NUME Academy & Festival will host internationally acclaimed artists that will be performing and holding extraordinary masterclasses.
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is a renowned Danish violinist and conductor, celebrated for his technical mastery, interpretive insight, and dual career on the podium and as a soloist. Born in Copenhagen in 1975 to Polish-Jewish parents, he studied under eminent teachers including Milan Vitek, Boris Kuschnir, and Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School. His early accomplishments in competition are impressive: at just sixteen, he won First Prize at the Carl Nielsen International Competition, and in 1997, he secured First Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
As a violin soloist, he has performed an extensive repertoire, ranging from the classical and romantic concertos of Mozart and Brahms to later 20th-century works by Prokofiev and Korngold. He has collaborated with illustrious conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Daniel Barenboim, and Mstislav Rostropovich. In parallel, he has built a significant conducting career, becoming Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon starting in the 2020–2021 season. In this role, he leads major orchestras across the globe, including the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony, and many others.
Committed to nurturing future generations, Szeps-Znaider founded the Nordic Music Academy, a summer school devoted to young musicians, and holds the position of Viotti Visiting Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He performs on a historic Guarneri “del Gesù” violin, crafted in 1741 and formerly owned by Fritz Kreisler, generously lent to him by the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Fonden, and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.
His discography is rich and varied: he has recorded all of Mozart’s violin concertos, Nielsen’s Violin Concerto, Elgar’s Violin Concerto, and works by Brahms, Prokofiev, and Mendelssohn, among others. Thanks to his rare combination of roles as soloist and conductor—and his deeply expressive musical voice—Szeps-Znaider is widely regarded as a leading figure in today’s classical music scene.
Torleif Thedéen is a distinguished Swedish cellist whose international career spans over three decades. He has performed as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Swedish Radio Symphony, the Vienna Symphony, and others. As a chamber musician, Thedéen has appeared at major festivals such as Verbier, Prague Spring, Schleswig-Holstein, Bath, and Kuhmo, collaborating with artists like Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Martin Fröst.
He achieved early recognition by winning top international competitions, including the Casals Competition in 1985. His discography is extensive and awarded: he has recorded for BIS, Decca, EMI, and Deutsche Grammophon, and his recorded interpretation of Bach’s Solo Cello Suites earned “Editor’s Choice” from BBC Music Magazine.
In parallel to his performing career, Thedéen is a highly regarded educator, holding professorships at the Royal College of Music in London and the Oslo Conservatory of Music, and giving masterclasses worldwide. He plays on a historic 1783 Guadagnini cello, kindly loaned by a foundation.
Torleif Thedéen is celebrated for the depth of his musical sensitivity, his commitment to both orchestral and chamber repertoire, and his longstanding dedication to pedagogy.
Robert David Levin is an American pianist, musicologist, and composer, widely regarded as a leading figure in the historically informed performance of Classical-era repertoire. His work is marked by a deep commitment to restoring the practice of improvisation—especially in cadenzas and ornamentation—as it was understood in Mozart’s and Beethoven’s time. He studied under prominent teachers including Nadia Boulanger, Louis Martin, and Stefan Wolpe, and has had a distinguished academic career, notably as Professor of Humanities at Harvard University.
As a performer, Levin has appeared with top orchestras in the United States, Europe, and Asia on modern piano, and with period ensembles such as the Academy of Ancient Music and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on historical keyboards. His recording discography is wide-ranging: it includes complete Mozart piano concertos, Beethoven concertos, Bach keyboard works, and contemporary commissions.
Beyond his performing career, Levin is also a respected scholar. He has reconstructed and completed unfinished works by Mozart (including the Requiem and the Mass in C minor) and Bach, with his editions published and performed worldwide. In academia, he has held positions at prestigious institutions including the Curtis Institute, SUNY Purchase, and international conservatories. Levin has also served as Artistic Director of the Sarasota Music Festival, President of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig, and has been honored with awards such as the Bach Medal of Leipzig (2018) and the Golden Mozart Medal.
