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The soloist Beate Toyka Beate Toyka was born in Germany, to a family in which music and internationalism were a way of life. Trained in Cologne Conservatoire she went on to the Royal Academy of Music to study with Hamish Milne. While there she won the Leslie England prize for interpretation and was accepted by the AVANTI concert agency for outstanding young musicians. Moving to Cambridge, she travelled to destinations across Europe, both as soloist as well as in chamber music ensembles. She also taught for Cambridge University. |
Leaving Cambridge, Beate lived for seven years in Botswana, Southern Africa. From there she played concerts in most surrounding countries - Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa, and was broadcast on Radio Botswana. Whilst keeping true to her classical roots she also responded to the influence of other sounds around her. She joined forces with marimba players, local dancers and choirs and arranged Tswana folk songs for piano. She wrote and produced 2 childrens' operas, merging the cultural influences she found around her.
Beate now lives in Derbyshire, England. Through continued playing and teaching, she explores new forms of musical communication. She is a sought-after teacher, accompanist and adjudicator. Frustrated with teaching advanced students who had been poorly taught in early childhood, she has taken a keen interest in the teaching of absolute beginners, and has trained in the Suzuki teaching method. She co-founded and runs the “Peak District Suzuki Piano Workshop” – an intensive residential summer piano course for children, set in the heart of England’s beautiful Peak District.
Find out more at www.beates-music.co.uk
