Paul Lewis - Piano

Paul Lewis is one of the foremost interpreters of the Central European piano repertoire, his performances and recordings of Beethoven and Schubert receiving universal critical acclaim. He was awarded CBE for his services to music, and the sincerity and depth of his musical approach have won him fans around the world.

This global popularity is reflected in the world-class orchestras with whom he works, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, Philharmonia, Bavarian Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony, New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw and Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestras. His close relationship with Boston Symphony Orchestra led to his selection as the 2020 Koussevitzky Artist at Tanglewood.

With a natural affinity for Beethoven, he took part in the BBC’s three-part documentary Being Beethoven and performed a concerto cycle at Tanglewood in summer 2022. He has performed the cycle all over the world, and was the first pianist to play the complete cycle in a single season at the BBC Proms in 2010.

Beyond many award-winning Beethoven recordings, his discography with Harmonia Mundi also demonstrates his characteristic depth of approach in Romantic repertoire such as Schumann, Mussorgsky, Brahms and Liszt.

In chamber music, Paul Lewis works closely with tenor Mark Padmore in lied recitals around the world – they have recorded three Schubert song cycles together. Between 2022 and 2024, Paul Lewis embarked on a new Schubert Piano Sonata Series where he will present the completed sonatas from the last 12 years of Schubert’s life at venues around the world. Lewis is co-Artistic Director of Midsummer Music, an annual chamber music festival held in Buckinghamshire, UK.

Awards: Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year; two Edison awards; three Gramophone awards; Diapason d’Or de l’Annee; South Bank Show Classical Music Award; honorary degrees from Liverpool, Edge Hill and Southampton Universities; appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

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 was also been regularly invited to join the Nash Ensemble for Wigmore Hall concerts and tours. 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.

Since 2018, Bjørg has held the position of Associate Professor of Cello at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. In 2024 she curated athe Academy's first ever International Cello Festival. She is frequently invited to give masterclasses and be a jury member at many international chamber music competitions

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

Mark Padmore - Tenor

Mark Padmore was born in London and studied at King’s College, Cambridge. He has established an international career in opera, concert and recital. His appearances in Bach Passions have gained particular notice, especially his renowned performances as Evangelist in the St Matthew and St John Passions with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Simon Rattle, staged by Peter Sellars.

A highlight of Mark's 2021/22 season is a residency at Wigmore Hall where he celebrates his relationship with pianists Till Fellner, Imogen Cooper, Mitsuko Uchida and Paul Lewis. He will also appear in recital in Brussels with Simon Lepper, Madrid with Kristian Bezuidenhout and in a six-concert US tour with Mitsuko Uchida.
Other appearances in this busy season include a staged Britten War Requiem at the Liceu Barcelona, Evangelist St Matthew Passion at the Bayerische Rundfunk conducted by Simon Rattle, and directing performances of St John Passion with the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment.

Mark recently appeared in a new Royal Opera House, Covent Garden production of Britten’s Death in Venice, where his performance was described as a “tour de force” and “exquisite of voice, [presenting] Aschenbach’s physical and spiritual breakdown with extraordinary detail and insight”. Other opera roles have included the leading roles in Harrison Birtwistle The Corridor and The Cure at the Aldeburgh Festival; Captain Vere in Britten Billy Budd and Evangelist in a staging of St Matthew Passion both for Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the world premiere of Tansy Davies Cave with the London Sinfonietta.
In concert Mark performs with the world’s leading orchestras. He was Artist in Residence for the 2017/18 Season with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and held a similar position with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for 2016/17. His work with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has involved projects exploring both Bach St John and St Matthew Passions and has attracted worldwide acclaim.

His extensive discography includes Beethoven Missa Solemnis and Haydn Die Schöpfung with Bernard Haitink and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra on BR Klassik and Lieder by Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart with Kristian Bezuidenhout for Harmonia Mundi. Other Harmonia Mundi recordings; Schubert cycles with Paul Lewis (Winterreise won the 2010 Gramophone magazine Vocal Award); Schumann Dichterliebe with Kristian Bezuidenhout (2011 Edison Klassiek Award) and Britten Serenade, Nocturne and Finzi Dies Natalis with the Britten Sinfonia (ECHO/Klassik 2013 award).

Mark was voted 2016 Vocalist of the Year by Musical America and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Kent University in 2014. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queens’ Birthday Honours List. 

www.markpadmore.com

Alexander Sitkovetsky - Violin

Alexander Sitkovetsky was born into a family with an established musical tradition, and made his concerto debut at the age of eight. He went on to study with the late Yehudi Menuhin; performing together on several occasions.

Winner of the ICMA Special Achievement Award for Panufnik’s Violin Concerto with Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Alexander is a frequent guest soloist of top orchestras and embarks on nationwide tours of the UK.

1st prize winner at the Trio di Trieste Duo Competition alongside pianist Wu Qian. He is an alumnus of the prestigious ‘Bowers Program’ (formerly ‘CMS Two’) at the Lincoln Center, and in 2016 received the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. Founding member of the Sitkovetsky Duo & Trio and also a member of the Julia Fischer String Quartet.

www.alexandersitkovetsky.com

Henning Kraggerud - Violin

Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud is an artist of exquisite musicianship, whose impressive virtuosity draws audiences and critics alike towards the exceptional quality of his playing.

He has played as concerto soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, London Philharmonic, and Halle Orchestras amongst many others.

As a composer, he recently debuted his first major work – a collaboration with the Jostein Gaarder, the author of Sophie’s World.

Henning is Co-Artistic Director of the Risør Festival of Chamber Music and Artistic Director of the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra.

He is a recipient of Norway's prestigious Grieg Prize and in 2007 was awarded the Sibelius Prize. Henning is a Professor at the Barratt-Due Music Conservatoire in Oslo.

imgartists.com/artist/henning_kraggerud

Lars Anders Tomter - Viola

Norwegian Lars Anders Tomter is one of today's most outstanding violists. His appearances as a viola soloist have been greeted with the highest public and critical acclaim throughout Europe and the United States in venues such as Vienna Musikverein, New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin and the Kölner Philharmonie.

He has given the world premieres of many new viola concertos and chamber works written especially for him. His large repertoire includes all major contemporary works for viola, and he has recorded extensively for Simax, Naxos, Virgin Classics, NMC, Somm and Chandos.

Lars Anders Tomter is joint artistic director of the Norwegian Risør Chamber Music Festival and is a Professor at the State Academy in Oslo.

www.nordicartistsmanagement.com

Alasdair Beatson - Piano

Alasdair Beatson studied with John Blakely and Menahem Pressler. He has recently worked as soloist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, RSNO, Scottish Ensemble, and Britten Sinfonia, and will give his fifth solo recital at Wigmore Hall on July 13th. CD recordings include piano music of Mendelssohn, Ludwig Thuille, and a disc of Opus 1's. Chamber music colleagues have included Adrian Brendel, Philippe Graffin, Pekka Kuusisto, the Doric String Quartet, Bjørg Lewis, Gordan Nikolić and Pieter Wispelwey. He is artistic director of chamber music festival Musique à Marsac.

alasdairbeatson.com