His dual role as a thoughtful scholar and an improvisatory performer has made him a unique bridge between musicological research and live musical expression.
Fleur Barron is an internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, celebrated for her rich, expressive voice and her remarkable versatility across opera, orchestral repertoire, and chamber music. Born to a Singaporean mother and a British father, she grew up in Hong Kong and New York, where she later pursued Comparative Literature at Columbia University before earning a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at the Manhattan School of Music. Guided by her mentor, Barbara Hannigan, Fleur has developed a deeply thoughtful and adventurous artistic identity.
Her career features significant orchestral debuts, particularly in Mahler’s works: she has performed Das Lied von der Erdewith the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding, and with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Nathalie Stutzmann; and Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. Her interpretations of the Rückert Lieder and the Kindertotenlieder, the latter with Julius Drake at the Concertgebouw, have also drawn great critical acclaim. In opera, she has taken on demanding roles such as Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Penelope in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, and the title role in Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater. Her recording of Adriana Mater with the San Francisco Symphony under Esa-Pekka Salonen earned her a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.
Beyond performing, Fleur is deeply engaged in curatorial work. As Artistic Partner with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias in Oviedo, she develops and presents innovative musical projects that bridge communities and inspire emerging musicians. She is also a dedicated educator, delivering masterclasses and coaching at institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Her discography is equally wide-ranging, spanning baroque repertoire, romantic works, and contemporary compositions with labels like Deutsche Grammophon and Pentatone. Underpinning her artistic mission is a strong commitment to music as a force for intercultural dialogue and healing—with her programs, she amplifies underrepresented voices and explores the intersections of culture, identity, and belonging.
American violinist Stella Chen garnered worldwide attention with her first-prize win at the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition, followed by the 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.
Since then, Stella has appeared across North America, Europe, and Asia in concerto, recital, and chamber music performances. She recently made debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Baltimore Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra, and many others and appeared at the Vienna Musikverein and Berlin Philharmonie. In recital, recent appearances include Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Phillips Collection, Rockport Music Festival, and Nume Festival in Italy. She appears frequently with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center both in New York and on tour.
For her all-Schubert debut album, released in March of 2023 to critical acclaim on the Apple Music label Platoon, Stella was named the 2023 Young Artist of the Year at the Gramophone Awards.
Among the highlights of her busy 2023/24 season are debuts with orchestras in Japan, China, North America, and Europe; the US premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Second Violin Concerto under the direction of the composer and the world premiere of a new violin concerto written for her by American composer Jon Cziner; her debut at the Heidelberg Festival with Igor Levit; and a recital for the San Francisco Symphony’s Spotlight Series.
Stella has appeared as a chamber musician in festivals including the Kronberg Academy, Moritzburg, Ravinia, Seattle Chamber Music, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Bridgehampton, Rockport, and Sarasota. Chamber music partners include Itzhak Perlman, James Ehnes, Matthew Lipman, Jan Vogler, and many others.
She is the inaugural recipient of the Robert Levin Award from Harvard University, where she was inspired by Robert Levin himself. Teachers and mentors have included Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, and Catherine Cho. She received her doctorate from the Juilliard School where she serves as teaching assistant to her longtime mentor Li Lin.
Stella plays the 1700 ex-Petri Stradivarius, on generous loan from Dr. Ryuji Ueno and Rare Violins In Consortium, Artists and Benefactors Collaborative and the 1708 Huggins Stradivarius courtesy of the Nippon Foundation.
Born in Rimini, Enrico Pace studied with Franco Scala at the Pesaro Conservatory, where he also graduated in composition and conducting. He furthered his studies at the International Piano Academy “Incontri col Maestro” in Imola, and his invaluable mentor thereafter was Belgian teacher Jacques de Tiège.
