Winter season 2024-2025

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.

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.

British violinist Andrew Samarasekara, 26, is currently pursuing a Master of Musical Arts degree at Yale University's School of Music, where he studies with Ani Kavafian.

Andrew is a 1st prize winner at the Fanny Mendelssohn and International Salzburg music competitions and was awarded special prizes at the Eastbourne Young Soloist and Gisborne International Music competitions. In 2023, Andrew garnered further artistic recognition by reaching the semi-finals at the Bartok World Competition and ARS Classica. At Yale, Andrew was awarded the Raymond M. Plank Prize and an Artist Residency at the UCROSS Foundation, as well as the Alumni Association Prize.

Andrew has given concerts across Europe and North America at venues including Yale Morse Recital Hall, Franz Liszt Academy, Berlin Konzerthaus, Wigmore Hall, Kaufman Centre, Menuhin Hall, and Schloss Nymphenburg Munich. His concerto debut came aged 12 and he has since performed with the Dorking Philhamonia, Ipswich Philharmonic and Orchestra Cameristi della Scalla. Alongside his solo work, Andrew is an avid chamber musician and has performed alongside esteemed artists that include Shlomo Mintz, Ida Kavafian, Tai Murray, Colin Carr, Ettore Causa, the Emerson Quartet and Doric Quartet.

During the summer, Andrew enjoys travelling and participating in festivals. He has made appearances at IMS Prussia Cove, NUME Academy, Yale Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, ECU Four Seasons Winter Workshop, Garda Lake String Academy, Mendelssohn on Mull Chamber Music Festival, and Crans Montana Classics. Andrew has also performed in masterclasses led by Augustin Hadelich, Mi-Kyung Lee, Frank Huang, Aaron Rosand, Lukas Hagen, Ida Kavafian, and Hagai Shaham. At Yale, Andrew has also received chamber music mentorship from the Brentano Quartet and, most recently, the Emerson Quartet’s Paul Watkins.

Andrew plays on a 1731 Nicolò Gagliano violin and W. Hill bow, on loan from a generous private benefactor.

American/Italian violinist Alexander Franco Goldberg, 23, is a "fierce and sensitive" performer who "ties music to larger aesthetic and literary concerns that illuminate his performances." Alexander is passionate about linking musical performances with literature, poetry, and art. He is currently studying with Salvatore Accardo in Cremona at the Stauffer Center for Strings.

He recently completed a Masters in violin at the Yale School of Music, where he was the first and then-only student admitted to Yale’s new BA/MM dual-degree program; he graduated Yale with a BA in Philosophy cum laude. At Yale, Alexander was awarded the Head of College Cup for "outstanding scholarly achievement and creative promise," and the Selden Award for "verve, idealism and constructive interest in music and the humanities."

Alexander continues to tie together music and academic pursuits as an Assistant Researcher at the University of Padua’s Centro di Sonologia Computazionale, where he will work on multidisciplinary and multimedia musical installations.

He won first prize in Yale's William Waite concerto competition, performing Brahms' violin concerto with the Yale Symphony; and recently won the absolute first prizes at the Maria Labia, Vittorio Vitti, and Città D’Alessandria violin competitions, and second prize at the inaugural Grunewald competition in Berlin.

Chamber music forms a core part of Alexander’s musical identity: he studied at the Taos School of Music and received a full merit scholarship to Music@Menlo. He returned to Taos in an outreach concert tour of New Mexico, performing quartets alongside the Brentano Quartet’s Nina Lee.

Alexander is also passionate about new music and innovative genres; he was a member of the Lucerne Festival’s Contemporary Academy and has performed in small ensemble with Gilles Apap on the stage of the Kronberg Academy’s Casals Forum. As the winner of the Reate Festival International Contemporary Music competition, he performed a program of Bach and Berio in their fall 2023 concert series, in addition to lecturing in their school outreach event Progetto Scuole.

Recent season highlights include performances as soloist in Tippett’s Fantasia Concertante with the Yale Philharmonia and a quartet performance at Santa Fe Pro Musica. He performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as winner of the American Protégé International Competition, and in Boston’s Jordan Hall for National Public Radio’s From the Top. He studied with Ani Kavafian (2018-2023), Donald Weilerstein (2014-2018) and Ilya Gringolts, with whom he pursued Corsi di Perfezionamento at the Accademia Chigiana.

