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Zuco 103, the brainchild of Lilian Vieira, Stefan Schmid, and Stefan Kruger, emerged onto the music scene in 1999 under the moniker Rec.a, and their collaborative efforts have only flourished since then. Their ingenious fusion of Brazilian music, funk, jazz, and electronics has garnered them a legion of admirers and accolades, and established them as pioneers of the Brazilectro genre. With a career spanning the globe, they have shared the stage with icons like Joe Jackson, Sergio Cavazzioli (Gilberto Gil), Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and Marcos Suzano.
The trio first met in 1989 at the Rotterdam Conservatory, where Vieira honed her singing skills. Schmid, the mastermind behind the term ‘Brazilectro,’ which became an international phenomenon, ushered in a scene of kindred artists and DJs. Their music seamlessly blends samba, bossa nova, dub, and drum’n’bass, creating a sound that is both natural and danceable.
With successful performances at various festivals and clubs across the world, including Rock Werchter, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Fuji Rock Japan, their pioneering career and deep discography place them among the veterans of the Brazilectro scene. In 2023, Zuco 103 released their ninth studio album, Telenova.
PIERRE COLOMBET (VIOLIN), GABRIEL LE MAGADURE (VIOLIN), MARIE CHILEMME (VIOLA), YUYA OKAMOTO (VIOLONCELLO)
Attending a concert by the Quatuor Ébène is a musical and sensual happening. In the past two decades the quartet has set standards by making familiar repertoire accessible in new ways beyond perfection, and by constantly seeking the exchange with the audience. This spring, Yuya Okamoto joined the quartet’s esteemed ranks, adding a new dimension.
After studies with the Quatuor Ysaÿe in Paris as well as with Gábor Takács, Eberhard Feltz and György Kurtág, the unprecedented and outstanding success at the 2004 ARD Music Competition followed, marking the beginning of the Quatuor Ébène’s rise to fame, which resulted in numerous other prizes and awards: In 2005, for example, the quartet was awarded the Belmont Prize of the Forberg-Schneider Foundation; in 2007 it was prize winner of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust, and in 2019 – as the first ensemble ever – it was honored with the Frankfurt Music Prize.
In addition to the traditional repertoire, the quartet also dives into other styles (“A String Quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band” New York Times, 2009). What began in 1999 as a distraction in the university’s practice rooms – improvising on jazz standards & pop songs – has become a trademark of Quatuor Ébène. To date, the quartet has released 3 albums in these genres, Fiction (2010), Brazil (2014) and Eternal Stories (2017). Ine June 2024, the ensemble will present “Waves”, a new project with the electronic sound artist Xavier Tribolet. The free approach to various styles creates a tension that is beneficial to every aspect of their artistic work. The complexity of their oeuvre has been greeted enthusiastically by audiences and critics.
Quatuor Ébène’s albums, with recordings of Bartók, Beethoven, Debussy, Haydn, Fauré and the Mendelssohn siblings, have received numerous awards, including Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and the Midem Classic Award. In 2015 & 2016 the musicians dedicated themselves to the theme “Lied”. They participated in the album “Green (Mélodies françaises)” by Philippe Jaroussky and released a Schubert album with Matthias Goerne (arrangements for String Quartet, baritone, and double bass, by Raphaël Merlin) and the Schubert String Quintet with Gautier Capuçon. Together with Antoine Tamestit, Quatuor Ébène recorded the Mozart String Quintets K. 515 and K. 516, which were released in the spring of 2023. The album has received accolades such as Choc Classica, Diapason d’Or, Gramophone of the month.
First and foremost is the recording of Beethoven’s 16 String Quartets, for which the quartet travelled across six continents between May 2019 and January 2020. With this complete recording, the four celebrated their 20th stage anniversary, which they additionally crowned with performances of the complete String Quartet cycle in major European venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris or the Alte Oper Frankfurt. Invitations from Carnegie Hall New York, the Verbier Festival and the Vienna Konzerthaus were also on the agenda.
In January 2021, the quartet was appointed by the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich to establish a String Quartet class as part of the newly founded „Quatuor Ébène Academy“.
Since the past season, the quartet has been performing a joint cycle with the Belcea Quartet at the Wiener Konzerthaus. For the 23/24 season the Philharmonie Luxembourg has chosen the Quatuor Ébène as resident ensemble. Next to chamber music concerts, they will present John Adam’s Absolute Jest together with the Luxembourg Philharmonic. As Quatuor en résidence à Radio France, they will again perform three concerts in Paris.
