British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is internationally recognized for his sonorous lyricism and understated brilliance at the keyboard. His virtuosic interpretations are underpinned by a unique balance of technical mastery and intense musicality. Grosvenor is regarded as one of the most important pianists to emerge in several decades, with Gramophone recently acknowledging him as one of the top 50 pianists ever on record. 

Concerto highlights of the 2024/2025 season include debuts with Bamberg and NHK Symphony Orchestrasalongside a UK tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Karina Canellakis and returns to Montreal, Utah, Seattle, Bern, Dallas, BBC, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Grosvenor is also a featured artist at the Theatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, appearing for both concerto and solo recital performances during the same week in February 2025.

A celebrated recitalist, this season Grosvenor performs across the world a programme featuring Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition including at Shanghai Symphony Hall, Muza Kawasaki, National Concert Hall, Taipei, Princeton University Concerts, Unione Musicale de Torino, and London’s Wigmore Hall.

Highlights of recent seasons include successful debuts with the Chicago Symphony and Cleveland orchestras, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, RSO Wien at the BBC Proms, Beethoven piano concertos 3 and 4 with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with conductor Maxim Emelyanychev at the Festival Radio France, varied projects as Artist in Residence at the Sage Gateshead in the 2022/2023 season, the Wigmore Hall in 2021/2022, and at Radio France in 2000/2021. A renowned interpreter of Chopin, in the 2022/2023 season he performed both concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. In recital he has performed at Konzerthaus Berlin, Chicago Symphony Centre, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Frankfurter Hof Mainz as part of the SWR2 International Piano Series, ‘Chopin and his Europe’ Festival in Warsaw, La Roque, Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre, Spivey Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and 92nd Street Y. 

A keen chamber musician, Benjamin regularly works with renowned ensembles — the Modigliani Quartet and Doric Quartet amongst them — and in chamber projects with other esteemed soloists Kian Soltani, Timothy Ridout, and Hyeyoon Park, including a forthcoming European tour of Strauss and Brahms Piano Quartet No. 3 with performances at Luxembourg Philharmonie, the Southbank Centre, and Palau de la Musica Barcelona. 

In 2011 Benjamin signed to Decca Classics, becoming the youngest British musician ever — and the first British pianist in almost sixty years — to do so. His recent solo release of ‘Schumann and Brahms’ featuring Kreisleriana was praised as a “masterpiece” (Le Devoir), selected as Gramophone Editor’s Choice, and awarded Diapason d’or de l’année and CHOC Classica de l’année 2023. In 2020 he released Chopin piano concertos 1 and 2 with Elim Chan and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which received the Gramophone Concerto Award and a Diapason d’Or de L’Année, with Diapason’s critic declaring the recording “a version to rank among the best, and confirmation of an extraordinary artist.” The renewal of his partnership with Decca in 2021 coincided with the release of Benjamin’s album of Liszt, awarded Chocs de l’année and Prix de Caecilia. The most recent addition to Grosvenor’s impressive discography includes Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, alongside Nicola Benedetti and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and folk song settings with celebrated baritone Gerald Finley.

He was invited to perform at the First Night of the 2011 BBC Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, where he has since become a regular over the last decades, including at the last night of the Proms with Marin Alsop and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2015. He performed Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Paavo Järvi in 2020, a solo recital in 2023, and Busoni’s monumental Piano Concerto in 2024. 

Grosvenor has received Gramophone’s ‘Young Artist of the Year’, a Classical Brit Critics’ Award, UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent, and a Diapason d’Or Jeune Talent Award. He has been featured in two BBC television documentaries, on BBC Breakfast, Front Row, and CNN’s ‘Human to Hero’ series. In 2016 he became the inaugural recipient of The Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize with the New York Philharmonic.

Following studies at the Royal Academy of Music, he graduated in 2012 with the ‘Queen’s Commendation for Excellence’ and in 2016 was awarded a RAM Fellowship. Benjamin is an Ambassador of Music Masters, a charity dedicated to making music education accessible to all children regardless of their background, championing diversity and inclusion.

The Chicago Piano Quartet is an exciting project that brings together four of its namesake city’s most esteemed chamber players.

Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, cellist David Cunliffe, and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are well known as the Lincoln Trio (www.lincolntrio.com). Ruhstrat, Cunliffe, and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli make up the critically-acclaimed Black Oak Ensemble (www.blackoakensemble.com), one of the most active string trios on the international scene. When the two trios combine, a case of 3 + 3 = 4, they become the superlative CHICAGO PIANO QUARTET!

