Duo Antima
One Concert to All
The duo chemistry
Tsarina Marinkova Krajnčan and Anna Antipova play together since the beginning of 2015, when they created Duo Antima, originally put together for a one-time concert. However their chemistry on stage laid the foundation of bigger plans for the future.The two musicians met and discovered that they share the same passion for chamber music and especially for the violin-piano combination. They have met completely coincidentally in Bulgaria while visiting Bansko Jazz Festival. Back then they didn’t have the chance to interact with each other musically , but this meeting was certainly the beginning of a strong friendship. For some years already both of them wanted to form an ensemble that would be based on a spontaneous connection between the musicians beyond the boundaries of just playing the music correctly;a communication which is possible not only through rehearsing, but deep personal connection. This happened 6 months later after their meeting in Bansko. The first rehearsal clearly showed the potential for a fruitful collaboration. They performed on different stages in the Netherlands.
In October 2016 they were invited as guests musicians to the Autumn concert of Bellissimo Choir, where the critic Cees Brugman of Newspaper Heemskerk described them as “the surprise” and their performance as “A true and complex dialog between two talented musicians”. 2017 they continued performing in Beverwijk, Haarlem, Edam Festival and took part of the Masterclass of Tamara Poddubnaya in Germany. In April the same year came also their First Assoluto prize at the International Music Competition “Musical Fireworks in Baden -Württemberg”, Germany.
As well as in June 2017, the duo was awarded with 1st prize at the 15 Concorso Internazionale Di Esecuzione Musicale ‘’Premio Citta’Di Padova’’ as a Duo and 3rd prize at the Final.
Anna Antipova is actively involved in the Dutch chamber music, orchestra performances, theater and film music as well as teaching extensively. Soviet Union born, lived and studied in Ukraine where she graduated the Tchaykovsky National Music Academy in Kiev, obtaining her master’s degree diploma after a research on Stravinsky’s violin concerto. During this period she participated in competitions as a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles. She performed as a soloist with Ukrainian chamber orchestra ‘’Arcata’’ . In 2013 she moved to Rotterdam as a student of Codarts Conservatory, where she obtained her second Master of music degree with Misha Furman (2nd violin Daniel String Quartet). She participated in master classes with Marco Terlizzi, Päivyt Meller, Benja – min Schmid, Vesselin Paraschkevov, Magdalena Szczepanowska and studied privately with Benzion Shamir. Anna is part of the duo Antipova-Golovchenko features Ukrainian singer Maryana Golovchenko.The project Shadows of forgotten ancestors based on film music using improvisation,electronica and folk songs As part of Shapeshift( let by Maxim Shalygin) a contemporary ensemble of 7 violins, Antipova toured in the Netherlands, recorded the CD ‘’Lacrimosa or 13 magic songs’’ that was released in June 2018 on the label TRPTK. Antipova collaborated with Chamber Music Society (fusing with members of Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra), Orchestre de Chambre du Languedoc( – France), Chamber orchestra Concerto (Brabant), Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Oddyssee (with members of Asko|Schönberg Ensemble), Noord Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philarmonic.
Tsarina Marinkova was born in 1987 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. At the age of 6 she started to play piano and began her studies at the The National School of Arts “Panayot Pipkov”, Pleven, in the distinguished piano pedagogue Eleonora Karamisheva’s piano class till the year 2006. Upon finishing her secondary education, Tsarina was accepted to the Prins Claus Conservatory in Groningen, The Netherlands. She studied under renowned Dhr. Tamara Poddubnaya and following by her Master degree at the Amsterdam conservatory where she worked with Professor Mila Baslawskaya. Through the years she won more than 15 awards from competitions and in April 2015, she was chosen as one of the 50 Quarterfinalists of Honens piano Competition in Canada. Since her early childhood Tsarina has been participating in many Masterclass throughout Europe and worked with Valentina and Lazar Berman, Bozidar Noev, Michael Keller, David,Wilde, Vladimir Tropp, Poul Komen, Elena Richter, Charles Rosen ,Igor Roma ,Ilona Timchenko, Pascal Devoyon, David Kuyken, Frank van de Laar. She had also been a soloist couple of times of the Philharmonic orchestra of Pleven and Chamber Orchestra “Brevis”. Tsarina had also won the Scholarship of Labberte – Hoedemaken , which she received from June 2007 till June 2012. She has also initiated a new project called Newstalgia Music– a program that includes classical piano works and original jazz music, connected with improvisation. She developed the project together with the internationally established jazz trio DUMItRIO. In November 2015 they made their debut in Konzerthaus in Berlin as a part of the concert series “Across the border”. In may 2013 and 2014 she was invited to be a jury member in the First and Second International Piano Competition “Fr. Chopin” in Bacau – Romania.In 2019 she performed together with Kristijan Krajncan, Zigan Krajncan and Kristyna Sajtosova, interdisciplinary music-dance performance “Love me tender” in Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, where they will perform it again as well as in Riga in 2021. Tsarina Marinkova’s peak of the 2019/2020 season was certainly the organisation and the performance at the Piano Festival days “Eleonora Karamisheva” in Pleven , Bulgaria, dedicated to the 80-years old anniversary of her piano teacher. She performed with the Pleven Philharmony there, Chopin’s Andante Spiannato and Grande Brilliant Polonaise followed by a standing ovation and invitation for the next season to perform Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, which unfortunately was postponed due to COVID-2019.
Tsarina is also preparing for the Grieg Piano Competition in Norway. As well as the recoding of her Debut album, including works of Schubert, Liszt and Grieg.
In 2018 Duo Antima recorded their first CD “Reflections in c minor” with works by Beethoven , Grieg and Brahms. It was released in Amsterdam (Holland) and followed by a tour. In 2021/2022 they are releasing their second album, including pieces by Brahms, Beethoven and rarely recorded Third Sonata of Martinu.
