Alasdair Beatson, piano
Highly regarded as a distinctive and accomplished musician, Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson continues to make an impact on the classical music scene. Recent highlights include the release of his debut CD for SOMM Recordings, and a tour of the UK with the Scottish Ensemble, performing Shostakovich's Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings.
Evelyne Berezovsky, piano
Evelyne was born in Moscow in 1991. She started piano at the age of 5 and joined the class of Prof. Ilana Davids at the Purcell School of Music two years later. This year Evelyne will continue her studies with Prof. Hamish Milne at the Royal Academy of Music in London and with Elisso Virsaladze at Moscow Conservatoire.
Emmanuel Despax, piano
Emmanuel Despax was born in Paris but his burgeoning career has led him to make his home in England. In 2009 he won the prestigious Dudley International Piano Competition. In September 2011, following his acclaimed Paris début at the Salle Gaveau, he gave the opening recital of the Louvre International Series and returns to London’s Wigmore Hall in a recital celebrating Liszt’s bicentenary year.
Christopher Devine, piano
Christopher Devine was born and raised in the Netherlands from a German mother and a Scottish father. He learned to read music at the age of three, and took his first piano lessons at the age of five. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague from 1994 till 2006 with Marcel Baudet and attained his Master of Music degree in September 2006.
Leonard Elschenbroich, cello
Since his success at the opening concert of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival where he performed the Brahms Double Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter under Christoph Eschenbach and received the Leonard Bernstein Award, 24 year old cellist Leonard Elschenbroich has been widely regarded as one of the most important and original German cellists of his generation.
Timothy End, piano
Timothy End. graduated with a first class honours degree in Music from King’s College, London in 2006 before beginning Postgraduate study in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music, where he gained the prestigious DipRAM award for an outstanding recital in 2008. He held the Shinn Fellowship at RAM for 2008-09 under the tuition of Julius Drake and Patsy Toh.
Thomas Gould, violin
Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in 2006, Thomas Gould has established himself as one of the leading British violinists of the younger generation. He combines a busy solo career with the positions of leader of Aurora Orchestra, co-leader of Britten Sinfonia and guest leader of McGill Chamber Orchestra in Montreal.
Alexei Grynyuk, piano
Ukrainian pianist Alexei Grynyuk studied in Kiev before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Hamish Milne. Notable competition successes include the first prize at the Dyagilev Competition in Moscow, the Vladimir Horowitz Competition in Kiev and the Shanghai Piano Competition in China.
Guy Johnston, cello
Guy Johnston has become a fast-rising star on the international concert stage after making an extraordinary debut in London at the BBC Proms where he played the Elgar Cello Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin.
So-Ock Kim, violin
Born in Seoul in 1982, So-Ock Kim moved to London at the age of three. At 15, she was the youngest ever winner of the gold medal in the prestigious Shell/LSO Competition playing the Tchaikovsky concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra in the Barbican Hall. At 19, So-Ock was selected for the Young Concert Artists Trust. Her teachers have included Itzhak Rashkovsky, Felix Andrievsky and David Takeno.
Huw Morgan, trumpet
Since becoming Brass Winner of the BBC Young Musician 2006, Huw Morgan has appeared in concert and recital throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Born in South Wales in 1987 and educated at Chetham’s School of Music, he graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with first-class honours, studying under Professor James Watson, Mark David and Robert Farley.
Krzysztof Smietana, violin
Krzysztof Smietana was born in Poland and studied at the Cracow Academy of Music, later moving to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he himself now teaches. He won most of the national awards in Poland and has been a prize-winner in several major international violin competitions.
Colin Stone, piano
Winner of the 1986 Royal Overseas League Piano competition, Colin Stone enjoys the successful career predicted for him by Sir Charles Groves, as a solo pianist and as a member of the London Mozart Trio.
Colin has a particular affinity with the music of Shostakovich, and during the 2006 centenary year, he performed at Cadogan Hall a single recital of all 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, a work that he has since recorded.
Masayuki Tayama, piano
Tayama first came to prominence when he won First Prize in the Takahiro Sonada International Piano Competition in Japan, followed by numerous top prizes in Europe including the Brant Birmingham International Piano Competition and the Grand Konzerteum International Piano Competition in Greece.
His first recording of the two Rachmaninov sonatas was chosen by Stereo magazine as one of the Best Recordings of the Month.
Matthew Trusler, violin
Hailed by The Times as “an authentic, though British, virtuoso” Matthew Trusler graduated from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music in 1998. Following the release of Matthew’s disc – Blues – The Daily Telegraph declared that "Trusler assumes the Heifetz (and Perlman) mantle with ease". A passionate lover of the style and approach to violin playing during the Heifetz era, Trusler performs with one of Heifetz’s bows, given to him by Herbert Axelrod (who himself received it from Heifetz).