“Maurice Steger, who conducted the whole thing musically, merging his inimitable virtuoso recorder playing with inspired dance-like conducting, created something unique, and the entire ensemble swayed along as if in a trance.”

Steger is dubbed the “Paganini” and “magician of the recorder” or “the world’s leading recorder player”. In order to live up to such high expectations, one requires not only astonishing technique, but also charisma, intellect and a special sensitivity for music. Maurice Steger has been proving all of this to his audiences, inspiring with his intense tone and unstoppable energy in various concert formats all over the world.

As a soloist, conductor or both at once, he regularly performs with the top period instrument ensembles, such as the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Venice Baroque Orchestra, The English Concert, Il Pomo D’oro, and I Barocchisti. He also performs with leading modern orchestras such as the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, the Spanish Radio Symphony Orchestra, or the NDR Radiophilharmonie.

Chamber music plays a notable role in the richly varied spectrum of Maurice Steger’s artistic endeavors. With fellow musicians and friends such as Hille Perl, Avi Avital, Nuria Rial, Mauro Valli, Sebastian Wienand, Sol Gabetta or the French harpsichordist Jean Rondeau, he dedicates himself to a continuously updated repertoire of Early Music in music centers such as London, Vienna, Zurich, Dresden, Basel, Shanghai, Sevilla, Madrid, Hamburg and at festivals like Gstaad, Klosters, Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, Úbeda and Verbier. In the last years Maurice Steger played several premieres of new works such as Sei gutes Muts by Iris ter Schiphorst with the Kuss Quartet.

Maurice Steger loves the interaction between different cultures and getting to know other ways of working and interpretive approaches, acting as a concert artist, teacher and juror, not only in Europe but throughout the world. He has toured Asia as well as Australia with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Violons du Roy from Canada and the Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. He was also the first recorder player from the West to perform with the Traditional Taipei Chinese Orchestra.

His commitment to musical education is also highly important to him: besides the directorship of the Gstaad Baroque Academy at the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, which he took over from 2013-2025 in addition to various master classes, he invented the character of Tino Flautino in order to encourage young children to playfully engage with classical music.

Through his own infinite thirst for knowledge, he succeeds time and again to show how much there is still to be discovered about Baroque music. For example, on his recording Souvenirs, he presented works that he discovered in the private library of Count Harrach in Naples. His album Baroque Twitter with the Basel Chamber Orchestra and the singer Nuria Rial was inspired by birdsong. Mr. Handel’s Dinner with La Cetra reflects on Handel’s opera performances in London and especially their intermissions. In autumn 2023, Steger’s very personal Tribute to Bach, also recorded with La Cetra, was released with Berlin Classics.

One wonders sometimes where Maurice Steger gets all this energy that helped him support the comeback of the recorder, as Arte presented in a documentary The Recorder: A Comeback. But when you see how much love for the music, the instrument and the audience he puts into each of his many projects, it becomes clear: Maurice Steger is also carved out of very special wood.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Nikolaj Lund | Quote: Thüringer Allgemeine Zeitung, January 22nd 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Under the attentive, even loving direction of star guest conductor Mario Venzago, the orchestra plays with striking clarity, alertness, vitality, and wonderful opulence.”

 

Conducting is the greatest fulfillment of Mario Venzago’s life – he has wanted to do it from an early age on. Imagination and a willingness to take risks characterize his very own style and have allowed him to conduct concerts, recordings, operas and increasingly so, his own compositions around the world for some years now.

Mario Venzago was, until summer 2021 and for 11 years, the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Bern Symphony Orchestra. Before that, he was Principal Conductor or General Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Basque National Orchestra in San Sebastian, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Graz Opera und Graz Philharmonic Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Frankfurt (now Bremen), the Theatre and Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Heidelberg and the Musikkollegium Winterthur. From 2010 to 2014 he was Principal Conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, from 2010 to 2019 Artist in Association of the Finnish Tapiola Sinfonietta and from 2000 to 2003 Artistic Director of the Baltimore Summer Fest, as successor to Pinchas Zukermann and David Zinman. The season 2025/26 takes him, among other orchestras, back to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra Heidelberg, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, to Singapore, and to the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic.

Mario Venzago has conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the orchestras in Philadelphia and Boston, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Filarmonica della Scala and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular guest conductor with internationally renowned orchestras such as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the Frankfurter Museumsorchester. He has given concerts with the world’s most famous soloists, and collaborated for opera productions with directors such as Ruth Berghaus, Peter Konwitschny and Hans Neuenfels.

Several of his CDs won international prizes such as the Grand Prix du Disque, the Diapason d’Or de l‘Année and the Edison Award. His recordings of the operas Venus as well as Penthesilea and of all the choral works by Othmar Schoeck received great international recognition and prestigious awards, as did the film, My Brother the Conductor by Alberto Venzago, which was shown in cinemas across Europe and released on DVD. The project The other Bruckner with the recording of all ten symphonies, whose individual releases were acclaimed by international critics, was released by cpo. A collaboration with Sony Classical led to the spectacular recording of Franz Schubert’s Finished Unfinished Symphony with the Kammerorchester Basel, completed and conducted by Mario Venzago, as well as the recording of all serenades and symphonies by Johannes Brahms. Further CD projects include recordings of Othmar Schoeck’s opera Schloss Dürande in a new version with the Bern Symphony Orchestra and the cantata Vom Fischer un syner Fru with the Musikkollegium Winterthur (both Claves). Most recently a recording of the reconstructed 7th Symphony by Schubert with the Bern Symphony Orchestra as released by Prospero in 2022, a suite from Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra was released on Chandos Records, and also Paganini’s 1st Violin Concerto with 15-year-old Chloe Chua again with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra on Pentatone/Naxos.

In addition to his activity as a conductor, Mario Venzago recently has increasingly devoted himself to his passion for composition. In 2021 he premiered his violin concerto with Soyoung Yoon and the Bern Symphony Orchestra. In 2026, his piano concerto will receive its world premiere with Claire Huangci and the Philharmonic Orchestra Heidelberg. His three orchestral works will also be performed multiple times in the upcoming season. Various other works, including two operas, are currently in preparation for publication by Universal Edition.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Alberto Venzago| Quotation: Mainpost, 5 June 2025
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“His approach is often meticulous and detailed, with particular attention to clarity and balance of sound that emphasizes transparency of musical lines and structural cohesion, allowing the discourse to flow naturally and each thematic unit to shine with its own character while maintaining an overall unity.”

Zacharias is a narrator among the conductors and pianists of his generation. In each of his elaborate, detailed and clearly articulated interpretations, it’s clear what is important to him: Zacharias is interested in what lies behind the notes.

With a unique combination of integrity and individuality, brilliant linguistic expressiveness, deep musical understanding, and a sure artistic instinct, paired with his charismatic and engaging artistic personality, Christian Zacharias has established himself not only as a world-class conductor and pianist, but also as a musical thinker. Numerous acclaimed concerts with the world’s best orchestras and outstanding conductors as well as multiple honors and recordings characterize his international career.

Since 2021/2022 Christian Zacharias is Principal Guest Conductor at the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. He is also Associate Conductor of the Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes. Zacharias has also been associated for many years with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Orquestra Sinfonica Do Porto Casa da Musica and performs regularly with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, the Orchestre National du Toulouse, the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, the Poznań Philharmonic, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo as well as the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Furthermore, he is a welcome guest at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the National Orchestra of Lyon.

Piano recitals, which are rare exceptions to his full schedule these days, have taken him to major European cities—including Paris, London, Madrid, and Frankfurt—as well as to prestigious festivals such as the Schubertiade, La Roque d’Anthéron and Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse. In addition to recitals, Zacharias offers his audience impressive musical insights in piano lectures on topics such as From Couperin to Poulenc, From Madrigals to Edith Piaf, Why does Schubert sound like Schubert? or Haydn, a Creation from Nothing?.
A particular fondness of opera has led to him directing productions of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito and The Marriage of Figaro, as well as Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène. The production of Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, which he conducted at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, was awarded the Prix de l’Europe Francophone 2014 by the Association Professionnelle de la Critique Théâtre, Musique et Danse in Paris.

