GetClassical@ZincBar - Laura Metcalf, cello and Matei Varga, piano

Pianist Matei Varga has received standing ovations from audiences around the world and superlative reviews from prominent critics. Noting that “it is hard to find the right words to describe the beauty” of Mr. Varga’s playing, the legendary Italian critic Paolo Isotta praised the young artist as a “true poet of the keyboard, a musician of depth, and a genuine artist.” Other critics have found his performances “impressive” (Gramophone, 2016), “magical” (Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2009), “colorful, vivacious [and] engaging” (Le Diapason, 2012), while The New York Observer’s Robert Gottlieb hailed Mr. Varga as an “excellent pianist”.

Laureate of the “George Enescu” International Competition in Bucharest and of the “Maria Canals” Piano Competition in Barcelona, Mr. Varga is also a recipient of the Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant and runner-up at both the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City and the Vendome Prize in Lisbon (where Elisabeth Leonskaya awarded him a special prize). In 2002, at the invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti, he made his debut at the Spoleto Festival Italy. He has appeared as a soloist and recitalist in many of the world’s leading concert halls, among them Carnegie Hall (New York), Konzerthaus (Berlin), the Auditorium du Louvre (Paris), National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and Palau de la Música (Barcelona). He collaborated with conductors Antoine Marguier, Otto-Werner Mueller, Edward Cumming, Elio Boncompagni, Gabriel Bebeselea and Eduard Zilberkant, among others. He has performed frequently alongside soprano Mariana Nicolesco and recently appeared with ballet stars Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg and Friedemann Vogel at New York City Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Mr. Varga holds degrees from the Romanian National University of Music where he studied with Ana Pitis, Ioana Minei and Sandu Sandrin, as well as the Mannes School of Music where he studied with Pavlina Dokovska. He is Project Manager and Artistic Advisor of the Vendome Prize Piano Competition at the Verbier Festival. He lives in New York City.

Cellist Laura Metcalf, noted for her "gorgeous cello legatos" (Washington Post) and her “brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) is known for her compelling solo and chamber music performances worldwide and in her home of New York City. Her debut solo album, "First Day" was released in April 2016 on the Grammy-winning Sono Luminus label and debuted at #7 on the Billboard classical chart. The album has been praised as "a flat-out winner" (Greg Hettmansberger, Madison Magazine) and "rich and rewarding," (an earful), and prompted multiple critics to hail her as a "major talent." She is the cellist of acclaimed string quintet Sybarite5 who won the 2011 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, and has performed sold-out concerts at the Library of Congress, Lincoln Center and many other venues worldwide. Sybarite5 made its Carnegie Hall debut at Zankel Hall in 2012, and their album “Disturb the Silence” recently reached the Top Ten on the Billboard Charts. The quintet gave the world premiere of Dan Visconti's concerto for string quintet and orchestra with a consortium of American orchestras in 2015. The quintet has performed at the Ravinia, Caramoor, Chautauqua, Aspen and Grand Teton Music festivals. She has been featured as a soloist with the Zagreb Philharmonic, One World Symphony , Laredo Philharmonic, the Ensemble 212 Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfonica Sinaloa, and has repeatedly been invited to perform with renowned international artists at the Newport Music Festival. She has given concerts in nearly all 50 states, as well as Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Haiti, France, Kazakhstan. Nepal, India, Germany, United Kingdom, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Austria, and Canada.