Sipplingen Town Hall Concerts: Chamber Music Evening with Mario de Secondi and Clemens Müller

The Sipplingen Town Hall Concerts are a series of chamber music concerts held in the beautifully wood-paneled Bürgersaal of the historic town hall from 1669 in Sipplingen on Lake Constance. Chamber Music Evening with Cello and Piano PROGRAM L.v. Beethoven (1770-1827) Sonata in A Major Op. 69 I. Allegro ma non tanto II. Scherzo III. Adagio- Allegro vivace Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) Trio Pieces for Cello and Piano I. Modéré II. Sans vitesse et à l'aise III. Vite et nerveusement rythmé Intermission César Franck (1822-1890) Sonata in A Major CFF 123 I. Allegretto ben moderato II. Allegro III. Recitativo - Fantasia IV. Allegretto poco mosso Vita For many years, cellist Mario De Secondi, born in Alessandria (Italy) and living in Germany for over 30 years, has dedicated himself to promoting a broad-ranging cello and chamber music repertoire. After his initial training years in Alessandria, he moved to Rome at the age of 15 to study with Vincenzo Altobelli, a professor at the "Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia." At 20, he continued his studies with Prof. Antonio Janigro at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart, followed by a study stay in Indiana, USA, with Prof. J. Starker. As a prizewinner of numerous competitions, Mario De Secondi performs solo around the world. He is the artistic director of the "Merziger Musiktage," an Artist in Residence at the "Stöde Musikvecka" (Sweden), at "Musique & Vin" (Switzerland), and at the "International Music Days" in Brache. For nearly 30 years, Mario De Secondi has been performing with his Trio Opus 8 in significant music centers. His particular interest lies in the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Currently, a complete recording of the works for cello by Günter Raphael is in progress. Mario De Secondi is a professor at the University of Music in Trossingen, where he is increasingly committed to fostering chamber music talent as a co-founder of the "Open Chamber Music" festival. Clemens Müller was born in Tübingen. After completing his Abitur, he initially studied piano at the music universities in Trossingen with Tomislav Nedelkovic-Baynov and in Saarbrücken with Thomas Duis. Concurrently, he completed a degree in song accompaniment and chamber music in Trossingen and Berlin (Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler"). Among his most influential teachers are Wolfram Rieger, Irwin Gage, and Peter Nelson. He completed both areas of his studies with a concert examination (soloist class). He also received important artistic impulses in masterclasses from Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Axel Bauni, Anne LeBozec, Ulrich Eisenlohr, Cornelis Witthoefft, Burkhard Kehring, Dominique Merlet, Johan van Beek, Boris L'vov, Alfredo Perl, Kemal Gekic, and Benedetto Lupo. Clemens Müller has gained attention as a prizewinner in prestigious competitions. He was awarded at the 39th German Music Competition, the 59th Competition of German Music Universities, the Paula Lindberg-Salomon Competition "Das Lied," and the Concorsi Internazionali della Val Tidone. Recently, he received the Elsa-Neumann Scholarship from the State of Berlin. Additionally, he is a scholarship holder of the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart), the Paula and Albert Salomon Foundation (Amsterdam), the Justus Hermann Wetzel Foundation (Berlin), the Hans and Eugenia Jütting Foundation (Stendal), and the Richard Wagner Association (Saarbrücken) and was included in the 58th Federal Selection Concerts for Young Artists of the German Music Council. His versatility as a soloist, song pianist, and chamber music partner has led Clemens Müller to perform at important festivals such as the Schwetzingen Festival, the Donaueschingen Music Days, the Weingarten Music Days, the Bayreuth Easter Festival, and the German Song Forum Berlin. In addition to his concert activities in Europe, he has been invited to concert tours in Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Radio and television recordings, as well as live broadcasts, have been produced with SWR and Deutschlandfunk. Currently, Clemens Müller teaches at the Stella Vorarlberg Private University of Music in Feldkirch and at the State University of Music in Trossingen.