street concerts @ASPLEY road
Chloé van Soeterstède, Founder/ violin/ viola/ conductor
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Chloé van Soeterstède is attracting the attention of orchestras across the globe for her intuitive, sensitive and expressive music-making and her charming and positive presence on the podium. In the 2019/20 season, she makes many debuts across Europe with orchestras such as London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Orchestra and Manchester's new ensemble Psappha, in her native France several orchestras including Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National de Montpellier and Orchestre des Pays de la Loire, in Spain with Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and Girona Orchestra. Next season, she will make her debut in Canada, the United States of America and major orchestras in London, England. She conducts a wide range of repertoire from Mozart and Mendelssohn through to Prokofiev, Vaughan Williams to Tchaikovsky.
Van Soeterstède received the Third Prize at the 2019 Deutscher Diringentenpreis in Cologne, as well as the Bärenreiter Prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary work. In the same year, Marin Alsop appointed her the Taki Concordia Fellow 2019-21 .
Van Soeterstède was born in 1988 in France. After studying violin and viola in Paris, she persued her viola studies at the Royal Academy of Music while performing with the European Union Youth Orchestra and Aurora Orchestra. Van Soeterstède studied conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music (2015-2017) with Clark Rundell and Mark Heron where she was awarded the Kennedy scholarship and was also supported by the Derek Hill Foundation. In 2012 she founded the Arch Sinfonia, a chamber orchestra based in London, which has been applauded for its vibrant and boundless energy, its wide range of repertoire and its initiatives to build bridges between artists and audience. Van Soeterstède also works regularly with young musicians: she is currently the Principal Conductor of the Hertfordshire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra and has conducted orchestras such as the EUYO, Hallé Youth Orchestra and the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain.
Anna Kondrashina, flautist
Russian flautist Anna Kondrashina has been hailed as one of the most communicative, exciting and inspiring performers of her generation. A prizewinner of the Kobe International Flute Competition (Japan) and the Nicolet International Flute Competition (China), she has recently been awarded the Worshipful Company of Musicians Silver Medal in the UK. Anna has performed as soloist with the Buchmann-Mehta Symphony Orchestra and the Kobe City Chamber Orchestra, to name a few. She is frequently invited to perform as principal and section flautist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Arch Sinfonia, Persimfans Orchestra and has worked with notable artists such as Sir Mark Elder, Trevor Pinnock, David Afkham, Daniel Oren, Rachel Podger, Denis Bouriakov and Vag Papian. In 2018 Anna has been selected to join the London Philharmonic Orchestra Foyle Future Firsts Development Programme and the following year was awarded a place on the Philharmonia Orchestra MMSF Instrumental Fellowship Programme. Anna regularly appears at some of the most prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, St. James’s Piccadilly, St Martins in the Field, Royal Festival and Queen Elizabeth Halls, the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory and the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Apart from her exciting career as a modern flautist, Anna has a very keen interest in historical performance. She was one of the founding members of the “Musica Aurora” chamber baroque ensemble, touring in Russia and Germany. Anna has appeared with various baroque ensembles around the world, such as Pratum Integrum, La Villa Barocca, Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra and collaborated with Utrecht Early Music Festival, MA Festival, ”Bach&Bacco” and the International Early Music Seminar in Israel. During her time at the Royal Academy, Anna has had lessons with the baroque flautist Lisa Beznosiuk. Born in Moscow, Anna graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory andreceived an Artist’s Diploma from the BuchmannMehta School of Music in Tel Aviv. In 2017 Anna received the honour of a full scholarship to study the Master of Arts in Performance programme at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her studies were generously made possible by the Future of Russia Foundation and Khodorkovsky Foundation. Anna received numerous awards for her studies, including the Dip Ram title and the Marjorie & Dorothy Whyte memorial Fund award. She now lives in London and plays on an Altus flute with a Mancke headjoint, generously donated to her by Jane Elizabeth Bass.
