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Artist file 2021 - 2022

I would strongly encourage anyone looking to directly support and nurture our next generation of artists to look no further than YCAT! Sir Simon Keenlyside CBE

ycat artists 2021-22

Adelphi Quartet*

George Harliono

Piano

Quatuor Agate*

Mayumi Kanagawa

Violin

Balourdet String Quartet*+

Maciej Kułakowski

Cello

Chromic Duo*+

Prepared piano

Ariel Lanyi*+

Piano

Ema Nikolovska

Mezzo-soprano

Geneva Lewis*+

Violin

Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula Jamal Aliyev+ Jordan Bak+ Tabea Debus+

Piano

Gabriel Martins*+

Cello

Theo Plath

Viola

Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux*+

Violin

Olivier Stankiewicz

Oboe

Recorder

Bassoon

Armand Djikoloum*

Oboe

Iyad Sughayer

Piano

Irène Duval*

Violin

Samuele Telari

Accordion

Ben Goldscheider

Horn *Selected in 2021 + jointly supported by YCAT and Concert Artists Guild USA

Cover photography ©Kaupo Kikkas ©Marco Borggreve ©Dario Acosta

YCAT artists are the finest there are. I know first hand how much of a difference YCAT can make to their future careers. Book them, hear them, support them and be a part of an exciting journey. Alison Balsom OBE, trumpet YCAT Artist 2001-04

About ycat

Giving young artists the best start in their careers. YCAT is a specialist charity that supports the early careers of young musicians who show the potential to become established international artists. What we offer selected artists Management: 3-5 years of developmental and holistic management Performance: Strategic diary of engagements secured worldwide (jointly with Concert Artists Guild in North America) Exposure: Regular marketing to 5,000+ promoters and concert halls worldwide Branding: High-quality publicity materials and professional photo shoots Digital: Comprehensive social media and website consultation and support Media: Live recordings of recitals at Wigmore Hall

Artists we have supported include Alison Balsom OBE Adam Walker Belcea Quartet Doric Quartet Elizabeth Watts Ian Bostridge CBE James Baillieu Joanna MacGregor CBE Li-Wei Qin Llŷr Williams Mark Simpson Sean Shibe

Adelphi Quartet

Maxime Michaluk, violin Esther Agusti, violin Marko Milenković, viola Nepomuk Braun, cello In 2020 the Adelphi Quartet won 1st Prize in the Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation Competition at the Heidelberger Frühling Festival, and in 2021 3rd Prize at the Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy. Formed in 2017 the Quartet studied with Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and has received invaluable support and guidance from Eberhard Feltz and Valentin Erben. They were prize-winners at the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International Auditions in 2021.

Concert highlights include recitals at the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker, Kammermusik Wiesbaden, Musiktage Mondsee (Austria), the International Mozarteum Foundation (Salzburg) and Le Théâtre de Namur (Belgium). The Quartet has given performances of Schubert's String Quintet with Valentin Erben at the Villa Musica in Germany and undertaken exchange programmes at McGill University and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. This season they make their debut at Wigmore Hall, return to the Heidelberger Frühling Quartet Festival and give recitals for the Frankfurt Hindemith-Tage series and Festival de Quatuor ‘Voix intimes’ in Tournai (Belgium). The Adelphi Quartet is the inaugural YCAT Hans Keller Artist.

Quatuor Agate

Adrien Jurkovic, violin Thomas Descamps, violin Raphaël Pagnon, viola Simon Iachemet, cello

The Quartet is currently artist in residence at the Fondation Singer Polignac, resident at Pro-Quartet in Paris, and Associate Artist at the Festival la Brėche in Savoie.

Formed in 2016, the Quatuor Agate studied at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ in Berlin with Eberhard Feltz, and in Paris under the guidance of Mathieu Herzog and Luc-Marie Aguera at the Conservatoire de Paris.

They have given recitals at major venues and festivals across Europe including the Hamburg Chamber Music, MecklenburgVorpommern, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Les Rencontres Musicales d’Evian, Konzertverein Schwerin and collaborated with Frank Braley, the Modigliani and Jerusalem Quartets, among many others.

