Summer season 2025

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.

This is one of the best CD recordings of the year – perhaps of the decade […]. Here we encounter the closest we have witnessed […] to a new Casals.”

(Early Music Review on the CD recording of J.S. Bach’s 6 Suites for Solo Cello)

“Peter Bruns does what he does best on his Tononi cello from 1730: he declaims, just like Pablo Casals, who also used to own the instrument. Peter Bruns once confirmed the closeness to Casals, saying: ‘I also try to speak with the instrument.’”

(Maja Ellmenreich in Deutschlandradio Cologne)

The cellist Peter Bruns has established an excellent reputation in the international music world as one of Germany’s leading cellists. Born in Berlin, he studied with Professor Peter Vogler at Berlin’s “Hanns Eisler” Academy of Music.

Peter Bruns has performed as soloist and chamber musician in renowned concert halls throughout all continents, including the Berliner Philharmonie, the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Wigmore Hall in London, concert halls in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul, in the Semperoper Dresden, in the Leipziger Gewandhaus as well as at the most important festivals including the Kuhmo, Bergen, Berlin and Dresden Music Festivals, the Budapest Spring Festival, the Seoul Spring Festival and Gidon Kremer’s Lockenhaus festival.

The artist has also performed as soloist with many major orchestras and has toured with the Staatskapelle Dresden as well as with the RAI, MDR and Berlin symphony orchestras. He has collaborated with conductors such as Giuseppe Sinopoli, Eliahu Inbal, Gianandrea Noseda, Christoph Prick, Marc Albrecht and Bruno Weil.

His fascination with the ancient language of music and the instrumentation of the various stylistic periods has led to close collaboration with renowned orchestras in this field, in particular with the “Akademie für Alte Musik” Berlin, with whom Peter Bruns has played for CD productions, concerts and festivals (Bergen, Brügge, Berlin, Regensburg, Köthen).

From 1993-2000, Peter Bruns was Artistic Director of the Moritzburg Festival. From 1998 to 2005, he was Professor for Cello at the Dresden School of Music and, since 2005, has held the same position at the Academy of Music in Leipzig.

Master classes led Peter Bruns to many German cities as well as to London, New York, France, Sweden and Australia.

Developing also a career as conductor, Peter Bruns is the Artistic Director of the Mendelssohn Kammerorchester Leipzig since 2014, and performs regularly in its own concert series in the Gewandhaus Leipzig as well as on tours.

Peter Bruns has recorded a series of award winning CDs including Brahms’s Cello Sonatas, Bach’s Six Suites for Cello Solo, the works of Gabriel Fauré, Ernest Bloch, Charles Koechlin and Robert Schumann, a recording of a Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach concert which won the Cannes Classical Award for “Best CD of the Year”, Antonin Dvorak’s works for cello and orchestra with the Staatskapelle Dresden and his highly acclaimed recordings of Haydn’s, Schumann’s and Volkmann’s Cello Concertos with the Mendelssohn Kammerorchester Leipzig.

Peter Bruns plays on a cello from Carlo Tononi, Venice 1730, which was once owned by Pablo Casals.

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.

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.

“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.

British violinist Andrew Samarasekara is known for his artistic sensitivity, accomplished technique, and communicative style. He is a first-prize winner at the Fanny Mendelssohn and International Salzburg music competitions and has received special prizes at the Eastbourne Young Soloist and Gisborne International Music competitions. His performances
were further acknowledged when he reached the semi-finals of the Bartok World Competition and ARS Classica and was a selected candidate for the 8th Sendai International Violin Competition. He made his concerto debut at age 12 and has since performed as a soloist with the London Concertante, Dorking Philharmonia, Ipswich Philharmonic, and Orchestra Cameristi della Scala.

Andrew has performed extensively across Europe and North America at renowned venues, including the Yale Morse Recital Hall, Woolsey Hall, Jordan Hall, Cadogan Hall, Franz Liszt Academy, Berlin Konzerthaus, Wigmore Hall, Kaufman Centre, Société de Lecture Geneva, Menuhin Hall, and Schloss Nymphenburg Munich. His festival appearances include Schiermonnikoogfestival, Geneva String Academy, IMS Prussia Cove, NUME Academy, Yale Norfolk Chamber Music Series, ECU Four Seasons Winter Workshop, Garda Lake String Academy, Mendelssohn on Mull Chamber Music and Crans Montana Classics. A keen advocate for chamber music and collaboration, Andrew has shared the stage in concert with Shlomo Mintz, Sergey Ostrovksy, Noémie Bialobroda, Ida Kavafian, Tai Murray, Colin Carr, Ettore Causa and the Emerson, St Lawrence and Doric Quartets.