Pavel Timofeyevsky, pianist
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Pianist & composer Pavel Timofeyevsky, winner of the prestigious BBC/ Guardian Young Composer of the Year Award, has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Shanghai Oriental Centre for Arts, Guangzhou Opera House, Mumbai National Centre for Performing Arts and Kaufman Music Center, New York. An eloquent speaker, Timofeyevsky gives lecture-recitals for the Kensington Music Society in London. A devoted supporter of connecting with new audiences, Pavel has extensively performed for Live Music Now in community venues across the UK. As a recording artist Pavel has appeared on the "Music-Chamber" and "Toccata Classics" labels. Pavel is a sought-after composer. Recently he conducted a world premiere of his new work for orchestra, The Questors Suite, at London’s Cadogan Hall. Timofeyevsky has composed music for several films including the critically acclaimed “Le fin de la belle époque” documentary for Russian television and created music for Russia’s oldest animated film studio, Soyuzmultfilm. He has recorded the soundtrack and starred in the US documentary “Tchaikovsky”. A keen educator, Pavel is a founder and director of Oxford Piano School. Recent worldwide tour highlights include making his Los Angeles debut as a soloist and a conductor with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, touring major cities in South Africa with clarinettist Shelley Levy, and going on a fiveconcert “sold out” solo tour of Nairobi, Kenya. Pavel is the founder and artistic director of Philomel Project Concert Series, in residence are the Francis Crick Institute, London.
Anil Umer, cello
Anil is a freelance cellist, Functional Movement Specialist and Soft Tissue Therapist. Having had to
temporarily quit performing due to a shoulder injury, Anil now enjoys working with musicians and
athletes to aid them in their own rehabilitation. A graduate of Exeter College Oxford, Anil was
awarded a full postgraduate scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music studying under Josephine
Knight and Mats Lidstrom. Whilst there, he was a winner of numerous awards including the
Philharmonia’s Martin Musical Scholarship and the Countess of Munster Postgraduate Award. A
committed ensemble musician, Anil was a recipient of the David Poznanaski Quartet Award and
worked with orchestras such as the Oxford Philharmonic (with whom he also performed the Elgar
Cello Concerto), Brighton Philharmonic and the Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra of London.
Jernej Albreht, clarinet
Slovenian clarinettist Jernej Albreht studied at the Royal Academy of Music, receiving his BMus and MA degrees with honours in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Despite his young age he has already established a diverse career in London, working with the Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia and London Symphony Orchestra. Outside London he performed with Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Halle, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He has also recorded tracks for movies such as Emma, Rebecca and Silver Skates with Chamber Orchestra of London.
Jernej has been teaching privately through Lammas Green Music Studio and London Music Tutors and has led educational workshops for Berkshire Maestros together with Atéa Quintet and Netley Primary School together with Moriarty Winds. He has also been guest teacher in German School London, Waldorf School Ljubljana and Music School Idrija.
Jill Valentine, viola
American violist Jill Valentine completed her BM and MM degrees with honours at Rice University, Shepherd School of Music in Houston, USA, in 2016.
Since relocating to London she has quickly established herself as an in-demand freelance musician working regularly with Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestras as well as English National Opera. She has been featured in BBC Ratio 3’s contemporary music series Late Junction, premiering works for viola and piano. Also busy as a studio musician, she regularly records for popular films and series such as The Crown, Downton Abbey, Yesterday and the Planet Earth franchise, among others.
Jill has extensive teaching experience with children, having taught privately for four years with Houston Independent School Districts, two years as a chamber music coach and group teacher with American Festival for the Arts, and two years in London with Wandsworth Music Service. Through Lammas Green Music Studio she maintains a studio of both children and adults.
Juliette Giovacchini, cello
Born in Paris in 1992, Juliette Giovacchini began studying the cello at the age of nine at the Conservatoire Francis Poulenc and at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional of Paris where she was taught by Béatrice Noël and Hélène Dautry. She moved to London in 2012 and graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2016 under the guidance of Alexander Chaushian.
Juliette has appeared regularly as a soloist including performances of the Haydn Concerto in D major and solo recitals in Paris and London.
As an orchestra member of the Mahler Jugendorchester, Juliette performed in such prestigious venues as Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), KonzertHaus (Berlin), Musikverein (Vienna). As a chamber musician she appeared in Wigmore Hall, Buckingham Palace Gallery and the Proms. She is currently taking Masters of Performance in baroque cello and modern cello at the Royal College of Music who is generously supporting her for her studies.
Future projects include recitals across England, Poland and France with her pianist.
