Paul Lewis - Piano

Paul Lewis is internationally regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation.  His numerous awards have included the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year, and the South Bank Show Classical Music award. He was appointed CBE in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours.

The 17/18 season sees the start of a two year recital series exploring connections between the sonatas of Haydn, the late piano works of Brahms, and Beethoven's Bagatelles and Diabelli Variations. 

He is a frequent recitalist at the some of the world's most prestigious venues and festivals, including the BBC Proms where he became the first person to play a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle in a single season.

His multi-award winning discography for Harmonia Mundi includes works by Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt, Schubert, Schumann, and Mussorgsky.  Future recording plans include a multi-CD series of Haydn sonatas, Beethoven's Bagatelles, and works by Bach.

Paul Lewis studied with Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London before going on to study privately with Alfred Brendel. He is co-Artistic Director of Midsummer Music, and the Leeds International Piano Competition.

www.paullewispiano.co.uk

Bjørg Lewis - Cello

Bjørg Lewis is one of Norway’s most highly esteemed cellists.  As a soloist, she played with the Oslo Philharmonic as well as many other orchestras throughout Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Baltics.

Bjørg is a founder member of the Vertavo String Quartet, an internationally-acclaimed ensemble, which has received numerous awards including Norway’s prestigious Grieg Prize. Vertavo launched their own chamber music festival, Vertavofestivalen in 2016.

A busy performance schedule takes Bjørg throughout Europe and North America. A frequent participant in many international chamber music festivals, Bjørg has also been regularly invited to join the Nash Ensemble for Wigmore Hall concerts and tours for the past five years. She was Artistic Director of the Elverum Festival in Norway from 2001- 2015 and co-Artistic Director of Midsummer Music since its inception in 2009.

Bjørg plays on a 1748 Gennaro Gagliano cello provided for her by the Dextra Musica Foundation, previously played by Martin Lovett of the Amadeus Quartet

www.vertavo.com