Johanna Peiler
Johanna Peiler (º1987) was born in Germany and grew up in Brussels. In 2012 she obtained her Master’s degree with great distinction from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, having studied under Jeroen Reuling and with Maria Kliegel at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne. She participated in various master classes all over Europe with renowned teachers such as Gary Hoffmann or François Guye.
Johanna has played in many orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Ensemble Orchestral de Bruxelles or the Zomeropera Orkest Alden Biesen. She has performed as principal cellist in the Dutch Youth Orchestra NJO, in the German MAKSi Akademieorchester with whom she also played as a soloist, as well as in the orchestra symphoniaASSAI of which she is a founding member.
Recordings of her concerts and interviews have been broadcast on radio stations such as the Belgian Classical radio station musiq3. Since 2012 Johanna Peiler also teaches cello at the Jugendmusikschule Heinsberg in Germany.
Shuya Tanaka
Shuya Tanaka (º1994) was born in Fukuoka, Japan. He started studying cello with Katsumi Sadakuni in Sadakuni Music Academy when he was 8 years old. Following Katsumi’s advice he moved to Leuven in Belgium when he was 14 years old. There he continued his studies with Jan Sciffer in KSO Lemmensinstituut where he graduated with summa cum laude after 4 years.
Shuya completed his Master’s degree in cello performance at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp under professor Justus Grimm, where he graduated jn 2019 with summa cum laude. During his studies he won several prizes such as Belfius Classics in 2012 and Triomphe de l'Art in 2018.
His activities include solo performances, chamber music, orchestral playing and composing, focusing mainly on cello, piano, strings and BGM samples.
Helena Fuertes Plata
Originally from Spain, Helena Fuertes Plata (º1984) studied music in the conservatories of Astorga, Oviedo and Groningen (the Netherlands) with teachers Inmaculada Requejo, Vladimir Atapin, Antonio Peña and Jan Ype Nota. In 2012 she concluded her Master’s degree at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel under the professor Viviane Spanoghe. Other important influences during her music education include renowned cellists such as Maria Kliegel, Amit Peled, David Apellániz, Adolfo Gutiérrez Arenas, Paul Friedhoff or Francois Guye.
Passionate about chamber music and orchestra playing, she has performed with various orchestras and ensembles throughout Europe, such as Orquesta Presjovem, Sabugo Filarmonía, Sebastien Strings, Orquesta Ciudad de León, Orquesta Sinfónica de Gijón or the Orquesta Fundación Príncipe de Asturias.
Helena combines her performance activity with her pedagogical work as music educator in the European School of Brussels IV in Laeken. Helena is member of the orchestra symphoniaASSAI since its creation in 2009 and founding member of the ASSAI cello quartet.
Koen Berger
Koen Berger (º1984) joined early in his life the orchestra of his hometown, the Hasselts Symfonie Orkest. With this orchestra he participated in numerous music courses and concerts, including concert tours abroad to France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy and Czech Republic.
Koen studied with Jaap Kruithof at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven, where he obtained his Master’s degree in cello performance in 2008. In addition he obtained a first prize in solfege, a teaching certificate and a second Master’s degree, option chamber music with Roel Dieltiens and Marc Tooten. During his studies Koen took part in several masterclasses all over Europe with renowned cellists such as Ran Varon, David Cohen and Olsi Leka. Since 2003, Koen teaches cello at the Hasselts muziekatelier of Valentijn ten Haaf.
He played as a soloist in a number of cello concertos including Haydn, Elgar and Saint-Saëns. Besides symphoniaASSAI and the ASSAI cello quartet Koen is currently active as principal cellist in the Frascati Chamber Orchestra and Frascati Symphonic with which he already undertook some concert tours to China.