Press Release

16th

INTERNATIONAL PHAROS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL

19 MAY – 4 JUNE 2016

CYPRUS

19 MAY & 4 JUNE / THE SHOE FACTORY, NICOSIA

27 MAY – 2 JUNE / ROYAL MANOR HOUSE, KOUKLIA

““TThhee ssttuunnnniinngg llooccaattiioonnss ooff tthhee PPhhaarrooss CChhaammbbeerr MMuussiicc FFeessttiivvaall aattttrraacctt ttoopp mmuussiicciiaannss yyeeaarr aafftteerr yyeeaarr””

BBC Music Magazine, March 2012

Since its inception sixteen years ago the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival has established itself as

the highlight of the Pharos Arts Foundation's Concert and Recital Series, garnering enthusiastic acclaim from

music lovers all over the world. Guided by a visionary spirit and dedicated to artistic excellence, the Pharos

Festival has become one of Europe's preeminent music festivals, while it has made chamber music more

accessible to the general public in Cyprus, by presenting exciting programmes and performances of the highest

level by some of the world’s most renowned soloists. The Festival also maintains a strong tradition of

community service, with educational concerts organized for students of public schools and a number of

master-classes for young instrumentalists.

Organized between 19 May and 4 June 2016, the 16th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival features a

line-up of twenty unique musicians who will join forces for eight concerts at The Shoe Factory in Nicosia and at

the Gothic Hall of the Royal Manor House at Kouklia, Palaipaphos. Exploring the many forms of the chamber

music genre, the Festival will encompass an impressive array of instrumental combinations and repertoire,

ranging from Paganini and Boccherini, all the way through Mozart, Schubert and Brahms, to Shostakovich and

Prokofiev, as well as a number of rarely performed masterpieces.

THE 2016 EDITION:

The 16th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival will open on Thursday 19 May 2016, at The Shoe Factory, with a recital by the exceptional young Viennese violinist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian, who has impressed audiences worldwide a few months ago after winning the second and special prizes at the Jean Sibelius International Violin Competition in Helsinki. Emmanuel will join forces with another rare young talent from Vienna, pianist Maximilian Kromer, in works by Mozart, Schubert, Franck and Kreisler. After an intensive week of educational activities, the 16th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival will move to the Royal Manor House of the ancient village of Kouklia near Paphos, which is specifically transformed by the Festival to a first class recital hall. Some of the world’s greatest musicians will join forces for six concerts, between 27 May and 2 June 2016, in an impressive array of works. The Festival will host, for the first time in Cyprus, the great Yuja Wang – a pianist who radiates palpable magnetism and a distinctly contemporary sensibility, described as “simply, the most dazzlingly, uncannily gifted pianist in the concert world today”. The Festival will also welcome the return visit of the exceptional Yevgeny Sudbin – hailed as “potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century”. Along with the Festival’s regular guests – distinguished cellist and artistic director of the Festival Alexander Chaushian, Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Daishin Kashimoto, the impressive violinist Boris Brovtsyn, violinist Levon Chilingirian and violist Diemut Poppen this year’s Festival will also host, the fascinating German pianist Katharina Treutler, violinist Henning Kraggerud – famed for his deep natural musicianship, virtuosity and beauty of tone, renowned double-bass player Nabil Shehata, the remarkable Alessandro Carbonare – principal clarinettist of the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Fabio Zanon – one of the pre-eminent guitarists of our times, violinist Monika Urbonaite, violists David Abrahamyan and Shira Majoni, cellist Tim Park, and two wonderful and extremely charismatic young singers – soprano Ruzan Mantashyan and Cypriot baritone Markos Kleovoulou. On Saturday 4 June 2016, some of these amazing soloists will guide the Festival back to where it started – at The Shoe Factory in Nicosia, for a suitably festive finale with an exciting and wide-ranging programme of works for strings, guitar, piano and voice.

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 19 May @ The Shoe Factory, Nicosia: A violin and piano recital with Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (violin) & Maximilian Kromer (piano) Friday 27 May – Thursday 2 June @ Royal Manor House, Kouklia: Six chamber concerts with 18 renowned soloists

in a wide-ranging programme.

Saturday 4 June @ The Shoe Factory, Nicosia: Festival Finale with some of the Festival’s soloists

**Concerts start at 8.30pm

THE VENUES: The Royal Manor House in Kouklia is one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture on the island and an unparalleled venue for intimate chamber music performances. The building also houses an archaeological museum, which records the rich history of human activity in the region from about 2800 BC to the present day. The Royal Manor House, which is part of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s “Aphrodite’s Cultural Route”, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Palaipaphos, or Old Paphos, was a city-kingdom of Cyprus and one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centres of the ancient Greek world. It was the site of a famous sanctuary of Aphrodite, the oldest remains of which date back to the 12th century BC. Join us in a leisurely exploration of the history and cultural heritage of the western region of Cyprus. The Shoe Factory is situated in the old part of Nicosia, near the buffer zone. Through it, the Pharos Arts Foundation is helping to revitalize this beautiful and historic section of the capital city by attracting a wide and diversified younger audience. All concerts are characterized by a unique feeling of intimacy and music is performed in an exceptionally inspiring setting: a modern venue decorated with contemporary art by mainly local artists; a venue situated in the “run down” part of Nicosia that offers the audience the unique opportunity to sit within an amazing proximity to world famous artists and experience performances in a venue like no other.

