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Danish-Ukrainian violinist Anna Agafia has announced her new role teaching violin at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Frederiksberg. She will be taking over the class of Ukrainian violinist Alexandre Zapolski, who died in March this year at the age of 74, with whom she formerly studied at the academy.
Agafia has won accolades at notable competitions, including the first prize at the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, second prize at the Singapore International Violin Competition, and third prize at the Carl Nielsen International Competition. Her debut album with Claves Records was nominated for the 2023 International Classical Music Awards, and recognised as the Clef d’Or of the year by ResMusica.
Agafia has performed with artists including Renaud Capuçon, Miguel da Silva, and the David Oistrakh Quartet, and orchestras including the Copenhagen, Stuttgart and Bergen philharmonic orchestras, the Malmö, Munich, and Singapore symphony orchestras, and the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie. She performs on the c.1730–1733 ‘The Sphinx’ Guarneri del Gesú violin, on loan from an anonymous donor.
The violinist announced her new role through a post on social media:
‘Joining the teaching staff at the music academy where I once studied myself fills me with emotion. It’s a very special feeling to be taking over my beloved late teacher Alexandre Zapolski’s class, and the shoes I’ll be trying to fill are simply immeasurable. I’m extremely grateful and I can’t wait to give back everything I’ve learnt and more to my wonderful students at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.’
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