ARTISTS 2025

Beata Antikainen (born in 1993) was a finalist in the Turku Cello Competition in 2014. She has appeared at several Finnish music festivals and played as soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, the Turku Philharmonic and the Helsinki Ensemble. Presently she studies with Professor Claudio Bohórquez at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler in Berlin. Her previous teachers include Marko Ylönen and Hannu Kiiski at the Sibelius Academy. Antikainen has participated in masterclasses given by Jens Peter Maintz, Frans Helmerson, Arto Noras, Wolfgang Boettcher, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Reinhard Latsko. She was a member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in 2010 and 2013. She also works regularly with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic and Avanti!. Antikainen plays a Pierre & Hippolyte Silvestre cello.

He has been a laureate of several national and international competitions, which gave him the
opportunity to schedule solo concerts with orchestra as well as to give recitals at festivals.
In the field of chamber music, since 2019 he has performed with the Opus Duo alongside guitarist
Francisco Berény, with whom he has appeared in various concert halls and festivals in Portugal, Italy,
Finland, France, and Switzerland. Since 2023, he has been performing in Switzerland with Trio Luz,
together with Lucrezia Liberati on piano and Joel Cardoso on clarinet. He performs regularly with the
Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and the Zücker Kammerphilharmonie.
Together with Teresa Soares, he has been Artistic Director of the “Porto Cello Festival” since 2022. In
2020, he founded the volunteer association “Sorrisos d’Arte,” an organisation with social impact
through art, of which he is president.
Since 2021, he has been pursuing his studies in Switzerland at the Lucerne University of Music,
supported by a Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship, in the class of Professors Guido
Schiefen and Claudius Hermann, and more recently began a second Master’s degree with Professor
Christian Poltéra.
Tiago was born in 1999 and began his musical studies with Professor Ricardo Mota at the Lisbon
Academy of Music, where he also studied with Professor Marco Pereira, before entering the School
of Music and Performing Arts (ESMAE), where he completed his Bachelor’s degree with Professor
Filipe Quaresma in 2020 with the highest mark.

Eliso Babuadze is a Georgian cellist currently based in Helsinki, Finland. With a warm, expressive sound and a love for collaborative music-making, she enjoys exploring a wide range of repertoire—classical, contemporary and folk—through orchestral and chamber performances.

Eliso has cultivated a diverse musical career, collaborating with a variety of orchestras and ensembles throughout Europe and Asia. Her professional journey began in 2017 as a substitute cellist with the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra and as a guest cellist with the Georgian National Symphony Orchestra in 2017 and 2018.

In 2019, she was awarded Second Prize at the Competition of Georgian Classical Music Performers and then became a member of the Georgian Sinfonietta later the same year. Eliso completed her Bachelor’s studies at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire in 2021 and was subsequently accepted into the renowned Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where she earned her Master’s degree in 2024. During her studies, she expanded her repertoire and artistic voice, with a growing focus on chamber music and contemporary works. That same year, she was selected to join the orchestra academy of Korean National Symphony Orchestra, participating in its 2024 summer program—an experience that further enriched her international outlook and orchestral experience.

Alongside her musical pursuits, Eliso is deeply engaged in the visual arts. Her passion for photography and cinematography only complements her musical expression but also offers another avenue for creative storytelling. Currently freelancing across Finland and Europe, Eliso performs with a range of orchestras and chamber ensembles. Whether on stage or behind the camera, she approaches her work with curiosity, depth, and a strong commitment to artistic integrity.

Francisco Berény Domingues, guitarist, was born in Porto and began his musical studies at the age of 11. He attended the CMSM where he worked with teachers Hugo Sanches, Paula Marques, Óscar Rodrigues and Pedro Rodrigues. He has taken part in various festivals as a recitalist or giving masterclasses in Portugal (including a solo concert at Sala Suggia, Casa da Música), Spain, France, Germany, Austria and Italy. He has a duo with pianist Álvaro Teixeira Lopes and cellist Tiago Azevedo e Silva (Opus duo). Berény completed a degree in performance and a master’s degree in teaching guitar at the University of Aveiro with Professor Pedro Rodrigues. He recently completed a Master’s in Performance in the class of Professor Laura Young at the Mozarteum University  in Salzburg with the highest grade. He has had contact with several renowned guitarists in the context of Masterclasses and has been awarded prizes in competitions. He is the artistic director of the Teoria das Cordas festival (a partnership between CMSM and UP) and the Santa Cecília Guitar Competition. In 2023 and 2024

Francisco released his first CD “Salzburg Recital” with the KNS label.

www.franciscobereny.com

Leonardo Chiodo (b. 1998, Helsinki) is a Finnish-Italian cellist internationally recognised for his talent. He began his musical studies on the trumpet and started playing the cello at the age of 10. A year later, he was accepted into the Junior Academy of the Sibelius Academy, where he studied under Hannu Kiiski and Martti Rousi.