THE ARTISTS:

Piano: Yuja Wang, Yevgeny Sudbin, Katharina Treutler, Maximilian Kromer Violin: Daishin Kashimoto, Henning Kraggerud, Boris Brovtsyn, Levon Chilingirian, Monika Urbonaite, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian Viola: Shira Majoni, Diemut Poppen, David Abrahamyan Cello: Alexander Chaushian, Tim Park Double-Bass: Nabil Shehata Clarinet: Alessandro Carbonare Guitar: Fabio Zanon Soprano: Ruzan Mantashyan Baritone: Markos Kleovoulou

INFORMATION: PHAROS ARTS FOUNDATION Tel: +357 22-663871 Website: www.pharosartsfoundation.org

TICKETS: Tickets: €10 Box Office: Directly from the Foundation’s website www.pharosartsfoundation.org or Tel. 9666-9003 (Monday - Friday

10:00am-3:00pm)

Tickets also available from: KYRIAKOU FULLPAGE BOOKSHOPS: 30 Ellados Ave., 8020 Paphos, Tel. 26-822850 ***Please note: tickets will be available as of April

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME:

THURSDAY 19 MAY 2016 / The Shoe Factory, Nicosia

A violin & piano recital with Emmanuel Tjeknavorian / violin & Maximilian Kromer / piano

Mozart: Sonata for violin and piano in A major, K.305 Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D.934 Franck: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major Kreisler: Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta

FRIDAY 27 MAY 2016 / Royal Manor House, Kouklia

Mozart: Quintet in A major for clarinet & strings, K.581 Alessandro Carbonare / clarinet, Henning Kraggerud / violin, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Diemut Poppen / viola, Tim Park / cello

Scarlatti: Sonata in D minor, K.213 “The Lover” & Sonata in C major, K.159 “La Caccia” Yevgeny Sudbin / piano

Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, for clarinet, string quartet & piano, Op.34 Yevgeny Sudbin / piano, Alessandro Carbonare / clarinet, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, David Abrahamyan / viola, Tim Park / cello

Rachmaninoff: Sonata for cello & piano in G minor, Op.19 Yuja Wang / piano, Alexander Chaushian / cello

SATURDAY 28 MAY 2016 / Royal Manor House, Kouklia

Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op.47 Yevgeny Sudbin / piano, Levon Chilingirian / violin, Diemut Poppen / viola, Alexander Chaushian / cello Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op.34 Yevgeny Sudbin / piano, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Monika Urbonaite / violin, Diemut Poppen / viola, Alexander Chaushian / cello

SUNDAY 29 MAY 2016 / Royal Manor House, Kouklia

Puccini: Crisantemi for string quartet Henning Kraggerud / violin, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, David Abrahamyan / viola, Tim Park / cello

Bartók: Contrasts for clarinet, violin & piano, Sz.111 Alessandro Carbonare / clarinet, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Yuja Wang / piano

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, D.667 “Trout” Yuja Wang / piano, Henning Kraggerud / violin, Diemut Poppen / viola, Tim Park / cello, Nabil Shehata / double-bass

TUESDAY 31 MAY 2016 / Royal Manor House, Kouklia

Dvořák: Two Waltzes for String Quintet, Op.54 Levon Chilingirian / violin, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Tim Park / cello, David Abrahamyan / viola, Nabil Shehata / double-bass .

Mozart: String Quintet No.3 in C, K.515 Levon Chilingirian / violin, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Diemut Poppen / viola, David Abrahamyan / viola, Tim Park / cello Rossini: Duo for cello & double-bass in D major Tim Park / cello, Nabil Shehata / double-bass

Hummel: Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double-bass in E-flat, Op.87 Katharina Treutler / piano, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Shira Majoni / viola, Tim Park / cello, Nabil Shehata / double-bass

WEDNESDAY 1 JUNE 2016 / Royal Manor House, Kouklia

Boccherini: Guitar Quintet in E minor, G451 Fabio Zanon / guitar, Levon Chilingirian / violin, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, David Abrahamyan / viola, Tim Park / cello

Dohnányi: Serenade in C major for string trio, Op.10 Levon Chilingirian / violin, Shira Majoni / viola, Tim Park / cello

Schubert: An Schwager Kronos; Prometheus; Der Erlkönig; Der Zwerg Markos Kleovoulou / baritone, Katharina Treutler / piano

Suk: Piano Quartet in A minor, Op.1 Katharina Treutler / piano, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Shira Majoni / viola, Alexander Chaushian / cello

THURSDAY 2 JUNE 2016 / Royal Manor House, Kouklia

Paganini: Quartet for guitar & strings No.6 in D minor, Op.5/3 Fabio Zanon / guitar, Daishin Kashimoto / violin, David Abrahamyan / viola, Tim Park / cello

Chausson: Chanson Perpétuelle, for soprano & piano quintet, Op.37 Ruzan Mantashyan / soprano, Katharina Treutler / piano, Daishin Kashimoto / violin, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, David Abrahamyan / viola, Tim Park / cello

Massenet: Élégie for soprano, cello & piano Ruzan Mantashyan / soprano, Alexander Chaushian / cello, Katharina Treutler / piano

