THE ARTISTS
These eagerly anticipated artists have performed over 500 concerts with world renowned institutions – like Vienna’s Musikverein, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Berlin’s Philharmonie.
“The young interpreter played with a sensitivity that almost affected. She had an enormous number of possibilities to get the piano strings to speak with gentle tapping, nervous vibrations, brilliant hammering and almost everything in between. ”
-Rheinische Post
MICHELE GURDAL
With Michèle Gurdal you can experience beautiful surprises. If she takes a seat in front of the grand piano, dainty and pretty as she is, nothing unheard of is expected, certainly not the opposite. She could also sit down on a coffee table, she looks so imprecise and tidy and calmly anticipating what should follow.
The pianist confirmed her class at numerous appearances in her home country and beyond: in Germany, France, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, Canada and the USA. But countries sometimes say little; More meaningful are the occasions and places of the performances: Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Piano Festival Ruhr, Tonhalle Zurich, Oetkerhalle Bielefeld, Theater Ghione Rome, Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés Paris, Mendelssohn Hall of the Gewandhaus Leipzig.
“He is one of the most major talents of his age that I have ever heard and one of the few pianists I would go out of my way to hear.”
– John Perry, eminent pianist and pedagogue
ALESSANDRO DELIJAVAN
Alessandro Deljavan’s musical successes began at the early age of nine, when he won the prestigious Concours Musical de France. With a vast musical repertory and over 30 albums to his name, Deljavan is a truly prolific pianist. His activities in just 2017 included opening the Paris Chopin Festival, touring China, recording two more albums in Montana and returning to perform the Goldberg Variations in France.
Deljavan’s superstar musicality is captured in this critique by Theater Jones, “Everyone in the hall knew they were hearing something special… At the end, the spontaneous eruption of cheers was so different from the perfunctory ovation that any decent performance is awarded, that being a part of the thrilled crowd was a unique experience in itself.”
“The surprise of the evening was Lauren Eberwein’s too-brief portrayal of Adina’s friend, Giannetta. Eberwein’s robust, dramatic voice turned heads in the second act’s ‘Saria Possibile’”
— Broadway World
LAUREN EBERWEIN
Canadian/American soprano, Lauren Pearl Eberwein, is known for her “luscious, rich tone”(Opera Canada), “Robust, dramatic voice”(Broadway World), and for her reputation as "an artist of subtle skill" (Classical CD Choice).
Equally comfortable on both the operatic and concert stages, Lauren has made debuts at Lincoln Center, in recital at Alice Tully Hall, and at Carnegie Hall as a soloist with the New York Choral Society. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, and trained with Opera Philadelphia’s Emerging Artist Program and the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio.
"Sarina Zickgraf's velvety yet emotionally intense tone captivated the audience."
Rhein-Zeitung Neuwied November 16, 2016
sARINA ZICKGRAF
Sarina is a young artist of the Villa Musica Foundation Rheinland-Pfalz and got awarded with the Prize as Fellow of the Year 2016 of the Villa Musica Foundation Rheinland-Pfalz. Alongside Christian Tetzlaff, Sarina was playing at Chamber Music connects the World at the Kronberg Academy 2016. With Tabea Zimmermann, Sarina appeared in concerts at the International Viola Congress 2016 in Cremona.
As a chamber musician, Sarina is a regular guest in several festivals and was selected to take part in the Verbier Festival Academy 2017. Sarina is constantly playing in several orchestras such as Berlin Philharmonic or Mahler Chamber Orchestra and plays currently as sub principal viola in the Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin.
MARA ZICKGRAF
Mara discovered her interest in the baroque violin and worked with musicians like Ton Koopman. Mara Zickgraf gained a lot of orchestral experience during her time as section leader in the National Youth Orchestra, concertmaster at several projects at the Hochschulorchester and other orchestras just like Stuttgarter Symphoniker or Sinfonietta Berlin.
Among her orchestra playing she has always been a passionate chamber musician and appeared as a regular guest in the Marschner-Festival Hinterzarten.
RIINA PIIRILA
As a passionate chamber musician, Riina is a regular guest in numerous festivals in Scandinavia, including Kuhmo Chamber Music, Turku Music Festival, Helsinki Festival and Korsholm Music Festival. She has performed with renowned musicians such as Vladimir Mendelssohn, Liza Ferschtman, Sergey Malov and Hagai Shaham. Riina is also one of the artistic directors of Kamarikesä Festival in Helsinki, Finland.
