Simon Trpceski to perform in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil

World-renowned pianist Simon Trpceski will hold his first-ever solo concert in Mexico City on Thursday.

"It's really beautiful here, Mexican people have similar mentality with Macedonians and hopefully I will have the chance to learn more about their culture," Trpceski had stated.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his performance, the pianist paid tribute to one of Mexico's greatest poets, José Emilio Pacheco, who is this year's recipient of the Golden Wreath awarded by the Struga Poetry Evenings.

From Mexico, Trpceski departs for Medellin, Colombia for another debut solo performance on Saturday.

His tour resumes in Brazil, which includes three performances in the capital Sao Paulo.

Trpceski in early September will perform as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The Macedonian pianist kicked off his new concert season early this month with performances at music festivals in Montenegro and Norway.

His latest CD with a recording of his recital at Wigmore Hall in London has been proclaimed best release of the week by Classic FM radio in London.

Trpceski puts Macedonia on BBC Music pages

Piano virtuoso Simon Trpceski has put Macedonia at the pages of the November issue of world-renowned magazine for classical music "BBC Music" under title "Macedonian Magic: We Visit the Balkan City of Skopje".

In the framework of its cycle "Musical Destinations" and inspired by Macedonian pianist Trpceski, journalist Jessica Duchen paid a visit to Skopje, or as she calls it in the text title "Ancient Heart of the Balkans". In the subtitle, she says the Macedonian capital is where, thanks to pianist Simon Trpieski, "an exciting classical music scene is beginning to take shape".

"Macedonia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, is best known as the birthplace of Alexander the Great. But it's also famous for having suffered a devastating earthquake in 1963. In Macedonia, though, the deeper you dig, the more there is to find, in every sense. Its soul remains very much intact, historic, atmospheric and fascinating - and its forays into classical music are becoming more exciting by the year. This owes much to the influence of one crucial firebrand: the pianist Simon Trpceski, who at 33 has already been the country's chief cultural ambassador for over a decade. He has made it his mission to put Macedonia on the cultural map, working with his management in London as well as with the local culture and arts organisation KulturOp to raise standards of both performance and operation", says Duchen.

According to her, the effects are tangible. Thanks to sponsorship from local businesses, the city now has a Steinway concert grand piano and state-of-the-art equipment to transport it. And international orchestras have begun to visit Skopje at last: the Bolshoi Orchestra was first, in 2009, and a year later the London Philharmonic under Vladimir Jurowski became the first major British orchestra to play there.

"I believe that those concerts were one of the reasons behind the project to build a new concert hall which will be the home of the Macedonian Philharmonic," says the pianist.

Duchen refers to the Ohrid Summer Festival, Skopje Summer, Skopje Jazz Festival, Macedonian Philharmonic, Macedonian folk music, Macedonian composers, churches, the Old Skopje Bazaar, Kale fortress, archaeological sites, Kokino observatory etc.

"Macedonians love good, fresh, local food and wine- the country is well suited to vineyards. And it's no exaggeration to say that Skopje's welcome is among the warmest I've experienced, even in chilly December", concludes Duchen.

Pianist Trpceski wraps up Concert season in Australia, New Zealand

Pianist Simon Trpceski wrapped up his latest series of performances across Great Britain with last night's concert at the Midsummer Music Festival.

The highly-successful concert season 2010/2011 will be concluded with performances in Australia and New Zealand.

"I'm happy to be able to perform before Australian audiences for the fourth time in Melbourne and Adelaide. The second leg of the tour resumes in New Zealand with several concerts together with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Trpceski told the Macedonian Radio.

In the frameworks of the tour, the Macedonian pianist will hold a seminar at the University of Auckland, where he will hold his last concert on July 15. The tour "Down Under" starts with a concert in Clayton, Australia on June 24.

A second CD of Trpceski's collaboration with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has been released recently.

The first CD was awarded with the French prestigious international recognition "Golden Diapason", whereas it secure the third spot at the British classical music chart.