Artist Profile:

 

Ms Kamilla Arku

 

London-based pianist Kamilla Arku is a graduate of Yale University and the Royal Northern College of Music. Born in Switzerland to Liberian and Norwegian parents, Kamilla began to study the piano after moving to the U.S. at the age of 5. After graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Virginia, she attended Yale University, where she studied with Elisabeth Parisot at the Yale School of Music and Elisabeth Sun-Perge in Paris, France, and then at the RNCM with Carole Presland and Paul Janes. She has also studied privately with Charles Owen.

 

Kamilla gave her London debut at the renowned 'Pianists of the World' series at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields in 2013, and has since performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the UK and abroad. Recent highlights include recitals in Lisbon, London and Paris; interviews and performances on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio London; duo performances with Stephen Kovacevich, Alice Zawadzki and Leon Bosch; and collaborations with visual artists Jordan Soderberg Mills and Amale Freiha Khlat. Passionate about diversity in the arts, Kamilla regularly programmes music by female composers and composers from the African diaspora, and has given world and European premieres of works by Lainie Fefferman, Tara Creme and Virginia Seay.

 

Kamilla is also the founder and Director of Music for Liberia, a nonprofit that raises funds for children in Liberia through music events in the UK. In 2010 and 2019, Kamilla had the honour of performing for the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who thanked Kamilla and Music for Liberia artists for their 'generosity and compassion to help us address a critical problem.' In recognition of her work with Music for Liberia, she was also recently awarded a Jack Petchey Award for her service to young people.

 

Ms Anna Konoplova

 

Ms Anna's musical journey started since the age of 5 in a group for young talented kids in a music school for gifted children for 9 years in Ukraine. She joined various violin competitions and won several awards during this period.

 

Following her passion in music, she entered the music college in Donetsk (Ukraine) and received the special president scholarship award and graduated a diploma degree with honour. She pursued further music studies at the Donetsk State Music Academy by Sergey Prokofiev and obtained a bachelor degree with honour and master’s degree in music.

 

Upon graduating from the Music Academy, Ms Anna was invited to participate in Woman National Chamber Orchestra of Ukraine for tour in Italy.

She had an extensive performing career which includes performing in more than 30 countries in a string quartet, string trio, violin – piano duo and electric string contemporary trio. She collaborated with different music groups touring different destinations in a cruise ship as she worked with Holland America, Celebrity and Carnival cruise line.

 

Ms Anna is currently teaching violin, violin ensemble, music theory and aural at Phuket School of Music.