Further highlights of the season include concerts at the Salzburg Festival, Berliner Philharmonie, Megaron Athens, Wigmore Hall London and Carnegie Hall in New York City, NY.
Pierre Colombet is playing two violins: a 1717 Antonio Stradivari violin, the « Piatti », kindly loaned by a generous sponsor through the Beare’s International Violin Society, and a 1736 Matteo Goffriller violin generously loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider, as well as a bow by Charles Tourte (Paris, 19th century) also loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider.
Gabriel Le Magadure is playing two violins: the ex-Baron Rothschild Peter Guarneri of Venice kindly loaned by the Miller-Porter Collection through the Beare’s International Violin Society, and a violin from around 1740 with a Guarneri label loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider. He plays a bow by Dominique Pecatte (ca.1845) loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider.
Marie Chilemme is playing two violas : a 1734 Stradivari, the « Gibson », generously loaned by the « Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger », and a viola by Marcellus Hollmayr, Füssen (1625) loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider.
Yuya Okamoto is playing a violoncello by Giovanni Grancino, Milan, from 1682.
This mixed vocal ensemble of about fifteen experienced singers explores a diverse repertoire spanning various periods and styles. The spaced rehearsals require members to have a certain level of autonomy in working on the scores. The desire to discover new repertoire, improve, and share the joy of choral singing is undoubtedly at the heart of the Cantiamo vocal ensemble.
The Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO) is an affiliate of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. Founded in July 2011, it is the first-ever youth orchestra in China organized and administered by a professional orchestra. Since May 2012, the GSYO has been jointly run by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and the Education Bureau of Guangzhou Municipality. In July 2020, the Guangzhou Municipal Government and the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism signed an agreement to provide a further platform for the GSYO in advancing new models of development and elevating its artistic and administrative standards.
The GSYO’s current Music Director is Jing Huan, the Principal Conductor of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, who also serves as an Executive Committee Member of Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI) and Secretary-General of Youth Music Culture Guangdong.
The Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) is one of the most distinguished ensembles in China today. Its multi-venue facility—where GSYO trains and rehearses, guided by GSO principal players and other veteran musicians—is one of the most comprehensive and technologically advanced in China. The GSO administers the GSYO—a free orchestral training program for all participants—following management and training guidelines of a professional ensemble.
The GSYO expanded in December 2014 by adding a Junior Orchestra for 10- to 13-year-old musicians. In March 2019, the GSYO established its inaugural “Children’s Foundation Program” for 6- to 9-year-old talents, providing instrumental training starting at the beginner’s level. In December 2021, the “Children’s Foundation Program” became a joint project of the Culture, Radio, Film, Television & Tourism Bureau of Guangzhou Municipality and the GSO. This program operates as the key initial component of GSYO’s sustainable, comprehensive music education system.
From the GSYO’s inception, many musicians have lent support to its institutional and training programs, among them Long Yu (Music Director, GSO), American conductor John Nelson, Xian Zhang (Music Director, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra), Shao-Chia Lü (Conductor Emeritus, Taiwan Philharmonic), Wing-sie Yip (Music Director Emeritus, Hong Kong Sinfonietta), Zhang Guoyong (Principal Conductor, Shanghai Opera House), Yang Yang (Artistic Director, Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra; Music Director, China National Opera House), Qigang Chen (distinguished composer), Yun Chen (Concertmaster, China Philharmonic Orchestra) and celebrated violinist Cho-Liang Lin. The young musicians have also benefitted from the support of internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang and violinist Maxim Vengerov.
On 13 May 2012, the GSYO appeared on stage for the first time, and to date has performed more than 100 concerts at home and abroad.
The GSYO’s regular performance venue is the Xinghai Concert Hall. Beginning in September 2015, the GSYO established its own concert season, the first of its kind among China’s non-professional orchestras.
In December 2013, the GSYO and the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra took part in a cultural exchange project, leading to joint concerts held at the Xinghai Concert Hall and a “New Year’s Concert” at the Macao Cultural Centre.
The GSYO and the Hong Kong Youth Symphonic Orchestra held a joint concert at the Xinghai Concert Hall in August 2014, with the GSYO visiting Hong Kong the following month on tour.
In August 2015, the GSYO was invited by the Municipal Government of Frankfurt and the “Young Euro Classic” Festival to perform two concerts: at the Clara Schumann Hall of the Dr. Hoch’s Konservatorium, Frankfurt for the Frankfurt-Guangzhou sister city cultural exchange with internationally-celebrated cellist Li-wei Qin and pianist Zhang Haochen, and the renowned Konzerthaus Berlin as part of the 16th “Young Euro Classic” Festival. The Orchestra’s superb performances were widely praised by German audiences and critics.