A former student at theYehudi Menuhin School and the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Lutsia Ibragimova and Paul Biss respectively, Andrew completed his graduate studies in 2024 at the Yale School of Music in the class of Ani Kavafian. At Yale, he received the prestigious Yale Raymond M. Plank Prize, a sponsored artist residency at the UCROSS Foundation, and the Yale Alumni Association Prize twice.

Andrew has participated in masterclasses led by Augustin Hadelich, Philippe Graffin, Mi-Kyung Lee, Steven Isserlis, Frank Huang, Aaron Rosand, Lukas Hagen, Ida Kavafian, and Hagai Shaham. He also received mentorship and guidance from Miriam Fried and members of the Brentano Quartet and Emerson Quartets. Andrew performs on a 1731 Nicolò Gagliano violin and W. Hill bow generously provided by a private benefactor.

Iryna was born in Kyiv on May 17, 2006. She studied at Kyiv Lysenko State Music Lyceum with Olha Korinets and Vadym Borysov. Since 2022 she studies at the Haute Ecole de Musique Geneve/Neuchatel (violin class of prof. Sergey Ostrovsky).

Iryna is a laureate of international violin competitions in Ukraine, Poland, Belgium, Estonia and Switzerland, including the Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition.

She took part in masterclasses by B. Garlitsky, B. Kuschnir, V. Sokolov, M. Bouchkov, V. Gluzman, U. Wallin, D. Schwarzberg, D. Sitkovetsky, K. Troussov, and others.

Iryna participated in the Ukrainian National Art Project "I AM A VIRTUOS!" (2019, 2020, 2021), where she performed solo with the Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
In the 2021–2022 concert season, she had solo performances with the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, and the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra.

She participated in the Young Classic Dialog Berlin Festival (Germany), Allegra Festival (Bulgaria), Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra, FestiVal d'Anniviers, Festival Puplinge, and Primeurs Musicales (Switzerland).

She has been supported by the LYRA Foundation, Rahn Kulturfonds, the Foundation Jean Tanner and the Marescotti Foundation (Switzerland).

Since 2022 she receives grant support from the VERE MUSIC FUND.

Since December 2022, Iryna plays the violin made by Augustino de Planis (Venice, 1771) from the collection of the LALIVE Foundation.

Born in 2023 from the meeting of four friends at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, the Quatuor Solveig cultivates a sensitive and meticulous approach to chamber music. Currently pursuing a string quartet degree at the CNSM de Paris, in the classes of Louis Rodde and Jean Sulem, the quartet is also enriched by the expert advice of the Quatuor Ébène during masterclasses.

In 2025, the quartet was invited to an intensive session at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, in partnership with the ECMA (European Chamber Music Academy). On this occasion, he received inspiring teaching from Patrick Jüdt, Petr Prause, Kathryn Scott, Pavel Fischer and Jennifer Langridge.

Exploring a wide repertoire, from Vivaldi to Shostakovich, the Solveig Quartet forges deep bonds with the works it performs and the diverse audiences it meets. Indeed, the quartet is committed to multiplying opportunities for contact with listeners who may be far removed from the world of classical music, an observation that is even more striking when it comes to the quartet's repertoire, which the 4 musicians wish to promote to as many people as possible.

Margotte Raineteau - first violion
Laura Lecocq - second violin
Baptiste Donadio - viola
Lise Declerck - cello

Sory Park is a violinist from Gwangju, South Korea currently studying with Ani Kavafian at Yale School of Music. She received her Bachelor of Music at New England Conservatory where she studied with Soovin Kim and her Master of Music at The Juilliard School with Ronald Copes.

