Parkening International Swiss Master Class
Pepperdine University has invited eight classical guitarists from around the world to participate in a master class with Distinguished Professor of Music and classical guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening. Activities will take place at Pepperdine University's newest international campus, the Château d'Hauteville.
Participants will engage in two days of master class and conversation on May 15 and 16, culminating in a performance and reception for the community on May 17.
Performance is free and open to the public; advance registration is not required.
Parkening International Swiss Master Class
Saturday, May 17, 2025
7 PM, La Chiésaz
Église de la Chiésaz, Chem. de l'Eglise, 1806 Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, Switzerland
About the Guitarists:
Suvan Agarwal, United States
Suvan Agarwal, born in 2001, is an internationally recognized American guitarist. He has won numerous prizes, namely first prizes at the 2025 Dutch Guitar Foundation International Guitar Competition, the 2024 Josefina P. Tuason International Guitar Competition, and the 2024 Oberlin Conservatory Bach Competition. He has performed in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, at venues such as King's Place in London and the University of St. Andrews. Agarwal is currently a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and will attend the Juilliard School beginning in the fall of 2025. He is also an alumnus of Oberlin College and Conservatory. Past teachers include Stephen Aron, Sharon Isbin, Allan Neave, and Matthew McAllister.
Carlotta Dalia, Italy
Carlotta Dalia, born in Tuscany in 1999, is an internationally acclaimed classical guitarist known for her powerful tone and expressive interpretations. She has won more than 40 national and international competitions, including those in Uppsala, Hong Kong, Miami, and Madrid. A soloist since age12, she has performed across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and frequently collaborates with violinist Giuseppe Gibboni. Dalia has released several acclaimed recordings, including works by Bach, Ida Presti, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. In 2025, her debut album with Berlin Classics will feature Segovia and a new work by Enrico Melozzi. A graduate of the Accademia Chigiana and the Mozarteum Salzburg, she is also a D’Addario Artist and plays instruments by Hermann Hauser I and Matthias Dammann. She currently teaches at the “Gaetano Donizetti” - Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo and is supported by international foundations in New York and Lugano.
Emilie Fend, Germany/France
Born in Strasbourg in 1995, Émilie Fend is a multiple award-winning classical guitarist recognized for her expressive depth and refined technique. She studied musicology in Strasbourg, earned her bachelor and master of music in Cologne, and is currently pursuing a Konzertexamen in Essen. She has received top prizes at major international competitions in Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Belgium. As a soloist, Fend has performed with the HfMT Cologne orchestra in works such as Brouwer’s Tres Danzas Concertantes and Rodrigo’s Concierto Madrigal. A dedicated promoter of contemporary music, she premiered new works for guitar and clarinet at the Koblenz International Guitar Festival. Her recordings include releases with Naxos Records and Acoustic Music Records. She plays Savarez strings.
“Émilie Fend’s Con Anima lives up to its title well, with beautiful musical values, fluent technique, and excellent musical choices,” wrote Al Kunze in Soundboard magazine (Guitar Foundation of America, 2024).
Ana Maria Iordache, Romania
Born in Bucharest, Ana Maria Iordache is a leading Romanian classical guitarist of her generation. She has performed as a soloist across the United States, Latin America, and Europe, earning top prizes at international competitions such as the Texas Guitar Competition, Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Madrid, and Certamen Llobet. Her 2017 debut album Reverie features iconic works by Barrios, Llobet, Granados, and Albéniz. Iordache began guitar studies at age 6 with Eugen Mang and later earned her bachelor’s under Cătălin Ștefănescu-Pătrașcu. She graduated cum laude from the master’s program in classical guitar performance in Alicante, Spain, and is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Arizona, studying with Tom Patterson and artists in residence David Russell and Sérgio and Odair Assad.