Respighi: Deità silvane: Five Songs Ruzan Mantashyan / soprano, Katharina Treutler / piano Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110 Daishin Kashimoto / violin, Boris Brovtsyn / violin, Shira Majoni / viola, Alexander Chaushian / cello

SATURDAY 4 JUNE 2016 / The Shoe Factory, Nicosia

Sandoval: Sin tu Amor Fabio Zanon / guitar, Ruzan Mantashyan / soprano Obradors: El Vito (traditional, arrangement) Fabio Zanon / guitar, Ruzan Mantashyan / soprano Guastavino: Jeromita Linares for guitar & string quartet Fabio Zanon / guitar, Daishin Kashimoto / violin, Levon Chilingirian / violin, Shira Majoni / viola, Alexander Chaushian / cello

Liszt: Im Rhein, im schönen Strome; Vergiftet sind meine Lieder; Die Loreley Ruzan Mantashyan / soprano, Katharina Treutler / piano

Komitas / Sergey Aslamazian: Pieces for string quartet Daishin Kashimoto / violin, Levon Chilingirian / violin, David Abrahamyan / viola, Alexander Chaushian / cello

Schubert: Salve Regina for soprano & string quartet, Op.153 Ruzan Mantashyan / soprano, Levon Chilingirian / violin, Daishin Kashimoto / violin, David Abrahamyan / viola, Alexander Chaushian / cello

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES:

YUJA WANG / piano “She is, quite simply, the most dazzlingly, uncannily gifted pianist in the concert world today, and there's nothing left to do but sit back, listen and marvel at her artistry.” — San Francisco Chronicle A pianist who radiates palpable magnetism and a distinctly contemporary sensibility, Yuja Wang is an astounding artist whose awe-inspiring technique is matched only by her eloquence as a musician. Since her breakthrough debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2007 while still a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, she has established herself as an international sensation and a fixture among the world’s leading

orchestras, including those of Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington; the London Symphony Orchestra; Orchestre de Paris; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Berlin and Munich Philharmonics; Orquesta Nacional de España; Accademia di Santa Cecilia; Mariinsky Orchestra; the Israel and China Philharmonics; NHK Symphony; Melbourne and Sydney Symphonies; and Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar. Championed early on by preeminent maestros including Gustavo Dudamel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Charles Dutoit, and the late Claudio Abbado, she is one of today’s most sought after soloists. Outside the concerto repertoire, Yuja is additionally a fiercely dedicated chamber musician and recitalist, appearing at concert halls and festivals worldwide. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2009, Yuja has released three solo albums and two concerto recordings to date, garnering two Grammy nominations. Intriguing the public both with her artistry and with her sense of style, Yuja has been the subject of television documentaries and graced the pages of magazines ranging from arts and culture to fashion. Born in Beijing in 1987, Yuja began piano lessons at the age of six and completed studies at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music, Calgary’s Mount Royal College Conservatory, and Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute. Yuja is a Rolex ambassador and a Steinway Artist.

YEVGENY SUDBIN / piano Yevgeny Sudbin has been hailed by The Telegraph as ‘potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century’. As BIS Records’ only exclusive artist, all of Yevgeny’s recordings have met with critical acclaim and are regularly featured as CD of the Month by BBC Music Magazine or Editor’s Choice by Gramophone. His Scriabin recording was awarded CD of the Year by The Telegraph and received the MIDEM Classical Award for Best Solo Instrument Recording at Cannes. It was described by Gramophone as ‘a disc in a million’ while the International Record Review stated that Yevgeny’s Rachmaninov recording ‘confirms him as one of the most important pianistic talents of our time’. Yevgeny performs regularly in many of the world's finest venues and concert series, both in recital and with orchestra, including Tonhalle Zurich; Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall (International Piano Series) and Wigmore Hall (London Pianoforte Series) in London; Concertgebouw (Meesterpianisten, Amsterdam); Avery Fisher Hall (New York) and Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco). Recent engagements and tours have included orchestras such as New Zealand Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Leipzig

Gewandhausorchester, Lucerne Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. His performance of Rachmaninov's Concerto No.1 at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall was described by The Telegraph as ‘sublime.’ Yevgeny has collaborated with some of the world’s most influential conductors, such as Neeme Järvi, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Osmo Vänskä, Hannu Lintu, Tugan Sokhiev, Mark Wigglesworth, Andrew Litton, Dmitri Slobodeniouk and Vassily Sinaisky. His love of chamber music has led him to collaborate with many other musicians including Alexander Chaushian, Ilya Gringolts, Hilary Hahn, Julia Fischer, the Chilingirian Quartet and many others. Appearances at festivals include Aspen, Mostly Mozart, Tivoli, Nohant, La Roque d'Antheron, Menton and Verbier.

Future engagements include concerts and recording projects with the Tapiola Sinfonetta and Osmo Vänskä, Netherlands Philharmonic and Ivor Bolton, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Michael Seal, and extensive touring in North America. He also returns to many recital stages, including the Wigmore Hall, Moscow International House of Music and Serate Musicali (Milan).