Park was the top prize winner at several national and international competitions, including the 2019 Stulberg International String Competition in Michigan, the 2017 Ilona Feher International Violin Competition in Hungary and the 2012 Ewha & Kyunghyang Competition in South Korea. She has participated in several music festivals including Perlman Music Program, Norfolk Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Music@Menlo, Heifetz Music Institute, Bowdoin Music Festival and Summit Music festival.

Ms. Park has had lots of opportunities for masterclasses given by Itzhak Perlman, Aaron Rosand, Peter Oundjian, Ayano Ninomiya, Ian Swensen, Sheryl Staples, Borromeo String Quartet and many other amazing musicians. Her solo engagements have included performances with Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, APS Symphonia, Kalamazoo Youth Symphony Orchestra and others.

Apart from classical music, she adores exploring lots of abstract arts. Especially, Wassily Kandinsky and Gustav Klimt are her favorite painters. As their paintings enjoy beautiful color palettes, she is exploring her own color palette of music.

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.

Born in 2004, American violinist Simon Hagopian, currently a recipient of the C.V. Starr scholarship and a senior at The Juilliard School, began studying the violin at age 4 at the Special Music School in his native Manhattan, and went on to study with renowned violinist Aaron Rosand and teachers Li Lin and Hyo Kang. When he was 10 years old, he won the Cremona International Music Academy competition in Cremona, Italy, and two years later the Kaufman Music Center Concerto Competition in New York City. Last year he performed Shostakovich duets at Carnegie Hall with Chen Yi, and this coming December he will perform as a soloist with the Diablo Symphony Orchestra in California.

Simon performs regularly with the Juilliard Orchestra and has participated as a chamber musician and soloist at festivals in Belgium, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Bowdoin, Maine. In 2017 he performed as a soloist at the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C. in honor of Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan.

His awards include Grand Prize Winner of both the Raada Rise and Servaas International competitions, semi-finalist at the Johansen International Competition, and prize winner at the Adelphi Concerto Competition and Zodiac International Competition. He is also a laureate of the Washington International Competition and has participated in masterclasses with Masao Kawasaki, Catherine Cho, and Ida Kavafian.

Simon also enjoys playing the piano and composition, which he has studied respectively with Genya Paley at the Special Music School and Manual Sosa at Juilliard.

GISA Ambassador: Contact Eva Kobor

Born in Nice, France, in 2001, she studied at the Sivom Cap D’Ail School of Music with Nathalie Girod, the Académie Rainier III of Monaco with Louis Denis Ott, and since 2017, in Budapest with Eszter Perényi, Terez Pichner, and Barnabás Kelemen at the Liszt Ferenc Academy.

She has won first prizes at competitions like Vatelot-Rampal and Flame in France, and the Zathureczky Ede National Competition and Tibor Varga Competition in Hungary. Additionally, she received the Prince of Monaco Special Music Prize, artistic scholarships “Fischer Annie,” and the title "Artist of the Month" from the Budafok Municipality, as well as the Hubay Prize in 2024.

She has performed as a soloist with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, Cannes National Orchestra, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, MAV, Hungarian Radio, Budafok Dohnányi, and the Szeged Symphony Orchestra, and the Camerata UNAB Orchestra from Chile…


Since 2024, she has been an academist at the Budapest Festival Orchestra under the direction of Ivan Fischer.

David Baik is a violinist devoted to expressing intimate emotions through his instrument and creating a profound connection with his audience.

Featured on the CBC Canada's “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30", South Korean-born violinist David Baik is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 Peter-Mendell Award from the Jeunesses Musicales Canada Foundation, Grand Prize at the 2021 NAC Bursary Competition, consecutive First Prizes at the 2016 and 2017 Canadian Music Competition, Sturdevant Prize, Gerhard Kander Graduating Award, Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Fellowship, and the Gabriella Dory Prize. Recently, Baik was named a winner of the 2023 Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank competition.

Baik obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, where he was mentored by Jonathan Crow. In 2022, he was awarded a fellowship at the Schulich School of Music, where he continued his studies under the guidance of Andrew Wan.

