MUSIC &… MATH

TRIO CONCEPT
Edoardo Grieco – violin
Francesco Massimino – cello
Lorenzo Nguyen – piano

BACH: Siciliano, from the Sonata for Flute, BWV 1031 (arr. for solo piano)
RAVEL: Trio in A minor
XENAKIS: Dhipli Zyia, for violin and cello
SHOSTAKOVICH: Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67

This program explores both Apollonian outcomes, marked by order and beauty, and Dionysian ones, full of tension and drama, derived from the application of mathematical formulas in music, moving from Bach’s simplicity to Xenakis’ complexity, from Ravel’s balance to Shostakovich’s dramatic intensity.

Trio Concept was formed in 2013 when three young musicians from Turin—Edoardo Grieco (violin), Francesco Massimino (cello), and Lorenzo Nguyen (piano)—came together.

In October 2024, the ensemble chose to change its original name, Trio Chagall, to Trio Concept, highlighting the cohesion of an artistic journey spanning more than a decade, centered on the concept of the Trio as the core of musical activity and a constant creative impulse. The new name is inspired by the verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, reflecting the Trio’s artistic mission: to seek and present beauty, which, preserved in every work, is reborn through performance, just as the sculptor reveals the perfect form within a block of marble.

Trio Concept was named ECHO Rising Star for the 2025/2026 season. After a three-week residency at the Verbier Festival Academy in 2024, the ensemble received the Prix Yves Paternot, the festival’s highest honor, in recognition of their exceptional talent and artistic value.

In June 2023, after passing three rounds of selection and triumphing in the final at Wigmore Hall, London, the Trio became a YCAT Artist. The same year, they won first prize at the Schoenfeld International Competition in Harbin (China) and were chosen as Ensemble in Residence for ProQuartet in Paris.

In Italy, Trio Concept won second prize—first prize not awarded—and three special awards at the “Premio Trio di Trieste” in 2019, becoming, at an average age of just twenty, the youngest chamber ensemble ever awarded in the competition’s history. They were also selected by the Accademia Chigiana jury as winners of the “Premio Giovanna Maniezzo”, named “Ensemble of the Year 2020/2021” by Le Dimore del Quartetto, and subsequently served as ensemble in residence for the Comitato Amur for 2023/2024. The Trio has been supported by the Associazione De Sono.

Recently, Trio Concept debuted Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in Taiwan and collaborated with artists such as Bruno Giuranna, Mathieu Herzog, and Giampaolo Pretto.

The Trio is committed to discovering and promoting new repertoire, commissioning new works to present the music of the present alongside that of the past. In addition to concerts, they are active in fostering dialogue with audiences and engaging younger generations through school visits and concerts for children. They have been invited to give masterclasses at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (England) and the Lyceum Mozarteum de la Habana (Cuba).

Trio Concept has performed in prestigious venues, including Wigmore Hall (London), the Verbier Festival, Konzerthaus (Berlin), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Teatro La Fenice (Venice), and the National Concert Hall (Taipei).

Edoardo Grieco plays a Pietro Antonio Landolfi violin from 1766, generously lent by Irene Miller and the Beares International Violin Society, while Francesco Massimino plays the “Oro del Reno” cello, built by Gaetano Sgarabotto in 1948 in Milan.

ANASTASIA KOBEKINA, cello – JEAN-SÉLIM ABDELMOULA, piano

SCHUMANN: Fantasiestücke, op. 73
BRAHMS: Sonata No. 1 in E minor, op. 38
DEBUSSY: Sonata No. 1 in D minor
FRANCK: Sonata in A major

Described by Le Figaro as an “unrivaled musician”, Anastasia Kobekina is renowned for her musicality and breathtaking technique, her extraordinary versatility, and her infectious personality.

As a soloist, Kobekina has performed with world-renowned orchestras such as Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Wiener Symphoniker, BBC Philharmonic, Kremerata Baltica, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow, Wiener Kammerorchester, Symphoniker Hamburg, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony, under the direction of Krzysztov Penderecki, Heinrich Schiff, Omer Meir Wellber, Vladimir Spivakov, Charles Dutoit, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Xian Zhang, and Dmitrij Kitajenko.

