Friday 12 February 2027 | 20h00

Brahms · Mendelssohn
Conservatoire de Musique de Genève

Sergey Ostrovsky is a solo violinist, conductor, founder and first violin of the Aviv String Quartet for 27 seasons, founder and Artistic Director of the ‘Ensemble Symphonique de Genève’ and has taught violin at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève and Neuchâtel since 2009. He was First Solo Violin of the ‘Orchestre de la Suisse Romande’ from 2007 to 2012. He was also First Solo Violin of the ‘Orquesta de la Communidad Valenciana’ from 2012 to 2015.

Sergey Ostrovsky won the Grand Prize at the 3rd Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. He is a laureate of the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, 2nd Prize winner of the ‘Schubert and Modernity’ International Competition in Graz (Schubert Prize), as well as a laureate of the ‘Prague Spring’ International Competition and the Rodolfo Lipitzer Prize.

As a soloist, Sergey Ostrovsky plays with prestigious orchestras such as the ‘Orchestre de la Suisse Romande’, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra (Poland), the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the ‘Orquesta de la Communidad Valenciana’, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the ‘Luzerner Sinfonieorchester’ and the Israel Chamber Orchestra.

A passionate conductor, Sergey Ostrovsky is regularly invited to conduct in Switzerland, Spain, Russia, Estonia, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Latvia and Israel.

In 2015, Sergey Ostrovsky created a string ensemble, the ‘Solistes de Neuchâtel’, and in 2023 the ‘Ensemble Symphonique de Genève’. Sergey Ostrovsky's role as artistic director of the’ Ensemble Symphonique de Genève’ is multifaceted, both as an ‘artistic manager’ and as a musician ‘involved’ in the performances. From the latter point of view, he will be able to conduct the orchestra from the podium but also conduct the violin as a soloist.

As a chamber musician, Sergey Ostrovsky has played in the world's most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Louvre Auditorium, the ‘Théâtre du Châtelet’, London's Wigmore Hall and the Sydney Opera House. His ‘Aviv String Quartet’ has also made numerous recordings (Hoffmeister, Dohnanyi, Shostakovich, Schubert, Schulhoff, etc.), some of which have received critical acclaim.

Noémie Bialobroda has been the violist of the Aviv Quartet since 2014, leading an active international career with the ensemble. Their performance of Beethoven’s complete string quartets at the Ansermet Studio in Geneva in 2018-2019 was a great success and strengthened their presence in French-speaking Switzerland.

Noémie Bialobroda, passionate about teaching, is since 2025, viola professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon. She is also Chamber Music Professor and Chamber Music Coordinator at the Haute École de Musique de Genève. Previously, she taught at the Conservatoire de Lausanne and the Conservatoire de Genève. During the summer, she teaches at the Flaine International Music Academy. Her students have won prizes in prestigious national and international competitions.

In recognition of her contributions to music, Noémie Bialobroda was awarded the Leenaards Foundation cultural grant in the music category in 2024.

As a performer, she is invited to renowned concert seasons and festivals, including Wigmore Hall (London), the IRCAM Manifeste Festival, and the Cité de la Musique (Paris), among others. She performs with artists such as Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Yovan Markovitch, Luis Claret, Boris Garlitsky, François Guye, Philippe Müller, Tedi Papavrami, Jean Sulem, Jean-Pierre Wallez, and the Rosamonde Quartet, giving concerts across Europe, Israel, and the United States.

Dedicated to contemporary music, Noémie has premiered two solo viola pieces at IRCAM: Caprice for Solo Viola and Electronics by Japanese composer Keita Matsumiya (2012) and Drifting by Pierre Stordeur (2013). She is also regularly invited to perform with the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt and the Contrechamps ensemble in Geneva.

Noémie Bialobroda studied with Nobuko Imai and Miguel Da Silva at the Haute école de Musique de Genève and later at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she completed an Artist Diploma (third cycle) with Professor Jean Sulem.

Noémie Bialobroda is the co-founder and artistic director of the Geneva International String Academy.

In 1996, Romain Guyot - the first to be nominated - won the prestigious Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York, a distinction which has taken him throughout the United States and Japan as a soloist and in recital. Romain Guyot is one of the world's leading clarinettists. “His dreamy sound, his phrasing linked by an immense breath, and his Belcanist articulation place him alongside the greatest performers”. Le Monde.

