Petrit Çeku has performed recitals throughout the world and was a soloist with symphonic orchestras such as Baltimore Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Czech Chamber Philharmonic, Daejeon Philharmonic, State Hermitage Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Pannon Philharmonic and Zagreb Philharmonic. He collaborates regularly with The Zagreb Soloists and is a founding member of Guitar Trio Elogio. Hailed by Calgary Herald as “an effortless player, with a strong, projecting sound”, Çeku is the first prize winner of many international guitar competitions, including Parkening (Malibu), Schadt (Allentown), Biasini (Bologna), and Pittaluga (Alessandria). Çeku graduated from the Zagreb Academy of Music in the class of Darko Petrinjak and continued studies in Baltimore at the Peabody Conservatory in the class of Manuel Barrueco. Petrit Çeku teaches chamber music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. Petrit Çeku’s recordings have been released by various label,s and his album The Cello Suites for Eudora Records was nominated for ICMA Award. The recording sessions for this album, which includes Bach’s complete cello suites, were the subject of award-winning documentary film Sarabande by Kaltrina Krasniqi. Petrit Çeku is a D’Addario artist and plays on a Ross Gutmeier guitar.

Violinist Clémence de Forceville has a polyvalent career as a chamber musician, soloist, and concertmaster. She has performed throughout the world and has collaborated as a soloist with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Catalonia Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonie Südwestfalen, the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle Europe, and the Paris Chamber Orchestra. A versatile musician, she is passionately involved in the chamber music repertoire, notably alongside the Hieronymus String Quartet, of which she was first violin for three years, and then within the Sōra Trio, of which she was a member until 2021. From this collaboration, an album of Beethoven’s six great trios was released by Naïve in November 2020, which has already been distinguished by some prestigious awards: Choc de Classica of the year and elected “Album of the year” by the Times. Clémence studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the class of Olivier Charlier and then in Berlin with Antje Weithaas and Mihaela Martin. In 2021, she was appointed first concertmaster of the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and assistant to Philippe Graffin’s violin class at the Conservatoire Supérieur National de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Clémence plays a Lorenzo Storioni violin dating from 1777, generously lent by the Boubo-Music Foundation.

Called “the discovery of the year” by classical music magazine Crescendo and “on her way to the very top” by Concerti magazine, German-Greek pianist Danae Dörken (b. 1991) is among the elite of internationally acclaimed artists of a new generation, electrifying audiences and peer musicians alike with her stunning technical skills, exceptional charisma, and great profundity of her musical thinking. A uniquely gifted talent at very young age, Danae Dörken received the support of Lord Yehudi Menuhin when she was seven, and soon began to cause a stir at major European venues with her “sparkling joy of playing” (Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger). Following her studies with the internationally venerated teacher Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and with Lars Vogt, she is today a regular guest of major orchestras, including the Munich Symphony, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Norrlandsoperan Symphony and Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. She has performed to great critical acclaim at London’s Wigmore Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Mozarteum Salzburg, KKL Lucerne, Cologne Philharmonie, Philharmonie Essen, at Gasteig in Munich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Bozar Brussels, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Alte Oper Frankfurt, and Beethoven-Haus Bonn. Danae Dörken also performs regularly at major festivals, including Kissinger Sommer, Schwetzingen Festival, LuganoMusica, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Piano Espoo Finland, Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse, at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Rheingau Musik Festival, Lucerne Piano Festival and the renowned Spannungen Festival in Heimbach. Danae Dörken’s groundbreaking recording of piano concertos by Mozart and Mendelssohn (with Royal Northern Sinfonia) was released in 2016, to raving critical acclaim. Previously, her solo recording of fantasies by Schumann, Schubert und C.P.E. Bach (ARS Produktion) was nominated for an ICMA Award. Her 2012 debut CD, featuring solo works by Leoš Janáček (also on ARS Produktion), received equally enthusiastic reviews. Her new duo album Appolo & Dionysus, recorded whith her sister Kiveli, was recently released by Berlin Classics. Of Greek descent, Danae Dörken founded the Molyvos International Music Festival (MIMF) in 2015 together with her sister Kiveli and Dimitris Tryfon on the island of Lesbos.