Craig McLaren, clarinet
Craig completed a Master of Arts in Performance (with Distinction) at the Royal Academy of Music under the direction of Christopher Richards, Timothy Lines, and Mark van de Weil. Following the completion of his contract as clarinettist with the international touring production of Les Miserablés, Craig relocated to the UK to undertake postgraduate study and establish a career as a performing clarinettist. During his time at the Royal Academy of Music, Craig worked orchestrally with prominent conductors Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardner, and Jac van Steen; and performed collaboratively with Clio Gould (Principal Violin of the London Sinfonietta) and OndÅ™ej Roskovec (Principal Bassoon of the Czech Philharmonic). Since arriving in the UK, Craig has established performing relationships with a number of graduate orchestras – including Arch Sinfonia and London Young Sinfonia – and is the clarinettist with the Coriolis Quintet. Craig is a regular member of the Knussen Chamber Orchestra, which made its debut at the 2019 Aldeburgh Festival – the performance of which was broadcast on BBC3. Craig regularly collaborates with composers on new works and enjoys performing as a chamber musician. Craig was the recipient of the Christopher Hogwood Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music and the Friends of UWA Music Traveling Scholarship.
Martin Ludenbach, Double bass
Until 4 months ago, Martin was a versatile freelance bassist. He could regularly be found in orchestras such as Philharmonia and RPO, playing principal for London Chamber Orchestra or London Mozart Players, depping on Les Miserables or Royal Shakespeare Company and performing with Berkley Ensemble and Ensemble Cymru. He was part of Paraorchestras extraordinary ’Nature of Why’ immersive contemporary dance work, performed Nino Rota’s Divertimento Concertante for solo double bass with Westminster Philharmonic and gave recitals with his duo partner Emma Purslow. However since March, Martin has become a Yogi, teacher, avid reader, carpenter and serial bass practicer while hoping one day to return to the career he loves so dearly.
Emma Purslow, violinist
Violinist and violist Emma Purslow was born in the Peak District, England, and is now based in London following her studies as a scholar at the Royal College of Music. She enjoys a freelance career performing regularly with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and is also a passionate chamber musician who has performed extensively throughout the UK and abroad. Recent appearances include festivals such as the Stift International Music Festival in Holland, Roman River Festival, Lake District International Summer Festival and the Hvinde Sande Festival in Denmark, as well as appearances at St John Smith Square, St Martin in the Fields and the Royal Albert Hall. Her ensemble the Alkyona Quartet are Making Music Artists 2020-2021, Tunnel Trust Artists 2020-2021, and have recently released their first album in collaboration with Cegin Productions.
She is passionate about music education and outreach, and coaches regularly for the National Children’s Orchestra, Pro Corda and Musiko Musika. She is a member of Anglo-Chilean band Quimantu, with whom she enjoys touring in South America and Europe, and can also often be found performing with Rwandan musician and peace activist Jean-Paul Samputu. Emma led the Street Orchestra of London between 2016-2019. Described by the Guardian as “truly uplifting” this 40-piece ensemble brings live performance to those unable to access it.
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Morane Cohen-Lamberger, violinist
Morane Cohen-Lamberger has worked for more than half a decade with some of the UK’s finest orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony & Philharmonic Orchestras.
Born in France, Morane holds a BA in Musicology from the Sorbonne, Paris (2012). She then moved to London to attend the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she was awarded a MMus (2014) and a two-year fellowship, while being accepted into some of the most prestigious orchestra academies in London.
Morane has been concertmeister of the Arch Sinfonia since 2013. She plays a Venetian violin from 1719, courtesy of the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.
Talulah Yunkers, cellist
Talulah Yunkers is a cellist originally from Sydney, Australia. After studying at the Conservatorium High
School and then briefly at the Sydney Conservatorium, she moved to Manchester in 2013 to study at the Royal Northern College of Music under Hannah Roberts, kindly supported by The Thomas Edward Wilson Award, the Rollo-Davison trust and the Jellis Bequest. During her time in Manchester, she had a trial with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and regularly performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic.
Talulah is now based in London and freelances around the U.K.