Samrat Majumder, Scotland/India
Samrat Majumder is a Scottish-Indian classical guitarist. Currently studying at the Robert Schumann Hochshule, Düsseldorf, with Professor Alexander Ramirez, Majumder also studied at the Royal Conservatoire in the Hague under the tutelage of Professor Enno Voorhorst and at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Professor Allan Neave. Prior to higher education, Majumder studied with Peter Stewart at the Junior School of the RCS. Internationally, he has won prizes in competitions across Europe including first prizes at Iserlohn, Ville d’Antony, Deutscher Gitarrenpreis, LIGITA, Twents, Aalborg, Harmonia Cordis and Baltic Guitar Festival. Outside of performing activities, Majunder organizes classical guitar educational events in India as well as offers a personal mentorship program to young talented Indian students aspiring to study the classical guitar professionally, free of cost. He is also an ambassador for the Guitar and Harp Department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a D’Addario sponsored artist.
Vasilina Shashkova, Italy
Vasilina Shashkova was born in Moscow in 2007. She is currently studying at the Conservatory Domenico Cimarosa in Avellino, Italy, with Maestro Aniello Desiderio. Shashkova is the winner of international competitions, owner of 19 Grand Prix and special prizes in Russia, Italy, Spain, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Albania, and South Korea. She has performed on such stages as the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the State Slovak Philharmonic (Bratislava), Palazzo Blu (Pisa, Italy), Peles Castle (Sinaia, Romania), and the Church of the Holy Ascension (Bratislava, Slovakia). She has performed with the Symphony Orchestra “Musici di Parma” (Italy), the Symphony Orchestra of the Slovak State Philharmonic, and the Symphony Orchestra “Mendeleev filarmonica”. As a prize for winning the competition, the Strata Academy (Pisa, Italy) recorded the album Musical poetry, and also took part in the CD of Seicorde Academy.
Viacheslav Shugaev, Russia
Shugaev was born in 2001 in Electrostal, Moscow region, Russia. In 2021 he graduated with honors from the Gnesin State Musical College in Moscow (professor Anastasia Bardina). At the moment he is a student of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music (professor Artyom Dervoed). Shugaev is a prize winner of many all-Russian and international competitions, including International Frauchi Competition, Luxembourg International Guitar Competition, and Albania International Competition and is the winner of the Savarez Prize (Santiago de Compostela). He is a frequent guest of many prestigious concert halls, including the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall and Chamber Hall of Moscow State Philharmonic Society, Moscow International House of Music, Pushkin State Art Museum of Fine Arts, and concert halls of Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. In 2019 Shugaev performed as a special guest at the Tartu klassikalise kitarri Festival in Tartu, Estonia. ]He has also taken part in master classes by Eduardo Fernandez (Uruguay), Ekachai Jearakul (Thailand) and Rene Izquierdo (Cuba/USA).
Julia Trintschuk, Germany
Julia Trintschuk is an award-winning classical guitarist known for her expressive versatility and international acclaim. She began guitar studies at age 4 and earned top honors in her bachelor's, master’s, and soloist degrees, studying with renowned teachers including professor Joaquin Clerch. Trintschuk has won more than 30 national and international competitions, including recent first prizes at the Alhambra Guitar Competition (2024) and Caneres Competition (2022). A soloist and chamber musician, she has performed across more than 20 countries and with orchestras such as the National Montenegro Symphony and Orquesta de Málaga. Passionate about expanding the classical guitar’s repertoire, she frequently premieres new works and collaborates with contemporary composers. Described as the “Madonna with guitar,” Trintschuk is celebrated for her virtuosity and depth. She is a Savarez Artist and has released two albums: Giocosa (2017) and Sobre el amor y la eternidad (2024) on GuitarCoop.
Thank you to the generous sponsors of the Parkening International Swiss Master Class for making this week possible.
Parkening Master Class Sponsors
John and Hilda Arnold Foundation
Annette and Bucky Oltmans
Nadine B. Tilley
Supporting and Contributing Sponsors
Rockley Family Foundation, Inc.
Michal C. McClure