Since 1990, the following films have been produced featuring Christian Zacharias: Domenico Scarlatti in Seville, Robert Schumann – the Poet Speaks (both for INA, Paris), Zwischen Bühne und Künstlerzimmer (for WDR-arte), De B comme Beethoven à Z comme Zacharias (for RTS, Switzerland) and the complete Beethoven piano concertos (for SSR-arte).
The musical work of Zacharias has been honored many times, for example with the Midem Classical Award Artist of the Year 2007, the Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French state and a tribute from Romania for his services to culture. In addition, he was appointed a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2016, and in 2017 received an honorary doctorate from the University of Gothenburg.

Numerous internationally acclaimed recordings were made during his time as Principal Conductor of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Particularly noteworthy are the recordings of all Schumann symphonies and the complete Mozart piano concertos which were awarded the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Choc du Monde de la Musique and ECHO KLASSIK. In 2022/2023 two solo albums with sonatas by Haydn as well as partitas and suites by Bach were finally released by MDG after a long pause.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Constanze Zacharias | Quote: Granada Hoy, April 28th, 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Thomas Zehetmair shapes the polar opposites in the first movement of Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony with gripping vividness: the tutti chords are sharply articulated, while a constant interplay unfolds between flowing melodic currents, pent-up excitement, and stormy surges in this Allegro ‘con brio’ […]”

Thomas Zehetmair enjoys wide international acclaim as a violinist as well as a conductor. He is Principal Conductor of Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and his position of Chief Conductor of Stuttgarter Kammerorchester has been extended until summer 2029.

Zehetmair has received much inspiration from his work as a soloist with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Frans Brüggen, David Zinman, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle and Paavo Järvi. As a conductor he has appeared with orchestras including London Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Eighteenth-Century, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Hamburger Philharmoniker, the symphony orchestras of MDR and SWR, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg and Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León. He was Chief Conductor of Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and Musikkollegium Winterthur, Principal Conductor of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Artistic Partner of St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Music Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia with whom he continues his association as Conductor Laureate.

Thomas Zehetmair has an extensive and varied discography as a violinist, conductor and with the Zehetmair Quartet. His recording of the Paganini Caprices attracted a Midem Classic Award and he received Gramophone Awards for his rendition of the Elgar Concerto with Sir Mark Elder, and the Szymanowski concertos with Sir Simon Rattle. A Gramophone Award of the Year and four other international prizes were presented to the Zehetmair Quartet for their recording of R. Schumann quartets. Additionally, the quartet has been awarded the Paul Hindemith Prize by the City of Hanau for outstanding musical achievement.

He has more recently been developing his interest in composition and arrangements; noteworthy his Rondo for violin and cello, Passacaglia, Burlesque and Chorale for string trio (also in a version for string orchestra) and Variations over a mediaeval theme for solo viola. He has also completed the 1st movement of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola and cello which has been recorded for Decca with the Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and created a 2nd violin part for Prokofiev’s Solo Sonata which he recorded for Quartz. His Double Concerto for viola, cello and strings will be premiered in November 2025. Zehetmair’s works are to be published by Schott.

Zehetmair received an OPUS KLASSIK Award 2020 for his CD release of J. S. Bach’s Six Solo Sonatas and Partitas recorded with baroque violin which was also selected by the New York Times as one of “The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2019” and by Die Zeit as one of their six favourite recordings of 2019. Recently released recordings include symphonies by Haydn with the Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and works by Schönberg, Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with Stuttgarter Kammerorchester.

Highlights of this season include touring in Asia with both Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, a return to St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and performances of Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 2 with Orchestre National de Lyon. He also forms a duo partnership with Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

Thomas Zehetmair was honoured by the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and holds honorary doctorates from the Liszt University in Weimar and Newcastle University.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Wolfgang Schmidt | Quote: Ludigsburger Kreiszeitung, February 20th 2025
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“It is his compelling, beyond all technical doubt, sovereign and self-confident narrative art with which he casts a spell over classical music fans.”

The connection between poetry and music is for Tzimon Barto of utmost importance and meaning, both as a pianist and in his writings. His musical interpretations are exceedingly personal and unconventional. They captivate audiences with zeal, exquisite sense of tonal color, subtle nuances and superb technique. A vibrant, surpassingly varied range of expressive elements from feather-light melodic lines to expressive chord series characterize his performance.

As one of the foremost American pianists, Tzimon Barto celebrated his international breakthrough in the mid-1980’s when he performed at the Wiener Musikverein and the Salzburger Festspiele at the invitation of Herbert von Karajan. Tzimon Barto has performed with almost every major international orchestra and is a regular guest at the most renowned festivals.

In 2016/17, as part of his residency with the SWR Symphony Orchestra, he played Ravel’s Piano Concerto on an extremely successful tour in Spain. As part of the Présences Festival 2019 in Paris, Tzimon Barto performed with the Orchestre National de France, playing Rihm’s Second Piano Concerto. This work was dedicated to him and premiered in 2014 at the Salzburg Festival together with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach before being performed in many musical metropolisis like Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Cologne, Stockholm and Washington. In September 2025 he will play Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety in Norköpping and at Musikfest Berlin.

Tzimon Barto’s extensive discography includes albums featuring works by Haydn, Rameau, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, R. Schumann and Brahms. His latest releases are dedicated to Ives’ Concord Sonata, the Busoni version of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, as well as the Paganini Variations of Liszt, Brahms, Lutoslawski and Rachmaninov. The rarely heard Piano Concerto by Hans Pfitzner in E-flat major has been released in 2013 under the Dresdner Staatskapelle label conducted by Christian Thielemann. Naïve published both books of J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier digitally. And in autumn 2024 Capriccio released all three of Bartók’s Piano Concertos, recorded with the Deutsche Symphonieorchester Berlin under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach.

Born and raised in Florida, Tzimon Barto received his first piano lessons from his grandmother at the age of five. He studied under the famous music-pedagogue and pianist Adele Marcus at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, where he won the Gina Bachauer Competition in two consecutive years.

Between 2006 and 2016 he awarded The Barto Prize, promoting contemporary piano compositions in an international competition, and integrated the winning compositions in his recital programs.

Tzimon Barto speaks five languages fluently, reads ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew and is learning Mandarin. His book A Lady of Greek Origin was published in 2001 and again in 2008 in a revised version. It was perforemd as a stage version in Frankfurt and Vienna. In 2010, his novel Harold Flanders was published.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Malolm Yawn | Quote: Die Rheinpfalz, November 13th 2023.
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Schoerke GmbH

“What is so fascinating about Fellner’s playing? Above all, the fact that he is so modest, that he avoids grand gestures, that he wants to serve the  and does not try to use it to promote himself.”

Till Fellner’s international career began in 1993 winning First Prize at the renowned Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey, Switzerland. Since then, he has been a sought-after guest with major orchestras in the great music centers of Europe, USA and Japan as well as at numerous renowned festivals.

As soloist, he has appeared with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

The conductors with whom he has performed include Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Manfred Honeck, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner, Kurt Masur, Kent Nagano, Jonathan Nott, Kirill Petrenko and Hans Zender, among others.

In the field of chamber music, Till Fellner regularly collaborates with the violinist Viviane Hagner, cellist Adrian Brendel, British tenor Mark Padmore and the Belcea Quartet.

In recent years, Till Fellner has devoted himself intensely to two milestones of the piano repertoire: Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. He played a seven-part cycle with all Beethoven sonatas in New York, Washington, Tokyo, London, Paris and Vienna. Till Fellner has premiered works by Kit Armstrong, Harrison Birtwistle, Thomas Larcher, Alexander Stankovski and Hans Zender.

The ECM label has released the First Book of the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Two & Three-Part Inventions of J. S. Bach, Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Kent Nagano as well as chamber music by Harrison Birtwistle. A recording of the Brahms Piano Quintet with the Belcea Quartet for Alpha Classics has won the Diapason d’Or. Most recently, ECM released Till Fellner In Concert, a recording of live performances.