KATHARINA TREUTLER / piano "It is fascinating to experience how a single person can capture such a broad spectrum of characters and tone colours with one and the same instrument." – Badische Zeitung Katharina Treutler has given numerous recitals around the world, performing in Europe, Asia and the USA. As a soloist she has collaborated with leading orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonisches Orchester Erfurt, the Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha, the Meininger Hofkapelle and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. Born in Erfurt in Germany, Katharina Treutler received a diploma from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover. She continued her studies at the Tokyo College of Music and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de

Paris where she earned a master's degree. She also studied chamber music and musicology at the Université Sorbonne Paris, and she continued her studies at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, and at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. Throughout her career Katharina Treutler has won First Prizes in several international competitions, including: International Piano Competition Luciano Luciani in Italy, Les Rencontres Internationales des Jeunes Pianistes in Belgium, the Steinway Competition in Berlin (duet category) the Grotrian-Steinweg-Competition in Braunschweig, as well as the special prize of the Chopin Society. She has also won second prizes and special prizes in numerous competitions, including the Bach Competition, and the International Brahms Competition. In February 2015, the album Final Symphony was released worldwide with Katharina performing works of the video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, both solo and with the London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded in the Abbey Road Studios in London, the album reached the top of the iTunes-Classical Music charts in more than ten countries as well as the Classical Album Top 5 of the Billboard charts and the Official Charts UK. Katharina Treutler is sponsored by Adami (Administration for the rights of performing artists and musicians).

MAXIMILIAN KROMER / piano Maximilian Karl Kromer was born in Vienna in 1996. At four he entered the Vienna Music School. He studied with Susanna Spaemann, he was accepted at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna as junior student of Noel Flores, and later became a student of Martin Hughes. As a soloist, Maximilian has been awarded numerous national and international prizes including the First Prize at the Prima la Musica Austria competition, the First Prize at the International Jenö Takacs Competition, the Second Prize at the International TV-Music Competition "Nutcracker" in Moscow and the Second Prize at “A Step Towards Mastery” competition in St. Petersburg. Maximilian has given numerous recitals throughout Austria and abroad. In 2010, he played in the opening ceremony of the

"Nutcracker" competition, performing Chopin's "Grande Polonaise Brillante" with the Tchaikovskij Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseev. The event has been broadcasted live in the Russian TV. Maximilian has also been performing in Grand Philharmonic Hall St. Petersburg, Gasteig Hall Munich, and Concert House Vienna.

DAISHIN KASHIMOTO / violin First Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, Daishin Kashimoto studied at the Juilliard School, the Luebeck Musikhochschule and the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik in Freiburg. In 1988, at the age of nine, Kashimoto gave his first recital, as well as his first concert as a soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble in New York. Since then, he has given recitals and has performed with numerous internationally renowned orchestras, including the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Radio Symphony Orchestras of Cologne, Frankfurt and Moscow, Orchestre National de France, Vienna and Berlin Symphony Orchestras, English Chamber Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony, under the baton of such great conductors as Hugh Wolff, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, Heinrich Schiff, Mikhail Pletnev, Myung-Whun Chung and Yury Temirkanov. Kashimoto is first prize winner of the 6th Menuhin International Junior Violin Competition, and, in 1996, the youngest winner in history of both

the International Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition in Vienna and the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Competition for Piano and Violin in Paris. In 1994, Daishin was awarded the Steigenberger Prize and the Davidoff Prize, as well as the Brahms Prize (Germany, 1999). Kashimoto signed a worldwide recording contract with Sony Classical and has released two CDs with Itamar Golan and a live recording with the Staatskapelle Dresden and Myung-Whun Chung.

HENNING KRAGGERUD / violin Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud is known for his deep natural musicianship, which, combined with his virtuosity and beauty of tone, has earned him the esteem of his musical colleagues as well as the admiration of audiences worldwide. His versatility and collaborative nature bring him to the concert stage as concerto soloist, play/director, chamber musician and recitalist. An accomplished improviser, Henning also composes his own music, performing many of his own works, arrangements and cadenzas in concert. Born in Oslo in 1973, Henning studied with Camilla Wicks and Emanuel Hurwitz. He is a recipient of Norway’s prestigious Grieg Prize and in 2007 was awarded the Sibelius Prize for his interpretations and recording of Sibelius’ music around the world. Such is Henning’s musicianship that he is regularly invited to collaborate with the world’s most significant orchestras and conductors. In 2012, he stepped in at late notice to perform two concertos with the Philharmonia

Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, gaining 5-star praise in the UK press. The same year, he made a critically acclaimed debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Nicolas McGegan at the Hollywood Bowl. Recent and forthcoming highlights include the Vienna Chamber and Gulbenkian orchestras and a UK tour with SWR Stuttgart and Stéphane Denève, the Danish National Symphony under Thomas Dausgaard, the Hallé with Sir Mark Elder and the London Philharmonic with Jukka-Pekka Saraste, the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra under Gunther Herbig, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Litton at the BBC Proms, the Auckland Philharmonia and Minnesota and Seattle Symphony orchestras, his Warsaw concerto debut with the NFM Symphony Orchestra and tours with the Oslo Philharmonic, amongst others. A dedicated chamber musician, Henning regularly performs both on violin and viola at major festivals and venues; recent collaborations have included performances at venues such as London’s Kings Place, LSO St Luke’s and Bruges Concertgebouw with Steven Isserlis, Joshua Bell, Leif Ove Andsnes, Imogen Cooper, Adrian Brendel and Natalie Clein. His regular recital partners include Christian Ihle Hadland, Håvard Gimse and Kathryn Stott, with whom he performs at Wigmore Hall and Slovenian Philharmonic Hall this season. In the spirit of the old masters such as Fritz Kreisler and Eugène Ysaÿe, Henning is also a composer himself. As of 2014, Henning’s reputation as a composer was sealed by the première of Equinox: 24 Postludes in All Keys for Violin and String Orchestra, composed as musical counterparts to a story by world-famous author Jostein Gaarder. Henning’s discography includes many recordings on the Naxos label, the most recent being Grieg’s three sonatas, arranged for violin and chamber orchestra by Henning and Bernt Simen Lund. For Simax, Henning has recorded the complete unaccompanied violin sonatas of Ysaÿe, on a disc which won the prestigious Spellemann CD award. Henning appeared in a