Amy Roberts, oboist
After growing up in Croydon and attending the London Centre for Young Musicians with Fraser MacAulay, Amy Roberts went on to study with Jonathan Small on the Joint Course between the Royal Northern College of Music and University of Manchester where she won the RNCM Concerto Competition. Later, she completed a Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music with Chris Cowie, Ian Hardwick and Melanie Ragge. During her time there she won the Evelyn Rothwell Oboe Prize, Janet Craxton Memorial Prize and Barry Grimaldi Prize. She also studied baroque oboe with Tony Robson and Katharina Spreckelsen.
Amy enjoys a varied career of orchestral, chamber and solo playing. She regularly performs with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. On historical oboes she has played with ensembles including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, Dunedin Consort, and English Concert. She is a founding member of the wind quintet Moriarty Winds and performs recitals with duo partner Gamal Khamis. 2017 saw her win 2 prizes in the semi-final of the International Barbirolli Oboe Competition, and she was a Making Music ‘Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist’ for 2019/2020.
When not performing, Amy is a dedicated teacher at Wetherby Senior School and also privately. She teaches students of all ages and particularly enjoys helping adults come back to the oboe after time away, or to take up the challenge of the oboe from scratch!
Matthew Wilsher, clarinetist
Matthew Wilsher is a chamber, orchestral and solo clarinettist, recently graduated from his Masters degree at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was currently a Chamber Music Fellow with his wind quintet, Moriarty Winds, and an Open Academy (outreach and community music work) Fellow. Before studying at the Academy, Matthew studied Music and French at the university of Bristol, where he was awarded the Thomas Beecham Scholarship, the JH Britten Award and also won the University concerto competition with the Bruch double concerto for viola and clarinet. Matthew also spent a year studying at Bordeaux Conservatoire, but now lives in London where he has worked with esteemed conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Sir Trevor Pinnock and Semyon Bychkov, performed with orchestras such as the London Sinfonietta and the Philharmonia, and performed in venues such as Wigmore hall and the Royal Festival Hall.
Matthew Kitteringham, bassonist
Matthew Kitteringham is a 23 year-old bassoonist from the Wirral, currently studying with Robin O'Neill and Jonathan Davies as a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music. Matthew is recipient of the Bundy Award, Arthur Lyons Scholarship, and Paddy Purcell Award, and won the Florence Woodbridge Prize. He has also studied contrabassoon with Fraser Gordon and Simon Estell.
Matthew has worked with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Knussen Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Sinfonia, Faust Chamber Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently the principal bassoonist of Arch Sinfonia.
Matthew has given regular solo and chamber music recitals in London and around the UK, and as a soloist principaly in Italy.
As a chamber musician, Matthew is a member of the flexi-group Ensemble Mirage. In 2017 his woodwind quintet, Aurelia Winds, won the Nicholas Blake Prize at the Royal Academy. Matthew has also played twice live on BBC Radio 3's In Tune, performing wind quintets with students from RAM and the Juilliard School, and bassoon quartets. He has performed at the Wigmore Hall in a side-by-side concert with the Nash Ensemble.
Matthew is generously supported by The Drake Calleja Trust, The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Help Musicians UK, and The Sidney Perry Foundation as a Philharmonia MMSF Fellow.
Sarah Johnson, horn player
Sarah Johnson is a London-based freelance horn player. She has performed with orchestras such as the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in a charity concert in memory of Dimitri Hvorostovsky and was a member of Southbank Sinfonia 2018. She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Oxford in 2015 and went on to graduate from the Royal College of Music with a Masters of Performance in 2017. In her spare time Sarah enjoys rock climbing and playing football.
Matthew Horn, horn player
Matthew studied the French horn at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has played with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra, as well as on West End productions including Les Miserables and Doctor Doolittle.
Ensemble Solaire, Matthew’s wind quintet, won the Elias Fawcett Prize for Outstanding Ensemble in the 66th Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition. His performance of Anthony Payne’s Horn Trio at the BBC Proms was broadcast on Radio 3, and he has recorded in Abbey Road with Pink Floyd on their album: “Wish You Were Here Symphonic”.
Matthew loves teaching the horn and seeks to help his students to build solid foundations in their technique, in order to express themselves through a warm and rich sound. In his spare time, he enjoys bird-watching, solving cryptic crosswords with friends and driving a mini cooper. He is a member of the Musicians’ Union and the HUB Performing Arts Network for Christian artists.