Highlights of the 2023/24 season included concerts with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich conducted by Paavo Järvi, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jakub Hrusa, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Belgique, as well as performances at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, and the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.

Anastasia Kobekina has won awards in international competitions such as the Tchaikovsky Competition (St. Petersburg 2019) and the Enescu Competition (Bucharest 2016). She was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2018 to 2021 and became a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Artist receiving an award in 2022. The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival selected her for its Leonard Bernstein Award 2024.

She performs at major venues and festivals including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Lincoln Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Zurich, Les Flâneries Musicales de Reims, the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, Wigmore Hall, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Rheingau Music Festival.

Anastasia Kobekina is an exclusive Sony Classical artist, and her debut album Venice was released in February 2024.

Born in Russia, she began studying cello at the age of four. She studied with Frans Helmerson and Jens-Peter Maintz in Germany, and later in Paris with Jerome Pernoo. She currently studies baroque cello with Kristin von der Goltz in Frankfurt. She plays a 1698 Antonio Stradivari cello, generously loaned by the Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger.

Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula leads a dynamic and varied musical life as both a pianist and composer. During the 2023/24 season, he performed concerts worldwide; notable appearances included the Vancouver Recital Society, Wigmore Hall, Casals Forum Kronberg, Stadthaus Winterthur, and Unione Musicale Torino.

He recorded the complete solo piano works of Janáček, using the composer’s original piano, including previously unrecorded works, with release scheduled soon. As a composer, in 2023 he received a commission for a new piano trio from the Orpheus Chamber Music Competition and wrote the soundtrack for the film Colombine directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard.

This season, Abdelmoula returns to perform at Wigmore Hall, the Heidelberger Frühling Festival, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, and will play Schumann’s Concerto at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham.

Born in Switzerland, Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula studied at HEMU Lausanne with Christian Favre, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Ronan O’Hora, the Royal Conservatory Toronto, the Kronberg Academy with Sir András Schiff and Ferenc Rados, and finally at the Barenboim-Said Akademie with Jörg Widmann. He attended masterclasses with Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, György Kurtág, among others.

He has received numerous awards, including the Guildhall Wigmore Prize, the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Award (Boston), and first prizes at the Ciurlionis Piano Competition (Vilnius), Grieg Composition Competition, YCAT International Auditions, and the Concours d’Interprétation de Lausanne.

He has performed extensively internationally, both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles, in venues such as the Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Koerner Hall (Toronto), Banff Music Centre, 92nd Street Y, and Weill Recital Hall (New York), as well as in festivals including the Lucerne Festival, Prussia Cove IMS, and Schumannfest Düsseldorf.

His compositions have been performed by artists such as Heinz Holliger, Antje Weithaas, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sylvia Nopper, Gilles Colliard, and Einar Steen-Nokleberg, and by ensembles including Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse, Swiss Chamber Soloists, Camerata Bern, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Quartetto Sine Nomine, and Ensemble Séquence.

Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula travels, whenever possible, with an 88-key electric keyboard carried like a backpack, performing freely and bringing music into the heart of the community: schools, hospitals, and care homes.

HESPÈRION XXI

THE GARDEN OF THE HESPERIDES
From the Old World to the New

Music by Diego Ortiz, Gaspar Sanz, Pedro Guerrero, Santiago de Murcia, Francisco Correa de Arauxo, and traditional Occitan and Sephardic pieces.

Jordi Savall is one of the most versatile musical personalities of his generation. For over fifty years, he has brought to light musical treasures that had remained in the shadows of indifference and oblivion. Devoted to the study of early music, he reads and interprets it with his viola da gamba or as a conductor. His activities as a performer, teacher, researcher, and creator of new projects, both musical and cultural, make him one of the leading figures in the revival of historical music.