Till Fellner studied piano in his hometown Vienna with Helene Sedo-Stadler. Further studies with Alfred Brendel, Meira Farkas, Oleg Maisenberg and Claus-Christian Schuster followed. 

Till Fellner teaches at the Zurich University of the Arts and the Graz University of Music and Performing Arts as well as at the Festival Virtuoso & Belcanto in Lucca (Italy). He is also a jury member for major competitions such as The Cliburn (2025), Leeds International Piano Competition (2024), Concours de Genève (2022), and Concorso Pianistico Ferruccio Busoni (jury president in 2019).

 

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Gabriela Brandenstein | Quote: Quote: Donaukurier, May 3rd 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Jean-Paul Gasparian hits the right note, never sparingly, but never overdoing it either. It is a squaring of the circle of musical perfection and artistic imagination that come together in this significant interpretation.”

At a young age Jean-Paul Gasparian already brings a wide-ranging repertoire to the stage, including works by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Babadjanian, Khachaturian, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Gershwin. Gasparian performs with orchestras such as the Bremer Philharmoniker, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Orchestre de l ‘Opéra de Rouen, Orchestre de Normandie and Valencia Symphonic Orchestra. In 2022 Gasparian debuted with the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France under Ilyich Rivas at the Paris Philharmonie playing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The young Frenchman is also interested in more unusual repertoire: he has performed Howard Shore’s (known for The Lord of the Rings) Ruin and Memory with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, as well as Scriabin’s Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra.

Gasparian has appeared at major festivals including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, La Roque d’Anthéron, Nohant Festival Chopin, Montpellier Festival, Piano aux Jacobins Toulouse, Festival Chopin de Bagatelle, Lisztomanias and Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo. In 2020, he played selected Beethoven sonatas for Radio France as part of the Festival Intégrales des Sonates de Beethoven. Gasparian has performed in venues such as the Salzburg Mozarteum, Tonhalle Zurich, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Glocke Bremen, Belgrade Kolarac, the Museum of Modern Art in Tel-Aviv, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Maison de la Radio, the Salle Cortot and the Salle Gaveau in Paris.

Classica magazine ranks him as one of the 10 most promising young pianists of his generation. The young Frenchman already attracted attention with his debut CD with a Russian program featuring Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Prokofiev, which was released by Évidence Classics in February 2018, making both audiences and the press sit up and take notice. With both his second solo album with works by Chopin and his third album with works by Rachmaninov, Gasparian once again proved that he is a musical talent to keep an eye on. Gasparian dedicated his first album for the naïve label to Debussy. His second album for naïve, released in August 2024, reflects his own cultural heritage: with Origins he presents solo piano works by the Armenian composers Babadjanian, Katchaturian and Komitas.

In 2019, he won the Prix Therry Scherz at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad. This prize enabled him to record Babadjanian’s Heroic Ballad and Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto with the Bern Symphony Orchestra, released by claves in spring 2022.The recording received excellent reviews from the press.

Jean-Paul Gasparian is a prizewinner of the European Piano Competition Bremen 2014, the International Piano Competition in Lyon 2013 and the Hastings International Concerto Competition 2013. He was a semi-finalist at the Geza Anda Competition in 2015 and a finalist at Victoires de la Musique France in 2020. In 2013, he also received the 1st Philosophy Prize of the Concours Général des Lycéens de France (French National Competition).

Gasparian studied at the Conservatoire National de Paris under Olivier Gardon, Jacques Rouvier, Michel Beroff, Laurent Cabasso, Claire Désert and Michel Dalberto. He took part in international masterclasses with Pavel Gililov, Elisso Virsaladze and Tatiana Zelikman. In June 2018, he completed his Artist Diploma with Prof. Vanessa Latarche at the Royal College of Music in London.

Gasparian has been artist-in-residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation since 2020. He is also supported by the Safran Foundation for Music and is a Steinway Artist.

Season 2024/2025 | Photo: Bernard Martinez | Quote: Bremen2, Wilfried Schäper, August 11th 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“‘Masterfully interpreted’ – Claire Huangci captivates with her technical brilliance and stylistic certainty.”

 
 

The American pianist Claire Huangci gained international acclaim by winning first prize as well as the Mozart Prize at the 2018 Concours Géza Anda, as well as receiving accolades in other prestigious competitions, including both Chopin competitions in Europe and the USA, the ARD International Music Competition, and the Grand Prix of the Orchestre Chambre de Paris Play-Direct Academy.

She continuously captivates audiences with her confident and bright interpretations, breathtaking virtuosity and an intelligent and well-thought-out sound palette. Driven by an irrepressible curiosity and penchant for unusual repertoire, she proves her versatility with a broad range of repertoire spanning from Bach and Scarlatti via German and Russian Romanticism to Bernstein, Barber and Florence Price.

Since the 24/25 season Claire Huangci has been working with Alpha Classics. Following a highly acclaimed Mozart concerto album with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, she released an all-American solo disc titled Made in USA featuring works by Gershwin, Beach, Barber and Wild. In 2026, another recital album focusing on German and American female composers will be released.

Kicking off a series of international orchestra engagements in 2025/26, Claire will make her debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and will also perform with the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, the Thailand Philharmonic, the Rheinische Philharmonie, the Santa Rosa Symphony and the North Carolina Symphony. She will give an extensive debut recital tour in South America, with performances in Lima, Colombia and Brazil, culminating in Buenos Aires Teatro Colon. Another highlight of the new season was playing the closing concert of the Carinthian Summer. She convinced with her interpretation of Gershwin’s Concerto in F with the Austrian Radio Television Orchestra Vienna under the baton of Marin Alsop.
Claire Huangci is increasingly directing various concertos from the piano in the play-direct tradition, e.g. past season with the Recreation Orchestra of the Styriarte Graz, featuring piano concertos by Clara and Robert Schumann.

As a solo recitalist and partner to international orchestras, Claire Huangci has performed in prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Philharmonie de Paris, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Prinzregententheater Munich, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie Berlin, Wiener Konzerthaus, and Festspielhaus Salzburg. She is a welcome guest at renowned festivals, including the Lucerne Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, and the Ruhr Piano Festival.
Her esteemed musical partners include the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, the Munich and Basel Chamber Orchestras, and conductors such as Carl St. Clair, Elim Chan, Michael Francis, Howard Griffiths, Pietari Inkinen, Jun Märkl, Cornelius Meister, Sir Roger Norrington, Eva Ollikainen, Alexander Shelley, Mario Venzago, Markus Stern, David Danzmayr and Thomas Guggeis.

Born in Rochester, New York, Claire showed an early affinity for the piano and was invited to the White House in 1999 at the age of nine. She studied with Gary Graffman and Eleanor Sokoloff at the Curtis Institute of Music before continuing her studies with Arie Vardi in Hannover where she graduated with honors in 2016. Claire is a proud ambassador for the Henle publishing house and serves as the artistic director of the Erbach Chamber Concerts.

Saison 2025/2026 | Photo: Mateusz Zahora| Quote: klassik.com, April 21st, 2025
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Stadtfeld succeeds in delivering a practically perfect performance. He places the notes so delicately that they take on a graceful form, almost a mere whisper. Like a delicate mosaic, the sparkling notes intertwine, conjuring up a luminous landscape.”

Genesis, Piano Songbook, Homage to Bach: For Martin Stadtfeld, his successful compositions, which are regularly published by Schott Music, are in the tradition of the great composers and follow the credo: ‘Creating something new from the old’.

The guiding principle is the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Stadtfeld’s fascination with preludes and fugues began during his early piano lessons. In his youth, he spent nights playing the Well-Tempered Clavier, laying the foundations for a special kind of relationship with Bach and exploration of his music. At the age of 15, Stadtfeld discovered the Goldberg Variations and memorized them in just a few days. This work became the celebrated start of his recording career.

By now, Martin Stadtfeld has been collaborating with Sony Classical for over 20 years and this artistic cooperation has resulted in dozens of albums, all of them bestsellers and decorated with awards such as the ECHO KLASSIK. Continuing into the streaming age, Martin Stadtfeld is also one of the world’s most listened-to classical pianists with over 100 million clicks. Particularly successful: the genre of free arrangements initiated by Stadtfeld with albums such as Handel Variations, German Folk Songs and Baroque Colors.