Matt Rainsford | Trumpet
Matt studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating from the latter with Distinction in 2015, and in receipt of the Principal’s Prize.
Since graduating, Matthew was awarded a place on the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Foyle Future Firsts Scheme (2015-16), and was a member of the 2018 Southbank Sinfonia.
He enjoys a freelance career working with orchestras such as the LPO and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as performances in a broad spectrum of musical styles.
Education is also a passion, and he enjoys an active role as a Brass Tutor with the Bromley Youth Music Trust, teaching individual lessons in school and coaching ensembles across the borough.
Ruth Harrison, flautist
Originally from Bristol, flautist Ruth Harrison has played across the UK and further afield at venues including
Wigmore Hall and the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam. She has performed with orchestras including the
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Britten Pears Orchestra and most recently the Symphony
Orchestra of India. She regularly appears with freelance ensembles in London including the Orpheus
Sinfonia, and is an extra player for The Hallé and Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Ruth’s solo highlights include performing Henri Dutilleux’s Sonatine for Flute & Piano for BBC Radio 3 at
Milton Court in 2016, the same year in which she graduated with distinction from the Guildhall School of
Music & Drama. Previously a Countess of Munster award holder for private study in Cologne and London,
Ruth is now a Masters student at the Royal College of Music, where she has been selected for the 2019/20
BBC Symphony Orchestra Pathway Scheme.
Thomas Aldren, violinist
Thomas Aldren graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2015, during which time he was the winner of numerous competitions including the Winifred Small Violin Prize and the York International Chamber Music Festival Competition. He went on to complete his studies at the Hochschule für Musikund Theater Munich. Since then he has enjoyed an exciting international career as a concert violinist,combining orchestral and solo playing with his passion for chamber music. Highlights include performing at Ronnie Scotts’jazz club, the Hammersmith Apollo and Glastonbury festival, in addition to performances in concert halls from Mexico City to Seoul. Thomas plays regularly with the English Chamber Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta and as a guest principal with the Royal Liverpool, Bournemouth and BBC Symphony Orchestras. His activity as a chamber musician has included performances alongside Anthony Marwood, Tamsin Waley-Cohen,Valeriy Sokolov, Lawrence Power and Adrian Brendel, with live performances on BBC Radio 3 and concerts at King’s Place and the Wigmore Hall. He has performed many of the major violin concerti, including those by Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Sibelius, Mozart and Bach. He plays a violin by Antonio Gragnani made in Livorno,1779.
Nadège Rochat, cellist
Nadège Rochat is a distinguished expressive voice among young cellists. Besides her wide-ranging musical interest in the baroque, classical and romantic repertoire, she likes to explore forgotten composers, world music and contemporary pieces. She has performed in the Tonhalle Zürich, Vienna’s Musikverein, Konzerthaus Berlin, Carnegie Hall New York, the Mariinsky Theatre in St.Petersburg, the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, the Konzerthaus Dortmund, the KKL in Luzern or the Victoria Hall in Geneva amongst others, and has worked with orchestras such as the Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the
Staatskapelle Weimar, the Dortmunder Philharmoniker, Yuri Bashmet and the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Norddeutsche Rundfunk (NDR), the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, the Bochumer Symphonikern the Sinfonieorchester Biel/Bienne, the Nordwestdeutsche Sinfonieta, the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, the Orchestre de chambre de Genève and the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of the Polish radio. She has appeared in the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festspiele, the
Cello Unwrapped festival in London, the Settimane musicali of Ascona, the Festival Musica-Musika in Bilbao, the Tannay Festival by Lake Geneva, the MDR Musiksommer, among others.
Nadège Rochat is also a keen chamber musician. Her piano and chamber music partners include Francesco Piemontesi, Ilya Gringolts, Claire Huangci, Bruno Giuranna, Judith Jauregui, Charles-Richard Hamelin, the Fine Arts Quartet, the Girard Quartet, Esther Hoppe, François-Xavier Poizat, Erdem Misirlioglu, Natalia Ehwald, and she collaborates with harpsichordist Anthony Romaniuk in Baroque repertoire.
