Kathryn Stott
England
My musical journey began at the age of five with the upright piano in our living room, and by eight, I was studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School. Influences from Nadia Boulanger and Vlado Perlmuter sparked my deep love for French music, particularly Fauré.
I later studied at the Royal College of Music in London, which led swiftly to a professional career via the Leeds International Piano Competition. After a few intense years as a soloist, I returned to chamber music — a form I’ve loved since childhood — to reconnect with fellow musicians.
A chance meeting with Yo-Yo Ma in 1978 began a long-standing collaboration that continues to take us around the world, sharing musical traditions across cultures. I’ve always enjoyed curating festivals and creating exciting musical settings, from the Australian Festival of Chamber Music to the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival.
I currently teach at the Royal Northern College of Music and remain passionate about working with young musicians. Music has given me the privilege of global storytelling — from major stages to classrooms — and the journey, like my curiosity, continues.
Lars Anders Tomter
Norway
Hailed as “The Giant of the Nordic Viola” (*The Strad*), Lars Anders Tomter is one of the most distinguished violists of our time. Born in Hamar, Norway, he studied violin and viola with Professor Leif Jørgensen, later refining his craft under Max Rostal and Sándor Végh. Tomter gained international recognition after winning prestigious viola competitions in Budapest and Lille in the 1980s.
Tomter has performed with leading orchestras worldwide, including the BBC Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic, under conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniele Gatti and Krzysztof Penderecki.
Tomter is a regular guest at prominent festivals like the BBC Proms, Schleswig-Holstein, and Verbier, and serves as artistic director of Norwegian Fjord Classics. A professor at the State Academy in Oslo, he performs on a rare Gasparo da Salò viola from 1590.
Winfried Rademacher
Germany, Germany
Winfried Rademacher and his Linos Ensemble were awarded the ECHO KLASSIK in 2017, recognizing an unparalleled career on the international stage and in the recording studio.
He has appeared as both a chamber musician and soloist at festivals such as the Berlin Festival, Mostly Mozart in New York, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, and the Shanghai Festival. Steven Isserlis regularly invites him to his IMS Festival in England, most recently for a tour with Elisabeth Leonskaja and Istvan Vardai at Wigmore Hall.
Many of his recordings have won awards, including world premiere recordings of violin concertos by Max Reger and Alban Berg arranged by Rudolf Kolisch.
He has held concertmaster positions with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Claudio Abbado, the Munich Philharmonic under Sergiu Celibidache, as well as with chamber orchestras such as Camerata Salzburg and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, where he also conducted from the concertmaster’s chair.
His mentors include Josef Suk, Nathan Milstein and Sándor Végh.
As a professor of violin and viola, he taught at the Lübeck Academy of Music before moving to Trossingen. He also teaches at the Basel Academy of Music.
Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj
Denmark/Germany
Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj was born in Herdecke 1970, Germany. He took his first cello lessons at the age of seven and three years later was accepted at the Folkwang Musikhochschule in the special class for the gifted. In 1986 he moved to Aarhus, Denmark and finished school with a thesis on J.S. Bach’s ”Kunst der Fuge”. In 1990 he entered The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where he studied first with Henrik Brendstrup and then with prof. Thorleif Thedeén.
Since 1994, Beyer-Karlshøj has been a permanent member of the German Henschel Quartett in Munich, which has toured most of the world over the years. The Henschel Quartet has had its own festivals in Seligenstadt near Frankfurt since 1996, and also at Herlufsholm Castle since 2018, both with him as artistic director.
Alongside chamber music, orchestral playing has also always been of great importance to Beyer-Karlshøj and since 2016 an intensified collaboration with Copenhagen Phil. Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj has lived with his family in Copenhagen since 1990.
Jiyoon Lee
South Korea
First concertmaster of the Staatskapelle Berlin, Jiyoon Lee is fast gaining an international reputation as an up-and-coming young artist, praised for his brilliant virtuosity and passionate performances, which BBC Music Magazine called “full-toned, consistent and energetic playing”. She is the recent first prize winner of Carl Nielsen international violin competition and an aspiring soloist, performing with renowned orchestras, such as Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Orquestra de Valencia and many others.
Jiyoon Lee is also a dedicated chamber musician and regularly participates in music festivals around the world, including Verbier Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, Kronberg Festival and now for the second time as a professor at Hvide Sande Masterclass. Furthermore, she appears in numerous concerts as part of the Boulez Ensemble with artists such as Sir Antonio Pappano, Francois-Xavier Roth, Jörg Widmann and Daniel Barenboim.
Born in 1992 in Seoul, her career as a violinist started at the age of four. She studied at the Korean National University of Arts and Hochschule für Musik ”Hans Eisler” in Berlin
Thomas Darelius
Denmark
Thomas Darelius, born 1962, studied at The royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, with professor Knud E. Sorensen from 1979 to 1987. He finished with a notable debut from the soloist class. From 1988 to 1989 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory with the well-known pianist Tatiana Nikolaieva.
He entered the final round and took a prize at 2 piano competitions. His concert activities includes performances with orchestras, solo recitals, chamber music, accompanying singers and playing with The royal danish Ballet.
He works as associated professor at The royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen as coach and accompanist for singing students. He also coaches singers in russian language.
