Guitart, and at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln under the guidance of Anthony Spiri and Harold Schoneweg. While studying, she became a winner of international competitions such as the Prokofiev Piano Competition, the Bortniansky Chamber Music Competition, the Vincenzo Scaramuzza Competition, the Maastricht Music Prize, the Storioni Trio Competition, the Taneyev Chamber Music Competition, and the Kammermusik Wettbewerb in Cologne. As a member of chamber music ensembles, Sofía participated in the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Italy, and at the Orlando Festival in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. She had masterclasses with Michael Kugel, Alexander Zemtsov, Bruno Giuranna, Lilya Zilberstein, Jean-Bernard Pommier, and Enrico Pace. As a chamber musician, Sofía has performed in numerous concerts and festivals with musicians such as Marc Bouchkov, Timothy Park, Alexander Chaushian, Boris Brovtsyn, Svetlana Makarova, among many others in Europe, Asia, and South America. With the Malevich Piano Quartet, she recorded premieres for the Etcetera Records label of the Piano Quartets by Oscar van Hemel and the Piano Quartets by Hans Kox. Currently, Mrs. Raichenko is working intensively in masterclasses with musicians like Gustav Rivinius, Pavel Vernikov, Alexander Chaushian in Barcelona, Sion, Pescara and Chieti. Since 2024, Sofía Raichenko has also taken on the role of co-artistic director for the chamber music series at the “Círculo del Liceo” in Barcelona.