Highlights of 20/21 include the release of her recoding of A. Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Royal Scottisch National Orchestra and conductor Benjamin Levy, her debut with the Slovak Philharmonic in the 1 st Concerto by B. Martinu, her debut with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland Pfalz in E. Elgar’s cello concerto, and a debut-tournee with Toulouse Chamber Orchestra in R. Schumann’s cello concerto. In duo with Spanish guitarist Rafael Aguirre she performs Spanish and Latin-American repertoire which is documented on her CD “La Vida breve” (2012).
Her first CD with the Württembergische Philharmonie and Ola Rudner featured the first cello concertos of Edouard Lalo and Darius Milhaud. Her critically acclaimed last CD “Cello Abbey”
(2017), recorded with the Staatskapelle Weimar under Paul Meyer includes the cello concertos of W. Walton and E. Elgar as well as the first performance of Ina Boyle’s never performed “Elegy”.
Further recordings include the “Psalm” by Ina Boyle with the BBC Concert Orchestra, and R. Vaughan-Williams’ Fantasy on Scottish folk tunes with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
A french and swiss citizen, Nadège Rochat was born in a musical family in Geneva. She started to play the cello at the age of four and first studied in Geneva, then in Cologne with Maria Kliegel.
She attended masterclasses with Heinrich Schiff and Anner Bijlsma among others, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music under Robert Cohen where she is now teaching. She won
several first prizes in Swiss, German and British competitions and won twice the Swiss SUISA prize for the interpretation of contemporary music. In 2020, composers such as Lorenzo Palomo
(ES), Gilles Colliard (FR), Raffaelle Bellafronte (IT) or Kareem Roustom (US/Syria) are writing for her.
Since the age of 13, Nadège Rochat is a practitioner of oriental belly dance and she is passionate about Flamenco. Dance inspires her approach to music, which for her is not only an imaginary but
also a very physical experience. Besides music, Nadège Rochat keeps an interest in European, Arabic and Asiatic philosophies and, as any responsible individual, she aims towards a sustainable
way of life.
She plays the cello by Amati/Stradivarius « Ex-Vatican » on generous loan by the Academia de Arte de Florencia.
Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay, violinist
German-Hungarian violinist Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay began playing in 1988, taking lessons at the music school in Magdeburg, and went on to study under Professor Jost Witter at the Schloss Belvedere Music School and the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Weimar.
He is Laureate of several international solo prizes, including the International Louis Spohr Violin Competition and the International Henry Marteau Violin Competition.
In 2005 he became Leader of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), performing under conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink and Sir Colin Davis, and a year later he also became Concert Master of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Altenburg-Gera until 2008.
In 2007, at the age of 24, Zsolt became Joint Concert Master of the Philharmonia Orchestra London.
He has led orchestras such as the RSO Berlin, the DSO Berlin, Hamburg Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto, OBC Barcelona, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Colin Davis, Andrew Davis, Riccardo Muti, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Herbert Blomstedt, Kurt Masur, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Daniele Gatti, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Jonathan Nott, Jakub Hruša, David Zinman, Paavo Järvi, Tugan Sokhiev, Edward Gardner, Juri Termirkanov, Valeri Gergiev, Christoph von Dohnanyi etc. touring throughout Europe, Russia, Asia and the USA.
Zsolt's solo engagements have included The Lark Ascending with Sir Andrew Davis, Sibelius Violin Concerto under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen and performances of the Korngold, Brahms, Berg, Bartók, Dvorak and Bernstein concertos. He has performed with orchestras in Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Sweden amongst others.
Future engagements include Korngold and the Tchaikovsky concerto in the Musikverein Vienna.
He has also directed from the violin with the Philharmonia, Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the London Chamber Orchestra.
As a sought after chamber musician - playing in venues such as the Mozartsaal Vienna, Salle Gaveau Paris and Wigmore Hall London - he has also recorded Bartók’s Contrasts with Mark van de Wiel and Yefim Bronfman for Signum and the Rachmaninov and Shostakovich piano trios with Mats Lidström and Vladimir Ashkenazy for Decca.
Zsolt is Head of Strings for the I, CULTURE Orchestra (since 2013) and has also been a tutor for the EUYO (European Union Youth Orchestra). He has given Masterclasses in London, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Gdansk, Katowice, Baku, Kiev, Minsk, Lviv, Malmö and Bergen.
Recently, Zsolt was awarded the State Music Prize of Saxony-Anhalt by the culture minister in Germany for his role as ambassador for the arts and in recognition of his international career