After winning first prize at the Franz Liszt International Competition in Utrecht in 1989, Enrico Pace has performed all over the world: Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala and Sala Verdi in Milan, Rome, Berlin, Wigmore Hall in London, Dublin, Herkulessaal in Munich, Prague, Philharmonie in Berlin and various cities in South America. He has been invited to play at numerous international festivals, including Lucerne, Salzburg, Edinburgh, La Roque d’Anthéron, Rheingau, Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Husum and the Brescia and Bergamo Piano Festivals.
Highly regarded as a soloist, he performs with such prestigious orchestras as the Royal Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, the Munich Philharmonic, the Bamberger Symphoniker, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (RFO), the Netherlands Philharmonic the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Göteborg, London and Stavanger Symphony Orchestras, the Brussels Philharmonic, the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg, the Rheinische Philharmonie, the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the MDR-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, the Camerata Salzburg, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the G. Verdi of Milan and the Filarmonica Toscanini of Parma.
Enrico Pace has collaborated with numerous conductors including Roberto Benzi, Gianandrea Noseda, Zoltan Kocsis, Kazimierz Kord, Mark Elder, Lawrence Foster, Vassily Sinaisky, Stanislav Skrowaczewski, Bruno Weil, Andrey Boreyko, Eliahu Inbal, Carlo Rizzi, Jan Latham-Koenig, Walter Weller and Antoni Wit.
Enrico Pace has also collaborated with such violinists as Leonidas Kavakos, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Akiko Suwanai, and Liza Ferschtman, and with cellist Sung-Won Yang, performing with them in Europe, the USA, and Asia.
Other partners in the field of chamber music include not only cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, clarinetist Sharon Kam, pianist Igor Roma and cornetist Marie Luise Neunecker, but also the Keller Quartet, RTE Vanbrugh Quartet and the Prometheus Quartet. A regular guest at chamber festivals, he has visited Delft, Moritzburg, Risør, Kuhmo, Montreux, Stresa and West Cork.
Past highlights include the Beethoven Sonatas cycle, with Leonidas Kavakos, in New York (Carnegie Hall), Athens, Florence, Milan, Amsterdam, Moscow, Tokyo, at the Salzburg Festival and Beethovenfest Bonn, as well as other performances in the United States, Europe and China. He has also performed Bach Sonatas with Frank Peter Zimmermann in New York, Amsterdam, Zurich, Frankfurt, Bamberg and Japan. With Matthias Goerne he brought Schubert’s Schwanengesang to La Scala in Milan. In Zurich, Frankfurt and Cologne he played with violist Antoine Tamestit, in Japan and at London’s Wigmore Hall with Akiko Suwanai, and in Korea and Japan with cellist Sung-Won Yang. As a soloist he has performed in such halls as the Concergebouw in Amsterdam and the Herkulessaal in Munich.
With Leonidas Kavakos and cellist Patrick Demenga he recorded Mendelssohn’s Piano Trios (Sony Classical). His recording of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for piano and violin with Leonidas Kavakos was released by Decca Classics in January 2013 and was nominated for a Grammy Award. In April 2016 Decca Classics released a CD in which the duo performs virtuosic pieces. With Frank-Peter Zimmermann he recorded Busoni’s Sonata No. 2 and J.S. Bach’s Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano 1014-1019 for Sony Classical. In 2011 the Piano Classics label released his well-known recording of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage “Suisse” and “Italie.”
Francisco López is a renowned flutist from Extremadura, whose career has earned him a prominent place within the European musical landscape. He trained at leading institutions such as the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón and the University of Gothenburg, studying under distinguished teachers including Fernando Gómez, Antonio Nuez, Jaime Martín, Anders Jonhäll and Håvard Lysebo. From early on, he demonstrated a strong vocation for the orchestral repertoire and a commitment to exploring new interpretative approaches.
He currently serves as Principal Flutist of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia (OBC). Prior to this appointment, he held the same position in major ensembles such as the Oslo Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Opera Orchestra, the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Norwegian National Orchestra. He has also been invited to perform with prominent international groups, including the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and various orchestras throughout Spain and abroad. His artistic versatility and refined musicality stand out both in his orchestral work and in his appearances as a soloist and chamber musician.