major television and cinema documentary about the Norwegian 19th century violin virtuoso and composer, Ole Bull, and received the Ole Bull Prize in 2007.

BORIS BROVTSYN / violin Boris Brovtsyn studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and became a laureate of international competitions, such as Georg Kulenkampf (1994, Cologne), Transnet (1996, Pretoria) and Yehudi Menuhin (1998). In 2001 he was a finalist at the Queen Elizabeth Violin Competition and won the 2001 Reuters Prize. The following year he won the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition. In 1998, Brovtsyn made his UK debut with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba. As a soloist, Boris Brovtsyn has collaborated with artists such as Yuri Bashmet, Gerd Albrecht, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Arvo Volmer to name but a few, and appeared with Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Orchestre National de Belgique, BBC Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille and Moscow State Chamber Orchestra,

Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Basel and Bern symphony orchestras, Warsaw Philharmonic, and Utah Symphony Orchestra. He has performed at Verbier Festival, Lugano Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Oxford Chamber Music Festival, Ryedale Festival, Genius of the Violin Festival, Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival and in the “George Enescu” Festival among others. As a soloist, Boris has worked with Sir Neville Marriner, Yuri Bashmet, Gerd Albrecht, Marek Janowski, Neeme Järvi, Louis Langrée, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Gilbert Varga, Antoni Wit, Alexander Lazarev, Vassily Sinaisky, Vladimir Fedoseev, Alain Lombard and Arvo Volmer to name but a few.

LEVON CHILINGIRIAN / violin Levon Chilingirian was born in Cyprus to Armenian parents and was introduced to music from a very early age through his pianist mother and violinist great uncle. His career as a recitalist was launched by winning the first prize in the 1969 BBC Beethoven Competition, followed by the Munich Duo first prize in 1971. The same year, he formed one of the most active and celebrated string quartets on the international scene, the Chilingirian Quartet. The music director of the talented Swedish string ensemble Camerata Roman, Levon Chilingirian has appeared as soloist with the BBC Symphony, London Philharmonic, Bournemouth, Liverpool Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber, and Russian National Orchestras, received the Cobbett Medal, the Royal Philharmonic Society’s chamber music award and, in January 2000, an OBE in the Queen’s Honours List for his services to music.

MONIKA URBONAITE / violin Monika Urbonaite was born in Lithuania into a musical family. From an early age she played as soloist with various orchestras and won numerous competition awards both in her native Lithuania and abroad. After having won the "Talent of Hope" award at the Heifetz competition in Vilnius, she was invited by Gidon Kremer to join the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra. She spent the next six years there, touring all over the world and collaborating with the likes of Martha Argerich, Misha Maisky, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo Yo Ma, and with the orchestra's founder, Gidon Kremer. Monika Urbonaite has recently graduated from Trinity College of Music where she was a recipient of numerous scholarships and awards including the Leverhulme, the Founders, the TCM Trust and the Tillett and Colin Keer Trust scholarships and also won the Vivian Joseph classical concerto competition. She studied with Ofer Falk.

EMMANUEL TJEKNAVORIAN / violin Emmanuel Tjeknavorian came to international attention when he won the Second Prize at the Jean Sibelius International Violin Competition in 2015. He also received the Special Prize for the best interpretation of the Sibelius' Violin Concerto for his performance with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. In September 2014 he was the first Austrian in the history of the International Fritz Kreisler Competition to make it to the final round, where he won Third Prize. Two months later, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian was honoured at the Vienna Volkstheater with the Casinos Austria Rising Star Award to great acclaim. In addition to the Vienna Musikverein and Vienna Konzerthaus, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian has appeared with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra della Toscana, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra in his

US debut at the Boston Symphony Hall. His appearance at the opening of Vienna Festival Weeks at the Vienna City Hall Square, which was transmitted live throughout Europe, counts among the high points of the young violinist’s career to date. Born in Vienna in 1995, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian played his first public concert at the age of seven. He has studied at the University for Music and Performing Art in Vienna under Gerhard Schulz, former member of the celebrated Alban Berg Quartet. Emmanuel Tjeknavorian plays an Antonio Stradivari violin from 1698, Cremona, generously loaned to him by a patron of the Beare's International Violin Society.