As an avid chamber musician, Baik has engaged in notable collaborations with esteemed artists such as Camden Shaw, Charles Richard Hamelin, Jennifer Koh, Andrew Wan, Desmond Hoebig, Jonathan Crow, and Philip Chiu. Additionally, his string quartet, the Stelios Quartet, has garnered acclaim, earning multiple awards, including the 2024 Schiermonnikoog Festival Audience Award and the Grand Prize at the 2023 McGill Chamber Music Competition. Their upcoming schedule features a notable lineup of concerts throughout the Netherlands, with performances scheduled in Eelde, Rhenen, Dalfsen, and Schiermonnikoog. Also an active soloist, Baik has performed with the Sinfonia Toronto, Toronto Summer Music Festival Orchestra, Durham Chamber Orchestra, North York Symphony Orchestra, and the Ottawa Youth Orchestra.

Baik has made appearances at the Toronto Summer Music festival, Schiermonnikoog Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Netherlands String Quartet Academy, Trondheim String Quartet Academy, McGill International String Quartet Academy, Orford Music Festival, and the Meadowmount School of Music. For the 2024/25 season, David Baik will be a resident of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Residency Program at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

He performs on the 1871 J.B. Vuillaume ('Messiah' Strad copy) violin, generously on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts.

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.

GISA Ambassador: Contact Barbora Butvydaitė

Barbora Butvydaite has established herself as a dynamic violist, known for her expressive artistry and versatility. She is currently a member of the Ivan Fischer European Orchestra Academy and tours regularly with the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Born in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1996, Barbora graduated from the National M. K. Ciurlionis School of Arts, where she won numerous prizes at national and international competitions. She then pursued her education abroad, earning her Bachelor's degree at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg under the tutelage of Thomas Riebl and her Master's degree with Veronika Hagen. She graduated with distinction in 2021.

During her studies, she was awarded scholarships from the “Rudens Turku and Friends” Foundation and in 2021, she won 3rd Prize at the Paul Hindemith Viola Competition in Salzburg.

Barbora gained valuable orchestral experience through the Academy Programme of the Tonkünstler Orchestra (2022-2023), her participation in the A. Prokopp Summer Academy of the Vienna Philharmonic (2022-2023) and Grafenegg Festival Orchestra. Since last season, she has been a member of the European Orchestra Academy of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. She has had the opportunity to work with renowned conductors such as Iván Fischer, Lorenzo Viotti, Jakub Hrůša, Yutaka Sado, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Robin Ticciati, Tugan Sokhiev and Ádám Fischer among others.

As a passionate chamber musician, Barbora has performed at the Salzburg Festival, Vienna Musikverein, and Grafenegg Festival, among other festivals. She is a member of the Oberton String Octet and of Haydn Philharmonie, Ensemble Esperanza Lichtenstein, and Vienna Ensemble, where she often takes the role of a principal violist.

She enjoys performing in various musical settings and has a strong interest in both Baroque and contemporary music. Her collaboration with Haydn Philharmonie, as well as working with Enrico Onofri, Nicolas Altstaedt and Hiro Kurosaki has further deepened her engagement with historically informed performance practice. Additionally, she has performed contemporary music, working with composers and ensembles dedicated to new music.

To foster her artistic growth, Barbora has participated in numerous masterclasses and festivals like Prussia Cove, Lichtenstein Musikakademie, Mendelssohn Festival, and Aurora Festival and gained insights from renowned artists like Thomas Riebl, Garth Knox, Ferenc Rados, Alexander Zemtsov, Barbara Westphal, Harmuth Rohde, Gabor Takasz-Nagy and Antje Weithaas.

Barbora performs on a viola made for her by luthier Jürgen Manthey.

Carried by the harmonies of the viola even before he was born, guided by a mother who is both a musician and accompanist at the Toulouse Conservatory (CRR), Baptiste naturally fell under the spell of this instrument. At just six years old, he stepped through the doors of the conservatory as one would enter a familiar home, joining the class of Valérie Apparailly.

Very early on, he ventured into the world of competitions, winning the Altos Juniors several years in a row for six consecutive years, as well as the Lempdes competition. He also earned a second prize and the jury's special award at the National Competition for Young Violists.

Passionate about string quartets, he co-founded the Quatuor Amalthée at the Toulouse Conservatory, then the Quatuor Solveig at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP), with whom he performed at the Cordes sur Ciel Festival and the ClassicaHors festival, alongside the Quatuor Dutilleux.

He also performs in sonata and trio formations at the Toulouse Festival with Constant Després and Claire Bouyssou.