Francisco López has been the recipient of numerous awards, among them four distinctions at the ARD Music Competition, including the Second Prize and the Audience Prize, as well as First Prize at the Pedro Bote Competition in Extremadura. He has received scholarships from Ibercaja and Caja Badajoz, and was appointed Resident Artist with the Orquesta de Extremadura during the 2019–2020 season, where he presented original works for flute and orchestra.
In addition to his performing career, he is an active pedagogue, giving masterclasses at conservatories and festivals across Europe. His teaching engagements include the University of Gothenburg, the Royal Northern College of Music, JONDE, the Young Orchestra of the Canary Islands, the Young Orchestra of the Valencian Community, and several higher conservatories in Aragón, Granada, Jaén, Vigo, A Coruña and Salamanca.
Alongside teaching, he pursues an intense artistic activity as a soloist and creator of musical projects, including his own compositions that explore new interpretative perspectives. His quest for a personal and honest musical voice, combined with his dedication to excellence, has established him as a significant figure in today’s classical music scene.
Lars Anders Tomter is one of the most eminent violists of his generation, often described as “the giant of Nordic viola” for his commanding stage presence and interpretive depth. Born in Hamar, Norway, he began playing the violin at the age of eight before taking up the viola as well. He studied at the Norwegian Academy under Leif Jørgensen and continued his training with renowned teachers such as Max Rostal and Sándor Végh. During his formative years, he received several prestigious distinctions: he was awarded a special prize for his performance of Bartók’s Viola Concerto at the Budapest International Competition (1984), and won the Maurice Vieux International Competition in Lille (1986).
Tomter’s solo career took off internationally in the late 1980s, with tours in the United States and Germany alongside the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Iona Brown. Since then, he has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Vienna Musikverein, Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Konzerthaus in Berlin.
A strong advocate for contemporary music, Tomter has commissioned and premiered numerous works written specifically for him, including Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Illuminatio Concerto, the result of a European commission. He has collaborated with many renowned orchestras — the BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, among others — and with internationally acclaimed conductors.
His chamber music activity is extensive and ongoing, with appearances at major festivals such as the Proms, Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, Styriarte, and many others. He also serves as Artistic Director of the Fjord Classics festival in Norway. In addition to his performing career, he is a professor at the Academy of Music in Oslo, and his discography includes recordings on labels such as Simax, Naxos, Virgin Classics, NMC, Somm, and Chandos.
Tomter plays a 1590 Gasparo da Salo viola, a rare historical instrument that contributes to his distinctive sound. Thanks to his combination of technical mastery, interpretive sensitivity, and commitment to contemporary repertoire, he is regarded as a central figure in the modern viola world.
Awarded both the “P. Schidlof Prize” and the “J. Barbirolli Prize” for “the most beautiful sound” at the prestigious Lionel Tertis International Viola competition in England in 2000, Italian-born violist Ettore Causa is praised for his exceptional artistry, passionate intelligence and complete musicianship.
He has made solo and recital appearances in major venues around the world, such as Carnegie Hall, Zurich Tonhalle, Madrid National Auditorium, Salle Cortot, Tokyo Symphony Hall, Teatro Colon, etc., and has performed at numerous international festivals, such as the Menuhin, Salzburg, Tivoli, Prussia Cove, Savonlinna, Launadire and Norfolk Festivals.
Also a devoted chamber musician, Mr. Causa has collaborated extensively with internationally renowned musicians such as the Tokyo, Artis, Brentano, Cremona and Elias String Quartets, Pascal Rogé, Boris Berman, Peter Frankl, Thomas Ades, Natalie Clein, Ana Chumachenco, Ani Kavafian, Alberto and Antonio Lysy, Liviu Prunaru, Thomas Demenga, Ulf Wallin, William Bennett and others.
His highly praised recordings include several Claves CDs, among those his transcription of romantic pieces, which was awarded a prestigious “5 Diapasons” by the French magazine.
