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.

The Geneva International String Academy invites the violinist Kati Debretzeni who will give masterclasses and a lecture on the interpretation of baroque repertoire on modern instruments.

Born in Transylvania, Kati studied the violin with Ora Shiran in Israel, and the Baroque violin with Catherine Mackintosh and Walter Reiter at the Royal College of Music in London.

Since the year 2000 she has led the English Baroque Soloists under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and her playing can be heard on their recordings of the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage (SDG). In 2008 she was appointed as one of the leaders of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, with whom she has often appeared as soloist, directing and leading the orchestra in performances in the UK, Europe and the US.

Kati has recorded numerous chamber music CDs with the ensembles Florilegium (Chanel Classics), Ricordo (Linn Records) and most recently Trio Goya (Chandos). Additionally, she features as soloist on two versions of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, one with the European Brandenburg Ensemble under Trevor Pinnock (Avie Records—Gramophone Award 2008), and the other with the English Baroque Soloists (SDG).

Over the last few years, Kati has been invited to direct various ensembles in Israel, Canada, Norway, Poland, Iceland and the UK. She currently teaches the Baroque and Classical violin at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague.

 Photos credit: Eric Richmond

“Annegret Kuttner’s playing is characterised by considerable professionalism and perfection, by her contagious electrifying joy in performing music and by the great stylistic sureness of her interpretation.”
Sächsische Zeitung

„...Kuttner's ... light-fingered playing was impressive for its airy clarity..."
Irish Times

Pianist Annegret Kuttner impresses the audience with the naturalness of her interpretation and the lightness and clarity of her playing.

After successfully participating in the Robert Schumann Piano Competition in Zwickau, Annegret has performed already at the age of 16 as a soloist in concerts in Germany and other European countries, including with the European Union Youth Orchestra. She completed her piano studies at the Dresden Academy of Music with Professor Peter Rösel, and received further musical impetus from masterclasses with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Pavel Gililov and Amadeus Webersinke. Annegret augmented her training with postgraduate studies on piano accompaniment (as a répétiteur) with Professor Monika Raithel as well as studying harpsichord with the internationally renowned expert on ancient music, Professor Ludger Remy.

Annegret Kuttner now teaches at the Academy of Music and Theatre, Leipzig.
In addition to her teaching post, the highly sought-after pianist regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician in diverse musical and cultural centres in Germany and abroad.
Concert tours have taken her to the Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, Latvia, Ireland, South Africa and the USA.

Annegret performs regularly with Benjamin Schmid, Antje Weithaas, Natalia Prishepenko, Pauline Sachse, Ivan Zenaty and Robert Oberaigner. In New York, she played Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano together with cellist Peter Bruns. This concert was extremely well received by the public and press alike (New York Sun). Various internationally acclaimed CD recordings are released, including works for cello and piano by Louis Vierne and Charles-Marie Widor, by Robert Schumann and Robert Volkmann as well as for the Beethoven anniversary in 2020 together with Peter Bruns/cello the cycle "Beethoven – Most Complete 1-3“, expanding his known repertoire of five cello sonatas and three sets of variations with another three sonatas and arrangements by Beethoven himself and by composers from his context, for instance the sonata op. 64 (!) and the "Kreutzer“- sonata arrangement for cello by Carl Czerny.

HunJu Sohnn, Korean born pianist, has been performing both solo and chamber music concerts in Switzerland, England, Germany, France, South Korea, Thailand, Costa Rica, as well as throughout the United States.

Highly appreciated for her qualities in collaborative work, HunJu has been invited to appear with various instrumentalists and performed with the wind ensemble Ensemble Five ±, as well as the European-based Varias Ensemble at the New Year’s Music Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland. HunJu has collaborated in masterclasses for world-famous artists such as Pinkas Zukerman, Nobuko Imai, Kyung-Wha Chung, Tabea Zimmermann, Yuri Bashmet, as well as Yo-Yo Ma, Franz Helmerson, and Ralph Kirshbaum. She has been the pianist/coordinator of the viola masterclass at the Verbier Music Festival and Academy. HunJu has participated in a television documentary featuring Nobuko Imai, which was distributed worldwide and performed with Ms. Imai for France Musique Radio program during the Verbier Festival.