As a soloist, Martin Stadtfeld is invited to perform with orchestras all over the world and fills major concert halls with his recitals. Audiences appreciate his original interpretations of piano concertos from Mozart to Rachmaninov, as well as his exciting programs in recital, which resemble journeys through music history.

After performing as a concert pianist since the age of 9, Martin Stadtfeld has now also found his passion in teaching and has been appointed professor for piano at the University of the Arts in Bremen.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Uwe Arens | Quote: Mittelhessen, June 23rd, 2025
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“His interpretations testify to his spiritual and intellectual penetration of the works and his ability to always realize his ideas masterfully and with natural effect.”

The pianist Andreas Staier first became world famous as a harpsichordist. After studying with Lajos Rovatkay and Ton Koopman, he worked for three years with the Musica Antiqua Köln. But Staier is far more than a virtuoso representative of so-called historical performance practice. Rather, one could describe him as a passionate sound seeker. Each work that the pianist undertakes is not only analyzed in terms of its structure but also explores the historical situation in which it originated. Through his meticulous approach, he has opened up completely new interpretive approaches and made surprising listening experiences possible. This is why he also works with instrument makers to explore special nuances of sound – be it works of the 16th century such as the English virginalists, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the Diabelli Variations of the late Beethoven or the last piano works by Brahms. Staier has also always turned to lesser-known composers when he could discover original aspects in their works, such as Sebastián de Albero or Josef Antonín Štěpán.

His commitment does not end with the music of the 19th century. This is shown by Staier’s collaboration with the French composer Brice Pauset (b. 1965) from whom several compositions have been commissioned. The Kontra Sonata (2000), a hybrid of Schubert’s Sonata in A minor D 845 and Pauset’s Kontrakompositionen is a prime example of Staier’s epoch-crossing musical thinking. Staier himself used the time during the Corona Pandemic to finish his composition Sechs Cembalostücke which he puts in connection with Bach’s Preludium and Fugue E major of the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2. The work was premiered at the Philharmonie in Cologne in January 2023 and the accompanying album Méditation was released in 2024 by Alpha Classics (Outhere Music). The sheet music is published by Editions Lemoine. The work has since been performed in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sapporo, and other cities. A performance in Lyon is scheduled for this season.

Staier’s work is documented on numerous recordings, almost all of which have received prestigious awards. Also, Staier himself has often been honored for his work: In 2024 he was awarded the prestigious Bach Medal of the City of Leipzig. He was Artist in Residence at the AMUZ in Antwerp from 2012-2016, and between 2011 and 2021 at the Opéra de Dijon.

Both on harpsichord and on fortepiano, Staier performs at numerous renowned music festivals worldwide with ensembles such as La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, the Freiburger Barockorchester, Concerto Köln, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin or the Orquestra Barroca Casa da Música Porto with which he recorded À Portuguesa with works by Spanish composers for harmonia mundi in October 2018. For the Beethoven jubilee, Staier presented his album Ein neuer Weg – Beethoven, based on the three op. 31 piano sonatas and the variations 34 and 35, which received rave reviews. His recording of the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 is considered a reference recording. With the release of Book 1 in 2023, the publication of his work was completed. Together with Roel Dieltiens he also released Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas op. 102 and the Bagatelles op. 119 & 126.

Longtime musical partners include the pianists Alexander Melnikov, Christine Schornsheim and Tobias Koch, the violinists Isabelle Faust and Petra Müllejans or the tenor Christoph Prégardien. Andreas Staier maintains a close collaboration with Daniel Sepec and the cellist Roel Dieltiens, with whom he toured Asia last season.

Staier’s extensive interests and abilities have made him a much sought-after educator from an early age. In addition to masterclasses worldwide, he was Professor of Harpsichord and Fortepiano at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis from 1987-1995. During the 2017/18 season, Andreas Staier was a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. For several years, Andreas Staier also has been performing as a conductor and orchestra leader.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Andrej Grilc | Quote: Leipziger Zeitung, June 16th 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Hardly any other violinist plays as edgy, boldly, unconventionally and yet with such stylistic confidence and taste as Kadesha. He improvises, uses ornaments in his own way and puts everything at the service of expression.”

Jonian Ilias Kadesha is a Renaissance musician in the diversity and creativity of his intellectual interests and music-making. His studies in philosophy and rhetoric influence the stylistic accuracy of his interpretations, whether of early or contemporary music, and his rich imagination is clear both in the sound worlds he creates and the projects he curates as concerto soloist, soloist–director and chamber musician.

Kadesha has performed widely as soloist throughout Europe in concertos including Sibelius, Mozart, Shostakovich, Bartók, Stravinsky, Mendelssohn and Beethoven, among others. His engagements include the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Sir András Schiff, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic with Jonathan Bloxham, Tapiola Sinfonietta with Ryan Bancroft, and the Slovenian Philharmonic conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov, as well as with Münchner Rundfunk, Royal Philharmonic, MDR Sinfonieorchester, Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras, Lübeck Philharmonic and Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt.

His accomplishments as a soloist-director are increasingly recognised and he collaborates frequently with leading chamber orchestras such as the Netherlands and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, Aurora Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Tapiola Sinfonietta and London Mozart Players. His approach to the classical orchestral canon is informed by his chamber music playing and he often improvises his own cadenzas and ornamentation.

Kadesha’s flair for programming is evident in his chamber music projects. He has curated a six concert series for the Leeds International Concert Season (2024–25) including regular collaborators Vashti Hunter and Pablo Hernán and the Caerus Chamber Ensemble, of which he is founder and Artistic Director, and whose flexible line-up is drawn from the younger generation of outstanding European instrumentalists.

He has also collaborated with renowned musicians such as Martha Argerich, Steven Isserlis, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Nicolas Altstaedt, Gábor Takács-Nagy and Antje Weithaas. He has given recitals in venues including the Wigmore Hall, Louvre, Berlin Philharmonie and Salle Moliere Lyon. Co-founder of the award-winning Trio Gaspard, he appears regularly with the group at festivals and venues around the world and is also a member of the Kelemen Quartet.

Kadesha’s curiosity for repertoire is wide-ranging, as demonstrated by recordings he has made for Linn Records, to which he signed in 2021. His debut solo album featured Bach’s Partita in D minor alongside Helena Winkelman’s Ciaccona and works by Biber, Schnittke, Kurtág and Auerbach. His follow-up Suite Italienne with CHAARTS Chamber Orchestra, featuring Giovanni Sollima’s violin concerto TYCHE along with works by Vivaldi and Stravinsky, received outstanding five-star reviews applauding his “boundless imagination of sound” (Musica), his “stylistic confidence and taste” (rbbKultur) and declaring him “one of the most eccentric and fascinating violinists on the international scene” (Musica).

Born in Athens of Albanian and Greek heritage, Kadesha studied from a young age at Musikhochschule Wurzburg, followed by Kronberg Academy, where he completed his Masters in 2020. He has studied with Antje Weithaas, Salvatore Accardo, Grigori Zhislin and Ulf Wallin, and has taken part in masterclasses with Ferenc Rados, Steven Isserlis, Ivry Gitlis, Leonidas Kavakos and Eberhard Feltz. He studied chamber music with Hatto Beyerle in Hannover.

Kadesha plays the Guarneri del Gesù 1743 “ex-Moser”, kindly on loan from the Princess Collection.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Kaupo Kikkas | Quote: rbbKultur, March 7th 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Tianwa Yang captivated listeners from the stroke of the bow of the familiar theme. Her playing was characterized by determined precision and perfect intonation, but it wasn’t just that. In every note, every sequence, every moment, Yang’s concentrated energy was palpable. A tamed power that was unleashed with pinpoint accuracy and brilliant technique.”

With great sovereignty, uncompromising musical understanding and ravishing interpretations, Tianwa Yang has earned a place among the ranks of the leading violinists. The works of Wolfgang Rihm and Jörg Widmann as well as her work with contemporary composers are as close to her heart as the “classics” of J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, R. Schumann and Tchaikovsky. Her profound preoccupation with music and her authentic playing, which is both at ease and electrifying, have been honored with numerous prizes. In 2022 she received the OPUS KLASSIK as “Instrumentalist of the Year”.

