Bios
Members
Mikayel Balyan
Armenian pianist and harpsichordist Mikayel Balyan studied piano with Rudolf Buchbinder in Basel (Concert Diploma with distinction, 2004), harpsichord in Bremen with Carsten Lohff, as well as clavichord and music theory in Hamburg. He later taught basso continuo and historical keyboard instruments there, before continuing his studies in historical improvisation at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (2012–13). Mikayel has collaborated with conductors such as René Jacobs, Vladimir Spivakov, and Howard Griffiths, and has appeared at renowned festivals including the Salzburg Festival, Musikfest Bremen, and Resonanzen in Vienna. In 2008 he won 2nd Prize at the Schmelzer Competition in Melk with Ensemble amikal; in 2012 he was Artist in Residence at Musikfest Bremen. His numerous radio and CD recordings (Sony/dhm, Genuin, Musiques suisses, Vivat) include most recently Beethoven and Krufft violin sonatas (2023). Since 2014 he has been Professor of Fortepiano at the MUK Vienna, taught at the MDW from 2019–24, and since 2024 he has held a teaching position at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. Alongside his concert activity, he also performs his own compositions in historical styles.
Aleksandra Kamenskaja
was born in 1989 in Estonia and started her musical education at the age of five. She graduated from both the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (Master ́s Degree cum laude in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy) and Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK, piano). From 2016 to 2022 she was in the Fortepiano class of Mikayel Balyan. In 2017 Aleksandra had her debut in Wiener Musikverein, Gläserner Saal. The artist has played with renowned orchestras, such as the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. In 2016 she won the 2nd Prize in the Prof. Dichler Competition in Vienna and in 2019 together with Matyas Keller she won the Fidelio.Interpretation Competition in Vienna. In the year 2020 as part of the duo HiP Wien with Johanna Falkinger Aleksandra was an artist-in-residence at the Musikakademie Schloss Weißenbrunn. Since 2020 she has been a part of the comecloser.cc project.
Simon Keßler
grew up in Vorarlberg, Austria, and came to Vienna in 2008 for his studies of piano pedagogy at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) with Prof. Tim Ovens. During his studies Harald Ossberger and Stefan Gottfried introduced him to historical keyboard instruments and performing. After a study exchange year at the Escola Superior de la Música de Catalunya (esmuc) in Barcelona in 2015/16, Simon returned to Vienna to complete his master’s degree with honours and the Würdigungspreis of the mdw in 2017. For the last few years, Simon has primarily been working as a piano teacher at different music schools in Vienna and Lower Austria. However, he has never lost his fascination for historical pianos and that is how he met the other co-founders of the Fortepiano Society Vienna. Since 2020/21, Simon has devoted himself more and more to the playing of the fortepiano and clavichord and has also been taking classes with Mikayel Balyan.
Florian Pesendorfer
grew up in Vienna and Annaberg, where his grandmother sparked his enthusiasm for organ and harpsichord music from an early age. During high school, his interest in the Viennese fortepiano was especially awakened by the historical instruments at Lilienfeld Abbey. Alongside studying law, he is also training to become a church musician and passionately collects historical instruments.
Julia Maria Sliwa
completed her piano concert studies with Robert Marat at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice and studied postgradually with Andrzej Jasiński. She studied piano chamber music with Teresa Leopold and Stefan Mendl at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) and in Katowice with Maria Szweiger-Kułakowska. As a soloist and chamber musician, Julia has given numerous performances in Austria, Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy, Hungary, Germany and Slovenia, among other countries. She played for the Chopin Society Vienna and gave concerts at various festivals in Europe, such as the Musical Summer in East Frisia, the Festival in Rodachtal, or the Chopin Seminar. She is a laureate of national and international competitions (1st Prize at the International Competition Valsesia Musica in Italy, 2nd Prize at the International Chopin Competition in Slovenia, Finalist at the VI International Chopin Competition in Budapest). At the XVII International Chopin Competition in Warsaw she performed as a representative of Poland and Austria.
Paulina Żmuda
is a Polish harpsichord and fortepiano player. She graduated with honours from both Poznań Academy of Music (Poland) in 2013 and Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw) in 2016. As a soloist and ensemble player Paulina has participated in numerous projects, such as Resonanzen Festival (Vienna), International HIF Biber Festival, Festival Oude Muziek Fringe in Utrecht, Podium Festival in Vienna, Bach Woche in Vienna, the 5th International Early Music Seminar in Tel Aviv and 3e Académie Européenne de Musique Ancienne de Vannes. In 2015 Paulina won the special prize of contemporary literature in the European Harpsichord Competition Paola Bernardi in Bologna (Italy). In 2021, as a member of the ensemble Fiamma Nera, she was a finalist of the prestigious Göttingen Händel Competition. From 2019 till 2022 she worked as an accompanist at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK). She is a co-founder of the ensemble Quattro Cieli, Tra Le Fiamme and Arduo Tentativo and worked for 2 years as a co-organizer of the Early Music Festival Komendunesi (Comenduno, Italy).