A concertmaster and founder of the Kammerakademie Potsdam since 2000, Peter Rainer has developed an active career as a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher in his native Germany. He is the founder and leader of the popular Persius Ensemble, focusing mainly on a repertoire written for the classical nonet, and has released three CDs. The latest CD with nonets by Spohr, Clementi and Mozart was chosen by Berlin-Brandenburg Radio (RBB) as one of the best in 2007. With this group of mixed string and wind players he is touring throughout Europe. This year the Persius Ensemble is celebrating its 10th anniversary. He was also a concertmaster of the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Kurpfalzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim and Ensemble Oriol Berlin and has appeared with these ensembles as a soloist. Peter Rainer is also playing on baroque violin, performing as a soloist at the Handel-Festival in Halle in June 2008.
Peter studied violin in the U.S. with Professor Eduard Schmieder at the Meadows School of the Arts, where he received his Artist Certificate in 1994 and his Master of Violin Performance degree in 1995. Upon his return to Germany, he was concertmaster of the Brandenburgische Philharmonie in Potsdam from 1996 to 2000. He has been a faculty member at the Universitat Potsdam since 1997 and has worked as the assistant to Professor Schmieder at the Holland Music Sessions and at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Peter has been a member and leader of iPalpiti since 1994. In 2005 he received a commendation from the City of Los Angeles for his leadership of iPalpiti and his contributions to culture. Since 2007 he has been on the faculty of the “Universitat der Kunste” in Berlin. Music-loving children know Peter Rainer through the many interactive concerts he developed for children in the past 10 years. This year’s new production for children is a mystery story about Vivaldi, commissioned by the “Musikfestspiele Potsdam.” During this season Peter led iPalpiti in a special concert at the Nestle Center in Vevey, Switzerland, and on its US East coast tour at the Kimmer Center and Carnegie Hall. A native of Santa Monica, Tim Fain studied in Los Angeles with Laura and Eduard Schmieder, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music (with Victor Danchenko), and The Juilliard School, where he worked with Robert Mann. Tim’s debut with iPalpiti as a soloist was in Dallas at the Meadows Caruth Auditorium, and iPalpiti welcomes him again for the debut in his hometown of Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
