Julian Schwarz, cello and
Marika Bournaki, piano
"...what can one say about Julian Schwarz, the scion of conductor Gerard? His rich full-bodied cello was put to use with two ensembles. First, with his wife Marika Bournaki, in Kevin Puts Aria for Cello and Piano, a work which exhibited both artists at their most romantic in a piece which could have been written in the late 19th Century.” -Concertonet
About
Cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Marika Bournaki met as students at the Aspen Music Festival in 2006. Over the subsequent years they reconnected at the Verbier festival in Switzerland, and as students at the Juilliard School in New York City. They began their musical collaboration in 2014 and made their debut together in recital at the Austrian Embassy in Washington DC for the Embassy Series.
Marika Bournaki is a Canadian pianist from Montreal, QC. She has toured internationally as soloist and recitalist and was the subject of the award-winning documentary “I am Not a Rockstar”, chronicling her development from age 12 to 20. She received both BM and MM degrees from The Juilliard School, and is a member of Piano Six, the Next Generation.
Julian Schwarz is an American cellist from Seattle, WA. He was the 1st prizewinner in the 2013 Inaugural Schoenfeld International String Competition in Hong Kong, and is currently Asst. Professor of Cello at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester VA. He is an international soloist and active contributor to Strings Magazine’s Artist Blog.