Chiodo gained early recognition by winning first prize at the Mravinsky Youth Competition (2016) and the Finnish Cello Competition (2018). He was also a finalist in the prestigious International Paulo Cello Competition. He studied at the Reina Sofía School of Music under the renowned cellist Ivan Monighetti and has taken part in numerous international masterclasses.

As a soloist, he has performed across Europe with orchestras such as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic, Sinfonia Lahti, Orchestra della Toscana, and the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra. He has played on prestigious concert stages and participated in many international festivals.

Leonardo plays a cello made by Carlo Giuseppe Testore in 1718, on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

“Tonally, technically, and musically superb,” Canadian cellist Luka Coetzee (b. 2004) “plays sublimely, with an interpretative grasp [and] phenomenal musicianship [that] should on no account be missed” (Fanfare Magazine). Since her professional debut at age 11, Luka has appeared as soloist with orchestras worldwide including the Helsinki Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony, Cape Town Philharmonic, National Philharmonic, Stuttgart Chamber, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Hradec Kralove Philharmonic, National Orchestre de Cannes, and more. 

Luka received numerous awards including First Prize in 2023 at the eminent 7th International Paulo Cello Competition. In November 2022, she was recognized as the First Prize Winner at the Pablo Casals International Award, and in September, she received the Frans Helmerson Promotional Award at the Kronberg Academy, as well as First Prize in the 2022 Johansen International Competition in Washington, DC, garnering further attention for her exciting introduction as an international soloist.

As a member of the Echo Klassik-nominated LGT Young Soloists, Luka performed in concert halls around the world including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berlin Philharmonie, Tonhalle Zürich, Victoria Hall Singapore, Rheingau Musik Festival, and Woordfees Festival in Stellenbosch, South Africa. With LGTYS, Luka’s critically acclaimed Naxos recording of the Beethoven A Major Cello Sonata, arranged for cello and strings, was No. 1 on the Apple Music Classical Video Charts in more than 40 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.

Luka draws inspiration from her work with distinguished artists worldwide, including Johannes Moser, Frans Helmerson, David Geringas, Nicolas Altstaedt, Jens Peter Maintz, Laurence Lesser, and Hans Jorgen Jensen, as well as the Calidore String Quartet, the Kronos Quartet, and the Schumann Quartet. In November 2021, Luka attended the Rutesheim Cello Akademie where she worked with Danjulo Ishizaka and Claudio Bohorquez, and more recently the Prussia Cove Masterclasses under the guidance of Steven Isserlis. An avid chamber musician, Luka participated in the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival Young Performer’s Program in 2019 and 2018.

Luka frequently performs at schools, hospitals, senior homes, and community events. She was the Calgary Regional Director of the Back to Bach Project, “a global initiative to inspire music and arts education to young children.” At the age of one, Luka had her first cello lesson with Christine Bootland. She graduated from the Advanced Performance Program at the MRU Conservatory where she collaborated with and was mentored by Susanne Ruberg-Gordon. Other previous mentors include John Kadz, Johanne Perron, Horacio Contreras, and currently, by Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Kronberg Academy. Luka also started playing piano at the age of three and finished the Royal Conservatory of Music ARCT piano exam with First Class Honours under the instruction of Derek Chiu. 

Luka Coetzee is represented worldwide by Sheldon Artists. She plays on a Giuseppe Guarneri ‘filius Andrea’ cello, c. 1712-15, with a bow by François Nicolas Voirin, both graciously provided by Canimex Inc., from Drummondville (Quebec), Canada. Luka is a Violin Channel Artist and an Endorsing Artist for Thomastik-Infeld strings (Vienna).

lukacoetzee.com

Steven Doane has been Professor of Cello at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester NY for over 4 decades, and is also currently a Visiting Professor and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London.  