At the age of 16, Romain Guyot was chosen for 3 years to be principal clarinet of the European Union Youth Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he obtained 2 first prizes in clarinet and chamber music.

At the age of 22, he was appointed principal clarinet of the Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Paris. He remained there for 10 years, and just after leaving this position, Claudio Abbado and Daniel Harding asked him to become principal clarinet of the Malher Chamber Orchestra, where he remained from 2003 to 2006.

In January 2008, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE) chose him as their new principal clarinettist. As a soloist, Romain Guyot has performed throughout Europe, Japan, Korea, South America and the United States. With orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Tokyo Mozart Players, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, Ulster BBC Orchestra... in the most important concert halls, including New York (92nd Street Y and Alice Tully Hall) - Washington (Kennedy Center and Library of Congress) - Tokyo (Suntory Hall) - Seoul (Arts Center) - Amsterdam (Concertgebouw) - Berlin (Philharmonie) - Dublin (National Concert Hall) - Belfast (Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall) - Moscow (Conservatory and Pushkin Museum) - St Petersburg (Philharmonie)...

Passionate about chamber music, he plays with eminent artists such as pianists : Myung-Wung Chung, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, François-Frédéric Guy, Christian Ivaldi, Roger Muraro, Momo Kodama, Emmanuel Strosser, Alexandre Tharaud; violinists : Isabelle Faust, Ilia Gringolts, Gordan Nikolich, Régis Pasquier; cellists: Marc Coppey, Xavier Philipps, Jean-Guihen Queyras; string quartets: Artis, Lindsay, Parisii, Sine Nomine, Vanbrugh, Ysaye... He was a member of the Claude Debussy Wind Quintet, with which he won the Tokyo and Münich (ARD) competitions, and is a member of the Paris-Bastille wind ensemble with François Leleux (oboe), Laurent Lefèvre (bassoon) and Hervé Joulain (horn). Romain Guyot has premiered works by N. Bacri, M.A. Dalbavie, P. Hersant, J.C. Marti and P. Leroux. Marti and P. Leroux, and has recorded a dozen works for the Harmonia-Mundi, EMI and Naïve labels. A sports and mountain enthusiast, Romain Guyot is a marathon runner, mountain biker, swimmer, fencer, skier and mountaineer!

In September 2004, he climbed Mont Blanc with his Green Line clarinet to give a recital... the highest in the world! A physical and technical feat unique in the world of music. To mark the 10th anniversary of the Green Line material, Buffet Crampon organized this anniversary concert and took up a new challenge: to make the clarinet heard even higher... from the summit of Mont Blanc... on the roof of Europe! This adventure, supervised by mountain guides Gilles Burdin and Thierry Olivier, and by Philippe Leconte (Public and Artistic Relations at Buffet Crampon), was filmed by Bruno Peyronnet, from the preparations to the concert at the summit (DVD “Concerto pour mitaines” available from Buffet Crampon).

Since 2009, he is professor at la Haute école de musique de Genève.

Green Line material (95% ebony powder and 5% carbon fiber) has the look and feel of natural wood, and owes its success to its acoustic qualities, identical to ebony, and its resistance to temperature variations (thermal shock).

Romain Guyot is artistic advisor to Buffet Crampon and Rico International. He plays Tosca Green Line clarinets (Bb and A).

GISA Ambassador: Contact Cheng Io Lo

Violinist Cheng Io Lo has performed at some of the world’s most renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall, among others. In 2023, she made her solo debut at Alice Tully Hall, performing with the Columbia University Orchestra under the baton of Jeffrey Milarsky. Cheng Io has earned recognition in several esteemed competitions, including first prizes at the International Grande Music Competition, Columbia University Concerto Competition, Manhattan School of Music Chamber Music Competition, National Young Virtuosi Recital Competition, the 4th Hong Kong International Violin Competition, and the Macau Young Musicians Competition.