Kiveli Dörken’s temperament, passion and dedication to music is palpable in every one of her concerts. With her infectious enthusiasm and captivating presence, she values a close contact with her audience, often addressing the listeners first, before sitting down at the piano and pushing the boundaries of sound diversity and artistic expression. Kiveli Dörken (b. 1995) began her musical path as a seven-year old student of the renowned piano pedagogue Professor Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. She continued her musical education with Professor Lars Vogt at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover  where she is studying until today. She is a member of the TONAListen agency, and has received scholarships and support from various foundations, such as the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, the renowned Spannungen Festival, the International Musikadamie in Liechtenstein and the Werner Richard-Dr. Carl Dörken Stiftung (no relation). At the age of eight she gave her orchestral debut. She has since performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Hamburger Camerata, the Camerata Bern and the Athens State Orchestra. In 2019 Kiveli Dörken gave her debut with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen playing César Franck’s Variations Symphoniques under the direction of conductor Alondra de la Parra. She has performed in most European countries, China and the United States of America, in some of the most famous halls, the Elbphilarmonie, the Mariinsky-Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Alte Oper Frankfurt, to name just a few, and is a regular guest at many prestigious festivals, like the Kissinger Sommer, the Schwetzingen Festival, the Spannungen Festival in Heimbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. Highlights of her early career were performances for the Dalai Lama in 2007 and for the German chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington, D.C., in 2009. Kiveli Dörken dedicates a considerable amount of her time to playing chamber music. She performs regularly with artists such as Christian Tetzlaff, Sharon Kam, Maximilian Hornung and Tanja Tetzlaff. Together with her sister Danae Dörken, she has been playing as a piano duo since the age of five. In 2015, she founded the Molyvos International Music Festival (MIMF) on the Greek island of Lesbos, of which she is also the artistic director. The MIMF does not only bring the tradition of classical music to Lesbos, but it has also become a symbol of hope for the entire region. In 2022, Kiveli Dörken released her debut CD with the label ARS Produktion featuring solo and chamber music works by Josef Suk. Together with her sister Danae they have recorded a new album, Appolo & Dionysus, released by Berlin Classics, featuring works of Ravel, Debussy, Brahms, De Falla, Theodorakis et al

Greek cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin appears regularly as soloist and chamber musician throughout North America and Europe, most recently as a soloist with conductor-violinist Leonidas Kavakos and the Athens State Orchestra. He made his first major US solo appearance in 2016 with the Kansas City Symphony under the direction of Robert Spano. Since then he has performed with major orchestras, such as the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Israel Camerata et al. He gained international recognition as a top prizewinner at the prestigious International Paulo Cello Competition in Finland. Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin is a founding member of Trio Zimbalist, with which he tours in both Europe and North America. Their first album was released under the Curtis Studio Label with raving reviews by the Gramophone Magazine and the BBC Music Magazine. In 2017, he was named Artist-in-Residence at “Performance Today”, the most listened-to classical music radio programme in the United States. In 2023, he was named artistic director of the Samos Young Artists Festival, a position which he holds till now. Since 2022, he has been a member of the Apollωn Ensemble, a small chamber music group founded by Leonidas Kavakos. An avid chamber musician, Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin has collaborated with important musical figures, such as Leonidas Kavakos, Miriam Fried, Pamela Frank, Kim Kashkashian, Roman Rabinovich, and Jonathan Biss. He has participated at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Athens Epidaurus Festival among many others. Ηe studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory.

Nickos Harizanos was born in Athens. He is the General Secretary of the Contemporary Music Research Centre (KSYME) (founded by Iannis Xenakis) and member of the Hellenic Electroacoustic Music Composers Association (HELMCA). His music has been performed in 34 countries and published by Schott (Germany), Musica Ferrum (UK), Rowman & Littlefield (USA), Tetractys (UK), Les Procuctions d’ Oz (Canada), TEM (Taukay Edizioni Musicali, Italy) and released by Naxos (UK), Phasma (Greece, Poland), TEM (Italy), Subways Music (Greece).

Much in demand as both a soloist and chamber musician, Vashti Hunter has been invited to important festivals such as Lockenhaus, Ernen, Heidelberger Frühling, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Boswiler Sommer and Shanghai chamber music festivals. She has collaborated with artists Steven Isserlis, Martha Argerich, Pekka Kuusisto, Nicolas Altstaedt and Vilde Frang and performs regularly around the world with her piano trio, Trio Gaspard. The Ensemble was formed in 2010 alongside violinist Jonian Ilias Kadesha and Pianist Nicholas Rimmer and studied with Hatto Beyerle at the European Chamber Music Academy. Vashti is also a member of the Kelemen String Quartet and will record all 6 Bartok quartets for the record label Alpha in 2023. Vashti has won top prizes in international competitions in Vienna, Prague and Weimar. She teaches cello to Master’s students at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover and chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock. Vashti plays on a Rombouts cello built in 1720 in Amsterdam. 