Tianwa Yang works with conductors such as Marc Albrecht, Francesco Angelico, Nicholas Collon, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Francis, Giancarlo Guerrero, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Clemens Schuldt and Jaap van Zweden. As a soloist she has performed with the WDR, MDR and hr radio orchestras, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Dresdner Philharmonie, the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestras in Detroit, Baltimore, Seattle, Vancouver, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, NCPA Symphony Orchestra and Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

With her chamber music and recital programs, she performs at most important venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Cologne Philharmonie, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Wigmore Hall London and the Lincoln Center New York, as well as at renowned festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Heidelberger Frühling, the Mozartfest Würzburg and the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. She is also a regular guest at the Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, where she has premiered contemporary chamber works by composers such as Ramon Lazkano and Luca Francesconi.

In the course of her long-standing collaboration with the Naxos label, she has already produced several award-winning recordings, including the complete works for violin and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm, the violin concerto and the double concerto by Johannes Brahms with the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the six solo sonatas by Eugène Ysaÿe, the complete recording of the violin works by Pablo Sarasate, a CD with both of Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s violin concertos and Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra under Darrell Ang. In September 2021 she released her album featuring Prokofiev’s two violin concertos recorded with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna under Jun Märkl. And most recently, in June 2023, she released an album of George Antheil’s violin sonatas, recorded together with pianist Nicholas Rimmer.

Tianwa Yang thanks Lin Yaoji, Jörg-Wolfgang Jahn and Anner Bylsma, who have accompanied and significantly shaped her artistic development.

In addition to her concert activities, Tianwa Yang holds a professorship at the Würzburg University of Music since 2018.

Season 2025/26 | Photo: Andrej Grilc | Quote: WAZ Gelsenkirchen, December 11th, 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Ruth Killius shines in a revelatory performance of Bartók’s Viola Concerto.”

Ruth Killius’ extraordinary ability to use her instrument to revive the wealth of viola literature from the Classical to the Modern Age is without equal. The versatility of her playing has bestowed her instrument with new meaning.

Particularly through her interest and commitment to contemporary music, Ruth Killius, who studied with Ulrich Koch and Kim Kashkashian, has succeeded in establishing the viola as an integral part of the musical 21st century and in expanding the standard repertoire for her instrument. She participated in the performance of numerous original premieres e.g. the Brian Ferneyhough String Trio together with members of Geneva’s Ensemble Contrechamps as well as in Elliott Carter’s Oboe Quartet with Heinz Holliger. Holliger wrote his double concerto for violin, viola and small orchestra, a commission from the Salzburg Festival, for her. The performance of the original premiere of John Casken‘s double concerto That Subtle Knot, dedicated to the duo Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius, together with the Royal Northern Sinfonia attracted widespread attention. In the spring of 2023, the work was released paired with Bartók’s Viola Concerto on ECM New Series.

With solo and double concertos, Ruth Killius made guest appearances with the Basel Chamber Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Camerata Salzburg, Russian National Youth Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Filharmonia Poznanskaand repeatedly in Gateshead and Clermont-Ferrand. Highlights include her participation in the charity concert for the Gute Tat Foundation with the Orchestre National Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the opening of the 40th Styriarte, where Ruth Killius premiered a commissioned composition by Flora Geißelbrecht together with Thomas Zehetmair and the Styriarte Festival Orchestra.

Together with Thomas Zehetmair, Ruth Killius formed the Zehetmair Quartet in 1994, which is now considered one of the world’s leading string quartets. For its recording of Robert Schumann’s Quartets Nos. 1 and 3, the ensemble received the Gramophone Award of the Year in addition to four other prizes. A recording featuring Hindemith’s String Quartet No. 4 and Bartók’s String Quartet No. 5 was distinguished with the Diapason d’Or de l’Année. In 2013, the ensemble released a recording dedicated to Beethoven, Bruckner, Hartmann and Holliger.

For ECM, Ruth Killius has recorded a CD featuring works by Elliott Carter and Isang Yun together with Heinz Holliger and Thomas Demenga. The recording released under the Glossa label featuring Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century under Frans Brüggen is considered to be a reference recording. In April 2018, her latest recording of all Hindemith sonatas for viola was published by NoMadMusic.

The duo Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius can be heard in numerous music centers. The widely regarded album Manto and Madrigals, inspired by Scelsi’s Manto for a singing violist featuring works of Bartók, Holliger, Martinů et al. was released on ECM in March 2011.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Wolfgang Schmidt | Quote: Radio France, March 5th 2023
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“Christian Poltéra emphasizes them with a precise, steely technique, igniting the score in an elegant and deeply original way. His expressiveness and vibrant tone contribute decisively to lending radiantly lyrical character to the expansive musical progression […].”

As one of the most impressive cellists of his generation, Poltéra’s performance focuses on music alone: without excessive gestures, he reveals the essence of a work. His unique timbre is characteristic of his interpretations, masterfully adapted to each epoch and style.

Already at a very young age, the Swiss Christian Poltéra gravitated to the cello. He began his studies with Nancy Chumachenco and then continued with Boris Pergamenschikov and Heinrich Schiff in Salzburg and Vienna. In 2004, he was awarded the Borletti-Buitoni Prize and named BBC New Generation Artist. As a Rising Star two years later, he was able to present himself to audiences in all the great European concert halls.

Invitations from renowned orchestras take him all over the world. He has made guest appearances with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Los Angeles and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestras, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonic. His conducting partners have included Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnányi, Bernard Haitink, John Eliot Gardiner, Philippe Herreweghe, Paavo Järvi and Andris Nelsons.

In addition to his solo career, Poltéra devotes himself to chamber music. A number of recordings (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Hindemith, Schoenberg) document the unique interplay of the Trio Zimmermann with Frank Peter Zimmermann and Antoine Tamestit. In a piano trio with Esther Hoppe and Ronald Brautigam, he plays historically informed or modern programs in European centers such as Edinburgh, Amsterdam, London and Zurich. In addition, he performed and still performs with colleagues such as Mitsuko Uchida, Isabelle Faust, Sharon Kam, Lars Vogt, Leif Ove Andsnes and Kathryn Stott, as well as with the Chiaroscuro, Gringolts, Hagen, Auryn and Zehetmair string quartets. He was Artist in Residence at the Schwetzinger Festspiele where he programmed and played three chamber music concerts.

He is also a welcomed guest at other major international festivals such as Salzburg, Lucerne, Schwarzenberg (Schubertiade), Berlin, Vienna, Dresden, Schleswig-Holstein and London (Proms). In addition, Christian Poltéra presented a cycle of J. S. Bach’s Cello Suites in Brussels, Vevey and as Artist in Residence at the Schwäbische Frühling.

Christian Poltéra’s much acclaimed recordings reflect his versatile and extensive repertoire. Among the award-winning (BBC Music Award, Gramophone Choice, Diapason D’Or) CD recordings with BIS are the cello concertos of Haydn, Dvořák, Walton, Ligeti, Barber, Dutilleux, Lutosławski, Honegger, Hindemith, Shostakovich, Martinů and Martin, as well as sonatas of Mendelssohn, Fauré and Saint-Saëns. In 2024, an album dedicated to Sergei Prokofiev, that features Juho Pohjonen and the Sinfonia Lahti under the direction of Anja Bihlmaier has been released, as well as a recording with Ronald Brautigam and Brahms’ sonatas. For the latter, Poltéra was once again awarded the Diapason d’or de l’Année in the same year.

Since 2013, Christian Poltéra is Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Days in the mountain church of Büsingen. He is also a professor at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and regularly gives masterclasses. He plays an Antonio Casini cello built in 1675 and the legendary Mara cello of Antonio Stradivari from 1711.

Season 2025/2026| Photo: Irene Zandel | Quote: Diapason, December 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“The soloist demonstrated his skills in the more than half-hour opus: Fast sections, double stops, melodies up to the highest registers and, above all, passionate intonation and rhythmic presence.”

