Vieness Piano Duo

For years, the Vieness Piano Duo from Los Angeles has enthralled audiences in their electric and captivating performances of a wide range of repertoire. Their intuition for conversation coupled with a commanding stage presence has made them regularly in demand throughout the world. They've performed over 40 recitals such as the InConcert Series, the Trinity Concert Series, the Music Guild, Le Salon de Musiques at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L'ermitage Foundation, Masters in the Chapel Series, Waring Gala, and the Kultur unter'm Dach series in Germany. 

Vieness Piano Duo will begin the 20/21 season at the Covington Recital Series, Lancaster Performing Arts Center, L'ermitage Foundation, Sarasota Artists Series, Second City Chamber Series, Summer Stars Series and a concert tour of the Midwest through Allied Concert Services. 

EVA SCHAUMKELL

German pianist Eva Schaumkell is established on three continents as a brilliant soloist and collaborator praised for her "astonishing combination of depth of expression and thrilling virtuosity" by the Nassauische Neue Presse. Dr. Schaumkell has established a major international presence as Gold medalist in the 2018 International James Ramos Piano Competition and the 2014 International Siegfried Weishaupt Piano Competition. She has also been awarded prizes at the Coeur d'Alene Piano Competition, Thürmer Piano Competition in Bochum, Jugend Musiziert Competition, and is a recipient of the Carl Maria von Weber Scholarship, the Deutschlandstipendium, as well as the Drosihn Prize.  

Highlights of her upcoming season includes chamber music with the Vieness Piano Duo at the Covington Recital Series, Lancaster Performing Arts Center, L'Ermitage Foundation, the Music Guild, Sarasota Artists Series, Second City Chamber Series, Summer Stars Series at Ocean Grove NJ, and a concert tour of the US Midwest through Allied Concert Services.  

An active chamber musician, Schaumkell has appeared three times on Le Salon de Musiques at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles and tours as the Vieness Piano Duo with her husband and pianist, Vijay Venkatesh. Together, they've performed over 40 recitals such as the InConcert Series, the Trinity Concert Series, Le Salon de Musiques, L'ermitage Foundation, Lompoc Recital Series, Masters in the Chapel Series, Waring Gala, and the Kultur unter'm Dach series in Germany. ​  

A charismatic soloist, Dr. Schaumkell's career has led to dozens of concerts throughout the US, Europe, and the Middle East. She frequents the recital series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Steinway Hall London, Luton Music Club, Buckingham Palace, and at the City of London Festival. She has also appeared in recital at Stadthalle Weilburg, Kurhaus Bad Schwalbach, Coselpalais Dresden in Germany, and the MusicAlp Festival in Courchevel, France. Recent highlights include appearances at the International Summer Academy of Music in Germany, a performance of Schumann's Piano Concerto with the London Spring Sinfonia, and Beethoven's Concerto No.1 with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Ahmed El Saedi, at the Cairo Opera House in Egypt.  

Dr. Schaumkell recently earned her Doctorate with distinction under the guidance of renowned pedagogue Daniel Pollack at the USC Thornton School of Music, where she was also a Teaching Assistant. She holds a Masters of Music degree under Winifried Apel from the Hochschule für Musik Dresden, and a Bachelors of Music under Peter Bithell from the Guildhall School in London. She has received important artistic guidance from pianists such as Fabio Bidini, Norman Krieger, Jeffrey Kahane, Cyprien Katsaris, Pascal Devoyon, Vanessa Latarche, Dmitri Alexeev, Dominique Merlet, Victor Rosenbaum, and Ivari Ilja.  

Dr. Schaumkell is in high demand internationally as an Artist Teacher, and frequently gives masterclasses, adjudicates competitions, and appears for Artist Residencies in schools, universities and conservatories. During her time as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Southern California she taught individual piano lessons and studio classes, as well as group piano. Additionally, she maintains a private teaching studio and is a member of Music Teachers National Association and the California Association of Professional Music Teachers.

VIJAY VENKATESH

Hailed by the Herald-Tribune for his "dazzling pianism verging on the impossible, effortless technical command and authority with a sense of poetry and refinement that belies his years," Indian-American pianist Vijay Venkatesh has been recognized on three continents as a pianist with profound musicianship, sparkling pianism and an innate sense of partnership. Vijay has rapidly established a major international reputation as top prizewinner in the San Jose, Seattle, Zimmerli, World Piano, and Waring International Piano Competitions. He has also been named a Davidson Fellow Laureate at the Library of Congress, USC Thornton's Discovery Scholar, Grand Prize Winner of the Los Angeles Music Center's Spotlight Awards and featured on NPR's "From the Top" with host Christopher O'Riley.      

Highlights of Mr. Venkatesh's upcoming seasons include debuts with the Rogue Valley Symphony with conductor Martin Majkut in Clara Schumann's Piano Concerto, the LaGrange Symphony with conductor Richard Prior in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 and at the Le Salon Musiques with Chopin's First Concerto. Venkatesh will also return to the Redlands Bowl with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra with conductor Roger Kalia in Beethoven Concerto

No. 5. Additionally, Venkatesh has solo recitals and chamber music with the Vieness Piano Duo at the Covington Recital Series, Lancaster Performing Arts Center, L'ermitage Foundation, the Music Guild, Sarasota Artists Series, Second City Chamber Series, Summer Stars Series and a concert tour of the Midwest through Allied Concert Services and a recital tour of India through the South Asian Symphony Foundation.      

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An immersive and versatile soloist, Mr. Venkatesh has performed extensively across the United States and Europe as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, Vienna, Sarasota, Redlands, Roanoke, Eastern Connecticut, YMF Debut, USC Thornton, IU Jacobs, UC Irvine, Pasadena, Rio Hondo, South Coast, Transylvania, and the Brevard Music Center. He has collaborated with preeminent conductors such as Jeffrey Kahane, Ludovic Morlot, David Lockington, David Stewart Wiley, Toshiyuki Shimada, Ken Lam, Michael Repper, Frank Fetta, and more. Mr. Venkatesh has performed at Merkin Hall in New York, Chicago's Dame Myra Hess series, and at the Aspen, Brevard, Banff, Newport, Redlands Bowl, Sarasota, and Vienna Music Festivals. As recipient of the inaugural Parnassus Society Prize, he performed in recital at the Soka Performing Arts Center.        

An active chamber musician, Venkatesh has appeared eight times on Le Salon de Musiques at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles and tours as the Vieness Piano Duo with his wife and pianist, Eva Schaumkell. Together, they've performed over 40 recitals such as the InConcert Series, the Trinity Concert Series, Le Salon de Musiques, L'ermitage Foundation, Masters in the Chapel Series, Waring Gala, and the Kultur unter'm Dach series in Germany. As pianist in the Aristeia Trio, Gold Medalists of the Frances Walton International Chamber Music Competition, they embarked on a 30-concert tour of Washington, appeared twice on KING-FM 89.1 FM, and have been featured on the Camerata Musica recital series and at the Irvine Performing Arts Center.        

Originally from California, Mr. Venkatesh currently pursues an Artist Diploma at the Colburn School in Los Angeles with Fabio Bidini. He holds degrees from USC Thornton and IU Jacobs School of Music, where he was a recipient of the Barbara and David Jacobs Fellowship under the tutelage of Norman Krieger and André Watts. Venkatesh has previously studied with Jeffrey Kahane and has received artistic guidance from Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Menahem Pressler, and Murray Perahia.