HunJu Sohnn continues to perform in Europe and the US, while holding a teaching position at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique Danse et Théâtre in Geneva. She also participated in studio recordings, most recently in a project of complete works for piano and winds by Francis Poulenc released by Kleos Classics. HunJu Sohnn received her Master's degree from New England Conservatory and holds a Doctoral degree for Piano Performance from Rice University.

Born in 1980 in Neuchâtel (Switzerland), SIMON PEGUIRON first studied violin before turning to the piano and organ. He studied music at La Chaux-de-Fonds Conservatory, graduating with the best marks in organ and piano, and also completing a degree in music theory. He then studied organ with Guy Bovet at the Music Academy Basel, and at the High School of Music in Zurich in the piano class of Homero Francesch. He graduated in 2006 with highest honors and a soloist diploma for both instruments.

He appears regularly in concert as accompanist, chamber musician, soloist, composer, and more recently, as a conductor. He also is dedicated to arrangement and improvisation in various styles.

He has taught piano at the Conservatoire of Neuchâtel since 2006 and, after ten years of activity at the Temple du Locle, in 2009 replaced Guy Bovet as organist of the Collegiate Church of Neuchâtel.

In 2017, he was appointed as conductor and music director of the Orchestre de Chambre de La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Elizaveta Cibotaru was born on November 15th , 2003, in Chișinău, Moldova. At the age of five, she started learning the violin at the Liceul Republican de Muzică "C.Porumbescu" in Chișinău, in the violin class of Nikolai Buinovschii, who was a student of Igor Oistrakh. Later, she studied with his wife, Galina Buinovschii, and their son, Vadim Buinovschii.

She is a laureate and prize winner of various competitions in Moldova and Romania, such as the "Zlata Tkach" competition, "Paul Constantinescu" competition in Ploiești, among others. Elizaveta played in the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra and supported charity projects in her hometown.

In 2021, she started her bachelor's degree at the Haute École de Musique de Genève-Neuchâtel in the violin class of Sergey Ostrovsky, where she continues her studies.

Elizaveta has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra musician in venues such as the Organ Hall and Serghei Lunchevici National Philharmonic in Chișinău,Philharmonic Paul Constantinescu in Ploiesti,
Stadtcasino in Basel, Temple du Bas in Neuchâtel, Théâtre Les Salons and Victoria Hall in Geneva, Salle de musique in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Auditorium Stravinsky in Montreux.

She regularly plays concerts at nursing homes and hospitals, bringing solace and joy to those in need.

She has participated in numerous masterclasses with musicians such as Dora Schwarzberg (Austria-Israel), Pavel Vernikov (Switzerland), Silvia Marcovici (Romania) Mihaela Martin (Romania), Bartolomej Niziol (Poland), Yair Kless (Israel), Bogdana Pivnenko (Ukraine), Stefan Arzberger (Germany), among others.

She has also participated in many academies and festivals as a soloist and chamber musician in Switzerland, Romania, Israel.

Elizaveta played from the beginning of her studies in Switzerland on a Honoré Derazey violin provided by the Lalive Foundation .

Now, she plays on an italian violin from the Maggini Foundation.

Born in Israel, 2000. Started studying the violin at the age of 7 with Mr Simon Ostrovsky. A graduate of the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts and the David Goldman Chamber Music Program at the Jerusalem Music Center. In 2015 continued in his studies with Ms Ludmila Feldman. Currently finishing his degree with Prof Pinchas Zukerman and Prof Patinka Kopec at Manhattan School of Music in New-York.

Natanel has appeared in concerts, international festivals and masterclasses in Israel, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, USA, The Netherlands , Germany and Japan, where he played as principal violist in the symphonic orchestra of The Pacific Music Festival.

As a freelance player he appeared as a principal violist with numerous Israeli orchestras including Camerans ensemble, Ramat-Gan symphony and the Israeli Chamber Orchestra.

Natanel has performed in chamber music concerts and festivals with musicians such as the Jerusalem Quartet, cellist Zvi Plesser (Israel), cellist Michal Korman (Israel), violinist Peter Winograd (American String Quartet,USA) and pianist William Wolfram (USA).

Natanel is a scholarship recipient of the America-Israel Foundation since 2013 and the Ronen Foundation since 2015. He is currently playing on a Samuel Zygmuntowicz 1987 Viola, generously loaned to him by the AICF.

