An International Musical Journey - Grieg to Bartók
Elara Duo
Dona Nouné - violin / Cima Moussalli - piano
Program:
Amy Beach (1867-1944): USA
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Norway
Boghos Gelalian (1927-2011): Lebanon
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918): France
Joachín Turina (1882-1949): Spain
Béla Bartók (1881-1945): Hungary
Cima Moussalli graduated from the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music and continued her postgraduate studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where she studied piano, chamber music, and conducting, earning a superior diploma in all three disciplines. She then attended various specialized masterclasses in France, Spain, and Hungary, including with Brazilian concert pianist Edson Elias, French pianist Joan-Claude Pennetier, and Italian maestro Sergio Perticaroli.
Cima Moussalli performs as a concert pianist/soloist and chamber musician in France, in numerous concert halls, including the Salle Cortot, Salle Gaveau, UNESCO, Moulin d'Andé (Normandy), and also in Lille, Marseille and Clermont-Ferrand, in collaboration with the Caisse Nationale de la Historical Monuments at the Château de Rambouillet and the historic Hôtel Sully, and participation in many festivals, including the Yvelines Festival, the Musical Evenings in Isle-Savary and the Musical Follies, as well as in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Lebanon.
A pianist with various ensembles: Trio Sequana, Trio Arpeggio, "Les Voix Melées," and others, she interprets both well-known works and unknown masterpieces, as well as new compositions. She also regularly plays and conducts the magnificent works of female composers, including Mel Bonis, Cécile Chaminade, and Lili Boulanger, in collaboration with the orchestras of the Opéra de Massy (France). As a soloist, she also performs Clara Schumann's Piano Concerto and with the French Société National de Musique and the "DensitéS" ensemble, performing works by contemporary composers such as Ivan Bellocq, Vincent Wimar, Sophie Lacaze, and Régis Campo.
Since 2012 she has been the musical partner of the Belgian pianist Philippe Verschaete. With him she founded the "Arlecchino Duo", a duo for two pianos and four hands. She has performed with several other brilliant musicians, including the violinists Adam Banda, Istvan Szabo, Aban Zirikly and André Rebacz, the tenor Pierre Vaello, the bass singer Philippe Désandré and the mezzo-soprano Vera Nikolova.
Dona Nouné was born and raised in Lebanon. She received her early musical training at the Chetham School of Music in Manchester, England, where she performed under the direction of concertmaster John Eliot Gardiner, laying the foundation for a professional career as a musician. She subsequently studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she earned her master's degree in music performance. She also previously earned an Associate of the Royal College of Music Diploma.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Dona has performed throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. Before settling in the United States, she was a member of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany for eight seasons. She also played in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Chicago Sinfonietta, and most recently as first violinist of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. As a member of the American Sinfonietta, she toured Germany and Austria, culminating in a performance at the Musikverein in Vienna. She also played in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and collaborated with many of its leading musicians in chamber music concerts. She also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York.
In 2019, Dona traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, where she performed with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra. She participated in the Baalbek Festival and the Cedars Festival. She also gave a violin and piano recital with pianist Sylvia Wang at the Pierre y. AbouKhater Amphitheater in Ashrafieh.
A passionate advocate for education, Dona continued her teaching career in the UK and Germany, first as a private tutor and later as a participant in the Dayton Philharmonic's Q the Music education program, inspired by El Sistema in Venezuela. In 2017, she joined the faculty of the Stivers School for the Arts. In 2020, she became a professor of violin at the University of Dayton in Ohio, USA. Her passion for teaching extends to her work at the Berlitz School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught Arabic, English, German, and French.
