Duo Hanselmann
The two pianists have been working for a long time on music for piano duo. They have given concerts in Europe including Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. They have also recorded works by Brahms and Rheinberger for the label PREZIOSO.
Sandra Hanselmann-Kästli took her first piano lessons at the General Department of the Bern Conservatory. Later she studied there at the vocational school in the classes of Albert Schneeberger and her future husband Jürg Hanselmann.
In 1985 she finished her studies in Bern with a teacher’s diploma. Further studies lead the pianist to Frankfurt, where she studied with Irina Edelstein, and to the Zürich Conservatory, where she took the concert diploma with Verena Pfenninger. Sandra Hanselmann was awarded the Kiefer-Hablitzel-Grant Bern an won the Migros-Award, Zürich, in 1987.
Jürg Hanselmann received his first piano lessons at the music school in Vaduz when he was eight years old. Later he studied with Albert Schneeberger and Kristina Steinegger at the Bern Conservatory, where he received his theachers’ and solist diplomas with distinction. Further studies with Louis Kentner (London), and Irina Edelstein (Frankfurt) followed, composition and musical analysis with Sandor Veress as well as master classes with Mieczieslaw Horszowski and the Beaux Arts Trio.
Jürg Hanselmann was awarded various prizes: In 1980 he was granted the Eduard-Tschumi-Award (Bern) as well as the Award of the Jubilee Grant of the Swiss Volksbank.
In 1983 he won the Migros-Cometition, Zürich, in 1987 der Rotary-Award, Liechtenstein, and in 1991 he was granted the Cultural Award of the International Lake Constance Conference, Munich.