Helene Freytag was born into a family of musicians in Leipzig (Germany) in 2005. She received her first violin lessons at the age of five. In 2013, she passed the entrance exam at the Dresden Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in the class of Prof. Uta-Maria Frenzel. Currently, she is in the class of Hellen Weiß. Since 2019, she has also been at the Julius-Stern-Institute of the Berlin University of the Arts. There she is taught by Prof. Latica Honda-Rosenberg.From the winter semester 2024/25, she will continue her Bachelor's degree at the MUK in Vienna with Julian Rachlin.

Helene attended master classes with Prof. Mihaela Martin, Prof. Natalia Prishepenko, Prof. Zakhar Bron, Prof. Pawel Vernikov and Prof. Boris Brovtsyn. In addition she is a scholarship holder at the "International Music Academy Liechtenstein" and takes part in the "Intensive Weeks" with Prof. Ana Chumachenco, Prof. Ingolf Turban and Marc Bouchkov.

Helene is multiple first prize winner in the national competition "Jugend musiziert” with highest number of points. In this connection, she received spezial prizes as as soloist, as well as a chamber musician, including a prize of the "Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben", the concert series "Freunde Junger Musiker" and the "WDR3-Klassik radio prize". Together with her sister at the piano she was awarded the 2nd prize at the "Carl-Bechstein-Wettbewerb" in Berlin (2021).

At international level Helene won the 3rd prize at the "International Kocian Competition" in Usti nad Orlici (2019) as well as at the "15th International Violin Competition in Honour of K. Lipinski and H. Wieniawski" in Lublin (2021).

As a soloist Helene performed with the "Staatskapelle Halle", the "Sion Festival Orchestra" and the "Elblandphilharmonie Sachsen", among others. In addition, Helene has a great passion for chamber music. Together with her siblings, she successfully plays piano trio, since 2023 in the class of Prof. Boris Kusnezov at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig. Additionally, Helene was a participant in the chamber music projects, such as "Meister von heute und morgen” in Dresden, the "China Youth Music Academy" in Dresden, "Mit Musik-Miteinander” of the Kronberg Academy and the "Geneva international String Academy". There she got inspiration from Prof. Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Anastasia Kobekina, Prof. Walter Küssner and Sergey Ostrovsky. Since 2019 Helene is a member of the "National Youth Orchestra of Germany".

As a laureat of the 28th competition of "Deutscher Musikinstrumentenfond", she has the honour of playing an Italian violin by L. Ventapane (1806) and being additionally supported by a scholarship as well as concerts of the foundation "Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben". In September of 2022, she was also accepted into the "Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes" and the "Hans und Eugenia Jütting Stiftung".

Mila Gafner, born in 2004, started playing the viola at the age of 6 at the Lausanne Conservatory. She will then study with Noémie Bialobroda and joined the Pre-HEM program in 2018.

Mila has been a three-time winner of the Swiss Youth Music Competition in solo viola, as well as three times in chamber music. In April 2020, she was a finalist in the international Anton Rubinstein competition in Berlin and received the Förderpreis for the best interpretation of a contemporary work.

Mila has participated in masterclasses with violist and composer Garth Knox, violinist Gilles Apap, the Sine Nomine Quartet, and violist Matthias Buchholz. During the summers of 2018 and 2019, she attended the AIMS International String Academy in Solsona, Spain, and in December 2019, she studied with the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt, specializing in contemporary music, before joining them on tour in Germany, Amsterdam, and Antwerp.

In 2023, she recorded Kodály's Intermezzo for string trio with her ensemble for the 4 Seasons festival album.

Since 2022, Mila has been studying with Jean Sulem at the CNSMDP in Paris.

Sarah studies viola at the Geneva Conservatory of Music (CMG) under the tutelage of Noémie Bialobroda. Her rapid integration into the intensive course of the Conservatory allowed her to benefit very early on from the advice of professors from the HEM-Geneva such as García Alarcón. Today, she continues her career in the CMG pre-professional cursus.