SHIRA MAJONI / viola Italian-born violist Shira Majoni grew up in a musical family, and from a very early age expressed her passion and interest for languages, music being one of them. In 2013 she was awarded Top Prize for viola and Special Prize for Best Performance of an Israeli Composition at the Aviv Competition in Israel. Shira Majoni has participated in the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Caramoor Rising Stars and Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove amongst others where she collaborated with artists such as Pamela Frank, Ralph Kirshbaum, Gary Hoffman, Wolfram Christ and Rainer Honeck to name a few. She has appeared in venues such as Carnegie Hall in NY, Symphony Hall in Boston, the United Nations, the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Conservatory Hall in Moscow, the YMCA in Jerusalem, Jordan Hall in Boston and the Seoul Arts Centre amongst others. In 2008 she joined the West Eastern Divan Orchestra, with which she toured in Europe, North and South America, Asia and the Middle East. Under Daniel Barenboim, who co-founded the orchestra with Edward Said, they performed at

the Proms in London, the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals and recorded the Beethoven Cycle for Decca. Shira graduated from the Jerusalem Music Centre and holds a Bachelor in Music from the Buchman-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv, where she studied with renowned Israel Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster, Chaim Taub. She is a recipient of excellence scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, the Barenboim Said Foundation and the New England Conservatory, where she recently graduated with a Masters degree as a student of Kim Kashkashian. Shira Majoni plays on a Douglas C. Cox viola, made available to her by the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute.

DIEMUT POPPEN / viola Diemut Poppen is one of the finest viola players of her generation. Born in a musical family, Poppen studied in Germany, USA and Paris with some of the greatest viola players of her time, including Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashian, Bruno Giuranna and Peter Schidlof. Diemut Poppen has been awarded several scholarships and prizes, among them the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes and the renowned European Music Prize. As a soloist, Diemut Poppen has performed in major music centres all over the world including the Carnegie Hall in New York, Barbican in London, Philharmonie in Berlin and Mozarteum in Salzburg and has worked with musicians like Claudio Abbado, Leonidas Kavakos and Viktor Tretyakov. Several composers have written new pieces for Diemut Poppen, including solo works, as well as concertos, sonatas and chamber music. Diemut Poppen has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Cappricio, Live classics, EMI, Tudor,

Ediphone, Ondine, among others. Cyprus is Diemut’s favourite country and she visits the island quite regularly.

DAVID ABRAHAMYAN / viola David Abrahamyan Grigoryan started his musical education with Oleg Lev, solo member of the Moscow Virtuosy. He completed his bachelor degree at the Maastricht Conservatory with, Henk Guittart (member of the Shoenberg Quartet) and Boris Belkin, with distinction CUM LAUDE and the Master degree of Music. Abrahamyan completed his education with Antoine Tamestit, París (2007), Yuri Bashmet at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena (2008) and Diemut Poppen in Detmold (2009). From a very young age, he has collaborated with the Luxemburg Philarmonic, OSPA in Oviedo Spain, Lagen Laden in Brussels where he was solo viola or Salzburg Chamber Soloists under the artistic direction of Lavard Skou Larsen. He has performed under the baton of conductors such as Claudio Abbado,

Zubin Mehta, Bernard Haitnk, Roberto Benzi, Jesús López Cobos or Plácido Domingo, amongst others. Between 2005 and 2009, he was the founder and artistic director of the master-class series "Musical Improvement" in Felechosa (Asturias- Spain) inviting teachers like Dora Schwarzberg, Liviu Prunaru, Alexander Chaushyan, Ashley Wass, Wolfgang Meyer, Gunter Pichler, Gustav Rivinius, Mikhail Kopelman or Boris Belkin. Abrahamyan’s chamber music partners have included Boris Belkin, Alba Ventura, Daishin Kashimoto, Boris Andreanov, Ashley Wass, in concert halls like Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Koncerthaus in Berlín, Teatro Coliseo in Buenos Aires, Sala Mozarteum in Salzburg, KKL in Lucerne, Royal Festival Hall in London, Queen Elisabeth Hall in London, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Salle Playel in París, Palais de Bozar in Brussels, Sala Sao Paolo in San Paolo or Teatro Manzoni in Bologna. Has recorded a DVD performing Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht in the Singel in Antwerpen, a collaboration project between Europe and South Korea, also has recorded two CDs for Dutch Records Company with the Dutch composer Wim Zwaag, who dedicated his Adagio for Viola to David.

ALEXANDER CHAUSHIAN / cello Regarded as one of the finest cellists of his generation, Alexander Chaushian has performed extensively throughout the world as a soloist with orchestras such as the Vienna Chamber Orchestra at Vienna’s Konzerthaus and at the Bruchnerhaus in Linz, the London Mozart Players and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Royal National Orchestra of Belgium, Les Solistes Européens de Luxembourg in a gala concert conducted by Yehudi Menuhin, the Boston Pops Orchestra at Boston Symphony Hall, and the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He has given highly acclaimed performances in such venues as London’s Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Sala Verdi Milan, and Suntory Hall Japan. Chaushian has won the Third Prize in the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the Third and Special prizes given by the Munich Chamber Orchestra at the ARD Competition in Germany in 2005.