In 2014, Cheng Io was awarded the Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau Prize, which granted her a full scholarship to study with Nicholas Mann at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division. There, she served as concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra and received the Patinka Kopec Precollege Violin Scholarship. A National YoungArts Winner, she has appeared on NPR’s From the Top with her string quartet and has participated in solo public masterclasses with artists such as Philippe Graffin, Kyung Wha Chung, Augustin Hadelich, Sergey Malov, and David Waterman. She has also collaborated with members of the Emerson, Juilliard, Brentano, Borromeo, and American String Quartets. Her past festival appearances include IMS Prussia Cove, Schiermonnikoog, Yellow Barn, Kneisel Hall, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, the Heifetz International Music Institute, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

Cheng Io is also an active contributor to the classical music community as the Streaming and Digital Media Coordinator at The Violin Channel. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Business Management from Columbia University, graduating cum laude with honors, and a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Laurie Smukler and Daniel Phillips. She will begin her Artist Diploma studies at The Colburn School in Fall 2025 under Margaret Batjer.

Céleste Klingelschmitt is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, where she studies with Stéphanie-Marie Degand and Julien Szulman. She obtained her Master’s degree in Violin with highest honors in 2024.

She has recently performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Orchestre Colonne conducted by Christophe Coin, Brahms’s Violin Concerto with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas, and will perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 at the Cité de la Musique in Paris in February 2026.

A passionate chamber musician, she performs with various ensembles, has studied with Claire Désert and François Salque, and has appeared on the radio programme “Générations France Musique” as part of a piano trio.

Alongside her studies of the modern violin, Céleste Klingelschmitt has devoted herself for several years to historically informed performance practice. She has worked under the direction of Ton Koopman and John Butt, and has performed as a soloist in Bach’s Double Concerto with Stéphanie-Marie Degand and La Diane Française.

In 2024, she began a Master’s degree in Baroque Violin with François Fernandez and has also studied the viola da gamba with Lucile Boulanger.

A laureate of the Fondation l’Or du Rhin, the Académie de Villecroze, the Schiermonnikoog Festival Violin Prize and the Fondation Safran, Céleste Klingelschmitt won second prize at the Leipzig Bach Competition in 2026.

Varvara Vasylieva is a Ukrainian violinist based in Berlin. As a soloist over the last few years she performed with the Sinfonieorchester Basel in Stadtcasino Basel, the Mriya Orchestra in Die Glocke, Laeiszhalle and Berlin Philharmonie and regularly gives concerts with the Kyiv Philharmonic Orchestra.

She is a laureate of several competitions, such the Max Rostal International Competition (2nd Prize), the Odesa International Violin Competition (3rd Prize) and the Ysaÿe International Music Competition (1st Prize) among others.

Varvara finished her Bachelor at the Hochschule für Musik Basel in classes of Prof. Barbara Doll and Claudio Martínez Mehner and currently pursues her Master Degree at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, Berlin with Prof. Antje Weithaas.

She has actively participated in numerous festivals, such as the Zwischentöne Engelberg, Beethovenfest Bonn, Riehener Serenaden, Im Spiegel, Fiskars Summer Festival and performed alongside inspiring musicians such as Valentin Erben, Claudio Martinez Mehner, Rafael Rosenfeld, Winfried Rademacher, and Silvia Simionescu to name a few.

Since 2023 she’s a founding member of the Arda String Quartet.

Varvara is currently playing J. B. Vuillaume made in 1866 generously on loan from Wilhelm Geigenbau.

GISA Ambassador: Contact Alessandra Yang

Violist Alessandra Yang currently studies at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität (Vienna, Austria) in the studio of Jennifer Stumm and attended Juilliard Pre-College under the tutelage of Hsin-Yun Huang. She frequently participates in chamber music festivals and masterclasses, including Taos School of Music, Perlman Music Program, Newburyport Chamber Music Festival, Prussia Cove, and Saline Royale Academy, and she regularly performs in baroque ensembles across Europe and the United States.

She wins the special Chamber Music Prize at the Concours de Genève 2025 for Viola.

Outside of music, she enjoys exploring philosophy and has taken classes at Freogen Fellowship, the inaugural Forbidden Courses program at the University of Austin, and as a fellow of the Hertog Foundation.

Alessandra plays on a 2017 Hiroshi Iizuka viola made local in her native Philadelphia and an 1801 Michael Stadlmann Viola d'amore made in Vienna.