In order to complete her training, Sarah participates in high-level international academies such as the Lac Leman Music Masterclasses (2021 and 2022), 2022), the Geneva International String Academy (2021, 2022, 2023),, the Verbier Festival Soloists Academy (2021) and the Kronberg Academy Workshops (2021). She was thus able to perfect her skills with renowned artistic personalities such as Nobuko Imai, Lawrence Power, Jean Sulem, Antoine Tamestit and Tabea Zimmermann.

At the age of 20, she wins the first Prize at the 79th edition of the Concours de Geneve 2025. In addition to sharing the main prize with Brian Isaacs, Sarah Strohm received most of the other awards. The Victoria Hall audience also strongly supported her, granting her the Audience Prize, the Young Audience Prize, and the Students’ Prize. These distinctions mark a new step in her remarkable journey.

Despite her young age, she has also obtained various distinctions on the national and international scene, including the EMCY prize (2022), the second prize in the Johannes Brahms competition (Pörtschach/Austria, 2021) and the first prize in the competition of the Aims Foundation to play as a soloist with symphony orchestra (Spain/Solsona, 2019). She is also multi-laureate of the Swiss Youth Music Competition (2016; 2018; 2022) and has just qualified for the final of the Valiant Forum competition which will take place as part of the Murten Classics 2023 festival.

Sarah performs regularly as a soloist: she has just performed the concerto for viola, clarinet and orchestra by Max Bruch under the direction of Alexei Ogrintchouk and Hummel's Pot-Pourri with the Trois-Chêne orchestra. Finally, her involvement in the field of chamber music has allowed her to perform alongside established musicians such as Garth Knox and Antje Weithaas.

Sarah is supported by the Ruth and Ernst Bürkhalter Foundation.

Born in 2006, Maxime has been studying cello with Claire Oppert and piano with Roustem Saïtkoulov for ten years, both of whom have had a profound impact on his musical development. Since September 2025, he has been studying at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHdK), in the class of Thomas Grossenbacher, after spending two years at the Paris Conservatory (CNSMDP) in the class of Emmanuelle Bertrand.

He also benefited from the advice of Steven Isserlis, Nicolas Alstaedt, Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Anne Gastinel, Kian Soltani, Ivan Monighetti, Kirill Gerstein and Gábor Takács-Nagy.

He has participated in several prestigious academies, including the Verbier Festival Academy, the Geneva International String Academy, the Seiji Ozawa International Academy, as well as masterclasses in Liechtenstein, Villecroze and Kronberg.

In 2022, Maxime represented France in the Eurovision final for young musicians in Montpellier, and in 2024, he won 2nd prize at the Buchet International Cello Competition in Belgium.

Maxime has had the chance to perform in venues such as the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Minsk Philharmonic, the UNESCO Grand Auditorium and has been invited to festivals such as the Viotti Festival in Italy, the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival in France, “Kazinika Dienas” in Latvia, and many others.

In January 2025, Maxime made his debut at the Tonhalle in Zurich, performing the Dvořák concerto with the Bodensee Philharmonie Konstanz, conducted by Gabriel Venzago.

Maxime regularly plays in a duo with pianist Rustem Saitkoulov, and in a trio with pianist Alexandra Dovgan and violinist Ilva Eigus. He also performs in a duo with his organist brother Alexis Grizard.

Eager to share his art and his passion for music with different audiences, Maxime regularly plays for elderly people in nursing homes and hospitals, but also for young people in middle and high schools.

Since December 2024, Maxime Grizard has been playing a 1696 Gioffredo Cappa cello on loan from the Société Musicale Générale Mécénat, as well as a cello by Stephan von Baehr (Paris, 2009), on loan from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

Daphne Richman Poleg, born in 2003 in Israel, is  a graduate of the Thelma Yelin School of Arts, the Israeli Conservatory of Music in Tel Aviv and the Jerusalem Music Center Mishkenot Sha'ananim. She is currently a student in Professor Hillel Zorri's class, during her third year of her bachelor's degree in performance at Buchmann Mehta School of Music at the Tel Aviv university.

Daphne is first prize winner of Paul Ben Haim 2020 competition, competition of the Israel Conservatory of Music in 2019 and 2015. She received from the Sharett Foundation a scholarship with extra distinction 2019 -2024, and scholarships from the Ronan Foundation in 2018, 2019, 2023.