Amongst the many distinguished musicians whom he has collaborated with are Yehudi Menuhin, Julia Fischer, Levon Chilingirian, Yuri Bashmet, François-Frédéric Guy, Emmanuel Pahud. His regular chamber music partner is Yevgeny Sudbin. Alexander’s recordings include several highly acclaimed CDs for the BIS label in which he is partnered by Yevgeny Sudbin, and his recently released concerto CD with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, also on BIS, received rave reviews and was selected ‘Album of the Week’ by the Independent.

TIM PARK / cello Cellist Tim Park has been praised for his energetic and exhilarating performances as well as for his expressive and beautiful sound. Concerts as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician have brought Tim to many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. Tim has performed as soloist with orchestras such as the New York Chamber, Detroit Symphony, Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional de Venezuela, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Sinfonie-Orchestra, Berliner Symphoniker, Lithuanian National Chamber Orchestra, Tel-Aviv Camerata, Berliner Camerata, Ensemble Oriol, Pharos Soloists Cyprus, Suwon Philharmonic, Incheon Sinfonietta, Incheon Philharmonic and the Juilliard Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Tim performs frequently at music festivals such as the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, Bach Festwochen Ansbach, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Lucerne Festival, Klavierfestival Ruhr, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Santander Music Festival, S&R Foundation’s Evermay International Chamber Music Festival at the Evermay Estate (Washington DC) and the Kennedy Center, and the International Chamber Music Festival Musique a l’Emperi in Salon, France and regularly collaborates with such distinguished artists as Daniel Barenboim, Elena Bashkirova, Alessio Bax, Andras Schiff, Michael Barenboim, Tamaki Kawakubo, Daishin Kashimoto,

Nikolaj Znaider, Paul Meyer and Emmanuel Pahud. Since its founding in 2005, Tim has been the cellist of the Erlenbusch String Quartet. The Berlin based quartet has performed at the Philharmonie Berlin, Musikverein Vienna, Schoenberg Center Vienna, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Geneva, at the Klavierfestival Ruhr and the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival. Born to Korean parents, Tim grew up in New York and began cello lessons at the age of eight. He entered the Juilliard School at eleven and continued studies at Yale University with Aldo Parisot. He finished his degrees in Germany studying with David Geringas at the Musikhochschule Lubeck and the Hochschule fur Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ Berlin. Tim has also studied with Steven Isserlis, Boris Pergamenschikov, M. Rostropovitch and Janos Starker in masterclasses. Tim performs on a cello made by Gennaro Gagliano in 1740.

NABIL SHEHATA / double-bass

Having studied at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin, Nabil Shehata won several international competitions including the Julio Cardona Competition in Portugal and the Valentino Bucchi Competition in Rome. At the ARD competition Shehata not only did he receive the first prize but also the coveted audience award. In 2006, he was awarded the Praetorius Prize of the German State of Lower Saxony. In 2003 Daniel Barenboim brought Shehata to the Staatsoper Berlin as the first double bass soloist. One year later Nabil Shehata began his tenure with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the same position. As a soloist he is a frequent guest of prestigious orchestras, such as the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Gulbenkian Orchestra Lissabon, the Bremer Philharmoniker and the Münchener

Kammerorchester. In 2008 he gave his debut as a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim and in the following year he performed as a soloist in the Musikverein in Vienna. Shehata has a special affinity to chamber music repertoire. Together with colleagues of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Tatjana Vassiljewa he founded the Philharmonic String Quintet. Thomas Quasthoff, Nikolaj Znaider and Daniel Barenboim are among his regular chamber music partners. In 2006 Nabil Shehata has increasingly turned toward conducting, receiving encouragement and instruction from Daniel Barenboim, Rolf Reuter, Lawrence Foster, Asher Fisch and Christian Thielemann. He gave his critically acclaimed conducting debut in Cottbus in 2007, and in 2008, he was invited by Gustavo Dudamel to conduct the Simón-Bolívar-Youth-Orchestra in Caracas to great critical and audience acclaim. After the successful production of Mozart’s Der Diener zweier Herren with the Munich Chamber Opera in 2011 he was appointed by the orchestra with immediate effect to their principal conductor. Recently, he has conducted the Dohnányi Orchestra Budapest, the Rundfunkorchester in Ljublijana, the

Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, amongst others. Supporting young artists is particularly valuable to Nabil Shehata. He is strongly committed to the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and his teaching positions have included the Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and since 2007, a professorship at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich.

ALESSANDRO CARBONARE / clarinet Alessandro Carbonare, born in Desenzano del Garda (Italy), is principal clarinet of the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia in Rome since 2003. Prior to this, for 15 years he lived in Paris where he served as principal clarinet of the Orchestre National de France. Carbonare was awarded many international music competitions around the world, among others, Geneva in 1990, Prague in 1991, Toulon in 1991, ARD Munich in 1991 and in 1992, and Paris in 1992. His concerto appearances include the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the National Orchestra of Spain, the Oslo Philarmonic Orchestra, the Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester, the Bayerischer

Rundfunk Munich, the Wien the Sinfonietta, the Orchestre National de France, the Berlin Radio Orchestra and all major Italian orchestras. As principal clarinet, Carbonare also performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Personally invited by Claudio Abbado, he played with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and under him has live-recorded the Mozart clarinet concerto K.622 for Deutsche Grammophon, which won the 49th Record Academy Awards 2013. Many other recordings are available, such as Alessandro Carbonare, the Art of Clarinet for Decca. He often collaborates with many famous musician friends, such as Leonidas Kavakos, Pinkas Zuckerman, Alexandre Lonquich, Lang Lang, Martha Argherich, Paquito D'Riveira, Luis Sclavis, Enrico Pieranunzi and Stefano Bollani. Alessandro Carbonare is an active member of FESNOJIV in Venezuela, teaching music for free to hundreds of underprivileged young people in Caracas. Carbonare is professor at Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and during summer courses at Accademia Chigiana di Siena.