Recently he was one of the honor guest at the 43rd International Viola Congress where he performed with enormous success his own arrangement of the Schumann cello concerto
Mr. Causa performs on a viola made for him by Frederic Chaudiere in 2003
Violinist Clarissa Bevilacqua is renowned for captivating audiences with a deeply inspired musicality; her playing has been described as “sublime and luminous” (Gramophone) and “of great elegance and lightness” (The Strad).
Clarissa’s 2025/26 season features a number of highly anticipated solo debuts, most notably with the Münchner Symphoniker and the Münchener Kammerorchester. She will perform in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Isarphilharmonie, Schloss Elmau, Beethovensaal Stuttgart, Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, Elbphilharmonie, Prince Mahidol Hall in Bangkok, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and Victoria Hall in Geneva.
Her debut solo album, Mozartiana, will be released in spring 2026 by Berlin Classics, in collaboration with Bayerischer Rundfunk. Her album featuring the complete works for solo violin by Augusta Read Thomas, along with the world premiere recording of Violin Concerto No. 3: Juggler in Paradise, was released by Nimbus Records in collaboration with BBC Radio 3. Through her close collaborations with contemporary composers, numerous new works have been written for and dedicated to her, including Sun Plaits by Augusta Read Thomas, Clarissa’s Tango and Colombina by Richard Blackford, and Trazom by Giovanni Sollima.
Highlights of recent seasons include performances with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Cape Symphony, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Orchestra della Toscana, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, El Sistema Orchestra, as well as the opening concert of Mozartwoche 2023 with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. Clarissa also performs regularly as a member of a trio with cellist Giovanni Sollima and pianist Carlotta Maestrini. The trio recently recorded the album Short Trio Stories, featuring a repertoire that ranges from classical music to rock.
In addition to her solo career, Clarissa is the founder and Artistic Director of DYNAMIKfest Salzburg, an annual festival of classical and contemporary chamber music, unique in Salzburg and dedicated to supporting young performers and composers under the age of 30. The festival presents dynamic concerts that juxtapose innovative, fresh works with timeless masterpieces, commissions and premieres new compositions, and engages the community through educational and outreach initiatives.
A prizewinner at numerous international violin competitions, Clarissa received the First Prize, Audience Prize, and the Special Bärenreiter Prize at the International Mozart Competition Salzburg. She also won the Grand Prize at the Cape Symphony International Violin Concerto Competition and Second Prize at the Monte-Carlo Music Masters. In 2023, she joined the Classeek Ambassador Program and its artist roster as the winner of the international open competition. She is currently a selected artist of the prestigious Fondation Gautier Capuçon.
Driven by curiosity and a strong passion for study, Clarissa earned her Bachelor of Music at just sixteen years of age, graduating summa cum laude. She went on to complete a Master’s degree in Violin at the Mozarteum University Salzburg with Pierre Amoyal, and a Master’s degree in Solo Violin at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin with Antje Weithaas.
Andreas is one of the most sought-after performing artists from Scandinavia, winning worldwide critical acclaim for his ability to make the music not only sound, but both speak, dance and sing.
His debut disc of the Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Saint-Saëns cello concertos with the "Danish National Symphony Orchestra" was released by EMI in 2008, and since then his discography has grown long. Most recent he released a much acclaimed CD with both Haydn Cello Concertos in 2021 with the period ensemble Concerto Copenhagen led by Lars Ulrik Mortensen and his latest release “48 Strings” from 2022 features music for 1, 2, 4 and 12 celli and pays homage to the four greatest cellists from the beginning of the 20th century. Also in 2022, he finished a remarkable project with video recordings of Piatti’s 12 Caprices available on Youtube and Apple Music.
