The Johann Strauss Ensemble is an Austrian group of about 20 musicians led by British violinst Russell McGregor, who was born in Oxford, England and grew up in Melbourne, Australia.
McGregor completed his Diploma of Arts in Music at the Victorian College of the Arts and has been living in Vienna, Austria since 1992. He is a member of the Vienna Concertverein and performs regularly with the Camerata Salzburg. From 1994-1996 he was the concertmaster with the Vienna Chamber Opera company, and since 1997 conducts and leads the Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra. McGregor is also an proficient player of chamber music,with tours to Bulagaria, Indonesia, Canada, Japan and England.
Johann Strauss and Viennese music
Russell McGregor conducts in the Golden hall in the Musikverein, Vienna concert hall and has performed with Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Ildiko Raimondi and many others. A particular highlight was a Strauss concert in the world famous Opera house in Sydney, Australia. In South America Russell McGregor performed Viennese music in football stadiums to 15,000-20,000 people. Furthermore, he is invited yearly to perform and teach in Iran.
He performs as a highly successful conductor/soloist with the Johann Strauss Ensemble regularly in Austria and throughout the world to considerable acclaim. His charm and musical entertainment is legendary when he takes audiences on a musical journey. Confirmation of his success is that many of the concert venues demand repeat performances.
Together with the Johann Strauss Ensemble, McGregor performs many concerts in Austria and have played shows in Spain, Hungary, China, Japan, USA, South America and Australia. Russell McGregor plays on a Carlo Giuseppe Testore violin from 1697.
For more information, visit the official Johann Strauss Ensemble website.
Greetings!
Allow me to introduce you to the multi-talented Matthew Bengtson, concert pianist, harpsichordist, fortepianist, and renowned Scriabin expert! Matthew commemorated the 100th anniversary of Alexander Scriabin’s death in July 2015 with a performance at the historic festival “Scriabin in the Himalayas” in Ladakh, India.
An advocate of both contemporary and rarely performed music, he commands a diverse repertoire, ranging from Byrd to Ligeti and numerous contemporary composers. He has been presented in concerts as a La Gesse Fellow in France, Germany, Italy and Hungary, in Washington, DC, at Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello, and in solo recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He has also appeared on the Pro Musica series in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Please take a look at http://www.mattbengtson.com/repertoire.htmla to review his repertoire.
Mr. Bengtson has participated in many American music festivals, such as the Aspen Music Festival, and Baroque Performance Institute (BPI) at Oberlin Conservatory. In Europe, he studied at the Internationale Sommerakademie “Mozarteum” in Salzburg, Austria, and the Centre Acanthes in Avignon, with Claude Helffer and at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, France, with Philippe Entremont. In Salzburg, he performed Boulez’s Sonata no. 1 in the Wiener Saal, and at Fontainebleau, he was awarded the Prix de la Ville de Fontainebleau for his performances.
To view details of Matthew’s accolades and reviews, please visit mattbengtson.com and listen to his music on You Tube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/mwbengts?feature=mhee.
Matthew would be a wonderful guest artist for your Johann Strauss Ensemble! I would be happy to forward his marketing information to you, including CD’s.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely yours,
Nora K. Miller
Assistant to Matthew Bengtson
717-742-2992
noramillerrn@gmail.com