Born in Athens of Albanian and Greek heritage, Jonian Ilias Kadesha possesses boundless imagination of sound and curation, constantly exploring new avenues. His playing is characterised by stylistic accuracy and idiomatic interpretation from early to contemporary works. Kadesha has performed widely as soloist throughout Europe, including with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Sir András Schiff, Scottish Chamber Orchestra on tour in Copenhagen, London Mozart Players, Munich Radio, Lübeck Philharmonic, Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Bad Reichenhall Philharmonic and Thessaloniki State Orchestra. He has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Louvre, Berlin Philharmonie, Salle Molière Lyon, Goldener Saal Augsburg and made his debut at the Konzerthaus Berlin as soloist and artistic director of the Caerus Kammerensemble. Festival appearances include the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Verbier Festival Academy, Heidelberger Frühling, Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus and Schubertiade. Kadesha is a committed chamber musician and has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Martha Argerich, Steven Isserlis, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Ilya Gringolts and Pekka Kuusisto. He is co-founder of the award-winning Trio Gaspard, which regularly appears at festivals and in the music centres of Europe and the USA. In 2021 Kadesha signed to Linn Records. His debut solo album featuring Bach’s Violin partita in D minor alongside the premiere commercial recording of Helena Winkelman’s Ciaccona and works by Biber, Schnittke, Kurtág and Auerbach was released in June 2022. His numerous awards include prizes at the 2015 Deutscher Musikwettbewerb, 2017 Windsor International String Competition and 2013 Leopold Mozart International Violin Competition and was selected for representation by the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2018.

Born in Salzburg as the daughter of South Korean musicians and raised in Germany, Byol Kang debuted as soloist at the age of twelve with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra at the Berlin Philharmonie. The winner of the German Music Competition and laureate of international violin competitions (Henri Marteau, Premio Rodolfo Lipizer, Valsesia Musica, and Max Rostal), she has since appeared at prestigious concert halls, such as the Gewandhaus Leipzig, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus Vienna, and the Carnegie Hall New York. After obtaining her degree with distinction under Michael Gaiser at Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf, Byol Kang continued her studies for Konzertexamen (2010-2013) with Antje Weithaas at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, where she teaches her own class since 2022. As a dedicated chamber musician, Byol Kang has performed in various constellations, among others at Spannungen Festival in Heimbach, Heidelberger Frühling, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, PODIUM Festival in Esslingen and numerous recitals throughout Germany. The Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship recipient has released two CDs with pianist Boris Kusnezow under the label GENUIN. Since the season 2016/17, Byol Kang is Concertmaster of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Susanne Kessler was born in Wuppertal, Germany, and lives currently between Rome and Berlin. She studied painting at the Universität der Künste in Berlin and at the Royal College of Art in London. She became a winner of the DAAD and the Goslarer Kaiserring scholarships, and the Paul Strecker Prize. More recently she won the “Europe” scholarship of the Berlin Senat for the realisation of “Mappa Mundi I and II”. She has held solo exhibitions in the Von-der-Heydt Museum Wuppertal, Gustav Lübcke Museum Hamm, Landesmuseum Mainz, Mönchehaus Museum Goslar, Museum Schloß Moyland / Van der Grinten Collection, Museo Macro and GAM in Rome as well as exhibitions in several “Kunstvereine” (art associations) such as Lingen, Speyer, Lippstadt, Würzburg and Wiesbaden. She participated in group shows worldwide. The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Centre in Washington, D.C., published her book Framing Space that looked at 30 years of her installation art. In 2018 the Museum Kunst der Westküste (MkdW) sponsored her show Odissea, which used indoor and outdoor installations on the theme of getting lost at sea in both ancient and modern times. She currently works on the subject of “oceans.”  The US Department of State and all the museums mentioned carry works by Kessler in their collections. This year, 2022, Susanne Kessler, has received the “Von der Heydt- Cultural Prize” of the city of Wuppertal.