FABIO ZANON / guitar Fabio Zanon is one of the pre-eminent guitarists of today. As a solo and chamber player, author, conductor, teacher and broadcaster, he has sought to expand the perception of the guitar in the concert scene. Born in Brazil, Zanon completed his education at the São Paulo University and at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and he holds a Master of Music degree from the University of London. Although not greatly drawn to competitions, his career had a significant impulse after he won the First Prize at both major international competitions, the Guitar Foundation of America Competition in St Louis and the Tarrega Competition in Spain, within weeks of each other in 1996. Since then, Fabio Zanon has performed in some of the most prestigious halls in the world, including Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Les Invalides in Paris, Weill Hall at Carnegie

Hall in New York, Philharmonie in St Petersburg, KKL in Lucerne, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, Sala Verdi in Milan, to name but a few. He has received many awards for his concerts and recordings, the most unexpected being the award as best concert performance of 2006 in Brazil for his debut as an operatic conductor in Michael Nyman’s The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. He has performed more than 40 different works for guitar and orchestra as a soloist of prestigious orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, BBC Ulster Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra and all the major orchestras in South America. His recording of Francis Hime’s Guitar Concerto, recorded live with the São Paulo Symphony conducted by Alondra de la Parra, was nominated for the 2011 Latin Grammy as Best Classical Recording. He has recently recorded Rodrigo’s

Concierto de Aranjuez with the same orchestra. In 2009, Zanon published his first book, Villa-Lobos, to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the great Brazilian composer.

RUZAN MANTASHYAN / soprano The Armenian young soprano Ruzan Mantashyan began her studies in voice at the Conservatory of Yerevan, and at the age of 17, made her concert debut with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. She furthered her studies at the CUBEC Academy with Mirella Freni, and at the Frankfurt Musikhochschule in the class of Prof. Hedwig Fassbender, where she obtained her post graduate diploma (Master). Since October 2014, she is part of the Atelier Lyrique Young Artists' Programme in Opera National de Paris. Ruzan Mantashyan made her debut as Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in the Pavarotti Theater in Modena. In 2011 she won a special prize at the Francisco Vinas International Singing Contest in Barcelona, and in 2013, she won the Toti dal Monte Singers' Competition in Treviso for the role of Musetta in Puccini’s La Boheme, which she subsequently performed in Treviso, Bolzano, Fermo and Ferrara. Her operatic appearances include the roles of Servilia in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (Modena Theatre), Echo in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos at the Konzerthaus Berlin under the baton of Ivan Fischer and Opera Bastille in Paris under the baton of

Michael Schonwandt, Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in Maison des Arts de Creteil in Paris as well as in Antibes. Recent and forthcoming engagements include her participation in a new opera entitled Way Back Home by Johanna Lee and the role of Diane in Glucks’ Iphigénie en Tauride, both at the Paris National Opera, as well as Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Glyndebourne Festival. Her concert highlights include concerts in honour of the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Piazza Grande in Modena under the baton of Maestro Aldo Sisillo, with Maestro Boris Schaefer and the Mozart Academy Orchestra in Bologna, in Palais Garnier under the baton of Jeremy Rhorer, at the Auditorium of Louvre Museum, amongst others.

MARKOS KLEOVOULOU / baritone Baritone Markos Kleovoulou was born in Cyprus in 1989. He studied at the Milan Conservatory (Conservatorio di musica Giuseppe Verdi) with Vitalba Mosca, from where he received a Bachelors Degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Lyrical Singing and Music Theatre. He has actively participated in a number of master-classes by renowned professors, including Mihail Lanskoj, Heinrich Steinhöfel and Leonardo de Lisi. Markos is equally at ease on the operatic stage, having tackled roles such as Dandini in La Cenerentola and Don Profondo in Il viaggio a Reims by Rossini, Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, Dr. Malatesta in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, and on the Lieder platform, having performed all of Schubert’s Winterreise extensively. Recent highlights include his performance in the 2014 Venice Biennale in two contemporary operas: Magen Zeit by Gabrielle Cosmi (role of Dottor Barbaculo) and Tre cose a caso sull’amore by Claudio Gay (roles of Cristiano, Otello and Dante), both under the baton of Filipo Perocco; the roles of Le Chat and Le Canapé in Ravel’s L’ Enfant et Les Sortileges with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the title role of Rossini’s Il Signor

Bruschino (padre) with the Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, and the role of Uberto in Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona for Giugno Musicale di San Maurizio. Most recently, Markos Kleovoulou has appeared in Milan’s Auditorium singing the role of Duke Bluebeard in Bartok’s The Duke’s Bluebeard Castle with the Orchestra La Verdi, under the direction of Marco Alibrando. The opera was made into a film, directed by Gianmaria Sortino featuring Markos singing the title role and was released in 2015.