Vilém Vlček received his first cello lessons at the age of six with Prof. Martin Skampa. In 2010 joined the class of Martin and Mirko Skampa at Music Gymnasium in Prague. Since 2018 he is student of Danjulo Ishizaka on the Musik-Akademie Basel. He has participated in masterclasses of Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos, Steven Isserlis, Frans Helmerson, Richard Aaron, Alisa Weilerstein and others.

He played as a soloist with many renowned orchestras such as Czech Philharmonic, Kammerorchester Basel, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Kaunas Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic, Zielona Gora Philharmonic, Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra and cooperated with such conductors as Jiri Belohlavek, Jonathan Bloxham, Petr Altrichter, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Jirí Rozen, Nicolas Ellis and many others.

His soloistic engagements brought him performances in some of the worlds most prestigious venues such as Chamber music hall of the Berliner Philharmonie, the Great Hall of Elbphilharmonie, Tonhalle Zurich, Dvoraks Hall of Rudolfinum, Victoria Hall etc.

Since august 2016 he has been member of LGT Young Soloists and in the 2021-2022 season he was member of the Kukal Quartet.

Arne Zeller, born 4th October 2006, started playing the cello at the age of six and joined the class of Peter Bruns at the HMT Leipzig as a junior student aged 14. Since October 2024 he is a bachelor student in the class of Frans Helmerson at Kronberg Academy. Regular masterclasses with Jens Peter Maintz have been contributing additional important artistic impulses since 2021.

Being the winner of the Grand Prix and audience prize of the Budapest International Cello Competition 2025 and the first prize (ex aequo) of the International Pau Casals Award 2024, he is increasingly gaining international attention.

Further important awards in his career were the first prize of the International Anna Kull Cello Competition (Graz, 2020), the first prize of the International Mahler Cellocompetition 2022 and the second prize at the 29. International Brahms Competition (Pörtschach 2023). He also is an awardee of numerous first national prizes and special prizes of the federal German competition „Jugend musiziert” in the categories Cello solo and chamber music and is since 2024 the current holder of the Pergamenschikow Scholarship of Kronberg Academy.

Arne debuted with Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations at 13 years of age, soloistic performances followed with the Baden-Baden Philharmonics, the Euro Symphony Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and the National Philharmonics Budapest with works by Korngold, Dvorak, Shostakovich, Boccherini, Haydn, and Weinberg. In 2023 he repeatedly soloed with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra at the “hr-schooltour”, and the University Orchestra Mainz to relate classical music to school students. During his studies at Kronberg Academy he is also regularly involved in concerts targeting social involvement issues.

In addition to his performances as a soloist, Arne Zeller regularly plays public concerts in varying chamber music formations, for example at the Moritzburg Festival, the Heidelberger Frühling, the Con Spirito Festival Leipzig, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Nymphenburger Sommer, the Bachwoche Ansbach, the Berner Seefestspiele, and the Kronberg Festival.

Particularly formative experiences in chamber music he experienced as junior artist at “Chamber Music Connects the World” at Kronberg, at the Geneva International String Academy, the Henle Chamber Music Academy, and the soloist program of the Verbier Festival. In this context he was privileged to already perform together with artists like Gidon Kremer, Antje Weithaas, Sergey Ostrovsky, Noémie Bialobroda, Lawrence Power, Valentin Erben and Steven Isserliss.

He played at venues like the Musikverein Wien, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Liszt Academy Budapest, in the Conservatoire de musique de Genève and the Casals Forum Kronberg.

Other important impulses were set through masterclasses with Ivan Monighetti, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Jan Vogler, Gary Hoffman and Steven Isserlis as well as Sir Andras Schiff, Gidon Kremer and Martin Helmchen.

Arne Zeller holds scholarships by the „Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes“, the „Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben”, the International Music Academy Liechtenstein and the Villa Musica Rhineland-Palatinate. He receives funding by the Peter-Klöckner Stiftung and was awarded the Martin-Stadtfeld-Prize, the Werner Stiefel Prize Baden-Baden, and the Lichtenberger Musikpreis.

He is kindly supplied with the Charles Maucotel cello „ex-Tortelier“ (1850), courtesy of a member of the Stretton Society, which also strongly supports him through the “Stretton Exellence Membership Programm” since 2024.

In 2026 Arne Zeller has scheduled concerts as a soloist and as a chamber musician in Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Greece, Romania, Spain and Japan.