Alexej Gerassimez Wins 2nd Prize at the ARD Music Competition

Alexej Gerassimez Wins 2nd Prize at the ARD Music Competition

The GENUIN percussionist Alexej Gerassimez has won second prize at the 2014 International Music Competition of the ARD 2014 in the category of percussion. The 27-year-old German convinced the jury at the competition, being held this year for the 63rd time, with "Arena – Percussion Concerto No. 1" by Tobias Broström. Simone Rubino from Italy won first prize.

Amongst percussionists, the ARD Music Competition is regarded as the most important in the world. "I have an emotional roller-coaster ride behind me", Gerassimez remembers. By participating, it was a challenge for him not to be "beaten" by the expectations connected with the competition and the enormous pressure; "During the competition, I noticed that I can do it."

Alexej Aljoscha Gerassimez studied at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich with Peter Sadlo. He is considered one of the leading percussion soloists of his generation. With the winning of second prize at the ARD Music Competition, Gerassimez continues earlier successes such as, for example, first prize at the 2010 German Music Council Competition as well as first prize, the audience prize and the press prize at one of the most renowned competitions for percussion solo, the "TROMP Percussion Competition" in the Netherlands.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Alexej is a regular guest at such festivals as the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Bochum Symphony. His intensive concert activities have so far taken him to many countries in Europe, the USA and Japan, where he presented solo concerts in Tokyo and Yokohama.

519 musicians and ensembles from 50 countries and five continents participated at the 63rd International Music Competition of the ARD, dedicated to the categories of piano,
violoncello, percussion and wind quintet. The percussionists began the competition on 1 September at the Munich Music Academy. Their category had last been included in the competition seven years ago.

After Alexej Gerassimez became a prize winner at the German Music Competition, his debut CD "Alexej Gerassimez – Percussion" was issued by GENUIN classics in the Edition Primavera.

GENUIN also issued the debut CD of the pianist Annika Treutler. She was the only German to reach the semi-finals of this year's ARD Competition. 60 candidates competed in the category of piano.

The video of the finale

Bavarian Broadcasting Company interview with the prize winners in the category of percussion

linkAlexej Gerassimez on GENUIN

linkTo the artist´s homepage