He is the founder, together with Montserrat Figueras, of the groups Hespèrion XXI (1974), La Capella Reial de Catalunya (1987), and Le Concert des Nations (1989), with which he explores and creates a universe of emotions and beauty, offering it to millions of music lovers. Through his participation in Alain Corneau’s film Tous les matins du monde (winner of the César Award for Best Soundtrack), his intense activity as a performer (about 140 concerts per year), his discography (6 recordings per year), and the creation in 1998, with Montserrat Figueras, of his own record label, Alia Vox, Jordi Savall demonstrates that early music is not necessarily elitist, but appeals to a wide audience of all ages, increasingly large and diverse.

Over his long career, he has published more than 230 recordings of medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical music, with special attention to the Iberian and Mediterranean musical heritage. These recordings have earned recognition such as the Midem Awards, the International Classical Music Awards, and a Grammy Award. His concert programs have made music a tool for fostering understanding and peace between different, sometimes conflicting, peoples and cultures.

In 2008, Jordi Savall was appointed European Union Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and, together with Montserrat Figueras, named “Artist for Peace” within UNESCO’s “Goodwill Ambassadors” program.

Between 2020 and 2021, on the occasion of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, he conducted the complete symphonies with the orchestra Le Concert des Nations and recorded them in two CDs titled Beethoven Révolution. His prolific musical career has been recognized with the highest national and international honors, including the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the Universities of Évora, Barcelona, Leuven, Basel, and Utrecht, the appointment as Knight of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic, the International Music for Peace Award from the Ministry of Culture and Science of Lower Saxony, the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Helena Vaz da Silva Prize, and the Léonie Sonning Prize. He is also an honorary member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

In 1974, Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, together with Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith, founded in Basel Hespèrion XX, an early music ensemble aiming to recover and disseminate the rich and fascinating musical repertoire prior to the 19th century based on historical criteria and original instruments. Its name, Hespèrion, means “from Hesperia,” which in Ancient Greece referred to the westernmost peninsulas of Europe, namely the Iberian and Italian peninsulas. It was also the name given to the planet Venus when it appeared in the West.

Hespèrion XX, from 2000 onwards, changed its name to Hespèrion XXI. Hespèrion XXI is today an essential reference for understanding the evolution of music from the Middle Ages to the Baroque. From the beginning, Hespèrion XXI adopted a clear and innovative artistic direction that has set a standard in the global early music scene.

Its repertoire includes, among other things, works from the Sephardic repertoire, Castilian romances, pieces from the Spanish Golden Age, and the Europe of Nations. Hespèrion XXI continues to play a key role in the recovery and reevaluation of musical heritage, with a significant worldwide impact. The ensemble has released over 60 recordings, performs concerts worldwide, and regularly participates in major international early music festivals.

With the support of the Departament de Cultura of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Institut Ramon Llull consortium.

SMALL, GREAT MUSIC: “MY BROTHER AMADÉ A Fairy Tale in Sonata Form”

MY BROTHER AMADÉ
A Fairy Tale in Sonata Form

The show tells the story of the extraordinary childhood of the brothers “Amadé” and “Nannerl” Mozart, of their experiences as children and as musicians.
We will narrate their great talent, their long journeys across Europe, their performances as child prodigies, and their shared passion: music. A passion that was everything to them: study and sacrifice, but also fun and play. For the two brothers, every musical phrase was a character, and every sonata told a fantastic story. A fairy tale in Sonata Form.

The show is part of the project The Story of Music, an educational initiative that fosters listening to others through classical music, storytelling, and theatrical languages.

By Pasquale Buonarota, Alessandro Pisci, and Diego Mingolla
Dramaturgical collaboration: Eleonora Mino

Featuring:
Pasquale Buonarota, actor
Diego Mingolla, piano

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Illustrations by Anna Guazzotti

A production of Fondazione Teatro Ragazzi e Giovani Onlus, in collaboration with Unione Musicale Onlus and Associazione Culturale TZIM TZUM

 

Full price ticket: € 15.00

Discounted ticket (partner organizations): € 13.00

Season subscribers (2025/2026 Concert Season): € 10.00

University students and under 30: € 8.00

Under 18, students under 30 from Conservatories, affiliated Music Schools and Music High Schools,
students enrolled in DAMS Degree Courses, Master’s Degree in Performing Arts, and ProGEAS Unifi: € 5.00