Piirilä was awarded a finalist prize at national viola competition in Finland in 2017, and she has appeared as a soloist with Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. Riina regularly works at orchestras such as Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Tapiola Sinfonietta.
SARAH ROMMEL
Cellist Sarah Rommel is a top-prize winner of the 2014 George Enescu International Cello Competition in Romania. She is the recipient of several grants and awards including a Williamson Foundation Grant, Frank Huntington Beebe Fund Grant, and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. Sarah has actively participated in the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, Academie Musicale de Villecroze, and IMS Prussia Cove.
Sarah has collaborated with composers John Adams, Sofia Gubaidulina, Jennifer Higdon, and Kaija Saariaho, pianist Jonathan Biss, violinists Lucy Chapman, Pamela Frank, Joseph Lin and Scott St. John, and violists Atar Arad, Kim Kashkashian and Nobuko Imai. Sarah began cello at age 12 and is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Peter Wiley.
Han Bin has impressed musicians and audiences throughout the United States and, increasingly, throughout Europe with his stellar performances and his buoyant personality, and I feel confident that he will make a significant mark in the musical world.
- Ralph Kirshbaum
HAN BIN YOON
Cellist Han Bin Yoon is the winner of the Second Prize at the 2013 Young Concert Artist International Auditions and the Third Prize and commissioned work prize at the 2013 International Schoenfeld Cello Competition in Hong Kong. The same year, Han Bin was chosen by the Korean Concert Society to give his debut recital at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Han Bin is currently based in Belgium, where he is the Artistic Director of the Belgium Cello Society and cello professor at the Institut Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie (Namur, Belgium). Han Bin performs on a cello by Tanguy Fraval on special loan from the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth.
“An outstanding musician with an artful, expressive power”
-Zürichsee Zeitung,
MARI LEE
Mari Lee is a violinist dedicated to engaging her audience by instilling curiosity for music. A concert violinist, chamber musician, and a teaching artist, she aims to bridge the gap between the audience, the performer, and the composer.
An avid chamber musician, Mari has been invited to internationally renowned festivals such as Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute, Krzyzowa Music Festival, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival, and the Marlboro Music Festival. Artists she has collaborated with include Mitsuko Uchida, Kim Kashkashian, Denés Varjon, Nobuko Imai, Bruno Canino, and members of the Cleveland, Guarneri, and Juilliard String Quartets.
“fully focused and betraying not one whit of insecurity”
—Boston Musical Intelligencer
JULIA GLENN
Violinist Julia Glenn has been hailed as “remarkable,” “gripping,” and a “brilliant soloist” (New York Times). Currently Faculty and a doctoral candidate at the Juilliard School, she obtained her master’s from New England Conservatory in 2013 and her bachelor’s in linguistics magna cum laude from Harvard University in 2012.
A devoted solo and chamber musician, Julia has concertized widely and has recently appeared on stages including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Sanders Theatre, Jordan Hall, the Beijing Recital Hall, and Shanghai Concert Hall. In January of 2016 she gave the world premiere of Milton Babbitt’s violin concerto to critical acclaim.
YITONG GUO
Violist Yitong Guo has appeared as a soloist at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, New York’s Lincoln Center, Canada’s National Arts Centre, Salzburg’s Mozarteum, Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, among others. Mr. Guo is also a passionate chamber musician and has collaborated with Hagen Quartett, Juilliard Quartet, Donald Weilerstein, Kim Kashkashian, Natasha Brofsky, Rohan De Silva etc.
Yitong Guo has been invited to participate in Yellow Barn Festival, International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, Ravinia Festival etc. Yitong has played in the masterclass for Nobuko Imai, Mischa Maisky, Kim Kashkashian, Miriam Fried, Antoine Tamestit, among others. In addition, he has received the chamber music instruction from Günter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartett), Kazuhide Isomura (Tokyo Quartet) and Samuel Rhodes (Juilliard Quartet). Yitong Guo has won Silver Medal at the 44th Hudson Valley
Philharmonic International String Competition and the First Prize at the 8th Great Wall Competition.
JONATHAN WEIGLE
Jonathan Weigle is a renowned soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player on the international stage. He has been solo cellist of Cologne Chamber Orchestra since 2015 and regularly leads the cello section of City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra Belfast, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London and Orchestre de chambre de Paris. He also previously worked with Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
He focuses simultaneously on chamber music, notably completing his studies in chamber music with Ralf Gothoni at Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid parallel to his cello studies at Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin with Josef Schwab and Troels Svane. Jonathan has established chamber music partnerships with musicians including Antje Weithaas, Kolja Blacher and the Armida Quartett. Additionally he is a fixed member of the Giocoso Quartet and the Aperto Piano Quartet.