Since 2022, he has been studying at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the class of Jean Sulem, and since 2024, he has been pursuing a string quartet degree with Louis Rodde and Jean Sulem.

Since February 2025, he has been playing a viola crafted by

Stephan von Baehr, generously loaned by the Société Générale Corporate Foundation.

Theresa Hořejší was born into a family of musicians in 1999. Starting with the violin, she often took part in the "Jugend Musiziert" competition and gained experience in youth orchestras and chamber music ensembles at an early age. She discovered the viola through her family. Before starting her studies, she completed a preparatory course at the music school in her home town of Mülheim an der Ruhr.

From 2018, she studied at the Cologne University of Music and Dance in the class of Matthias Buchholz and finished her studies at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne in 2024 with Tatjana Masurenko.

In the 2020/21 season, she was a trainee with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and then played regularly with them as a substitute. In the 2022/23 season, she was a trainee with the Sinfonietta de Lausanne.

As a chamber musician, she has worked with Jörg Widmann, the Minguett Quartet, Harald Schoneweg, Gregor Schwellenbach, Rio Arai, Robert Kulek, Daniel Haefliger and Peter Bruns among others.

She received important influences from Martin Outram, Tabea Zimmermann, Hartmuth Rode, Noémie Bialobroda, Gerard Caussé and Frédéric Kirch among others.

She also took part in recordings for the Arte film "TRANS - I Got Life", which was broadcast on television in September 2023. She has also been principal violist in the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra (SJSO) from 2023-2025.

In September 2023, she took part in the renowned ARD Music Competition. In 2024 she took up a 3rd solo position in the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra. From September 2025 she joins l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande as a tutti player.

Violist David Kang is a Korean-American artist based in Vienna whose playing is recognized for its warmth, lyricism, and expressive depth. The first violist to win both the Thornton Bach Competition and the LAKMA Competition he has established a dynamic career as chamber musician, orchestral leader, and educator.
An active presence on the international chamber music stage, Kang has appeared at festivals including the Thy Chamber Music Festival, Geneva International String Academy, Danish String Quartet Academy, and Atlantic Music Festival. In 2021, he won first prize at the Ofeish String Quartet Competition, leading to a residency at the Rencontres Franco-Américaines de Musique de Chambre Festival with the Gateway Quartet. He has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Yura Lee, Atar Arad, Tony Nys, Andrew Wan, Peter Bruns, Annette von Hehn, and François Salque, and has served as guest artist and faculty at the Kenya International Chamber Music Festival.

Alongside his chamber career, Kang maintains an active orchestral profile. He has served as Principal Viola of the Thornton and Bob Cole Symphony Orchestras and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Opera San Antonio. He has also appeared as guest principal with ensembles including the Recovered Voices Orchestra, American Contemporary Ballet, and Fernweh Orchestra.

Kang began his musical studies on the violin at age five before transitioning to the viola during his undergraduate years. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the USC Thornton School of Music, where he studied under Che-Yen Chen and Yura Lee. Currently, he continues his studies at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien, where he works with Jennifer Stumm. He has also had the privilege of learning from artists such as Nobuko Imai, Thomas Riebl, Asbjørn Nørgaard, Teng Li, Tim Frederiksen, Shunske Sato, and Jay Campbell, among others.

Tilman Sandvoss is an accomplished orchestral, chamber, and solo musician noted for having a luscious tone and profound musicality. He began his musical education at home with his father Christopher Sandvoss at the young age of five, and later continued his viola studies in the Academy and Advanced Performance Program at the Mount Royal Conservatory. He has participated in international festivals including the Festival Academy Budapest, the Domaine Forget Academy and its Chamber Music Intensive program, as well as the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove. In 2019 he was also the only violist to be invited to Germany to take part in the Goslar Internationale Konzertarbeitschwochen, where he studied with Elisabeth Kufferath, professor of violin at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover and member of the Tetzlaff Quartet.

Tilman has had the pleasure of working with many internationally distinguished artists and teachers such as Kim Kashkashian, Antoine Tamestit, Maxim Rysanov, Paul Coletti, Gerald Stanick, Andres Cardenes, Sharon Wei, and members of the Calidore, Kronos and Chiaroscuro Quartets, to name a few.