HAGEN QUARTETT: The Quartet World

BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135

WEBERN: Five Pieces, Op. 5; Six Bagatelles, Op. 9

SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, “Der Tod und das Mädchen”

 

The Hagen Quartett has achieved a position of excellence among the finest ensembles of our time. For over four decades, the Hagen has performed worldwide and built a historic discography of nearly fifty recordings. Based in Salzburg, the Hagen Quartett celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021. Beyond its extraordinary performances, the Quartet is distinguished by its remarkable fidelity to the musical score, reflected in the enormous success it has achieved over its long career.

Recent seasons have included performances in the major musical capitals of the world, including numerous concerts at the Wigmore Hall and the Cité de la Musique. The Hagen Quartett opened the First Biennial String Quartet Festival at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, toured Asia with three concerts in Tokyo, and shared the stage with Sol Gabetta and Jörg Widmann. Additionally, the Quartet recorded a highly anticipated Brahms program for Myrios Classics with pianist Kirill Gerstein.

The Hagen Quartett has performed regularly in North America for decades. Recent highlights include a complete Beethoven cycle at 92Y in New York, a Brahms program with pianist Kirill Gerstein at Duke University, and concerts in Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Montréal, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

The latest recording of the Hagen Quartett, featuring Mozart’s String Quartets K. 387 and K. 458, received the Diapason d’Or and the Choc de Classica award, as well as the prestigious ECHO Klassik (2016). In 2011, the Hagen celebrated its 30th anniversary with two recordings for Myrios Classics featuring works by Mozart, Webern, Beethoven, Grieg, and Brahms. That same year, the Hagen won the ECHO Klassik Award as Ensemble of the Year; in 2012, the Quartet was named Honorary Member of the Konzerthaus Vienna.

Shortly after its founding in 1981, the Hagen Quartett signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, leading to the production of forty-five albums over the next twenty years, covering a wide repertoire and producing some of the most iconic string quartet recordings.

Lukas, Veronika, and Clemens Hagen are siblings who have played together for almost their entire lives; Rainer Schmidt joined the group in 1987. Throughout its career, the Hagen has collaborated with renowned artists such as György Kurtág, Maurizio Pollini, Mitsuko Uchida, Sabine Meyer, Krystian Zimerman, Heinrich Schiff, Jörg Widmann, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

The Hagen Quartett is regarded as the archetype of sound quality, ensemble performance, and genuine commitment to the works and composers. All four musicians pursue extensive teaching activities at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Hochschule in Basel, as well as in numerous international masterclasses.

SIMPLY QUARTET: The Quartet World

HAYDN: String Quartet in A major, Op. 20 No. 6, Hob. III:36

BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 5 in B-flat major

SMETANA: String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, “From My Life”

 

SIMPLY QUARTET

Danfeng Shen, violin
Antonia Rankersberger, violin
Xiang Lyu, viola
Ivan Valentin Hollup Roald, cello

The extensive repertoire of the Simply Quartet spans from early Classical works to recent compositions by living composers.
In their constant pursuit of utmost authenticity, the four musicians immerse themselves in the thorough study of scores, decoding the musical text with great curiosity.

The current formation of the quartet was consolidated during studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, where the musicians worked closely with their most important mentor, Johannes Meissl.
The quartet was founded in Shanghai, where Jensen Horn-Sin Lam supported the ensemble from its inception.
Other fundamental mentors include Hatto Beyerle and Patrick Jüdt (European Chamber Music Academy / ECMA), Günter Pichler, and Gerhard Schulz (Alban Berg Quartet).

The Simply Quartet has won the First Prize at four prestigious international chamber music competitions:

  • Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition (2019)

  • Quatuor à Bordeaux (2019)

  • International Chamber Music Competition Franz Schubert and Modern Music (2018)

  • 7th Joseph Haydn International Chamber Music Competition (2017)

In the 2021/22 season, the Simply Quartet was selected for the ECHO Rising Stars project, with debuts in some of Europe’s most important concert halls.
Currently, the quartet is a regular guest at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, BOZAR Brussels, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, as well as at renowned festivals such as the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg.
They have also toured Colombia and China.