He continues to maintain an active career as recitalist, chamber musician, and master teacher, both in the US and overseas. He travels frequently to the United Kingdom and has presented master classes in most of the major music Colleges there. Concerto and recital appearances in the UK have taken him to London, Manchester, and Edinburgh, and a number of times to Dublin Ireland. 

 Doane’s NYC solo debut was with the Rochester Philharmonic in DonQuixote in Carnegie Hall in 1982. For 8 seasons he was a member of the Naumburg Award winning New Arts Trio, and more recently was for seven seasons the cellist in the Los Angeles Piano Quartet.

Mr Doane’s recital debut was with pianist Barry Snyder in Alice Tully Hall in 1991, and was followed by numerous recital appearances in the US including those in Boston, Milwaukee, and Chicago.

Mr. Doane and Mr. Snyder also presented two recitals in London’s Wigmore Hall. The duo has made a number of recordings for the Bridge Records label including music by Faure, Britten and Bridge, and Rachmaninoff.  

As a chamber musician Doane has also enjoyed  collaborations both in the US and UK, including concerts with the Endellion Quartet,and  Florestan Trio in the UK, and the Ying, Pacifica, Miro and  Audubon Quartets in the US. Mr. Doane has also made a number of  appearances on tour in the UK and in the Wigmore Hall with musicians from the International Musician’s Seminar.

 Mr. Doane plays a cello by David Tecchler of Rome dated 1720.

Finnish soprano coloratura Piia Komsi (b. 1967) is an internationally acclaimed performer with an exceptionally large repertoire from early music to the newest contemporary works. Komsi is known for her unique virtuoso, voice acrobatic and various special skills; including singing and playing the cello simultaneously, as she started her musical career as a cellist.

Komsi has worked with many composers around the world like Pascal Dusapin, György Kurtag and Liza Lim. She has premiered numerous works by contemporary composers, and many composers (including Vinko Globokar, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, Unsuk Chin, Peter Eötvös, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Rolf Riehm, Liza Lim and Heinz-Juhani Hofmann) have written music particularly for her voice. Komsi has performed with several orchestras all over the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchester, Philharmonic Orchestre de Radio France, BBC Symphony Orchestras of London and Cardiff, NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (MDR), Oslo Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Musik Fabrik Köln, Ensemble Modern, Remix Porto Casa da Musica, Stockholm Royal Filharmonic Orchestra and Finnish Radio Orchestra.

Piia Komsi’s many successful roles such as Medea (Dusapin/Medea), Gepopo (Ligeti/Grand Macabre), Maid (Adès/Powder her Face), Cat (Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland), Queen of the Night and Brünnhilde (Wagner-Dove/Ring Saga) have taken her around the world. Komsi’s opera engagements include Bayerisches Staatsoper, Théatre et Musique Paris, Théatre Capitole Toulouse, Teatro Comunale Bologna, Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, Theater Chemnitz, Finnish National Opera, as well as many independent opera companies in Finland and Nimrod company productions.

Piia Komsi’s latest recordings include “Soita.Kirjoita joskus.Ruf an.Schreib doch mal.” by Heinz-Juhani Hofmann (2021), Liza Lim’s Singing in Tongues (2021), Exil3 by Vinko Globokar( NEOS) and Die Schreckliche gewaltige Kinder by Rolf Riehm (WERGO), and SOLARIS (Naxos).

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS:
In 2022, Piia Komsi has again been nominated for the Opus Klassik Award for the recording of Heinz Juhani Hofmann’s “Soita. Kirjoita joskus. Ruf an. Schreib doch mal.” in multiple categories:

Category 1: Female Singer of the Year 2022
Category 9: Solo Recording Singing
Category 13 Classic without limits
Category 17: World Premiere Recording
Category 22: Innovative listening experience
Category 24: New Classic

The recording of Mother Tongue by Liza Lim (in the CD Singing in Tongues) was nominated as a candidate for the Best Recording of The Year by New Yorker 2021. In 2019, Piia Komsi was nominated in two categories for the prestigious Opus Klassik 2019 Awards: The BestFemale Singer of the Year, and Vocal Soloist in a live concert recording regarding the recording of the Die Schreckliche gewaltige Kinder by Rolf Riehm, with Ensemble Modern.She was awarded the Abbiati prize of the Best Modern Opera Premiere in Italy 2017 for Medea (Medeamaterial by Pascal Dusapin).