As a fan of new music, Tilman has both collaborated and given world premieres with composers such as Vincent Ho, Peter Jancewicz, Brian Current, Jörg Widmann, Julian Anderson and Huw Watkins.

Recently, Tilman has founded an international chamber music festival in Western Canada called Chisel Creek Classical, where he invites artists from around the world to perform and teach over a two week period.

Tilman received his Bachelors of Music degree (Honours) in viola performance at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto under the mentorship of violist Steven Dann. He is continuing his education at The Hochschule für Musik in Basel where he is pursuing his Masters degree in the class of violist Silvia Simionescu.

Tilman performs on a viola made by his father, master luthier Christopher Sandvoss.

Born in Israel in 2001, Idan is currently studying with Ms. Tali Kravitz at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where he is completing his Master of Music (M.Mus.) degree.

During his studies, he has won 2nd prize in the “Gritz” Solo Strings Competition, 2nd prize in the “Avi Abramovich” Duo Competition, and 1st prize in the “Dina Turgeman” Chamber Music Competition at the academy.

Idan has been awarded the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Scholarship for the fifth consecutive year. This scholarship enables him to actively participate in chamber music performances and play in the symphony Orchestra at the academy. As part of the chamber music program, he has performed alongside academy professors such as Zvi Plesser, Zvi Carmeli, and Roi Shiloah at the Jerusalem Theater.

While in high school, Idan was a member of the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra of the Jerusalem Music Center, where he led the viola section in multiple projects. He also participated in the David Goldman Chamber Music Program for Outstanding Young Musicians and the Huberman Solo Strings Program, receiving numerous masterclasses from renowned violists.

He has attended the Keshet Eilon International String Summer Mastercourse in 2023 (Israel) and 2024 (Spain), receiving masterclasses from Tatjana Masurenko, Gilad Karni, and Yuri Gandelsman. As part of the program, he performed in a chamber music concert with violinists Ilya and Olga Kaler (Cleveland) and cellist Hillel Zori (Israel).

Idan is an active participant in the Musethica Project, an initiative that brings classical music to diverse audiences, including those with special needs. Through this project, he has performed chamber music and concerts with artists such as Yoni Gotlibovich, Roi Shiloah, Saida Bar-Lev (Concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic), Tali Kravitz, and Guy Ben-Ziony.

He was awarded a scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation for viola performance (classical music) for the years 2017–2019 and 2023–2024.

Mar Gimferrer, born in 2002, started playing the cello at the age of 7 and studied in IEA Oriol Martorell (Barcelona) with Joan Antoni Pich, where she graduated with the Honor Prize when she was 17. From 2019 to 2022 she studied with Beatriz Blanco in the Vorarlberger Landeskonservatorium. Since September 2022 she is pursuing her studies with Thomas Grossenbacher in Zürich.

Additionally, she has received masterclasses from renowned cellists such as Jens Peter Maintz, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Gary Hoffman, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Ralph Kirshbaum or Kian Soltani among others. She has also taken part in prestigious Academies such as the Villars Music Academy, the International Music Academy in Lichtenstein, IMS Prussia Cove and the Saline Royale Academy in France, as well as played in Festivals such as the International Mendelssohn Festival in Hamburg, Festival Pau Casals, Festival Clásico Ribeira Sacra or the Festival Podium Matadepera in Spain.

She has been awarded the 3rd Prize in the Popper International Competition in Hungary, the 1st prize in the Solistenwettbewerb in Austria, the 1st Prize of the Pjetër Gaci International Competition, the Galimusic Prize and the 1st Prize in the BBVA Music Talent Competition in Spain. She has also had the opportunity to appear several times as a soloist and perform live in ORF. She is also a scholarship holder from Rahn Kulturfonds.

Chamber and orchestral music play a very important role in her career. She has played with musicians such as Nora Chastain, Matthias Schorn or Maria Włoszczowska and received masterclasses by Guillaume Sutre, Troels Svane, the Trio Jean Paul and members from the Berliner Philharmoniker.

Henriette-Luise Knauer was born in Dresden in 2009 and began playing the cello at the age of four. From 2015-2021 she received lessons from Daniel Thiele until she switched to Prof. Peter Bruns at the age of twelve. She has been attending the Saxon State High School for Music since the 5th grade. She has also been a junior student at the Leipzig University of Music with Prof. Peter Bruns since 2022.

