Passioni e Contrasti

Georgy Kovalev was born in Tiflis in 1990 and is one of the leading violists of his generation.
After studying with Yuri Bashmet and Nobuko Imai at the Kronberg Academy, he is furthering his studies with Tabea Zimmermann at HfM Hanns Eisler in Berlin.
Georgy has performed as soloist with major orchestras such as Kremerata Baltica, New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Soloists, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has been a finalist and prizewinner at the Moscow Yuri Bashmet International Competition and the Tokyo International Viola Competition. In 2011 he received the Neva Foundation Prize from the Verbier Festival.

In addition to being a member of the Delian Quartet, he is a very active chamber musician and collaborates with Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Steven Isserlis, Yuri Bashmet, Fazil Say, Frans Helmerson, Emanuel Ax, Jörg Widmann, Viviane Hagner, Claudio Bohorquez, Lawrence Lesser, at major festivals such as Schubertiade, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Rheingau Festival, Kronberg Academy Festival.

Georgy has played in the most prestigious halls around the world such as Victoria Hall (Geneva), Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), Philharmonie in Cologne, Kioi Hall (Tokyo), Prinz Regent Theater Hall (Munich), Gordon Bennett Hall (Chicago), Great Hall of the Moscow Consrvatory. He also recorded for German Radio together with his quartet Bach's The Art of Fugue.His future engagements will take him to the USA, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Korea, Holland, France, Austria and Italy.

Brannon Cho is the First Prize winner of the prestigious 6th International Paulo Cello Competition, and is also a top prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Cassadó International Cello Competitions. 

Most recently, Brannon Cho is the recipient of the 2020 Janos Starker Foundation Award, the Landgraf von Hessen Prize from Kronberg Academy, the 2019 Ivan Galamian Award previously held by James Ehnes, and is a scholarship holder in the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. 

Brannon Cho has appeared as a soloist with many of the top orchestras around the world, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Belgian National Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Brussels Philharmonic. Born in New Jersey, Brannon Cho received his Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under Hans Jørgen Jensen. He was awarded the Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Laurence Lesser. He also completed the Professional Studies program at the Kronberg Academy, under the tutelage of Frans Helmerson. Brannon Cho performs on a rare cello made by Antonio Casini in 1668 in Modena, Italy, and is sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld.

Beatrice Rana performs at the world’s most esteemed concert halls and festivals including the Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Barbican Centre, Royal Albert Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, KKL Lucerne, Cologne Philharmonie, Munich’s Isarphilharmonie, Frankfurt’s Alte Oper, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Tonhalle Zurich, Philharmonie de Luxembourg, Teatro alla Scala, BBC Proms.

She collaborates with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Antonio Pappano, Klaus Mäkelä, Lahav Shani, Manfred Honeck, Riccardo Chailly, Gianandrea Noseda, Jaap van Zweden, Jakub Hrusa, Paavo Järvi, Elim Chan, Gustavo Gimeno, Fabio Luisi, Vladimir Jurowski, Dima Slobodeniouk, James Gaffigan, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Susanna Mälkki and Zubin Mehta.

Beatrice is the guest of such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Bayerische Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Orchestre de Paris, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI, Filarmonica della Scala, Seoul Philharmonic among many other top orchestras.

In the 2024/25 season, Beatrice is artist in residence at Paris’ Radio-France. The residency will involve a recital at the Auditorium de Radio France and several concerts and tours with both in-house orchestras, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Orchestre National de France and their music directors Mikko Frank and Cristian Macelaru. She will also return to the New York Philharmonic with Marek Janowski, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Gianandrea Noseda, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck and debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Beatrice Rana records exclusively for Warner Classics. She released 6 albums receiving critical acclaim and several prizes including “Young Artist of the Year” at the Gramophone Awards and “Discovery of the year” at the Edison Awards in 2017. In June 2018, she was chosen as Female Artist of the Year at the Classic BRIT Awards at the Royal Albert Hall.

Beatrice Rana won Silver (2nd Prize) and the Audience Award at the prestigious Van Cliburn competition in 2013. She had attracted international attention at 18, winning 1st Prize and all special prizes at the Montreal International Competition in 2011. Born into a family of musicians Beatrice began her musical studies at four and achieved her Piano Degree under the guidance of Benedetto Lupo at the Nino Rota Conservatory of Music in Monopoli, where she also studied composition with Marco della Sciucca. She then studied with Arie Vardi in Hannover and again with Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

In 2017, Beatrice started her own chamber music festival « Classiche Forme » in her native town of Lecce, Puglia. The festival has become one of Italy’s major summer events.