Andreas won first prizes in the 2006 Eurovison Young Musicians Competition, the 2007 International Paulo Cello Competition and, in subsequent years, received music awards and fewllowships including the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in 2008, the BBC’s New Generation Artist 2008-2011, The European Concert Hall Organisation “Rising Star” tour in the 2008/09 season. In 2015 he received the Carl Nielsen Prize in Copenhagen and since 2022 Andreas has been teaching as visiting professor at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki
Andreas plays the 1707 ‘Boni-Hegar’ Stradivarius.
Founder and artistic director of NUME Academy & Festival Vlad Stanculeasa is a prize winner in the Enescu, Valsesia and Molinari competitions, Vlad Stanculeasa is an active solo and chamber music performer, as well as a teacher in european conservatories. Since 2022 Vlad held a teaching post at the conservatory in Barcelona ESMUC and is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Spain, Italy and Sweden. As a soloist, he’s performed with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Basel Chamber Orchestra, Kammersymphonie Leipzig. He’s collaborated as soloist with many conductors including Kent Nagano, Lahav Shani, Han Na Chang, Konrad von Abel.
Laureate of the Promotion 2024 of the Fondation Gautier Capuçon and currently a Master’s student at the Musikhochschule Freiburg with Jean-Guihen Queyras, Italian cellist Francesco Tamburini earned his Artist Diploma at the Stauffer Academy in Cremona with Antonio Meneses and a Bachelor of Music from the Mozarteum University Salzburg with Giovanni Gnocchi. He graduated from the “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory in Milan in 2019.
He is co-founder and co-artistic director of the VIVACISSIMO Festival, an artistic residency for chamber music founded in 2023 in southern Italy with pianist Paolo Tirro, and a co-founder and core member of the Berlin-based EMANON Project, an innovative chamber music collective dedicated to collaborative artistry and collective identity. EMANON’s debut album, “Ravel – Chamber Music”, was released by OnClassical Records and distributed by Naxos of America.
Francesco has recorded for Warner Classics/Erato with Gautier Capuçon and the Capucelli on the album GAÏA, with which he tours internationally. His performances have been broadcast by RAI Radio3, Rai 5, RTS, NDR, and BR Klassik.
He has received the 2024 Stauffer Academy/Rotary Club Biannual Scholarship, the 2025 Irene und Walter Kley Award, and was named 2025 Gordon Clark Scholar at IMS Prussia Cove. In 2023, he won the Special Jury Prize at the Prix Ravel International Competition in Paris.
An Opal Gold Ambassador with For-Tune Strings, Francesco performs in major venues such as the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg, Victoria Hall Geneva, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and Beethoven-Haus Bonn, collaborating with artists including G. Capuçon and V. Mullova. In 2023, he performed a solo recital at the Museo del Violino in Cremona on the Antonio Stradivari “Stauffer – Ex Christiani” cello.
He appears regularly at international festivals, joins Musethica International for the 2025/2026 seasons, and has been a guest player with the Camerata Salzburg since 2022. His orchestral work has taken him to venues such as the Elbphilharmonie and Wiener Konzerthaus, collaborating with conductors including C. Eschenbach and D. Gatti. His commitment to contemporary music includes collaborations with H. Lachenmann and Ensemble Intercontemporain, and composer Ernst Mahle has dedicated Ponteio to him.
A musician of eclectic artistry, Latvian violinist Roberts Balanas enjoys a wide range of musical interests and aims to tear down the boundaries between different genres of music. Combining his background in classical music with the sound worlds of pop, rock and funk, his solo violin arrangements have amassed millions of views across the web.
Highlights include solo shows at Latvian National Opera, Vilnius Philharmonic Hall, EartH Theatre and OMEARA (London), Bridgewater Hall (Manchester) and Medinet Habu Temple (Luxor, Egypt). Recently Roberts made his debut with Latvian National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ainārs Rubiķis in a performance of John Adams’ Dharma at Big Sur for 6 string electric violin. This summer saw his first performances of Vivaldi’s iconic ‘The Four Seasons’ in London (with ANONIMI Chamber Orchestra) and in Latvia at Rundāle Palace (with Sinfonietta Riga) in front of a sold-out audience of 4000.