Henriette-Luise has taken part in masterclasses with Damien Ventula, Hans-Jacob Eschenburg, Jan Vogler and Thomas Grossenbacher. At the invitation of the Dresden Music Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, she also took part in masterclasses with David Geringas and Steven Isserlis. She is a scholarship holder of the Liechtenstein Music Academy and takes part in the intensive weeks and activities held there.

At the national competition “Jugend musiziert” 2022 she received the highest score in the category cello solo.

In 2023, Henriette was accepted into the National Youth Orchestra of Germany after a successful audition. She gained chamber music experience at the German Chamber Music Course in Trossingen and in Kronberg at “Mit Musik-Miteinander”. In summer 2024, she was a participant at the Moritzburg Festival Academy.

Henriette-Luise was supported by a scholarship from the “Stiftung Frau und Kultur” and since 2023 she has been a scholarship holder of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

As a winner of the 30th competition of the German Musical Instrument Fund, she has since played a cello by Philipp Augustin, Staufen, 2019 and a Pfretzschner cello bow.

Swiss cellist Jonathan Gerstner was born on the shores of Lake Geneva in 2003. He began playing the cello at the age of five with Aude Pivôt, continued his path with Martin Reetz at the Lausanne Conservatoire and from 2020 studied with Patrick Demenga at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU). Since 2022, he has been studying with Reinhard Latzko in Austria at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw). From 2025 he also studies with Julia Hagen and in 2026 wins the first prize of the 1st Heinrich Schiff Competition there. Further valuable input came from Jens Peter Maintz, Peter Bruns, Thomas Grossenbacher, Valentin Erben, Troels Svane, Marc Coppey and Pieter Wispelwey among others.

Jonathan has been part of the 2024 Verbier Festival Orchestra (VFO), playing under the direction of conductors like Sir Simon Rattle, Antonio Pappano and Klaus Mäkelä.

Highly passionate about chamber music, he has studied with teachers such as Vincent Coq in Lausanne and currently Johannes Meissl and Stefan Mendl in Vienna, as well as receiving invaluable advice from Eckart Runge, Hatto Beyerle, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Patrick Jüdt and Dirk Mommertz within the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA). In 2025, as part of the Cuore Piano Trio, he won the first prize along with a special prize at the 10th International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition in Gdańsk.

In recent years Jonathan performed on stage with artists such as Sergey Ostrovsky, Marko Ylönen, Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula, Patrick Demenga, Philippe Graffin and Reinhard Latzko. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has appeared on all four of Switzerland’s national classical radio stations, and performed at international festivals and concert venues including the Geneva International String Academy, Musikverein Wien, Prague Spring Festival, Cello Biënnale Amsterdam, Lavaux Classic, K&M Festival Stavanger, Loisiarte, Beethovenhaus Baden and the Musikfestwoche Meiringen.

Chiara Kaufman is an Italian-American cellist, born in New York in 2004. After moving to Italy, she began her musical studies at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan, where she graduated with honors. She attended the Pavia Cello Academy under the guidance of Maestro Enrico Dindo, with whom she is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano.

Chiara is also a student at the Stauffer Academy for Strings in Cremona, where she has worked with Antonio Meneses and is now part of the class of Frans Helmerson. Over the years, she has refined her skills through masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Jens Peter Maintz, Peter Bruns, Asier Polo, Enrico Bronzi, and Mischa Maisky. She also attended courses at Accademia Chigiana and Kronberg Academy.

Chiara has performed throughout Italy for prestigious festivals and concert societies such as Trame Sonore, Mito Settembre Musica, Milano Classica, Amici del Loggione del Teatro alla Scala, Società del Quartetto and Società dei Concerti. Notable appearances include performances at Accademia Filarmonica Romana and Milan’s Sala Verdi and Sala Puccini, where she held a recital after winning the “Young Talents Award” at the Milan Conservatory Prize, and more recently, first prize in the “String” section of the same competition.

She actively dedicates herself to chamber music experiences and forms, together with her brother and sister, the Kaufman Trio, with which she has performed across Italy, Germany, and Belgium. In November 2022, they gave the Italian premiere of Evgeny Kissin’s Trio, dedicated to Ukraine.