Gustav Rivinius is still the first and only German musician to be awarded a First Prize Gold Medal at the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In addition, he received a special prize for the best interpretation of a Tchaikovsky composition, outperforming all other competitors. Since then he has appeared with leading musicians, orchestras and conductors around the world.

Among the many high points of an illustrious career, Gustav Rivinius has performed with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lorin Maazel, Ingo Metzmacher and Hans Zender. In celebrations marking the re-opening of the Spanish Hall at Prague Castle, Gustav Rivinius joined the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Vaclav Neumann. For the gala marking the 50th anniversary of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, he returned after several invitations for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto together with Antje Weithaas and Lars Vogt under the direction of Horst Stein.

In the US, he has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and with orchestras in Saint Louis, Cincinnati, Washington D.C. as well as with the Houston Symphony. In Seoul, he performed with the KBS Symphony Orchestra and in Beijing with the National Ballet Orchestra. He has worked together with conductors such as Marek Janowski, Christoph Eschenbach and Dmitri Kitajenko. He has also played alongside orchestras of Lisbon, Toulouse, Lyon, the Helsinki Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Orchestra, as well as in Lucerne and with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich. Gustav Rivinius has appeared with all of Germany’s radio symphony orchestras as well as with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Leipziger Gewandhausorchester and the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin. In June 2025, he played the world premiere of Roland Kunz’s Cello Concerto Amber Concerto with RSO Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern.

Along with his solo work, Gustav Rivinius devotes himself to chamber music. He plays regularly alongside his brothers in the Rivinius Piano Quartet and in recitals with his brother Paul at the piano. Gustav Rivinius is also an annual participant in the Heimbach Spannungen festival, where he performed and performs alongside his muscial friends Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff, Antje Weithaas, Isabelle Faust and Sharon Kam, and on numerous festival CD recordings.

Rivinius founded the Gasparo da Saló Trio, the Bartholdy String Quintet and the Tammuz Piano Quartet, which recorded both piano quartets by composer George Enescu for the cpo label. This label also released Gustav Rivinius’ performance of the Cello Concerto by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari accompanied by the Frankfurt Radio Sympony Orchstra under Alan Francis, and Henze’s Ode to the West Wind featuring the RSO Saarbrücken conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewki was released by Arte Nova. Gustav Rivinius recorded the Brahms Clarinet Trio along with Sharon Kam and Martin Helmchen for Berlin Classics.

For many years Gustav Rivinius has been a Professor at the University of Music in Saarbrücken. He is co-founder of the Kammermusiktage Mettlach and thus has influenced the musical landscape of his native Saarland for over 30 years. He teaches a number of masterclassesand is a regular juror at major music competitions, including the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Jean M. Laffitau | Quote: Saarbrücker Zeitung, June 2nd 2025
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“It’s unbelievable what richness of sound and enchantment can be achieved with this instrument.”

Viennese double bassist Dominik Wagner is considered one of the leading voices of his instrument. With technical brilliance, musical depth, and charismatic stage presence, he inspires audiences as a soloist and chamber musician. Awarded the ECHO and OPUS KLASSIK prizes, he is passionately committed to expanding the repertoire for the double bass. Whether through composition commissions or the search for rarities, he brings a new diversity to his instrument.

Dominik Wagner is a scholarship recipient of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation and has also won prizes in many leading double bass competitions, including the Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Solo Competition, the ARD International Music Competition, the Fanny Mendelssohn Prize and the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition.

He has already performed with renowned orchestras such as the Camarata Salzburg, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra or the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and in concert halls in New York (Carnegie Hall), Berlin (Konzerthaus), Vienna (Musikverein and Konzerthaus), Munich (Herkulessaal) and Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), among others. He was associated with the Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra as a Young Artist and still performs with them regularly. The Nikolaisaal Potsdam is currently presenting him as their debut artist. In Milano he also debuts with Nino Rota’s Divertimento Concertante as well as with his program for double bass quartet. Wagner is a regular guest in the US with orchestral concerts, solo recitals, chamber music and master classes.

In 2021 Wagner’s first solo CD Giovanni Bottesini – Revolution of Bass was released by Berlin Classics. On the albums Chapters – A Double Bass Story and Bass Nocturnes (2025, digital) also released by Berlin Classics, he presents recital recordings together with Lauma Skride. Recordings and concert programs feature works ranging from Bach and Schubert to Piazzolla and Mancini, showcasing both their entire musical range. In 2023, Double Bass Rhapsody was released, an album on which Dominik Wagner and up to five other double basses bring forth new facets of sound for the instrument.

In addition to his solo activities, Wagner is a passionate chamber musician and is constantly searching for innovative timbres through new orchestrations. This led to a cooperation with jazz double bassist Georg Breinschmid, whose concerto for two double basses the two will premiere in February 2026. Other exciting formations include a trio with Sebastian Manz (clarinet) and Danae Dörken (piano), a duo with Aurelia Vișovan (harpsichord), and a duo with Laura Lootens (guitar).

Dominik Wagner was initially trained as a cellist before switching to the double bass in 2007. His four years in the concert choir of the Vienna Boys Choir were a formative musical influence. He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Prof. Josef Niederhammer and Mag. Werner Fleischmann from 2009 to 2015, and from 2015 to 2022 with Prof. Dorin Marc at the HfM Nuremberg. After completing the Professional Studies Program in Kronberg, he first held a professorship in Würzburg before taking up the professorship for double bass at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. In addition to this activity, he gives master classes in Europe and the USA

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Andrej Grilc| Quote: Cellesche Zeitung, November 5th 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

“In this piece Marc Gruber shows all the possibilities of the horn, with convincingly varied expression, tonal and dynamic nuances thrugh the use of the mute and astonishes the audience with his long breath in broad melodic arcs.”

Marc Gruber discovered the horn at the age of 4. Now, thirty years later, he stands as a model of virtuosic, timeless interpretations and richly nuanced performances.

As a soloist, Marc Gruber appeared with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestras, the Prague Radio Orchestra, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Niederrheinische Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bilkent Symphony OrchestraAnkara, the Philharmonic Orchestra of North Macedonia as well as the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen. With this orchestra, he made his debut recording performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for four solo winds and orchestra. In summer 2018, Marc Gruber made his debut with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Antonio Méndez as part of the Debut im Deutschlandfunk Kultur series, performing Glière’s Horn Concerto. In May 2022 he stepped in at German Hornsound for the world premiere of Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Symphony No. 10 Æris for four horns and orchestra in Bochum. He performed Ethyl Smyth’s Concerto for Violin, Horn and Orchestra with the Brucknerorchester and Francesca Dega under Markus Poschner in Linz in 2024/2025.

Marc Gruber is Solo Horn of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra since April 2016. He previously held the same position with the Beethovenorchester Bonn from 2014-2016, the youngest ever solo horn in the orchestra. He’s toured extensively with orchestras such as the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and the European Union Youth Orchestra in China, Japan, Korea and all over Europe.

He is a permanent member of the Monet Quintett, which received a scholarship from the German Music Competition 2016 and was awarded a special prize. In 2017, the quintet was a laureate at the Lyon International Chamber Music Competition and has since performed all over Germany and Europe. The musicians released their debut recording on the CAvi-music label, featuring works from Dubugnon, Taffanel, Holst and Françaix. As a chamber musician, Marc Gruber has also performed with renowned ensembles and soloists such as the Schumann Quartett, the Linos Ensemble, the Mannheim String Quartet and hr-Brass at national and international festivals.

In 2016, the horn player won the 2nd prize at the ARD International Music Competition (1st prize was not awarded) and was also awarded the Brüder-Busch Special Prize and the Audience Prize. In 2013, the Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund appointed him as a scholarship holder. He is prizewinner of the Lions European Music Competition, the South German Chamber Music Competition and was a scholarship holder of the International Music Academy Frankfurt in 2010. He was the first brass player ever to receive the sponsorship award Debut um elf.