The honors, achievements, and critical acclaim garnered by the Lincoln Trio and the Black Oak Ensemble are too numerous to mention. The Lincoln Trio was nominated for a 2017 GRAMMY Award for Best Performance by a Small Ensemble; their playing was praised by Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle as “fervent and imaginative” and by The Strad as “sensational.” The Black Oak Ensemble’s latest CD reached #1 in the Billboard Classical Charts. Since then, it has been lauded in the U.S. and international press, including Canada, the Netherlands and Germany. Fanfare said, “the players fully inhabit the spirit of whatever work they are playing at the moment, performing each one with as ardent a flame as if they had written it themselves.”

Each member is an artist of international renown. Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat has performed throughout the US and Europe, appearing at the White House and performing on a live radio broadcast heard around the world with the Berlin Radio Orchestra; violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli was a founding member of the ground-breaking, GRAMMY-nominated Spektral Quartet; cellist David Cunliffe has performed with the BBC and Royal Scottish orchestras as well as touring as a member of the Balanescu Quartet, and pianist Marta Aznavoorian has appeared with the Chicago Symphony and has performed at the Kennedy Center and the Sydney Opera House.

Trio Zimbalist has garnered critical acclaim for its “precision and feverish intensity” (Greece’s EfSyn). The group was lauded for its “liveliness and vigor of playing” and performances that were “pure enjoyment!” (Athinorama) at the Nights of Classical Music at the Gennadius Library festival in Athens, where it served as ensemble in residence in 2021. Members of the trio—violinist Josef Špa?ek, cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin, and pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu—are all distinguished alumni of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In demand across Europe and the U.S. as soloists, chamber musicians, and recitalists, they form an inimitable ensemble with repertoire spanning Romantic masterworks to today’s most lauded composers.

Trio Zimbalist’s 2022-23 season engagements included U.S. appearances in Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Palm Beach, and European appearances in Athens, Bremen, Munich, London, and Paris. The group also performed Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Greensboro Symphony and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky. The trio’s 2023-24 season includes performances at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Friends of Chamber Music in Miami. The ensemble’s debut album, featuring music of Lera Auerbach, Mieczys?aw Weinberg, and Dvo?ák, will be released in January 2024 on the Curtis Studio label.

The trio takes its name from famed violin virtuoso Efrem Zimbalist, a towering presence at the Curtis Institute of Music as faculty and director for a combined forty years. Trio Zimbalist carries on the violinist’s storied legacy through its commitment to artistic excellence. The group draws upon the lineage of previous world-class ensembles formed at Curtis. Its members have studied with faculty representing the Guarneri Quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Chicago Chamber Musicians. 

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Praised for his remarkable range of color and virtuosity, Czech violinist Josef Špa?ek has emerged as one of the leading violinists of his generation. He is a sought-after soloist, performing regularly with the most distinguished orchestras around the world, including the Orchestre de Paris, Philadelphia Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra; the Czech, Helsinki, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Rotterdam philharmonic orchestras; and the Tokyo and Shanghai symphony orchestras, among others. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Špa?ek has collaborated with Gil Shaham, Yuja Wang, James Ehnes, Noah Bendix-Balgley, and Kian Soltani. He previously served as concertmaster and associate artist of the Czech Philharmonic, the youngest in its history. Mr. Špa?ek performs on the ca. 1732 “LeBrun; Bouthillard” Guarneri del Gesù violin.

Born in Thessaloniki, Greece, cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin is principal cellist of the Athens State Orchestra and is Co-Artistic Director of the Samos Young Artists Festival. He gained international recognition as a top prizewinner at the prestigious International Paulo Cello Competition in Finland. In 2016 he made his U.S. solo debut with the Kansas City Symphony, under the direction of Robert Spano. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Israel Camerata, NEC Philharmonia, and the Athens, Thessaloniki State, and Lahti symphony orchestras. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Petrin has participated in the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars, and the Dimitria Festival, among other programs.

Chinese-American pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu is establishing an international reputation as a captivating performer with distinctive intelligence and sensitivity. Mr. Fu has performed as a piano soloist with orchestras such as the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. He has appeared at international venues such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, and Teatro Municipal in Santiago; while his live performances and interviews have been featured on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and National Public Radio’s Performance Today. Mr. Fu is an active composer and performer of contemporary music, having collaborated with composers Krzysztof Penderecki, Harrison Birtwistle, George Lewis, Unsuk Chin, Tansy Davies, Phil Cashian, Matthew Aucoin, and Freya Waley-Cohen.

The String Quartet, founded in Berlin in 2019, can hardly be described more aptly than in the review published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in January 2022. 

The ensemble is framed by brothers Jonathan and Lukas Schwarz on first violin and cello, while the middle voices are formed by Amelie Wallner on second violin and Mayu Konoe on viola. Leonkoro, in Esperanto: Lionheart, alludes not coincidentally to Astrid Lindgren’s children’s book about two brothers, a book that juxtaposes the grave reality of death with a large and heartfelt yearning for comfort and solace - a sentiment that string quartet repertoire addresses in several instances.

