Winter season 2025-2026

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.

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.

Née à Moscou en 2003, elle commence son parcours musical à l’âge de six ans. Elle se produit régulièrement en tant que soliste et dans diverses formations de musique de chambre depuis 2012.

En avril 2014, à l’âge de 10 ans, elle remporte le premier prix du 2e Concours international de musique pour la jeunesse « CRESCENDO.GENEVE » à Genève. Quelques semaines plus tard, elle donne son premier récital de piano à Zürich. Au cours des années suivantes, elle a remporté des prix lors de nombreux concours internationaux, notamment le concours « Jeune Chopin » en Valais, le Geneva International Junior Piano Competition, le Concours d’interprétation Musicale de Lausanne et le Grand Piano Competition de Moscou.

Ekaterina s’est produite avec divers orchestres, « Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra », Ulyanovsk Symphony Orchestra, Ural Symphony Youth Orchestra, Svetlanov State Symphony Orchestra. Son répertoire comprend des concertos pour piano de Tchaïkovski (n° 1), Brahms (n° 1 et 2), Beethoven (n° 3, 4 et 5), Rachmaninov (n° 3), Saint-Saëns (n° 2), Schumann et d’autres.

Ekaterina a été invitée dans de nombreux festivals internationaux : « Herbst in der Helferei », où elle s’est produite en tant que soliste, avec l’orchestre du festival et en duo avec Gilad Karni (2015), le festival de Yuri Bashmet “Elba, Isola Musicale d’Europa” (2017), où elle a également reçu le “Prix de l’année-2019”, le Festival de Boris Berezovsky au Tatarstan, Elabuga (2021), le Festival “Jeune Chopin” à Cannes (2021), le Festival international A. Scriabine à Moscou (2022), « Aisa and friends » à Belgrade (2022), Puplinge Classique (2023) et « Primeurs musicales » à Genève (2024).

En juillet 2024, Ekaterina est invitée à participer à l’Académie pour solistes émergents du Verbier Festival, où elle assiste aux masterclasses de piano solo et de musique de chambre de J. Achucarro, K. Gerstein, N. Namoradze, A. Keller et G. Takács-Nagy. Elle y a reçu le prix de la Fondation Tabor. En 2025 elle a fait ses débuts dans la programmation principale du festival, avec un récital retransmis en direct sur Medici.tv.

La même année, elle a également été étudiante de la Fondation Theo et Petra Lieven à Vienne, participant à une série de masterclasses et de concerts.

Outre Verbier, elle a travaillé à plusieurs reprises avec le professeur Hamish Milne, Esther Yellin, Rena Shereshevskaya, Janina Fialkowska, Zlata Chochieva et Philippe Cassard.

Depuis 2014, Ekaterina étudie le piano à l’« Moscow Special Music School of Gnessin » avec Evgeny Talisman et Boris Berezovsky. Elle poursuit désormais ses études auprès de Nelson Goerner dans le cadre du Master Soliste à la Haute école de musique de Genève, où elle vient d’obtenir son Bachelor.

Svitlana Kosenko was born in Ukraine and studied at Kharkiv Special Music School and Kharkiv University of Arts. A laureate of international competitions, she won top prizes in the Paris French-Polish Music (1999), Smetana (2001), Enescu (2001), and Joseph Suder (2012) competitions. Svitlana has worked as a staff pianist at The Yehudi Menuhin School and is currently working at the Royal College of Music as an accompanist.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.