Benedict Klöckner, born in 1989, is one of the outstanding artists of his generation. He has won numerous competitions and awards, most recently the OPUS Klassik 2021. He performs worldwide as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, the NDR Radiophilharmonie, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, the Kremerata Baltica, the Camerata Oslo and the Munich Chamber Orchestra and works with renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Sanderling, Heinrich Schiff, and Sir Simon Rattle.  A keen chamber musician, Benedict is performing with artists such as Sir András Schiff, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Gidon Kremer, Antoine Tamestit, Emmanuel Ax, Fazil Say, Lisa Batiashvili, Yuri Bashmet, Benjamin Grosvenor, Lars Vogt and Christian Tetzlaff. In October 2021 Brilliant Classics released his recording of the Bach cello suites. Since 2014 Benedict is the artistic director and founder of the International Music Festival Koblenz. Benedict Klöckner studied with Martin Ostertag, and as a young soloist of the Kronberg Academy Master with Frans Helmerson and Gary Hoffman. He plays an Italian cello by Francesco Rugeri (Cremona, 1690), formerly played by Maurice Gendron, and a bow by Etienne Pajeot (Mirecourt, 1820).

Danae Kontora is a coloratura soprano from Greece. She studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich and at the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding. She sang the part of the Queen of the Νight at Semperoper Dresden, Komische Oper Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, Oper Stuttgart, Aalto Musiktheater Essen, Oper Leipzig and on tour in Beijing, Macao, and Taiwan. Other parts include Philippe (The Devils of Loudun) at the Bavarian State Opera, Frasquita (Carmen) at the Greek National Opera, Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) at the Finnish National Opera, Fritzi (Die Weiden) at the Vienna State Opera, Oscar at Israeli Opera, Blonde (The Abduction from the Seraglio) at Oper Leipzig, Tigrane (Radamisto) at Oper Frankfurt, Olympia (The Tales of Hoffmann) at Theater Erfurt. At the Edinburgh International Festival, she sang the Woodbird (Siegfried) and Woglinde (Götterdämmerung) with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Andrew Davis. Danae Kontora also gave her BBC Proms debut at Royal Albert Hall in London with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under Constantinos Carydis.

Adrien La Marca’s playing is characterised by a depth of expression, technical mastery and a sound with rich, deep, burnished quality. His charismatic stage presence makes La Marca one of today’s most compelling musicians. As a soloist, La Marca has performed with renowned Orchestras such as Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (MDR), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hong-Kong Sinfonietta, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège (Artist-in-Residence for 2018/19 season), Insula Orchestra, Les Siècles, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and Orchestre National de Metz. Named “New Soloist of the Year 2014” by French Victoires de la Musique, La Marca has since then performed in most prestigious venues all over the world. His recordings English Delight (2016, La Dolce Volta) and Heroes have been highly praised by the press and received many awards. His most recent album Chanson bohème together with pianist Danae Dörken has already received international acclaim for its “sheer beauty” and “sensitivity of a higher kind”. Born in Aix-en-Provence, France in 1989 to a family of musicians, Adrien La Marca began playing piano and viola at the age of four. He studied in Paris with Jean Sulem, in Leipzig with Tatjana Masurenko and further in Berlin with Tabea Zimmermann. Later, Adrien worked with inspiring musicians including Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Gidon Kremer, Sir Andras Schiff and Menahem Pressler. La Marca has additionally won numerous prizes in international competitions including William Primrose, Lionel Tertis and Johannes Brahms Competition. La Marca plays an outstanding viola by Nicola Bergonzi (Cremona, 1780), on generous loan from the Boubo-Music Foundation.

Dionysis (Dennis) Makris was born in Athens in June 1984 and graduated from the Drama School of the National Theatre in 2010. He is a member of the theatre group “Little Things Orchestra” where through Hamlet of William Shakespeare, he was nominated for the ”Dimitris Horn” Award in 2015. In the theatre, he has also collaborated with Jan Fabre doing a 2-year world tour, with Μihail Marmarinos, Thomas Moschopoulos, Nikos Karathanos, Lydia Koniordou, Dimitris Katalifos, Eleni Skoti, Giannis Skourletis, Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos among others. He has worked in major theatrical organisations, such as the National Theatre, Athens Epidaurus Festival, Onassis Foundation, and Stavros Niarchos Foundation. In cinema he has collaborated with Yannis Smaragdis, Christophoros Papakaliatis and others. He starred in the television series Ant1 “Tamam”, and additionally he offers acting classes to those who are interested in going to drama school. He has lent his voice to many animation movies, series, and commercials.