Having made his solo debut at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall at the age of 16, Roberts has performed extensively across the UK, Europe and Asia ever since and his performances are regularly featured on Classic FM, The Violin Channel, BBC Radio 3 and Scala Radio amongst others.
Balanas is grateful to Hattori Foundation, The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Tillett Trust and Albert Cooper Musical Trust for their generous support. He currently performs on a 2021 Paul Belin violin and a custom made Fortevio 6 string electric violin.
Charles-Antoine Archambault (b. 1986, St. Quentin, France) is a Franco-German cellist. He began studying the cello at the age of five and trained at the Conservatoire National de Région de Paris with Marcel Bardon, earning his bachelor’s degree with distinction. He then completed his master’s with Jean-Guihen Queyras at the Stuttgart State University of Music and Performing Arts, graduating with top honors. His training further specialized in both modern and baroque cello at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.
A winner of numerous international awards, including the J&A Beare Solo Bach Competition (London), the International Beethoven Competition, and the Possehl Musikpreis, he received the prestigious Ton und Erklärung – Werkvermittlung in Musik und Wort award in Hannover in 2013.
As a soloist, he has performed with leading European and international orchestras, including the NDR Radiophilharmonie, BR Rundfunkorchester, WDR Funkhausorchester, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, working with renowned conductors. He is a regular guest at festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Prague Spring Festival, and Heidelberger Frühling.
His debut album Le corps des Cordes (Oehms Classics, 2015), recorded with the NDR Hannover, has been broadcast on major international radio stations. From 2015 to 2017 he was Principal Cello of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, and from 2019 to 2021 of the Ulster Orchestra. He is currently Principal Cello of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC).
Active as a chamber musician, he collaborates regularly with leading artists and teaches cello and chamber music at the Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona, where he is also invited to give masterclasses. He plays a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume cello (1865) and an 18th-century Italian five-string baroque cello.
Federica Vecchio, cello
Federica Vecchio studied at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome with Maestro F. Strano, and graduated from the F. Morlacchi Conservatory of Perugia in September 2007 under the guidance of Maestro M. Damiani. She also earned a Master’s degree in Classical String Performance with the Hungarian cellist Maestro Ferenc Szucs.
She has collaborated with numerous orchestras, chamber ensembles, and theatre productions. Among other projects, she is a member of the all-female quartet Sharàrè and of the cello octet Edone.
She is currently active in a wide range of musical contexts, spanning from classical music to bossa nova, from contemporary improvisation to musical theatre, and even rock bands. Together with Marzia Ricciardi and Dosto, she founded the theatrical/musical trio Musicomici, achieving great success on “Italia’s Got Talent” (2013) and touring Italian theatres with their show “Allegro con Trio.”
For her, music, like theatre, is a continuous flow of new ideas and projects, driven by passion and dedication.
Eleonora Savini, violin
Eleonora Savini graduated with highest honours from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome and obtained a Master of Arts in Music Performance from the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Her eclecticism and enthusiasm for all forms of art and musical genres led her to pursue a full-time career in musical theatre.
She made her debut with “Heroïca” (winner of the Junge Ohren Preis 2014), followed by “Goldmädchen”, both productions of the Lucerne Festival, as well as “Domande” at Teatro Dimitri (Verscio), “Senegalliarde”, “Voci di Notte” (Compagnia Teatro Daruma), “Foresta” (Philharmonie Luxembourg), “Mona Violina” (Lucerne Festival 2021), “D’ Prinzessin op der Ierbes” (2023), and “BarkaBach” (2024).
She has collaborated with Musica–Impulscentrum voor Musiek (Neerpelt) and took part in the development of the workshop “Babelut Parcours,” designed for children aged 0 to 3. Her productions are regularly presented in major European concert halls, including the KKL Lucerne, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Wiener Konzerthaus, Kölner Philharmonie, and Brucknerhaus Linz. Alongside her performing career, she teaches music in several primary schools and kindergartens in Turin.