Marc Gruber was a young student of Professor Joachim Pöltl in Düsseldorf and then continued studies with Professor Paul van Zelm in Cologne. Further tutelage came from Hermann Baumann, Erich Penzel, Prof. Christian Lampert and Froydis Ree Wekre.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Philippe Schwarz | Quote: Nürnberger Zeitung, April 20th 2023
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke

“The precious jewel of this work shone in the horn part, in all timbres the glorious gold of the Romantic instrument, especially in the slow movement from which one could hear a strong musical connection to Brahms’ favorite instrument. ”

Hailed for her exceptional talent and virtuosity, hornist Marie-Luise Neunecker has already achieved worldwide success. She has built a successful international career and is much in demand as soloist and chamber musician.

During her tenure as principal horn of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1979 to 1989, she attracted attention as prize winner at several prestigious international competitions such as the German Music Competition in Bonn (1982), the ARD Competition in Munich (1983) and the Concert Artists’ Guild Competition in New York (1986). In 2013, Marie-Luise Neunecker was awarded the Frankfurt Music Prize.

She has performed on almost all the major concert stages of the world. Besides being a successful soloist with ensembles such as the radio symphony orchestras of the NDR, SWR, MDR, hr, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Vienna Philharmonic as well as the Bamberg Symphony, Marie-Luise Neunecker also appears regularly as a chamber musician. She often works with partners such as Christian Tetzlaff, Tobias Feldmann, Lars Vogt, Antje Weithaas, Silke Avenhaus, András Schiff, Martha Argerich and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, as well as with the Zehetmair Quartet.

She frequently appears as guest chamber musician and soloist at the most important festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Marlboro Music Festival, the Risør Festival as well as at the Wiener Festwochen.

György Ligeti wrote his Hamburg Concerto for Marie-Luise Neunecker, which she premiered in January 2001. Since then, she has performed the concerto in several countries, including with the Aurora Orchestra in London as well as in its namesake city of Hamburg at the Elbphilharmonie. With the Asko Ensemble and Reinberg de Leeuw she recorded it for the Ligeti Edition on Warner Classics.

Her numerous recordings, recognized with prizes such as the ECHO KLASSIK and a Grammy Award nomination, have not only demonstrated her outstanding quality as an artist and her exceptional musical versatility, they have also contributed to a wider knowledge of horn repertoire of various epochs. She released the Strauss Concertos with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ingo Metzmacher and Britten’s Horn Serenade with tenor Ian Bostridge. Other recordings include the Hindemith Concerto, and horn concertos by Russian composers Reinhold Glière, Alexander Glazunov and Vissarion Shebalin. As a chamber musician she has released recordings of the horn trios by Brahms with Frank Peter Zimmermann and Wolfgang Sawallisch, a recording with works from Othmar Schoeck, Charles Koechlin and Ethel Smyth and more recently, one with works by Hindemith, Kirchner, Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann with Lars Vogt at the piano.

Marie-Luise Neunecker was Professor of Horn at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin for many years and travels all over the world to give masterclasses.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Andreas Knapp | Quote: Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt, March 2023
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke

Daniela Koch | Flute
Johanna Stier | Oboe
Nemorino Scheliga | Clarinet
Theo Plath | Bassoon
Marc Gruber | Horn

“The Monet Quintet, a woodwind ensemble rare in terms of instrumentation, joy of playing, and ensemble preformance.”

Named after the French impressionist painter Claude Monet, this young ensemble stands for a colourful sound – just as the paintings of its namesake are vibrant and expressive.

In 2014, the musicians, who already knew each other through the National Youth Orchestra of Germany, founded the ensemble during their studies. They now perform regularly at prestigious festivals, such as the Heidelberger Frühling, the Davos Festival or in concert halls such as the Essen Philharmonic Hall.

In addition to winning a prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Lyon, the ensemble was awarded two scholarships at the German Music Competition and was included in the German National Selection of Concerts by Young Artists in 2016 and 2019.

All five musicians hold positions as section principals in renowned orchestras, including the Bamberg and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and have won prizes in national and international competitions.

Daniela Koch | Flute
won first prize at the most important competition for flute, the Kobe International Flute Competition, at the age of 19, and second prize at the ARD Competition in the following year. Since then, she has made a name for herself as a sought-after soloist and chamber musician at numerous festivals (including Lucerne, Davos and Rheingau). Since 2011, Daniela Koch has been the principal flutist of the Bamberg Symphony. She taught for many years as a lecturer in Nuremberg and Essen and is today also a sought-after juror at international competitions, most recently at the ARD Competition.

Johanna Stier | Oboe
was a member of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra for two years and had previously served as principal oboe in the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen and in the orchestra of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich. Since 2019, she has been principal oboe of the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hanover and also appears as a guest with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.

Nemorino Scheliga | Clarinet
studied with Norbert Kaiser in Stuttgart and played for three years as principal Clarinet at the State Opera there until 2020. In the same position, he is a welcome guest at the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Bavarian State Orchestra. Since 2022 he has been assistant principal Clarinet of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra.

Theo Plath | Bassoon
has been principal Bassoon with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2019 and is much in demand as a soloist and chamber musician, making guest appearances at prestigious festivals. He has won numerous prizes, most recently at the ARD Competition in Munich. In October 2024, Theo Plath was named Professor for Bassoon at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.

Marc Gruber | Horn
is a winner of the ARD Competition, where he was awarded second prize along with the audience prize in 2016. Many performances as a soloist, including in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall followed. Since 2016 he has been principal Horn of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, having previously held the same position as the youngest horn player with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn.

Season 2025/2026 | Photo: Philippe Stier| Quote: Neue Westfälische, April 15th, 2025.
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH.

Nicholas Rimmer | Piano
Jonian Ilias Kadesha | Violin
Vashti Hunter | Violoncello

 

“The Gaspard Trio offers compelling performances, demonstrating a complete mastery of this repertoire.”

Trio Gaspard has championed the entire breadth of piano trio repertoire to become one of the most sought-after trios of its generation, praised for its unique and fresh approach to the score. As well as exploring well-known classics, the players work with contemporary composers and research seldom played masterpieces, sharing their discoveries with audiences at prestigious venues around the world. Their curiosity for uncovering repertoire has led to recent performances of Ethyl Smyth’s Piano Trio in D minor at the BBC Proms, broadcast live by the BBC, and Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s rarely performed Présence: Ballet Blanc, alongside dancer Luka Fritsch.

Committed to new music, the trio has launched an extensive project to commission composers such as Olli Mustonen, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Helena Winkelman, Sally Beamish, Kit Armstrong, Johannes Fischer and Leonid Gorokhov to write companion pieces to Haydn’s piano trios. Their debut project with Chandos pairs these new works with Haydn’s originals. The fourth volume, released in 2025, received high praise – The Strad commended the trio for its “mastery of the music and the musicians.” Alongside their Haydn recordings, the players have launched a CD series of Stories, focusing on different European cultural capitals and the composers associated with them. Berlin Stories was released in 2023, with music by Mendelssohn, Juon and Skalkottas, which earned five stars from BBC Music Magazine and The Strad. Current instalments are focusing on Prague and Budapest.

Trio Gaspard is regularly invited to major international concert halls including Berlin Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Boulez Saal, Essen Philharmonie and Salle Molière in Lyon. Highlights also include a debut tour of Australia (2024), tours across Sweden and Germany, a residency at London’s Wigmore Hall, and performances at Kuhmo Festival (Finland), Beethovenfest Bonn and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

Founded in 2010, the trio’s members hail from Germany, Greece and the UK. They studied at the European Chamber Music Academy, under Johannes Meissl (Artis Quartet), Ferenc Rados, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Jérôme Pernoo and Peter Cropper (Lindsay Quartet), as well as with Hatto Beyerle. They were Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Northern College of Music (2017–19) and won first and special prizes at the Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition, International Haydn Chamber Music Competition and International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach, France.

All musicians are also successfully pursuing their careers as soloists. 