Piia Komsi is also Artistic Director of Exit 3-Company, a multi-art group of top professionals in music, dance and visual arts.  In addition to her performing career, Komsi teaches young singers and studiesMusic Pedagogy and Education Sciences and Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä.

Winner of the Annual Prize of the Endowment for Music of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2021), Alisson Kruusmaa (born 1992) has emerged as one of the most exciting and commissioned young Estonian composers of today. Currently living in Tallinn, Kruusmaa is focusing on large scale orchestral works and stage music.

Kruusmaa’s music is best described through ethereal, fragile and spacious soundscapes featuring a delicate and sparse orchestration. Her work has been commissioned in Europe, Asia and the United States. Among many others, she has worked with the Dresden Philharmonic, Sinfonietta Cracovia, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Orkest de Ereprijs, Phion, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Opera and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. In recent years, Kruusmaa has participated in several festivals, including the Gaudeamus Muziekweek and Andriessen Festival in the Netherlands, the international cello festival Cello Fest in Finland, Mise-En Festival and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra Festival in the United States. During the season 2023/2024, she was in residency at the Dutch National Opera and Ballet in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Throughout the years, Kruusmaa’s music has received several recognitions. In 2013, she was awarded Erkki-Sven Tüür Young Composer’s Scholarship. In 2018, her piece Rain (2018) for mezzo-soprano and orchestra won the Best Composition Prize at the 24th Young Composers Meeting in the Netherlands. She has been a featured composer twice at the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition in Los Angeles (2018 and 2021). In February 2022, her string quartet Three Miniatures (2016) was performed by the Eclipse Quartet at the University of California. She is the winner of the Annual Prize of the Endowment for Music of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2021). In 2023, Kruusmaa received the fellowship given out by maestro Tõnu Kaljuste. In 2025, Kruusmaa was awarded with the National Culture Prize for her ballet Light From the End of the World (2024).

Kruusmaa studied composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and at the Conservatorio di Musica di Giuseppe Verdi di Milano. At this moment, she is concentrating on her doctoral studies focusing on composing music for ballet.

https://alissonkruusmaa.com/

Formed by Francisco Berény Domingues (guitar) and Tiago Azevedo e Silva
(cello), the duo was established in 2019 and has performed in Paris, Trani,
Acquaviva delle Fonti and Florence (Italy), Lucerne (Switzerland), as well as at
various festivals in Portugal. The duo has had the opportunity to work with
Professor Filipe Quaresma, Professor Paulo Gaio Lima, Afonso Fesch, and
Anja Lechner. With a strong focus on Iberian repertoire, the duo has been
developing programs ranging from the 20th century to the present day,
collaborating with and commissioning works from Portuguese composers such
as Fernando Lapa and Pedro Santos, thus contributing to the promotion of
Portuguese music both in Portugal and abroad.

Jens Peter Maintz enjoys an outstanding reputation as a versatile soloist, highly sought-after chamber musician, and committed cello teacher. Originally from Hamburg, he studied with David Geringas and took part in masterclasses with other great cellists such as Heinrich Schiff, Boris Pergamenschikow, Frans Helmerson and Siegfried Palm. He was further influenced by his intensive chamber music study with Uwe-Martin Haiberg and Walter Levin.

In 1994 he won first prize in the ARD international Music Competition, which had previously not been awarded to a cellist for 17 years. He gathered several years of valuable orchestral experience as principal cello of the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester in Berlin, and travelled the world as a member of the renowned Trio Fontenay. Since 2006 Jens Peter Maintz has been principal cello of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, on the invitation of Claudio Abbado.

His solo career has brought him into contact with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Herbert Blomstedt, Marek Janowski, Dmitry Kitajenko, Franz Welser-Möst, Reinhard Goebel and Bobby McFerrin. He has appeared as a soloist with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig MDR Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Den Haag Residenzorchester and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Alongside classical repertoire, Jens Peter Maintz has performed numerous works by contemporary composers from Isang Yun to Georg Friedrich Haas.

Since 2004 he has been professor at Berlin University of the Arts, where he teaches an exceptionally successful cello class. Many of his students are prize winners in important international competitions and some hold leading positions in major orchestras. Jens Peter Maintz is in equally great demand as a chamber musician. He is a member of the prestigious ‘Spectrum Concerts Berlin’ concert series, and performs with chamber music partners such as Janine Jansen, Boris Brovtsyn, Torleif Thedéen, Hélène Grimaud, Kolja Blacher, Isabelle Faust, Antoine Tamestit, and also the Artemis, Carmina and Auryn Quartets.