In the current season, the quartet is scheduled to perform at the Philharmonie Berlin, the Wigmore Hall London, Flagey Brussels, the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, and the Louvre Paris.
Additionally, starting in autumn 2024, the quartet has begun teaching as Guest Professors at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music (ZJCM).

  • Danfeng Shen plays a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin (1753), kindly provided by the MERITO String Instruments Trust GmbH.

  • Antonia Rankersberger plays a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin (“ex Beare – ex Tetzlaff”, Turin, 1776), on loan from the Austrian National Bank.

  • Xiang Lyu plays a viola by Edgar Russ (2010).

  • Ivan Valentin Hollup Roald plays a Giovanni Battista Ceruti cello (1801), generously loaned by a private collector.

ABEL SELAOCOE, cello

SELAOCOE: Pula

TRADITIONAL SOUTH AFRICAN: Senzeni na

NOBUTO: Living

DALL’ABACO: Capriccio No. 5

ALEXANDER: Alva’s Riff

SELAOCOE: Sefako; Tshepo

BACH: Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 (Prélude)

VAN DER AA / SELAOCOE: Entanglements ★

 

The South African cellist Abel Selaocoe has established himself as one of the most innovative voices in the reimagining of classical music.
Redefining the expressive boundaries of the cello, he moves effortlessly across a multitude of genres and styles — from collaborations with jazz and world music artists to solo and orchestral performances.

Selaocoe combines virtuosic technique with improvisation, singing, and body percussion, devoting himself passionately to composition and the creation of programs that highlight the connections between Western and non-Western musical traditions, thereby broadening the horizons of classical music and making it accessible to a more diverse audience.

In 2023, he was awarded the RPS Instrumentalist Award for his performances and collaborations that “shine with creativity, leaving audiences with an overwhelming sense of joy and inspiration.”

Driven by curiosity, Abel continually develops new projects with contemporary artists, collaborating with musicians of every genre, including Bernhard Schimpelsberger, Seckou Keita, Manchester Collective, Giovanni Sollima, and Dudù Kouaté.
In 2016, he founded the trio Chesaba, specializing in music from the African continent — including many of his own compositions — and in 2022, he created the Bantu Ensemble, with which he brings his music to audiences around the world.

He currently serves as Artistic Partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Artist in Association with the BBC Singers, and Artist in Residence at the Kölner Philharmonie, performing regularly with each of these institutions throughout the season.

In the 2024/25 season, Selaocoe made his debut at the Verbier Festival with a solo recital and embarked on an international tour with the Bantu Ensemble, which included the group’s debuts at Carnegie Hall, the La Jolla Music Society, and the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival.
He also toured the United Kingdom and Europe with the Manchester Collective.

Selaocoe performed his Cello Concerto Four Spirits during the 2024/25 season, appearing with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and on a European tour with the Aurora Orchestra, featuring performances in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Isarphilharmonie Munich, and Southbank Centre London.

The 2024/25 season also featured the world premieres of two new Selaocoe compositions, commissioned respectively by the Signum Quartet and The Hermes Experiment, and presented in October 2024 at the Kölner Philharmonie and in November 2024 at Wigmore Hall.

He completed the International Artist Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music in July 2018.
In May 2021, he was selected as one of the first participants in the PRS Foundation’s Power Up Music Creator program — an initiative aimed at addressing anti-Black racism and racial inequality in the music industry.
In July 2021, he received a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for his compositional work.

Selaocoe performs on a copy of a 1735 Montagnana cello, made in 2020 by Robin Aitchison with the generous support of the Alan Powell Trust.
He is an exclusive artist with Warner Classics.