"CLEARLY SIWOO KIM IS READY FOR PRIME TIME. NO DOUBT WE WILL BE HEARING FROM THIS VIOLINIST AGAIN."
- CHICAGO TRIBUNE
SIWOO KIM
SIWOO KIM is an “incisive” and “compelling” (Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times) violinist who plays with “stylistic sensitivity and generous tonal nuance” (John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune). Siwoo performs as soloist and chamber musician, and he is the co-founding artistic director of VIVO Music Festival in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Siwoo gave the world premiere performance of Samuel Adler’s violin concerto which was written for him. He recorded the work on Linn Records to commemorate the composer’s 90th birthday, and the BBC Music Magazine praised his “notable fire & impassioned playing.” Siwoo made his Carnegie Hall concerto debut in Stern Auditorium with the Juilliard Orchestra. He has since performed with orchestras around the world including the Staatsorchester Brandenburgisches Frankfurt, Columbus Symphony, Gangneung Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic, Orchestre Royal de Chambre, Seongnam Philharmonic, Springfield Symphony, and Tulsa Symphony.
rOSIE MOON
Rosie studied with Peter Buckoke at the Royal College of Music and subsequently with Mirella Vedeva and Alberto Bocini at Geneva Conservatoire where she also had regular classes with Franco Petracchi. She has worked as principal bass under Bernard Haitink, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sir Charles Mackerras, John Wilson and Sir Roger Norrington.
As a contemporary player, Rosie has performed with London Contemporary Orchestra at the Aldeburgh Festival and worked with Mercury Quartet at Switzerland’s Les Jardin Musicaux Festival. She was recently part of the premiere for Frank Denyer's piece, 'The Fish that became the Sun' at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival with Octandre Ensemble which was recorded live for BBC broadcast.
LING LING HUANG
Ling Ling Huang started violin at the age of 4 with her mother Lilan Z. Huang. She continued studying violin with Fredell Lack until her admission to the Cleveland Institute of Music at the age of 15. There, while studying with Paul Kantor, she won the concerto competition and performed the Stravinsky Violin Concerto with the C.I.M. Orchestra. While at CIM, Ms. Huang was a member of the Ariadne String Quartet winning the 2012 bronze medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition Barstowe Prize with them.
Most recently, Ms. Huang performed the Britten Violin Concerto with the Shepherd School Symphony as a result of winning the Concerto Competition in 2014 at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music where she is continuing her studies with Paul Kantor in the Artist Diploma Program. Ms. Huang is a current substitute violinist in the New York Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, and has been substitute concertmaster of the Houston Ballet Orchestra
bENJAMIN PRASAD PANT
Benjamin Pant lives in Berlin, Germany and was born in the U.K. to English and Nepali parents. Having started playing the violin at the age of eight, he studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Thomas Kemp and at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar with Donata Sailer, subsequently continuing his studies privately with Martin Funda in Berlin.
His orchestral experience has included the National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great Britain, Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic and International Academy Orchestra Hundisburg Castle. Benjamin is a passionate chamber musician and plays regularly with orchestra arte frizzante and dogma chamber orchestra, as well as various chamber formations in Berlin and around Germany. Since February 2018 he has been in the academy of the Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg-Gera and the Jena Philharmonic.
AYLIN AMTMANN
Aylin Amtmann received her first violin lessons at the age of nine from Bettina Marquardt. She was a student at the music school "Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach" in Berlin, where she graduated from high school in 2012. After studying with Mo Yi at the Julius Stern Institute at the Berlin University of the Arts, the violinist switched to the Hanns Eisler University of Music in Berlin in 2009, initially to Sophia Jaffé, later to Prof. Stephan Picard. In autumn 2012 she started her full studies there. Master classes with professors such as Rainer Kussmaul, Christian Sikorski or Mark Gothoni gave her additional musical impulses.
In 2007 Aylin won a 2nd prize at the national competition "Jugend musiziert", followed in 2010 by a 1st prize in the "Violin solo" category. In addition, she was awarded a special prize by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and accepted for funding. In 2008 the violinist won a 3rd prize at the International Hindemith Competition in Berlin. From 2010 to 2013 she was also supported by the Jürgen Ponto Foundation.