Richie Hawley

Jury Chairman

Richie Hawley is a versatile and critically acclaimed artist who ranks among the most distinguished clarinetists of his generation. Mr. Hawley was appointed Principal Clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1994 at the age of 23, only two years after graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music. He has since enjoyed a rewarding and multifaceted career as an orchestral clarinetist, recitalist, chamber musician, teacher and clinician. From 1994-2011, as the Principal Clarinet of the CSO, he impressed audiences around the world with a wide-ranging talent that blended virtuosity and the velvety, sonorous tone that has become his trademark. The Cincinnati Enquirer has praised him for the “seamless flowing tone so many clarinetists long for and few can achieve.” Many of the 60+ recordings by the CSO and Cincinnati Pops during his tenure have featured major solos of the clarinet repertoire. American Record Guide hailed Hawley’s “gorgeous” clarinet solo in the CSO’s Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 as “the crowning achievement” of the recording by Maestro Jesus Lopez-Cobos.

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Marika Bournaki

Piano

With unparalleled technical, musical and communication skills, Marika Bournaki is at once a world class performer, outstanding pianist, vivacious young woman and the freshest face on the classical music scene. Marika’s innovative approach to her art and performance is reflected in her recent collaboration, Let’s Play, with cutting­ edge and world­ renowned multimedia creative shop, Moment Factory. Her role as Ambassador to the Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal’s summer event, “A Cool, Classical Journey” was an opportunity to explore new and exciting ways to share her music with the public. The Schwarz-Bournaki Duo received the Top Prize at the 2016 Boulder International Chamber Music Competition (BICMC- “Art of Duo”).

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Julian Schwarz

Cello

Cellist Julian Schwarz was born in 1991 to a multigenerational musical family. As the 1st prize winner in the professional cello division of the inaugural Schoenfeld International String Competition in Hong Kong in 2013, he has toured nationally and internationally as a soloist and recitalist. He has been recognized as a cellist destined to rank among the finest of the 21st century.The Schwarz-Bournaki Duo received the Top Prize at the 2016 Boulder International Chamber Music Competition (BICMC- “Art of Duo”).

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Mina Gajić

Founder and Artistic Director

A versatile pianist, Mina Gajić began her education and music career in Yugoslavia. She has concertized in Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, China, and in the United States. She performs chamber music focusing on an eclectic repertory spanning the centuries and styles, on historic period pianos in addition to modern concert instruments. She has performed as concerto soloist with orchestras in Europe, the United States, and South America, and has appeared at the Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Prague Piano Festival and the Boulder Bach Festival, Colorado. Her awards include first prize at the International Competition Cittá di Stresa, Italy; third prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein Competition in Paris; first prize at the Competition of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic Competition of Serbia for five consecutive years; first prize at the Stanković Competition in Belgrade with special distinction for collaborative artistry, as well as semi-finalist at the Shanghai International Piano Competition.

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Zachary Carrettin

Artistic Director, Boulder Bach Festival

Conductor Zachary Carrettin is the Artistic Director of the Boulder Bach Festival, which celebrates its 35th season this year. He represents twenty-first century diversity in programming and a commitment to education, reflected in dynamic performances on period instruments, modern instruments, electric instruments, as well as collaborations with modern dance and film. He has performed in thirty countries on four continents, conducting symphony orchestras across Europe, the United States, and South America, including the National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia and the National Symphony Orchestra of Moldova. His original compositions and arrangements have been presented by orchestras and new music ensembles internationally, from Brazil to Oman, and he conducted the first recording of the resurrected Symphony #1 by Gustavo Navarre. Additionally, he has collaborated with the Assad Brothers, the Tokyo String Quartet, and many luminaries in the early music world. His critical research has included multiple excursions in Italian archives, focusing on the work of Giuseppe Antonio Capuzzi (1755-1818). Carrettin performs on Cello da Spalla, viola, baroque/classical/romantic period and electric violins, and has served as concertmaster in a variety of projects including Ars Lyrica’s Grammy-nominated recording of Hasse’s Marc’ Antonio e Cleopatra, and the U.S. premiere of Vivaldi’s rediscovered opera Motezuma, with Musica Angelica and Long Beach Opera. An advocate of diversity in music, he toured one-hundred cities with Yanni and shared the stage with Ray Charles, the Black Crowes, Cake, Joan Jett and many others at festivals internationally; as Artist-in-Residence and Composer with Project Bandaloop aerial dance troupe, he premiered original work at the opening ceremony of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the Dayton Center for the Performing Arts.

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