On 20 October 2016, celebrated composer and conductor Tan Dun led the GSYO for the first time at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Secret of Wind and Birds, marking the first performance of this work by a Chinese orchestra. Two days later, the GSYO participated in the 19th Beijing Music Festival and performed “In Love with Shakespeare,” a special program led by Music Director Jing Huan to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.
On 23 July 2017, the GSYO collaborated with renowned pianist Chen Sa in Chopin’s Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante under the baton of Jing Huan, marking the closing concert of its 2016/2017 season.
The GSYO made its critically-acclaimed 2017 Asia-Pacific tour with cellist Jian Wang and sheng virtuoso Jia Lei. On 6 August, the GSYO performed at the Sydney Town Hall in celebration of the Guangzhou-Sydney sister city relationship. On 11 and 13 August, the orchestra performed at the Aula Simfonia Jakarta and Singapore’s Victoria Concert Hall respectively.
At the GSO’s 60th anniversary and 2017/2018 season opening concert on 24 September 2017, GSO Music Director Long Yu led the GSYO in Chopin’s Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante with pianist Zhang Haochen, which garnered much praise.
In October 2017, the GSYO was invited by Hong Kong’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department to join the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra and Macao Youth Orchestra in a “Music Spectacular” at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of China.
On 6 December 2017, the GSYO was invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou, receiving much acclaim.
On 29 July 2018, the GSYO performed at Lyon’s Ancient Theatre of Fourvière to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Guangzhou and Lyon as sister cities. On 1 August, the GSYO appeared at the famed Rudolfinum in Prague to mark the fifth anniversary of Guangzhou and Prague as friendship cities. On 4 August, the GSYO was invited by the Musica Riva Festival at Lago di Guarda for their final orchestral presentation. This tour featured two special guest soloists: cellist Jian Wang and violinist Gao Can.
The GSYO made its debut in Japan on 21 July 2019 at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, with violin soloist Lü Siqing. Three days later, the orchestra performed at the Fukuoka Symphony Hall as part of a cultural exchange commemorating the 40th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Guangzhou and Fukuoka.
On 11 January 2020, the GSYO collaborated with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the opening concert of the annual Youth Music Culture Guangdong, performing three works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Later that week, Yo-Yo Ma and ensemble groups of the GSYO’s Junior Orchestra performed in six iconic Guangzhou cultural and tourist sites. Yo-Yo Ma also took part in a GSYO Children’s Foundation Program concert, sharing the stage with young cellists. All of these exciting events have attracted tremendous media and public attention.
In July 2021, to mark its tenth anniversary, the GSYO launched its first China tour. Along with violin soloist Gao Can, the orchestra performed four concerts nationwide—in Wuhan’s Qintai Concert Hall, Chengdu City Concert Hall, Xi’an Concert Hall and Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall—presenting Austro-German masterpieces as well as iconic modern and contemporary works, displaying professional maturity and musicality far beyond their youthful years. Local media outlets lauded the GSYO for its achievements.
In July 2022, GSO and young cellist Pan Chang, sheng player Jia Lei and guzheng player Su Chang launched the orchestra’s second national tour making three stops: at Hangzhou’s Grand Canal Theater, Suzhou Bay Grand Theater and Tianjin Grand Theatre. After the Suzhou concert, GYSO President Chen Zhimin spoke as keynote speaker at the SCO Countries Youth Performance and Art Forum. GSYO’s management and operation were praised by government leaders and guests alike.
The GSYO is dedicated to discovering and creating a working model for non-professional youth orchestras. It has now become the most outstanding youth orchestra in China, shouldering the mantle of international cultural exchange and representing Guangzhou’s own culture by displaying the energetic spirit and artistic achievements of China’s youth to the world.
Wooden Elephant are a contemporary classical string quintet who reimagine classic electronic-based albums and present them as totally acoustic, longform contemporary classical concert works. Formed in 2017, they have collaborated with Moor Mother, Ballett am Rhein, and Beethovenorchester Bonn, and their arrangements have been performed by Concertgebouw Orchestra and soundtracked by AppleTV.
They are a team of young professional performers who bring interactive classical music projects to communities. The Collective want to go beyond the boundaries and challenge the clichés that often surround classical music. It also believe that music is an important tool to develop communication skills, encourage creativity and broaden the imagination.
The Collective aims to inspire the next generation of classical music lovers to connect with one another and create, and its mission is to give more people access to the benefits of music-making.