Cosima Federle was born in Regensburg in 2002 and started playing the violoncello at the age of four.

At 2010 she was admitted to to the "Bayrische Frühförderklasse", Regensburg under Wolfgang Nüsslein and from 2015-2019 she had lessons with Hanno Simons in Munich. In 2019 Cosima became a junior student of Peter Bruns at the “Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig” and continued there as a full student since 2020.

Her playing was enriched by participation in masterclasses taught by Wolfgang Boettcher, Wen- Sinn Yang, László Fenyö, Jan Vogler, Natalia Gutman, Boris Kusnezow, Kian Soltani, Jens- Peter Maintz, Mischa Maisky and Alfred Brendl. Cosima has won various national and international competitions, including first prizes at the "International Dotzauer Competition", Dresden, at the "Làszlò Spezzaferri International Music Competition", Verona, at “Jugend Musiziert“ and 2nd prizes at the "International David Popper Competition“, Hungary and at the "Concours International de Tremplin", Paris, as well as the Music Prize of the City of Regensburg, a special prize by the "Harald Genzmer Foundation" and a Special prize by the German "Bundesapothekenkammer".

In 2013 Cosima and her brother were one of the main protagonists of the movie "Jugend Musiziert- der Film“, which was broadcasted by various German TV channels. She is a scholarship holder of the "Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben" and the "International Music Academy Liechtenstein" and received further scholarships by the "Geneva International String Academy", Switzerland, "Musique à Flaine", France, from the "Hildegard-Schmalzl Foundation" and the "Dresden Music Festival".

Since 2017 she was an annual scholarship holder of the project "Meisterschüler-Meister" in the Neuhardenberg Castle, Berlin with Jan Vogler.

Cosima has played at several festivals, including "Musique en Été", Geneva, "Dresden Music Festival", "Festival Momentum", Stolberg and performed at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Stadtcasino Basel and Gewandhaus Leipzig.

She produced several recordings with the “Bayrischer Rundfunk“, “Deutschlandfunk“, “Norddeutscher Rundfunk“ and “Radio Berlin Brandenburg“.

Cosima plays a cello by Nicolas Lupot, Paris 1821, that has been given to her as a loan by the “Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben“.

Born in Budapest to a Korean family, Jinseok Jeong began playing the cello at the age of five, quickly discovering his affinity to music and the instrument. His mentor, Kian Soltani, has described him as “a cellist with exceptional musicality and remarkable technical abilities.”

Jinseok received his first cello lessons from Krisztina Dávid, later continuing his studies with Zsuzsanna Antók. At the age of eight, he won first prize at the Hungarian National Youth Cello Competition, and three years later was admitted to the Young Talents Program of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he studied with Professors György Déri (2017–2020) and István Varga (2020–2024).

He is a laureate of several international competitions, including the Buchet International Cello Competition (2024), the Antonio Janigro Junior Competition (2022), the Jan Vychytil International Cello Competition (2021), and the David Popper Competition (2021). Most recently, he was awarded the Kodály Prize at the Budapest International Competition. His concert appearances have taken him to venues such as the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Kurhaus in Baden-Baden, Bulgaria Hall in Sofia, and the Schlosstheater Schönbrunn in Vienna. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Sofia Philharmonic, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonie Baden-Baden, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, Zugló Philharmonic, and Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra.

Jinseok has been invited to participate in leading international festivals and academies such as the Verbier Festival Academy, Gstaad Festival Academy, Cello Biennale Amsterdam, Seiji Ozawa Academy, IMS Prussia Cove, Schiermonikoog Festival, NUME Festival, the Geneva International Strings Academy, and the Musikakademie in Liechtenstein. He is currently studying with Prof. Peter Bruns at HMT Leipzig and Prof. István Várdai at MdW Vienna. He has gained further inspiration through masterclasses with esteemed cellists including Frans Helmerson, Miklós Perényi, Ivan Monighetti, Gary Hoffman, Steven Isserlis, László Mező, Reinhard Latzko, Wen-Sinn Yang, Alban Gerhardt, Anne Gastinel, László Fenyő, Claudio Bohórquez, Marc Coppey, Leonid Gorokhov, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, and Nicolas Altstaedt.