★ Work co-commissioned by:

Princeton University Concerts, USA
Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, USA
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, USA
through the noise, United Kingdom
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany
Kölner Philharmonie, Germany
Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Netherlands
Cello Biennale Amsterdam, Netherlands
De Singel Antwerp, Belgium
Pierre Boulez Saal Berlin, Germany
Tauberphilharmonie Weikersheim, Germany
MünchenMusik, Germany
Società del Quartetto di Milano, Italy
Unione Musicale, Italy
Amici della Musica, Florence, Italy

STEPHEN WAARTS, violin– JUHO POHJONEN, piano

GRIEG: Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13

ADÈS: Märchentänze

SIBELIUS: Mazurka, Rondino and Walzer from “Five Pieces for Violin and Piano,” Op. 81

ELGAR: Sonata in E minor, Op. 82

 

The 2024/25 season marked Stephen Waarts’ debuts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing Brahms’s Violin Concerto under the baton of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla; with the Oregon Symphony and Hannu Lintu in Barber’s Concerto; with the Orchestre de Picardie and Johanna Malangré in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2; and with the Israel Camerata and Marc Minkowski in a program dedicated to Bach and Mozart.

Stephen also returns to collaborate with the Hallé Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Szczecin Philharmonic, working with Thomas Adès, Markus Poschner and Sir András Schiff.

Among the highlights of recent seasons are performances with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Berner Symphonieorchester, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Fort Worth Symphony, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, under conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Sir András Schiff, Marin Alsop, Constantinos Carydis, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Dalia Stasevska, Robert Spano, Maxime Pascal, Markus Stenz and Elim Chan.

A passionate chamber musician and recitalist, Waarts collaborates regularly with Sir András Schiff, Francesco Piemontesi, Daniel Müller-Schott, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Timothy Ridout, Tabea Zimmermann and Martin Helmchen. He has performed at major international festivals including Aspen, Marlboro, Gstaad and Rheingau, and in recital at Philharmonie Luxembourg, Philharmonie Haarlem, Fundación Juan March, Lincoln Center, Auditorium du Louvre, Boulez Saal, San Francisco Performances and Vancouver Recital Society.

In the current season, he is scheduled to appear in recital at the Bath Mozartfest, Edesche Concertzaal, Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

In 2022, he released his first concerto recording for Alpha Classics, dedicated to Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Camerata Schweiz conducted by Howard Griffiths. His discography also includes Hindemith’s Kammermusik No. 4, part of the Ondine Classic cycle with Christoph Eschenbach, the Kronberg Academy Soloists and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (2020).

Stephen Waarts studied at the Kronberg Academy with Mihaela Martin and at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Aaron Rosand. In 2019, he received the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra Award at the International Classical Music Awards. In 2017, he was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Soloist Prize at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, where he performs regularly. In 2015, following his participation in Krzyżowa-Music, he received a scholarship from the Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund. That same year, his success at the Queen Elizabeth Competition — further confirmed by the overwhelming vote of the television audience — marked his international breakthrough.

The Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen is internationally acclaimed for his unique and compelling musical expression. He has performed across Europe, Asia, and North America, distinguishing himself as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. His repertoire often includes works by Finnish composers such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho and Jean Sibelius, reflecting his deep connection with Scandinavian music.

Highlights of the current season include performances of Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Vinay Parameswaran, and a return to Wigmore Hall alongside Stephen Waarts and Jonathan Swensen. In Finland, he appears at the Lux Musicae Festival, while in North America he continues his collaboration with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing at Lincoln Center, in various U.S. cities, and with the LA Chamber Orchestra.

In the previous season, he performed Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings with Erin Keefe, the Kymi Sinfonietta and Osmo Vänskä, and Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Giedrė Šlekytė. He has also appeared at major European festivals including Festspiele Südtirol, Amsterdam Chamber Festival and Surrey Hills International Music Festival. In the U.S., he toured with the Chamber Music Society, performing in Grand Rapids, Virginia, Florida and at Alice Tully Hall.

As a soloist, he has performed with leading orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Danish National Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Tonhalle Zürich, collaborating with conductors including Marin Alsop, Marek Janowski, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä and Pinchas Zukerman.

In recital, he has appeared in Antwerp, Hamburg, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Warsaw and Wigmore Hall (London). In North America, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Philadelphia, San Francisco, La Jolla, Detroit and Vancouver. He has been a guest artist at festivals such as Lucerne, Savonlinna, Bergen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Mostly Mozart Festival.