 

Short biographies

Nicholas Rimmer | Piano

has already performed on renowned stages such as London’s Wigmore Hall, Munich’s Gasteig, Zurich’s Tonhalle and Berlin’s Philharmonie and as a soloist and chamber musician at renowned festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, Ludwigsburg, Grafenegg and Heidelberg. His CD recording with Nils Mönkemeyer was awarded the ECHO KLASSIK in 2009, and his recording of Rihm’s complete works for violin and piano with Tianwa Yang received the Diapason d’Or, the Pizzicato Supersonic Award and the International Record Review ‘Outstanding’ Award. Rimmer studied piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover with Christopher Oakden. Since 2020, Rimmer has held a professorship in piano at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. He is a member of the Belli-Fischer-Rimmer trio in the unique and experimental instrumentation of trombone-percussion-piano.

Jonian Ilias Kadesha | Violin

is pursuing a successful career as a soloist and has already performed with renowned orchestras such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Russian State Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Sir András Schiff, the London Mozart Players and the Aurora Orchestra. He is keen to expand the standard repertoire and can be heard, for example, with the Skalkottas Violin Concerto, Hillborg’s Bach Materia or the world premiere of Giovanni Sollima’s Tyche. Kadesha studied at the Kronberg Academy with Antje Weithaas and is a laureate of international violin competitions. He is also a member of the Kelemen Quartet and co-founder of the Caerus Chamber Ensemble. Since 2023 he is professor at Bern Academy of the Arts.

Vashti Hunter | Violoncello

enjoys a diverse career as a soloist and chamber musician and is a regular guest at leading music festivals and concert halls such as the Wigmore Hall, the Rudolfinum Prague, the Salle Moliere Lyon, the Berlin Philharmonie and Pierre Boulez Hall, among others. She studied in London and Hannover with Leonid Gorokhov and in Berlin with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. A significant influence has been cellist Steven Isserlis, with whom she studied for many years at IMS Prussia Cove. Vashti Hunter is now a professor herself at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität Vienna. Before that she held this position at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz and at the Hochschule für Musik und Medien in Hannover. Vashti Hunter is also a member of the renowned Kelemen Quartet.

Season 2025/2026 | Photos: Andrej Grilc | Quote: The Strad, April 2025
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

Eckart Heiligers | Piano
Ulf Schneider | Violin
Martin Löhr | Violoncello

 

“The music was played with great intimacy, the musicians were extremely harmonious – simply superb.”

The Trio Jean Paul has remained unchanged for more than three decades and continues to rank among the most successful and consistent chamber music ensembles today. The trio captivates audiences around the world with its sophisticated ensemble culture, keen sense of tonal aesthetics not to mention the musicality of the three artists with their poised style.

Their career together started with first prizes at competitions in Melbourne and Osaka as well as at the German Music Competition. The name of the ensemble was also quickly set: Jean Paul was the favorite poet of Robert Schumann, whose works are particularly dear to the trio. As more than a mere namesake to the trio, the name reveals the musicians’ primary aim: to explore the similarities of music and language and make it audible for the audience.

Their engagements regularly take the ensemble to major concert halls around the world such as the Wiener Konzerthaus, Berliner Philharmonie, Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels or Wigmore Hall in London. Extensive tours have taken them to the USA and Canada.

The ensemble’s work focuses on the performance of contemporary repertoire, which also includes numerous original premieres by famous composers. Wolfgang Rihm dedicated his Trio Concerto to the ensemble which the Trio premiered in 2014 at the Berliner Philharmonie together with the WDR Sinfonieorchester under Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Further performances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich and the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover followed. The trio will premiere a new composition dedicated to their names sake Jean Paul, commissioned from Tobias Rokahr, in Bayreuth in October 2025.

Numerous CD productions by the trio with CAvi-music garnered prizes: The recording of Brahm’s Trio in B major and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht was awarded the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik; the recording of the two Mendelssohn trios in 2009 and the Schubert trios in 2012 were distinguished with the Supersonic-Award. In 2015 a CD featuring piano trios by Joseph Haydn was brought on the market. Most recently the Trio Jean Paul enthuses with their CD of Brahm’s String Sextets arranged for piano trio by the composer’s friend Theodor Kirchner.

For more information, visit the homepage www.triojeanpaul.de.

 

Short biographies

Eckart Heiligers | Piano
studied under Karl-Heinz Kämmerling in Hanover and Leon Fleisher in Baltimore (USA). His achievements earned numerous scholarships early on from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Music Competition as well as a France Graage Performance Scholarship. Eckart Heiligers delivered award-winning performances at numerous international competitions in Vercelli, Athens, Salt Lake City, Oslo and others. His concert work is characterized by tremendous breadth as he regularly performs as a soloist, chamber musician and vocal accompanist. He also serves as professor for piano and chamber music at the Zurich University of the Arts. His work also has him offering master classes both in Germany and abroad as well as participating as a jury member at international music competitions. 

Ulf Schneider | Violin
studied in Hanover, New York and Berlin with Jens Ellermann, Masao Kawasaki, Felix Galimir and Thomas Zehetmair.
In addition to his worldwide concert activities with the trio, he has a continuous collaboration with the Bartholdy Quintet and the pianists Jan Philip Schulze and Stephan Imorde. He particularly enjoys developing programs in which language and music enter into a special connection with one another.
Ulf Schneider has been a professor at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media for 20 years. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses and competitions as a juror.

Martin Löhr | Violoncello
completed his studies under Wolfgang Mehlhorn in Hamburg, Zara Nelsova at the Juilliard School in New York and Wolfgang Boettcher at the Berlin University of the Arts. He is also a recipient of a scholarship from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, a Masefield scholarship, was included in the Federal Selection of Concerts for Young Artists and was awarded the prize of the Mozartgesellschaft Wiesbaden. In 1995, he won 1st prize at the Jeunesses Musicales International Cello Competition in Belgrade.
Martin Löhr is a solo cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic, teaches at the Orchestra Academy and is a regular lecturer at master courses in Germany and abroad. His extensive concert performances include, in addition to orchestral concerts, solo performances as well as chamber music in a variety of formations. 

Season 2025/2026 | Photos: Irene Zandel | Quote: Gießener Anzeiger, January 17th 2024
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

Thomas Zehetmair | Violin
Jakub Jakowicz | Violin
Ruth Killius | Viola
Christian Elliott | Violoncello

“The four musicians mastered their instruments with somnambulistic certainty; only in this way was it possible for them to go to the limits of what is possible.”

Founded in 1994 by Austrian violinist and conductor Thomas Zehetmair, the Zehetmair Quartet now ranks among the world’s finest string quartets. The quartet is renowned for its refined, intellectual interpretations characterized by a pristine, uncompromising approach. The four virtuosos perform at an exceptionally high technical level, instilling in their music an exceedingly rare combination of authenticity and remarkable expressiveness. In addition to a repertoire of widely known works, the quartet also captivates audiences with its profound understanding of contemporary music.

One of the unique artistic feats achieved by the quartet include, among other things, its cyclical performance of all string quartets by Robert Schumann in London’s Wigmore Hall, the world premiere of String Quartet No. 2 by Heinz Holliger – a work commissioned by Köln Musik GmbH for the Zehetmair Quartet. The 2009 performance by the Zehetmair Quartet during festivities celebrating the 100th birthday of Elliott Carter in New York proved to be a phenomenal success.

The quartet regularly performs at Europe’s most important musical centers such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Luxembourg or Helsinki and at the most renowned festivals, among these, the Salzburg Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Edinburgh International Festival or the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.

For its recording of Bartók’s 4th and Hartmann’s 1st String Quartet as well as the 1st and 3rd String Quartet by Schumann with ECM, the Zehetmair Quartet garnered awards such as the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, the Gramophone Award (Record of the Year) and the Edison and Klara Prize for the year’s best international production.

A recording featuring String Quartets No. 4 by Hindemith and No. 5 by Bartók was acclaimed as a reference recording in the media and was recognized with the Diapason d’Or de l’Année. Most recent is an album dedicated to Beethoven, Bruckner, Hartmann and Holliger.

In November 2014, the Zehetmair Quartett was awarded the Paul Hindemith Prize by the city of Hanau for its outstanding musical abilities.

Season 2024/2025 | Foto: Frederic Laverriere | Quote: Tiroler Tageszeitung, May 3rd 2022
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH