Here you will be able to read about this year’s young musicians at Hvide Sande Masterclass after the selection process.
Khai-Weing Hoi
Malaysia
Khai-Weing is a dedicated and passionate violinist from Selangor, Malaysia. She completed her Bachelor of Music with highest honors in 2025 from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Associate Professor Zuo Jun. She is now studying in the Master’s program at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Professor Eszter Haffner.
At the age of 18, Khai-Weing made her debut as a soloist with the Selangor Symphony Orchestra. She has received several awards, including the Silver Prize in the Young Artist category at the Singapore Raffles International Music Festival and First Prize at the Euroasia Strings Competition in Kuala Lumpur. In 2023, she won third prize in the YSTCM Concerto Competition (strings category) and received an honorable mention at the Serguei Azizian Violin Competition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.
Khai-Weing regularly performs as an assistant with the Copenhagen Phil and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Since the age of 13, she has held leadership roles as concertmaster and group leader of the 2nd violin group in ensembles such as the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra, the Round Top Festival Institute in Texas (2024) and the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She has worked with conductors such as Benjamin Zander, Delyana Lazarova, Robert Spano and Ken Lam. In 2025, she was selected to participate in the Taipei Music Academy & Festival under the direction of David Chan and conductor Fabio Luisi.
Helene Rose Hultén
Denmark
Helene Rose Hultén is a Danish cellist who studies with Henrik Brendstrup at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. She began playing the cello at the age of six with Maria Minculescu as her teacher and has since received lessons from Carl-Oscar Østerlind and Ida Ben-Hamadou, among others. In 2025, Helene studied for a semester at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Castelló with José Enrique Bouché.
Helene has a great passion for chamber music and plays music across periods and genres. She has been a member of DUEN (The Danish Youth Ensemble) since 2024 and has participated in masterclasses with Toke Møldrup, Fabio Presgrave, Jakob Kullberg, Kati Raitinen, Erkki Lahesmaa, Andreas Brantelid and The Danish String Quartet.
Michał Krajewski
Poland
Michał Krajewski, born in 2003 in Wrocław, graduated with honors from the music school in Legnica, where he studied violin with Konrad Dragan. He now studies at the University of Lucerne with Isabelle van Keulen.
He has performed as a soloist in a number of Europe’s leading concert halls, including Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Tonhalle in Düsseldorf, Rosengarten Musensaal in Mannheim, Die Glocke in Bremen, Musik- und Kongresshalle in Lübeck, National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Philharmonics in Lublin, Zielona Góra and Częstochowa, Sudeten Philharmonic, Krzysztof Penderecki European Center for Music in Lusławice and the Paris Conservatory.
Michał is a prize winner at numerous national and international competitions. Among his achievements are the Special Prize of Professor Zakhar Bron at the 12th H. Wieniawski & K. Lipiński Young Violinists’ Competition in Lublin, Grand Prix at the 3rd Wanda Wiłkomirska Polish Music Violin Competition in Częstochowa, and first prizes at the Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst and Karol Szymanowski International Violin Competition in Wrocław, Young Paganini International Violin Competition in Legnica and Concours Flame in Paris.
In parallel with his concert activities, he participates in master classes with Zakhar Bron, Lisa Batiashvili, Stefan Tarara, Wiesław Kwaśny and Konrad Dragan, among others. He is also a participant in the “Presentations” program at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice.
Duo Diamond
Iceland
Duo Diamond is an Icelandic duo based in Denmark consisting of violinist Helga Diljá Jörundsdóttir and cellist Katrín Birna Sigurðardóttir.
Helga studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with Professor Peter Herresthal. She has performed as a soloist with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Arctic Philharmonic, and at festivals such as the Bergen International Festival, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Baltic Sea Festival and Arctic Chamber Music Festival.
Katrín studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Professor Henrik Brendstrup. She has been a soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and has performed at festivals such as Artos Festival, Aarhus Chamber Music Festival and Haydn Festival.
With a shared passion for chamber music, they formed Duo Diamond to develop artistically together. The duo has performed in both Iceland and Denmark and is known for its dynamic stage presence. Both musicians have won the Iceland Symphony Orchestra’s Young Soloists competition.
Emil Dalgaard
Denmark
Emil Dalgaard b. 2008 started playing piano at the age of 8 at Kolding Music School with Ellen Højgaard Pedersen using the Suzuki method. In 2019 he switched to Gradus Junior College with Martin Lysholm Jepsen as his teacher, where he still studies today.
In recent years, Emil has participated and won prizes in both national and international piano competitions. Among others, 2. Prize at Minerbio International Piano Competition in Italy, 1st Prize at Gothenburg International Piano Competition, Gold at the Junior Classical Competition and most recently 2nd Prize at Montecatini International Piano Competition. In March 2025, he was one of two Danish pianists selected for the Aarhus International Piano Competition.
Emil has played concerts in Norway, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Italy and Switzerland and participated in masterclasses with Eva Norsina, Kevin Kenner, Jean-Baptiste Doulcet, Alexandra Zvirblyte and others. As a chamber musician he has played at Odsherred Chamber Music Festival, Across Generations Jacob Gade and the Artos Festival and played with musicians such as Alexandra Conunova, Janne Fredens, Thorleif Thedeen and Pau Codina.
In 2026 Emil was the soloist in Brahms 1. Piano Concerto in a project with the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra and MGK-syd. Emil has several concerts abroad in the fall of 2026, including in France and Italy.
Tiril Lorås Ystgaard
Norway
Tiril Lorås Ystgaard is a young Norwegian cellist studying with Richard Krug at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. She has participated in several talent development programs, including “Young Musicians” at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and “The Junior Soloists”.
As a committed chamber musician, she won first prize at the national Youth Music Championship competition with the Gemelli String Quartet. The quartet has participated in masterclasses with Julian Rachlin, Quatuor Van Kuijk and the Vertavo Quartet, among others.
Since starting her studies in Copenhagen, Tiril has performed extensively in Denmark, studied with Toke Møldrup and participated in masterclasses with Josephine Knight, Eckart Runge, Morten Zeuthen and members of the Dover Quartet and Jerusalem Quartet. She has also toured internationally at music festivals with ensembles such as the Svaneke Quartet and DKDM Cello Ensemble.
Marija Vaitkutė
Lithuania
Marija Vaitkutė is a Lithuanian violist. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where she studied with Associate Professor Gediminas Dačinskas. She also participated in Erasmus+ exchange at Folkwang Universität der Künste with Professor Gareth Lubbe.
Marija has participated in a number of international orchestral projects, including Western Balkan Youth Orchestra, Young Philharmonic Cologne, Baltic Sea Philharmonic, German-Nordic Youth Philharmonic and Hundisburg Summer Academy.
As a soloist, she has performed with the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra and has participated in masterclasses with renowned violists and chamber musicians from across Europe.
Aleksandra Łyczba
Poland
Aleksandra Łyczba is a Polish cellist studying in the soloist class at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. After completing her bachelor’s degree at the Gdańsk Conservatory, she moved to Denmark to further develop her artistic work.
She is an active and committed musician who performs as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician and in interdisciplinary projects. Her experience spans classical music, jazz, pop and contemporary music, including multimedia productions.
Chamber music is one of her greatest passions and she plays in ensembles from duos to quintets. Her trio was among the prize winners at the RAMA Chamber Music Competition in 2026. She has performed at the Aarhus Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music at the Fjorden Festival and in a number of music associations in Jutland.
Aleksandra has twice been a finalist in the Academy’s soloist competition. Her musical interests combine performance, pedagogy and artistic entrepreneurship, and she also works with planning and organizing musical events.
Līvija Bukša
Latvia
Līvija Bukša is studying viola in the second year of the bachelor’s program at Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music with Professor Arigo Štrāls. She previously completed her secondary music education as a violinist.
Although she has only been playing the viola for two years, she has already achieved great results at international competitions, including 3rd prize at the III International Competition-Festival Baltic Strings (2024) and 2nd prize at the Augusta Dombrovska 10th International Competition (2026). She has participated in numerous festivals both in Latvia and internationally and this year was selected to become a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra.
A significant part of her musical work is contemporary music. In 2025, she performed works written especially for her at the Pēteris Vasks Contemporary Composition Competition, where she received the prize for best interpretation. Līvija is also an active chamber musician, participating in competitions and festivals, making recordings for Latvian Radio and organizing concerts.
Zurabi Gorgiashvili
Georgia
Zurabi Gorgiashvili is a Georgian violinist living in Finland. In August 2026 he will complete his master’s degree in classical violin at the Sibelius Academy. He obtained his bachelor’s degree at the Tbilisi State Conservatory in 2022.
In 2021 and 2022 he studied through the Erasmus+ program at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus and Aalborg and at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius.
Zurabi has worked as a violinist in symphony and chamber orchestras and chamber music ensembles in Finland, Denmark and Georgia. He has performed in concert halls in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and elsewhere through festivals such as BBC Proms, Young Euro Classic, Festival della Piana del Cavaliere and Helsinki Festival.
He has a special interest in early music and has studied baroque violin at the Sibelius Academy with Minna Kangas and Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch. Since May 2025 he has been playing an Andrea-Robin Frandsen violin (Angers, France, 1996) on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. In August 2026, he joins Joensuu City Orchestra as a violinist in the first violin group.
Teresa Spogis
Germany, Germany
Teresa Spogis is a German cellist and studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Jeanette Gier-Monger. She is a scholarship recipient at Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst and has distinguished herself through a number of awards at the Jugend musiziert competition.
Studying in Norway with Audun Sandvik and master classes with Maria Kliegel, Thomas Carroll, Susanne Müller-Hornbach, Sabine Krams and others have helped shape her artistic development.
Above all, Teresa is a passionate chamber musician. She pursues this interest with her string quartet, which consists of fellow students and is based in Cologne. Alongside her studies, she teaches cello and works in the field of economic education at the University of Cologne, where she combines pedagogy and artistic practice.
Nataliia Sokolenko
Ukraine
Nataliia Sokolenko is a Ukrainian pianist studying at the National Academy of Music of Ukraine in Kyiv. She is a prize winner at numerous national and international piano competitions and actively performs in concerts and artistic projects both in Ukraine and internationally.
She is a member of the special art project Pianist’s Orchestra, which brings together talented young pianists in innovative concert formats. She has also participated in master classes in Ukraine, Poland and Luxembourg with prominent musicians and professors.
In 2026, she received the Golden Parnassus award for her artistic achievements and contribution to musical life. She has also performed at concerts in Paris focusing on Ukrainian music and represented Ukrainian classical music on the international stage.
Combining artistic sensitivity, nuanced interpretation and strong stage presence, Nataliia continues to develop an active concert career.
Karina Kaluga
Ukraine
Karina Kaluga is a significant figure on the contemporary Ukrainian piano scene. She holds a Doctor of Arts degree and teaches at the National Academy of Music of Ukraine.
A prizewinner at several international competitions, she combines an active concert career with teaching and research. Alongside her solo activities, she is a member of the innovative ensemble Pianists Orchestra, which reflects her interest in ensemble playing and new concert formats.
Through her artistic and educational work, she actively contributes to the development of the next generation of Ukrainian musicians.
Oliver Tom Franks
The Netherlands
Oliver Tom Franks (b. 2000) is a Dutch-British pianist from Utrecht.
After his youth at the renowned Purcell School of Music in London, he combined his musical pursuits with studies in Arabic and Classics at the University of Oxford, including stays in Tunisia and Lebanon.
In 2022, he decided to leave university to devote himself to music full-time. He has since given concerts in the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland, and after his French debut was described in the press as “a young pianist not to be missed”.
He is active as a soloist and chamber musician and made his debut as a composer in 2026. He also receives occasional mentoring from Professor Jianing Kong at the Royal College of Music in London.
Oliver lives in the Swedish countryside where he enjoys the tranquility of the forests around his home, cultivates his garden and goes for walks with his wife Margot.
Zoriana Myliavska
Ukraine
Zoriana Myliavska is a Ukrainian violinist and prize winner of several national and international competitions. She started playing the violin at the age of five and was a member of the Youth Orchestra of Ukraine from 2018 to 2020.
She studied at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, where she performed as a soloist with some of Ukraine’s leading orchestras, including the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine and Kyiv Camerata. She also gave a solo recital in the Bucharest Philharmonic with the support of the National Radio of Romania.
She later continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels with Professor Shirly Laub, where she completed her bachelor’s degree and continued on to master’s level.
Since 2023, she has collaborated with several of Belgium’s leading orchestras, including the Belgian National Orchestra, La Monnaie, Liège Philharmonic Orchestra and Brussels Philharmonic. She has also performed at the Queen Elisabeth Competition and worked with the New World Symphony in the USA.
Zoriana is active as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician.
Katrina Emilie Ligeika
Lithuania
Katrina Emilie Ligeika was born in the United States. At the age of 14, she moved to Lithuania to continue her musical studies and won the Lithuanian Young Cellist Competition the same year.
She graduated from the M. K. Čiurlionis Art School and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. In 2021 she studied at the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland, where she performed in Tonhalle Zurich and in Basel with the ZHdK Orchestra and gave chamber music concerts in Winterthur.
The following year she played in the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and was invited as a soloist at the Lithuanian World Community Convention. After studying at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, she completed her master’s degree in Vilnius.
In 2023, Katrina participated in masterclasses with Professor David Geringas. Since then she has performed in the Baltic countries, Germany and Switzerland.
Thea Thybo Møller
Denmark
Thea Thybo Møller is a violinist and viola player from South Jutland, currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music in Jutland with prof. Mo Yi, Nicolas Sublet and Claus Myrup. With a profile as a chamber and orchestral musician, the core of her artistic work is the musical collaboration with others and the very special connection that music can create between people.
Thea often plays with the Danish Youth Ensemble, Aarhus Chamber Orchestra and the regional orchestras of Jutland. She has also performed with Randers Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Hermes and the Artos Quartet. Masterclasses with the Danish String Quartet and Rued Langgaard Masterclasses, as well as participation in Chamber Music for Tomorrow have further refined her chamber music skills. For the past two years she has been elected concertmaster of the Academy’s symphony orchestra, and in 2025 she received a generous scholarship from the Violin Builder Søren P. Sørensen Memorial Foundation.
Joaquín González
Chile
Joaquín González Cortez is a Chilean violinist and researcher from the Ñuble region in southern Chile. He began his violin studies through a social art project in his hometown and later continued at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he studied with Frida Ansaldi and Alberto Dourthé.
His artistic development has been strengthened through participation in international festivals and masterclasses, including Lunigiana International Music Festival, Kutztown Chamber Music Festival, and Rencontres Musicales Alberto Lysy. Since 2022, he has collaborated with baroque ensembles, chamber music groups and professional orchestras.
Alongside his performing career, he works intensively in the research, documentation and preservation of Chile’s traditional village song culture. This work has resulted in the publication of two books, a podcast series and a double album dedicated to Chilean folk music traditions.
Joaquín combines an active concert business with significant research and dissemination work in Chile’s musical heritage.
Photo: Maria Isabela Nica
Stefan Enemærke Becker
Denmark
Stefan Enemærke Becker is a Danish violinist who completed his master’s degree at DKDM in 2025. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Kungl. Stefan’s great passion lies in ensemble and orchestral music.
During his master’s studies, he started working as a freelancer in Danish symphony orchestras, and over the past year he has been on contract in the 2nd violin group at Odense Symphony Orchestra and played as group leader at Esbjerg Ensemble. A personal highlight for Stefan was playing with 110 like-minded musicians from all over Europe as a member of the EUYO – EU Youth Orchestra in 2023.
In Denmark, his drive for ensemble music has led him to co-found the HELIOS Music Collective: as artistic director, producer and concertmaster, he has created concerts that blend several art forms and make music like Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross even more relevant – especially for young performers and audiences.
Livia Stefani
Italy
Livia Stefani, born in Perugia in 2001, is an Italian violinist who is active as both a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed in prominent venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall in New York and made her solo debut at the age of 16 with the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra.
She is a frequent guest at international festivals including Rome Chamber Music Festival and Grachten Festival, and has performed with renowned musicians such as Robert McDuffie, Daniel Rowland and David Krakauer.
Livia is the founder and violinist of Hera Quartet, which has been performing around Europe since 2022. She currently studies with Ilya Grubert at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and has previously studied with Zakhar Bron in Switzerland.
She has won a number of national and international competitions, including the Grand Prize Virtuoso in Brussels, the American Protégé Competition in New York and several Italian violin competitions. In 2026 she was invited to participate in the Menuhin International Academy in Switzerland.
