Katja & Reiko
The Russian flutist Katja Pitelina, who currently lives in The Netherlands, is a versatile musician. On modern and period instruments she plays a remarkably broad repertoire, that reaches from seventeenth century baroque to contemporary music. For every flute composition she chooses the appropriate flute from her rich collection of instruments. Katja regularly plays in concert series and festivals, in Holland and abroad, as a soloist, in chamber music ensembles and with (baroque) orchestras. She performed chamber music with well known musicians like Gustav Leonhardt, Lucy van Dael, Bob van Asperen, Siebe Henstra and Barthold Kuijken, Johannes Möller, Lavinia Meijer, Emlyn Stam.
In April of 2009 she performed in the annual Queen's Concert at the Noordeinde Palace for the Dutch Royal family. Her first solo-cd is in preparation.
In autumn of 2013 by "EARLYMUSIC" Publishing House in St. Petersburg was published Russian edition of Quantz' "Versuch", translated by Katja.
Katja Pitelina was born in Moscow. She started her musical education at the prestigious Gnessin Music School. Already at a young age she has won several competitions in Moscow and Athens. Because of her talent she received grants from the Foundation New Names and from the well known trust of Vladimir Spivakov, who invited her to make an extensive tour through Siberia, where she several times has played as a soloist with orchestra. Continued her studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow from 1999 till 2005. From 2001 till 2008 Katja studied at the early music department from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She finished her education with a master's degree under the guidance of the traverso player Barthold Kuijken. Already as a student she regularly received invitations to play in concert series and festivals in several countries.
Reiko Tsuiki began studying the modern flute at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, under the tutelage of Soichi Minegishi. During her studies, Reiko found her way into the world of historical flutes with Masahiro Arita as her guide. This was the beginning of a new way of thinking and playing. After completing her bachelor degree in Japan, Reiko decided to further her interest in historical flutes and music making. In order to do this, she moved to the Netherlands where she studied with Barthold Kuijken at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague. After only three years, Reiko received a bachelor and a Masters degree in early music.
In her spare time, Reiko plays chamber music and is doing further research into the history of flute music, the instruments of their periods and the techniques that went with those particular instruments. This study has resulted in many concerts, the most recent with a 19th century Erard piano and a Böhm-flute from the same period. To show the diversity and history of the flute, Reiko has done concerts performing music from the Renaissance until the music of late Romantic period with composers such as P. Hindemith and C. Debussy, playing and showing up to 7 different instruments from 400 years of music history.
Reiko has been recognised in Japan and Europe with awards in prestigious competitions. She received the “Overseas Study Programme Scholarship” from the Japanese Government in 2008, the third prize at the International Music Competition Bruges and received the Bärenreiter prize at the 5th International Telemann Competition in Magdeburg. Reiko has performed with many orchestras such as Bach Collegium Japan, Les Boreades, The Wallfisch band, The Bach choir and orchestra of the Netherlands and Le Parnasse Francais and she has worked with conductors such as Masaaki Suzuki, Ryo Terakado, Walter van Hauwe and Gustav Leonhardt to name a few.