In February 2024 she played a full recital that was broadcasted live on the radio. In June 2023 she played with her piano quartet in a live broadcast for voice of music. In November 2019 Daphne was chosen to represent the Tel Aviv conservatory of music and played a full recital. In November and May 2018 she played with the chamber ensemble of the Goldman program.

In April 2024, Daphne received a certificate of honor for outstanding achievement - the BMSM. She was chosen to participate In two projects of the Israeli Philarmonic in April 2023 and February 2024. She was principal cello in the Buchman Mehta Symphony Orchestra from 2022 to 2024, principal cello in the Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra from 2019 to 2021, principal cello in The Thelma Yellin Symphony orchestra from 2019 to 2021.

In 2023 she participated in Keshet Eilon mastercourse, and played in a piano quintet with Sergey Ostrovsky, and was chosen to play solo in the gala concerts In Keshet Eilon and Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

In 2015 and 2022 Daphne participated in the "Aims" summer festival in Spain where she played solo and chamber music in several concerts. In 2018 and 2020 she participated in the prestigious "Huberman" program of the Jerusalem Music Center, in which she traveled to Switzerland and Italy, where she played solo in celebratory concerts in Italy, Switzerland and the Culture Hall in Tel Aviv.

In June 2022 Daphne flew on behalf of the Jerusalem Music Center Mishkenot Sh'aananim to solo and chamber concerts in Switzerland. She participated in master classes with Gary Hoffman, Frans Helmerson, Amit Peled, Hans Jürgen Jensen, Orpao Mendozzi, Emmanuel Gruber, Alessandro Adriani, Zvi Pelser, and in Yitzhak Perlman's Genesis program.

Originally from Reims, Auguste Rahon began his cello studies at the age of five at the municipal music school of La Loupe in Eure-et-Loir before entering the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental de Chartres in 2009, then the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental du Puy-en-Velay. In 2012, he enters the class of Augustin Lefebvre at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Lyon where he obtains in 2015 his Diploma of musical studies with honors.

Since 2016, he has been studying with Denis Severin at the Haute École de Musique de Genève until the bachelor’s degree, and then joined David Pia’s class for a master’s degree in interpretation, with a concert orientation. He also worked in masterclasses and summer courses with David Harlé, Philippe Bary, Marcel Bardon, Raphaël Pidoux, Frédéric Dutheil, the Penderecki quartet, Edgar Gredler, Denis Severin, Rafael Rosenfeld, Truels Svane, Wen-Sin Yang, David Pia, Thomas Grossenbacher, Wolfgang Emmanuel Schmidt, Ophélie Gaillard, Danjulo Ishizaka, Yi-Bing Chu, Roel Dieltens, Gary Hoffman or François Guye... 

Auguste Rahon joined the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris in September 2022.

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“.

Pauline Boudon began playing the cello at the age of three in Lyon. She then trained with Matthieu Lejeune at the Conservatoire de St Maur-des-Fossés before entering the CNSMD in Paris at the age of 17. She continued her studies in the class of Jérôme Pernoo and Cyrill Lacrouts, graduating with unanimous honours with distinction.

She has benefited from the advice of renowned teachers such as Gary Hoffman, Frans Helmerson, Reinhard Latzko, Xavier Gagnepain, Luis Claret and Pierre Foucheneret. She is now completing her Master's degree with Marc Coppey, Tatjana Uhde and Pauline Bartissol.

In 2022, she was selected for the masterclasses at the Kronberg Academy, and then performed at the Amsterdam Cello Biennale. She is a member of the Brahms Promotion (2023-2024) at the Philippe Jaroussky Academy, where she receives guidance from Anne Gastinel.

Pauline is passionate about chamber music, and in 2024 joined the master's programme in trio with Iris Scialom and Nicolas Bourdoncle at the CNSMDP in François Salque's class. She is a member of the Citadelles Quartet, and performs with the Arod Quartet (August 2023), Ulf Wallin, Marianna Shirinyan and Xenia Jankovic, among others, in various countries.

She has also worked with prestigious institutions such as the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris, and has been invited to the Musica festival in Strasbourg, the Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, and others.

She plays a cello signed Frank Ravatin, kindly loaned by the El Pasito Association.

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.