His discography demonstrates the depth and refinement of his musical language. His recent album Visionaries of the Keyboard (Orchid Records) combines Rameau’s baroque elegance with Scriabin’s modern mysticism. He has also recorded Poltéra Plays Prokofiev with cellist Christian Poltéra, featuring Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata and Brett Dean’s Rooms of Elsinore. His debut recording on Dacapo, Plateaux, includes the Piano Concerto by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. With Petteri Iivonen and Samuli Peltonen, he founded the Sibelius Trio, recording an album for Yarlung Records celebrating the centenary of Finland’s independence.

He began his studies in 1989 at the Junior Academy of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Meri Louhos, and later earned his Master’s degree under Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna. Winner of the 2009 Klavier-Festival Ruhr Scholarship awarded by Sir András Schiff, he has also been a student of the Kronberg Academy and a laureate of numerous international and national competitions.

In 2019, he designed MyPianist, an AI-based iOS app functioning as a “virtual pianist”, offering interactive accompaniments to musicians worldwide. Designed and developed by Pohjonen himself, the app adapts in real time to the performer’s interpretation, following tempo and expression with remarkable sensitivity.

SMALL, GREAT MUSIC

PIZZ’N’ CLICK: THE NOTES THROUGH TIME

An interactive musical show for children and families

 

Madame Swarowski, an elegant cellist, waits on stage for her colleague Puña, a clumsy violinist with a passion for technology.
Puña, however, is still at home, busy building a time machine which, once activated, turns out to be very difficult to control!

The quirky duo is comically propelled through different historical periods, traveling from prehistoric times to the present day.
Through changes in costumes, habits, and behavior, the audience will discover how musical instruments have evolved over time and how music and its interpretation have changed as well.

Concept and direction: Eleonora Savini and Federica Vecchio
Costumes: Rosamaria Francucci, Elisabetta Dagostino
Video making, audio/video editing: Eleonora Savini
Musical arrangements by: Eleonora Savini

Featuring:

Eleonora Savini (violin, movement, voice) as Puña
Federica Vecchio (cello, movement, voice) as Madame Swarowski / Mister Swarowsko

A production by Unione Musicale Kids

Musical Program:

  • SAVINI: Rhythmic Bodies

  • SAVINI / VECCHIO: Tribal Dance

  • SAVINI: Tetrachord Music

  • CORELLI: Concerto Grosso, Op. 6 No. 8: Adagio

  • PACHELBEL: Canon in D Major, P 37

  • MOZART: Deh, vieni alla finestra, from “Don Giovanni”

  • CHOPIN: Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35: Grave – Double Movement

  • SAVINI: Scattin’ Twenties; Invite to Rock’n’Roll; Pizz’n’Zip Rock’n’Roll Version

  • SAVINI / VECCHIO: Pizz’n’Zip Theme Dance Version

 

Full price ticket: € 15.00

Discounted ticket (partner organizations): € 13.00

Season subscribers (2025/2026 Concert Season): € 10.00

University students and under 30: € 8.00

Under 18, students under 30 from Conservatories, affiliated Music Schools and Music High Schools,
students enrolled in DAMS Degree Courses, Master’s Degree in Performing Arts, and ProGEAS Unifi: € 5.00

AN INVITATION TO THE OPERETTA

A Journey into the Wonderful World of Operetta
with the Compagnia Lirica Livornese
in collaboration with FirenzeOnStage
at the Teatro Niccolini in Florence
Sunday, November 2nd, at 5:00 p.m.

Invitation to the Operetta brings back to the stage the most beloved arias and duets by Lehár, Ranzato, Lombardo, Costa, and Kálmán — from the sparkling melodies of The Land of Bells (Il Paese dei Campanelli) to the enchanting atmosphere of The Merry Widow (La Vedova Allegra).

With Cosetta Gigli, Matteo Micheli, Paola Pacelli, Massimo Gentili, and Franco Bocci,
conducted by Stefania Casu at the piano.

An elegant and light-hearted afternoon to rediscover the joy and charm of a genre that has made generations of audiences dream.