The Swiss MD and concert pianist Christian Wenk has been presented @ TalentDocs https://talents.doctorsdome.center/christian-wenk where he performed the Grieg piano concerto from his wheel-chair with mouth-triggered pedal. Now he plays together with another whee-chair pianist Elina Kaikova with the double concerto for 2 pianos and orchestra by Max Bruch.
Location: Tonhalle Zürich
The Zürich orchestra Nota-Bene under conductor Jascha von der Golz also performs
Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow: Scheherazade op. 35
http://www.nota-bene.ch

Elina Kaikova, Reinach BL (cantone Basel-Land in Switzerland)

The Russian pianist was born in Moscow. At age 7 she entered into the special education program for prodigy children of the Tschaikowsky Conservatory Moscow. After her degree 2001 she joined the master-class of Homero Francesch at the Hochschule der Künste Zürich got the Konzertdiplom in 2004 and the soloist diploma in 2006. In 2008 she got the piano teachers degree at the Music Academy of Basel in the class of Filippo Gamba.

She participated in several international piano competitions with success and several top prizes and gave recitals in Germany, Italy nd Switzerland. Apart from this she performs chamber music.

She was teaching in Bülach/CH when she got a paraplegia in 2012. By Christian Wenk she got a special pedal which is controlled by the mouth, built by the Orthotec AG in Nottwil/CH so she could make a comeback to giving concerts.

Christian Wenk, Eich LU (cantone of Lucerne in Switzerland)

Christian Wenk grew up in Greifensee/CH and studie the piano a lot after his Matura (High School Degree). He was Swiss champion with Duathlon and even World Champion shortly before he had a severe accident with a high paraplegia. Nevertheless he faced his 2second life” actively, got his medical degree in 2002 working as MD ever since, having his own office since 2014 in Schenkon/CH.

He still makes a lot of sports with handbike, was trainer of the Swiss national team.

And he plays piano, performing Beetoven´s 3rd piano concerto in 2003, Grieg piano concerto in 2006 and Geshwin´s Rhapsody in Blue in 2010 as examples for more.

In 2013 he founded the Christian Wenk foundation and sponsors projects as schoole in Afghanistan and Myanmar.

After difficult years 2017 thru 2020 with 41 operations and amputation of his legs he enjoys his 3rd life as a great encore. His message despite of paraplegia an without legs: ” I am locking of nothing!” He wants to encourage people with handicaps and inspire them to embrace fate and take use of what is available.

How these concerts were planned:

Elina Kaikova asked Christian about his mouth pedal mechanism, she could try it at his piano and he was getting a system for her. Thankfully she gave him a CD with the Bruch doublee concerto for 2 pianos which created the idea in Christian to realise it together with the orchestra nota bene with whom Christian had collaborated before! After a process of several years everythig worked out well.

Thus he wanted to spread his message of encouragement.

The scope of the ticket sales is beneficial. The date 24.02.24 is for the paraplegia foundation, the other two dates 24.Feb and 3rd March 2024 are for the Christian Wenk foundation sponsoring a hospital project in Uganda.

About the hospital project in Uganda:

Job Zilaba grew up in Uganda and wanted to study medicine. He did not pass the exams but then worked as social worker and is confronted directly with the social needs of the population. He understands he must act. Thanks to a donation he buys land at Namutumbas and begins building a hospital: Namutumba Community Hospital. There he gets to know and to love a Swiss lady and moves to Berne/CH. With the salary from his job at the University hospital he promotes his Uganda hospital. Through reports in the media as this https://www.hauptstadt.be/a/pflegeassistent-in-bern-spitalgrunder-in-uganda Christian Wenk got notice of it and they met. From this the next project of the Wenk foundation begins!