Sebastian Manz, international soloist, chamber musician and Principal clarinettist of the SWR Symphony Orchestra, had his big breakthrough in 2008, when he won 1st prize in the clarinet category of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. During the preceding forty years the 1st prize had not been awarded in this section; Sebastian Manz was also awarded the coveted Audience Prize and further special prizes. Previously he had also won the German Music Competition, together with his piano partner Martin Klett. Sebastian Manz subsequently received three times the Echo Klassik Award for outstanding CD recordings, as well as the sought-after Emerging Artist Award in New York. For his album A Bernstein Story, which was released in 2019, he received the Opus Klassik Award in the category “Classic Without Borders” in October 2020. Sebastian Manz was born in Hanover in 1986 as the son of two pianists and as the grandson of the violinist Boris Goldstein, who hailed from Odessa. His German-Russian family home thus offered fertile soil for his musical roots. Sebastian joined a boys’ choir at the age of six and started learning the piano early on, but soon decided to concentrate on the clarinet. Among his most important teachers and supporters were none other than Sabine Meyer and Rainer Wehle.

Costas Mantzoros was born in 1960 in Athens. He was taught theory of music by Giannis Ioannidis and Haris Xanthoudakis, piano by Michel Bichsel and attended in the Department of Electroacoustic Music in the Athenaeum Conservatory. He collaborates with the Contemporary Music Research Centre (KSYME) since 1986 and mainly composes electroacoustic music as well as music for small ensembles or solo instruments accompanied by electronic music. His works have been performed in concerts in Greece and abroad.

The French-Egyptian violist Sindy Mohamed is one of the most promising young musicians of her generation. As a soloist and chamber musician, Sindy Mohamed is a regular guest at major festivals such as the Moritzburg Festival, the Schubertiade Hohenems, the Kronberg Festival, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and the Folle Journée de Nantes. Her chamber music partners include artists such as Renaud Capuçon, Isabelle Faust, Lawrence Power, Tabea Zimmermann, Jan Vogler, Maximilian Hornung, Kian Soltani, Adrien La Marca, Alexander Sitkovetsky, and Marc Bouchkov. In recent seasons, Sindy Mohamed has performed regularly with harpist Anaïs Gaudemard, flutist Joséphine Olech and violinist Michael Barenboim. Highlights of the 2021/22 season include her debuts with the Heidelberger Sinfoniker under the baton of Johannes Klumpp and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ahmed El Saedi. Sindy Mohamed will also make her debut at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and perform a solo recital at the International Music Festival Heidelberger Frühling. A prizewinner of the 2017 Anton Rubinstein International Competition and a scholarship recipient of the Ottilie-Selbach-Redslob-Foundation, she performed as a soloist in England with the Royal Northern Sinfonia under Lars Vogt as part of the New Year New Artists Festival. Rolando Villazón invited her to appear in the ARTE broadcast “Stars of Tomorrow”.

She was born in Thessaloniki in 1998. At the age of eight she took up flute and violin lessons at the Conservatory of the Municipality of Polygyros. In 2019 she completed her studies in flute at the New Conservatory of Thessaloniki and acquired her diploma with distinction: Grade A and first award (L. Kokoria’s and N. Dimopoulos’ class). She has attended seminars with D. Bouriakov, N. Dimopoulos, V. Belomazov. In November 2021 she participated in the National Music Competition Tasos Pappas and was awarded first prize in her category as well as the Special Prize Tasos Pappas for her excellent music performance. In 2021 she completed her studies in violin with professor D. Chandrakis at the University of Macedonia, Department of Music Science and Art along with her studies in violin at the New Conservatory of Thessaloniki and acquired her diploma with distinction, grade 10 and first prize (Ι. Selalmazidis’ class). During the Erasmus programme she studied for a semester with E. Kovacic at the University of MDW Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She has also attended seminars With G. Demertzis, D. Patras, M. Michelic and E. Orio. She is a member of the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra and has also been a member of the Greek-Turkish Youth Orchestra and Thessaloniki Concert Hall Youth Symphony Orchestra MOYSA.

