Eglantina Grapshi
born in Korçe Albania, graduated with a performance degree in piano from the Arts Academy of Tirana in 1994. She won first prize at the Frédéric Chopin Competition in 1996 and the Contemporary Music Competition in 1997 in Tirana. After graduation, she was invited to various festivals as an Albanian Ambassador to perform as soloist: the Ryedale Festival in UK, the Floralia Muzyczne Festival in Varsovia, and the Chopin International Festival in Poland. In 1998 she won the DAAD Prize (German association for the cultural exchanges) and continued her piano studies at the
Folkwang Musikhochschule of Essen, Germany. In 2003 she earned her Masters as a performance soloist with high awards.After her studies in Germany, she was invited to perform as a soloist in various music festivals throughout Europe, including chamber ensembles, recitals and orchestras. Eglantina continued to improve her chamber music, trio and quartet visiting various countries including Germany, Poland, Croatia, France, Italy, Hungary, UK, Turkey, Macedonia, and also Korea and Japan. From 1994 to 1998, she was piano accompanyist at the Folkwang Musikhochschule of Essen Germany, for string, woodwind and brass classes and in 2001 became principal accompanyist at the school. Since 2005, she has been accompanist for the H.E.M of Genève in Neuchâtel (Switzerland) and she is also the official pianist for the International Trombone Competitions in Europe and Asia.