It is now 25 years since he formed the cello duo ‘Cello Duello’ with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. Together they perform at the world’s most eminent festivals, such as the Kronberg Festival, the Cello Biennale Amsterdam and the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival. For his Sony Classical CD of solo works by Bach, Dutilleux and Kodaly, Jens Peter Maintz was presented with an ECHO-Klassik award. His highly acclaimed recording of Haydn’s cello concertos with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen was released on the Berlin Classics label. 

Jens Peter Maintz plays the ‘Ex-Servais’ cello made by Giovanni Grancino in 1697.

Finnish cellist Joona Pulkkinen has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, such as the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Brussel’s La Monnaie Orchestra and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed at several important Scandinavian music festivals and in many great European concert halls, including Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-Arts, Paris’ Auditorium Fondation Louis Vuitton and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. In the fall of 2022, Pulkkinen started his work as a lecturer of cello at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

Pulkkinen was selected as an artist for the Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle program in Paris under the guidance of Gautier Capuçon for the 2015–2016 season. Other teachers of Pulkkinen include Gary Hoffman, Marko Ylönen and Pauli Heikkinen.

Pulkkinen won the 3rd prize in the national Turku cello competition as the youngest participant of the finals in 2010. He worked as the 1st solo cellist of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014–2023. Pulkkinen has also worked as a substituting solo cellist for Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Joona Pulkkinen plays a rare Davide Pizzorno cello from 1769 and a Pierre Simon bow from 1855.

Valeria Resian began her piano studies in Russia. She moved to Finland with her parents in 1990 and continued her studies at the Sibelius Academy with Hamsa Al-Wadi Juris. She also studied chamber music with Ralph Gothoni. In 1996-97, she studied at the Reina Sofía High Music School with Dmitri Bashkirov.

In 1992 Valeria Resjan won the National Maj Lind Piano Competition together with Laura Mikkola. In 1995 she won the International Pilar Bayona Competition in Zaragoza, Spain. In 1996 she was awarded with the fourth prize at the International Piano Competition of Montreal, where she was also granted the special prize as the favourite of the audience.

Emīlija is a Latvian cellist from Riga, currently based in Helsinki. After beginning her studies
in Latvia, she moved to Finland in 2018 to study at the Sibelius Academy with professor
Martti Rousi.
Her artistic work bridges classical tradition with contemporary experimentation. She has
premiered numerous works by 21st-century composers, including the 2023 premiere of
“Silver Lining” by Lukáš Janata. In 2025 she received the Helena Sá Costa Prize, which led
to a solo performance with orchestra at ESMAE in Porto.
In addition to her classical performance work, Emīlija is actively engaged with
electroacoustic music and is currently collaborating with sound artist Jekaterina Viltšenko on
an ambient project involving both composition and improvisation. Alongside her artistic
career, she is also passionate about music production and teaching.

Born in China, she initially trained as a professional dancer before discovering her passion for the cello at the age of 17. At 19, she was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, one of China’s most prestigious music academy. After completing her studies there, she continued with Professor Martti Rousi and was admitted to the Sibelius Academy in Finland in 2018, where she obtained her master’s degree.

In addition to her performance career, she has demonstrated a strong interest and talent in cello education. She actively promotes cello pedagogy in China and has established her own brand for cello learning. Currently, she is dedicated to researching the positive influence of Tai Chi on cello performance.

Hans Schröck, born in 2000, grew up in Germany.

He gained admission to the PreCollege program at the
University of Music in Karlsruhe in the age of 14, where he studied under Prof. Martin Ostertag. After graduating to bachelor with “honors degree”, he is currently finishing his master studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

Hans has received awards and scholarships in numerous national and international competitions across various categories.

As a member of the German National Youth Orchestra, he has worked with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle and Daniele Gatti, traveling throughout Europe and Asia.

Hans has worked in the rows of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Tapiola Sinfonietta.

Hans has performed chamber music on national and
international stages in Europe and appeared as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Kammerakademie Calw, MasterArte Orchestra Brescia, and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra.

With great passion for chamber music he founded the Nylands Kammarkonserter and functions as the Artistic Director.

