Lunchtime Concert: Katarzyna Franczak & Irina Lyakhovskaya, violin & piano

FRI 07 OCT 13.05

Take time out this lunchtime for a performance by Trinity Laban student violinist Katarzyna Franczak accompanied by staff pianist Irina Lyakhovskaya in the beautiful surroundings of the Old Royal Naval College Chapel.

Aulis Sallinen
Cadenze Per violin solo

W.A Mozart
Sonata for piano and violin in E minor KV 304

J. Brahms
Sonata No.2 for piano and violin in A major Op.100

In 2014, Katarzyna Franczak was a member of the Youth Chamber Orchestra, Szczecińska Młodzieżowa Orkiestra Kameralna. She played alongside the Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Szczecin Opera House. In the UK, Katarzyna has played with members of the BBC Concert Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony and RPO at the Dorset Opera Festival. Katarzyna studied at Trinity Laban with Gillian Findlay and John Crawford. She is continuing her studies with Jan Schmolck. Since May 2021, Katarzyna has been working as a part of The Benedetti Foundation as a Teaching Ambassador. Katarzyna has been awarded Ofenheim and Trinity College London Scholarship to support her postgraduate studies.

Irina Lyakhovskaya was born in St Petersburg, Russia. She graduated from the St Petersburg Conservatoire in 1999, where she studied with Alexander Sandler. In 2000, she was invited to continue her studies in England as a postgraduate scholar at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (then known as Trinity College of Music) with John Bingham. In 2003, Irina won first prize in the TCM Association’s Soloist Competition with her interpretation of the Schumann Piano Concerto. Since then, she has given many performances at leading international venues including the Philharmonic Hall in St Petersburg, Smetana Hall in Prague and the Coliseum in Porto. In the UK, she has appeared at the Southbank Centre, Symphony Hall, St John’s Smith Square and Cadogan Hall performing solo recitals and as the concerto soloist in Mozart, Haydn, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov concertos. Her work has also been broadcast on BBC television and radio. An active chamber musician, Irina performs internationally with violinist Eleanor Percy, with whom she has given numerous recitals at the Wigmore Hall in London. They have recorded sonatas by Brahms and Prokofiev for the ImLab label, and the complete Mozart sonatas for Melodiya. Currently, Irina is artist in residence at Eastbourne Arts Centre where she is performing the complete Beethoven piano sonatas in eight concerts. Irina has worked at Trinity Laban as a professional accompanist since 2002.

Old Royal Naval College Chapel
Admission free, no ticket required