Chiara plays an instrument by French luthier Mathias Menanteau.

Xuanhan Xu started playing piano at the age of five and began learning the cello at eight. At the age of thirteen, Xuanhan Xu was enrolled at Hochschule für Musik Saar in Germany, where she studied as a Jungstudentin with Professor Gustav Rivinius. At the age of 16, she began her bachelor's degree at Hochschule für Musik Saar. At age of 20, she began her Master’s degree at Die Hochschule für Musik und Theater „Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy“ Leipzig, studying with Professor Peter Bruns.

In 2013, at the age of nine, she won the 5th David Popper International Cello Competition in Hungary. On October 20, 2020, the 16-year-old Xuanhan Xu won the first prize at the Pablo Casals International Award for Young Cellists. July 5, 2022, Förderpreise Klassische Musik 2022 by The Hans and Ruth Gießen Foundation. July 2023, 1st Prize from Chieti Classica Cello International Competition. Since February 2024, she is a Scholarship holder of der Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben Instrumentenfonds.

Gustav Rivinius, Prof. Jian Wang, Prof. Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Prof. Gary Hoffman, Prof. Jens Peter Maintz, Prof. Claudio Borhórquez, Prof. Julian Steckel, Prof. Martti Rousi and Prof. Peter Bruns.

Xuanhan Xu has played concerts with NCPA Orchestra, National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra, and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of conductors Hubert Soudant, Yi Zhang, and Jia Lü. They were performed in Beijing at the NCPA (National Center for the Performing Arts), Suntory Hall, Tokyo, and Shanghai Symphony Hall and Beijing Concert Hall. In 2018, she was selected to play twice for the live concerts of the ARD Consortium (German National Television Consortium), recitals at the prestigious Chamber Concert Festival. In 2021, she was invited by the Fundació Pau Casals for recitals in Barcelona and Girona. In 2023, she played her own Chamber music recital in Rathaussaal Oberthal, Saarland. In 2024, she held her own chamber music concerts with Australian Pianist Tony Lee, at the Beijing Concert Hall and Shanghai Symphony Chamber Music Hall. 

In June 2025, she is going to play Schumann Cello Concerto with Maestro Hubert Soudant, together with Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra at Shanghai Symphony Hall. Shortly after, she is going to perform her own chamber music recital at Chengdu City Concert Hall.

Born in Spain in 2003, Juan began taking cello lessons at the age of six. Since 2021 he has been studying with Prof. Fernando Arias at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. Previously he studied with Victoria Rodríguez at the Centro Integrado de Música Padre Antonio Soler in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, where he graduated with honors. During this period, he also received valuable instruction from Maria de Macedo, Suzana Stefanovic and Fernando Arias.

Juan has participated in numerous masterclasses and courses with renowned cellists, including Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Peter Bruns, Daniel Müller-Schott, Kian Soltani, Valentin Radutiu, László Fenyö, Marc Coppey, Asier Polo, Paolo Bonomini, Norbert Anger, Mischa Maisky, Beatriz Blanco and Alexander Ramm, among others. He is a scholarship holder of the International Academy of Music in Lichtenstein and takes part in the Intensive Music Weeks and activities offered by the Academy.

He has been awarded 1^st prizes at several competitions, including the XIII International Cello Competition Jan Vychytil (Prague, 2019), where he also received the “Overall Winner Prize”, the XXX International Competition FLAME (Paris, 2019) and the IX Concurso de Corda Cidade de Vigo (Spain, 2020). In 2022, he reached the final round with orchestra of the 8^th International Dotzauer Competition for Young Cellists in Dresden. He has also received prizes at the Geneva Junior Music Competition (2023), VII North International Music Competition (2021), and VI Concurso Nacional de Violonchelo Jaime Dobato Benavente (Spain, 2015).

As a solist, Juan has performed Schumann’s Cello Concerto at Teatro Monumental in Madrid with the Orquesta Sinfónica del RCSMM. As a member of the Prometheus Cello Quartet, he has played at various festivals and venues across Spain. He has also performed in venues such as Fundación Juan March, Museo del Prado or Museo del Romanticismo in Madrid, or Liechtenstein Palace in Prague.