Daniel Schultz is an accomplished Finnish cellist based in London. He is currently pursuing his Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Alfredo Piatti Professor Josephine Knight. Daniel holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Sibelius Academy, where he studied with Professor Martti Rousi, and also completed a minor in classical singing under Olga Heikkilä. His early studies were at the Sibelius Academy Youth Department, where he was mentored by Hannu Kiiski.

After completing his masters, he will continue his studies at the Royal Academy of Music on a professional diploma course with a full scholarship. Daniel has recently been selected as a Tillet Trust Debut Artist for 2025 and 2026. The Trust offers solo recitals across the United Kingdom. 

Throughout his career, Daniel has achieved recognition in prestigious competitions, including securing third prize at the 2022 Turku Cello Competition, and advancing to the second round of the International Schoenfeld Competition in Harbin, China, in 2023 as well as a semi finalist in the Tunbridge Wells competition in 2024.

He has performed as a soloist with several prominent orchestras, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sibelius-Academy Philharmonic Orchestra, Wegelius Chamber Orchestra, Bulevardens Chamber Orchestra and the Surrey Philharmonic Orchestra.

Additionally, Daniel is a passionate chamber musician. Since moving to London, he has co-founded the prize winning Karelia String Quartet and is also a member of the Lisson Piano Trio, performing recitals in venues around London.

Daniel currently plays on a Giovanni Battista Gabrielli cello from 1752, provided by the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.

Daniel is known for his expressive sound and deep musical commitment, shaped also by his early career as a boy soprano. His playing seeks to communicate with the audience and leave a lasting emotional impact.

Jekaterina Viltšenko is a composer, sound designer, and artist currently pursuing abachelor’s degree in the Music Technology department at Sibelius Academy. Her workextends across various fields of music and technology, including electroacousticcomposition, live performance with electronics, sound for stage and visual media. Withexperience in music and sound for performance art projects, Jekaterina is keen onexploring sonic storytelling and enhancing narratives through the means of acousmaticsound. She incorporates recordings of acoustic instruments and field recordings alongsideelectronic and synthesized sounds. In her most recent practice, Jekaterina delves intothemes such as human connection, sense of belonging, silence and listening, andnavigating through uncertainty, as well as continuing to develop their style and uniquevoice in composition and stage sound design.

Ziyang Zhao was born in December 2008 into a musical family in Wuhan, China. She is currently studying at the Universität der Künste Berlin with professor Danjulo Ishizaka. In 2017, she started her first cello lesson with Professor Long Man of Wuhan Conservatory of Music. In 2021, she was admitted to Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and then entered the “Jian Wang & Jiwu Li Cello Studio” to study with the two professors. In 2024, she went to Germany to study for a bachelor’s degree at the Universität der Künste Berlin. 

Ziyang had been mentored by many renowned musicians and professors, including Lynn Harrell, Martti Rousi, Claudio Bohórquez, Richard Aaron, J.P.Maintz, Natalie Clein, Liwei Qin, Marcin Zdunik, Sergi Boadella, and Toke Moldrup. The youngest first prize winner at the 8th Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition in 2024, Ziyang also won the first prize at the ArsClassica International Junior Competition in the same year. She was awarded the Max-Reger-Preis at the 58th International instrumental Markneukirchen Cello Competition in 2023. Among her other achievements were winning first prize at the 2023 Gustav Mahler Prize Cello Competition and at the 2nd Swiss International Music Competition (S2 Strings) in 2022.

In 2025, she was invited to Janigro Festival and performed Boccherini Cello Concerto No.9 with the Zagreb Soloists Chamber Orchestra. In 2024, she performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dawid Runtz at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Croatia. In 2023 and 2024, she was admitted to the Rutesheim International Cello Academy in Germany for two consecutive years, studying in the classes of Professor Danjulo Ishzaka and Claudio Bohórquez respectively. She was selected for the closing concert twice, collaborating as a soloist with the Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra of South Germany and the Reutlingen Philharmonic Orchestra of Württemberg conducted by Alexander Mayer; In September 2023, the premiere of “Capriccio on the Theme of Hongyan” was held at Shenyang Shengjing Grand Theater (world premiere of cello and Chinese folk orchestra version).

Ziyang is currently using a Joseph Guadagnini cello made in 1802, generously sponsored by the “China Beijing Cremona String Art Foundation”.