In 2022, the Leonkoro Quartet garnered a series of prestigious accolades, solidifying their place among the most celebrated ensembles of their generation. In March, they were bestowed with the highly prestigious Jürgen Ponto Foundation Music Prize, a biennial award recognizing outstanding String Quartets. Subsequently, the quartet triumphed at the International String Quartet Competition held at London’s Wigmore Hall, earning 1st prize and a collection of 9 special awards, including interpretations, residencies, and concert prizes.

Continuing their triumphant journey, the quartet seized the top honours - 1st prize – at the Concours International de Quatuor à Bordeaux in May. Their exceptional performances not only impressed the esteemed jury but also captivated the audience, resulting in the quartet receiving both the Audience Prize and the Young Audience Prize. Shortly thereafter, they were invited to join the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists program, where they will participate from 2022 to 2024.

November 2022 witnessed yet another remarkable achievement for the quartet when they were bestowed with the MERITO String Quartet Award. Unlike conventional competitions, this award recognizes selected quartets over a year, as they are observed by a panel of renowned String Quartet musicians. The Leonkoro Quartet’s exceptional musicianship and talent were duly acknowledged, and they will be supported by the MERITO String Instrument Trust for four years including a composition commission.

The series of accolades continues this Spring: In March 2024, the Leonkoro Quartet received the Young Talent Award of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the starting point for a long-standing relationship. A week after followed the announcement as Borletti-Buitoni Trust award winners, a great honor and a wonderful support for the quartet and its work.

Alongside their academic pursuits in chamber music under the tutelage of Heime Müller (Artemis Quartet) at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, the quartet has been studying with Günter Pichler (Primarius Alban Berg Quartet) at the Chamber Music Institute of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía Madrid since 2020. Notable mentors of the ensemble include Eckart Runge and Gregor Sigl (Artemis Quartet), as well as pianist Alfred Brendel, with whom the Leonkoro Quartet maintains a regular collaboration.

In Fall 2023, Mirare released the ensemble’s first album featuring Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet and Robert Schumann’s String Quartet Op. 41 No. 3, which was crowned with the Choc de Classica l’année 2023 just a few weeks later.

In Spring 2024 the Leonkoro Quartet and the prestigious record label Alpha Classics will launch a long-term partnership.

The four musicians already celebrated many triumphant debuts in major international concert series and festivals last season. More will follow this season, including at the Salzburg Festival, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Liederhalle Stuttgart, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Bozar Brussels and the Konzerthaus Dortmund. In addition, the quartet will tour North America for the first time with concerts in New York City, NY, Boston, MA, Montreal, QC, Chicago, IL, Houston, TX and San Francisco, CA, just to name a few.

The Leonkoro Quartet is a Pirastro Artist and Henle App Ambassador.

Jonathan Schwarz plays on a fine JB Guadagnini on generous loan through the Beare’s International Violin Society.

Amelie Wallner plays a Vincenzo Postiglione violin, generously provided by a private donor. 

Mayu Konoe plays a viola by Lorenzo Storioni, kindly provided by a private sponsor.

Lukas Schwarz plays a cello by Carlo Tononi, Venice (c. 1720) loaned by the Beare’s International Violin Society.

The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, having been labeled by The New Yorker as “furiously committed” and noted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity.” For over twenty-five years the Quartet has performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, the Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music. In their 2023-24 season, the Miró Quartet embarks on a new performance and recording project with pianist Lara Downes. Here on Earth features musical depictions of planet earth, its evolution, and the lives of its inhabitants, with works spanning a century of cultural shift that begins with Darius Milhaud’s La Création du Monde, performed in a new arrangement for piano and string quartet. Upcoming performances include the premiere of a new version of Kevin Puts’ Credo with the Naples Philharmonic, as well as performances for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, the Saratoga Perfoming Arts Center, and Premiere Performances in Hong Kong.

Formed in 1995, the Miró Quartet was awarded first prize at several national and international competitions including the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Naumburg Chamber Music Competition. Deeply committed to music education, members of the Quartet have given master classes at universities and conservatories throughout the world, and since 2003 the Miró has served as the quartet-in-residence at the University of Texas at Austin Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music. In 2005, the Quartet became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. Having released many celebrated recordings, the Miró recently produced an Emmy Award-winning multimedia project titled Transcendence. A work with visual and audio elements available on live stream, CD, and Blu-ray, Transcendence encompasses philanthropy and documentary filmmaking and is centered around a performance of Franz Schubert’s Quartet in G major on rare Stradivarius instruments. The Miró records independently and makes its music available on a global scale through Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube. The Miró Quartet took its name and its inspiration from the Spanish artist Joan Miró, whose Surrealist works — with subject matter drawn from the realm of memory, dreams, and imaginative fantasy — are some of the most groundbreaking, influential, and admired of the 20th century.