Rosanne Philippens is an extraordinary communicator, with an innate musicality and an infectiously joyful yet sincere approach to music-making. She is in high demand across the Netherlands, both as soloist and chamber musician. She is also a keen play/director and recently made her debut with the Orchestre National de Lyon leading the orchestra in a hugely successful performance. Recent highlights include performances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and the Residentie Orkest both in The Hague and at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Elsewhere, Philippens has played with the Barcelona Symphony, Ulster Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, and with orchestras across Germany, Finland, and Switzerland, with conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Lawrence Foster, Otto Tausk, Jan Willem de Vriend, Antony Hermus, and Nicholas Collon. Philippens plays regularly with artists such as István Vardai, Vilde Frang, Julien Quentin, Vikingúr Olafsson, Amihai Grosz, Camille Thomas and Zoltán Fejérvári. She runs her own concert series “The Amsterdam Salon Pop-Up”, presenting high-quality concerts in carefully sought-out and unusual locations. Philippens records exclusively for Channel Classics and all her recordings have received glowing praise. The Strad has described her latest CD Insight as being “both softly spoken and intensely powerful”. Earlier albums include Dedications, featuring works by Kreisler, Fauré and Ysaÿe, and a recording of Prokofiev’s 2nd Concerto, described by BBC Magazine as “a triumph”. Philippens was taught from an early age by Anneke Schilt at the Amstelveen music school. She continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin with Coosje Wijzenbeek, Vera Beths, Anner Bylsma and Ulf Wallin, receiving the highest distinction from both institutes. Philippens won 1st prize at the Dutch National Violin Competition in 2009 and the Freiburg International Violin Competition in 2014. Philippens plays on the “Barrere” Stradivarius (1727), thanks to the generous support of the Elise Mathilde Foundation.

Odysseas Tsakalidis was born in Thessaloniki in 2009. Since the age of three his violin teacher is Lefter Zhulla. He also attends the New Conservatory of Thessaloniki, class of Marina Shelkova. He has participated in violin masterclasses with Georgios Demertzis, Haiou Meng and Skerdjano Keraj. He has won several first prizes in competitions in Greece and abroad, such as the 7^th National Music Competition Maria Cherogiorgou–Sigara, the Solon Michaelides Panhellenic Competition in Cyprus, the 4^th National Competition Orpheus Soloists 2021, the Muse 2021 International Music Competition, the Nouvelles Étoiles International Online Music Competition 2021. In November 2021 he was awarded first prize at the 3^rd National Music Competition Tasos Pappas, as well as the highest distinction, the   Special Prize Tasos Pappas for his exceptional performance. Odysseas regularly performs in solo recitals and concerts in Greece and abroad. In December 2019 he performed as a soloist with the Thessaloniki City Symphony Orchestra and conductor Haris Iliadis at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. In July 2021 he was invited to perform at the “Young Artists Recital” at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. In August 2021 he performed at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and at the Concert Hall of the Conservatoire de Vincennes in Paris.

Brimful of energy, Weithaas brings her compelling musical intelligence and technical mastery to every detail of the music. Her charisma and stage presence are captivating, but never overshadow the works themselves. She has a wide-ranging repertoire that includes the great concertos by Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann, new works such as Jörg Widmann’s Violin Concerto, modern classics by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Ligeti and Gubaidulina, and lesser performed concertos by Hartmann and Schoeck. As a soloist, Antje Weithaas has worked with most of Germany’s leading orchestras and the major German radio orchestras as well as numerous major international orchestras. She has collaborated with the illustrious conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Neville Marriner and Marc Albrecht, among others. Through her infectious zest for communication, Weithaas’ reputation for inspiring play-lead concerts with international renowned chamber orchestras is rapidly growing. Having been the Camerata Bern’s artistic director for almost ten years, she was responsible for the ensemble’s musical profile with whom she still works regularly. There were rave reviews for Weithaas’ complete recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach’s solo sonatas and partitas and Eugène Ysaÿe’s solo sonatas. 2023 saw the release of Vol. 1 and 2 of the complete recording of Ludwig van Beethoven’s violin sonatas with pianist Dénes Várjon, Vol. 3 appeared in spring 2024. In 1991, Weithaas won the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hanover. Together with Oliver Wille, she has taken over the artistic leadership in 2019. After teaching at the Universität der Künste Berlin, Weithaas became a professor of violin at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in 2004.