In 2021 they were prize-winners at the YCAT International Auditions. This season they make their debut at Wigmore Hall and give recitals at the Verbier Festival, TauberPhilharmonie Weikersheim, MecklenburgVorpommern’s Rugen Island Quartet Festival, Les Chaises Musicales (with Quatuor Ébène), Musique en Sol (Paunat), Août Musical (Deauville), Festival de l’Epau, Nuit du Quatuor (Philharmonie de Paris) and the Brucknerhaus Linz (Austria).

Balourdet String Quartet

Angela Bae, violin Justin DeFilippis, violin Benjamin Zannoni, viola Russell Houston, cello Winners of the 2021 Concert Artists Guild (New York) Grand Prize in partnership with Young Classical Artists Trust (London). The Balourdet String Quartet, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is currently in residence at the New England Conservatory’s Professional String Quartet Program. The quartet received the Gold Medal in the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Second Prize in the 2019 Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition.

The Balourdet has shared the stage with renowned artists including Cho-Liang Lin, as well as members of the Dover Quartet. It has studied and performed at festivals including the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Robert Mann String Quartet Institute, and Accademia Musicale Chigiana. The Balourdet String Quartet works primarily with Paul Katz at the New England Conservatory. The quartet was formed in 2018 at Rice University in Houston, Texas under the tutelage of James Dunham, Norman Fischer, and Cho-Liang Lin. The Balourdet String Quartet gets its name from Antoine Balourdet, chef extraordinaire at the Hotel St. Bernard and beloved member of the Taos School of Music community.

Chromic Duo

Dorothy Chan + Lucy Yao. chromic. (prepared) [toy] pianists. Winners of the 2021 Concert Artists Guild (New York) Grand Prize in partnership with Young Classical Artists Trust (London). Chromic Duo blends classical music, toy piano, and electronics into genre fluid performances and installations. Inspired by the small wonders of the everyday, they compose soundworlds inspired by the multitudes as Third-Culture-Kids discovering their voice within the vast Asian American diaspora.

Their work often blurs the lines between film, VR, and AR, but the heart of their work remains constant: to create an intimacy and sense of wonder in their music that unravels the story of self-discovery and passion for connecting the dots between grief and joy, belonging and displacement, and creating community in boundary pushing performances and web based experiences.

Ema Nikolovska | Mezzo-soprano

In 2019 Ema was selected as a BBC New Generation Artist and was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions in London. She also won 1st Prize at the International Vocal Competition in‘s-Hertogenbosch and the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize at the Ferrier Awards. Ema joined the Berlin Staatsoper International Studio in Autumn 2020. This season she performs the title roles in Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel and Christian Jost’s Arabian Nights, along with roles in The Magic Flute, Hippolyte et Aricie, Jenufa and Rigoletto. Recent concert highlights include her BBC Proms debut and recitals at the Pierre Boulez Saal, Wigmore Hall, Verbier Festival, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Schubertíada Barcelona and Berlin Konzerthaus.

She has collaborated with Malcolm Martineau, Wolfram Rieger, Thomas Hampson, Graham Johnson and Barry Shiffman and performed Pulcinella with the Musikkollegium Winterthur conducted by Barbara Hannigan. Born in Macedonia, Ema grew up in Toronto where she studied voice with Helga Tucker and violin at The Glenn Gould School. She received her Masters at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and completed the Opera Course in 2020.

The empty Wigmore Hall's 2021 season got off to a storming start on Monday with a recital from this young Macedonianborn mezzo-soprano, Canadiandomiciled mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska. The Daily Telegraph / Wigmore Hall, 2021

Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula | piano

A gifted pianist and composer, in 2021 Jean-Sélim completed his studies with Sir András Schiff at the Kronberg Academy, and with Jörg Widmann at the Barenboim-Said Academy. Recent highlights include recitals at LuganoMusica, Musikdorf-Ernen, the Settimane Musicali di Ascona and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festivals. He collaborated with Stephen Waarts on a video project, composed a new solo piano work for Francesco Piemontesi, and a short string quartet for the Lockenhaus 2021 Festival. This season Jean-Selim returns to Wigmore Hall with Anastasia Kobekina (broadcast by Radio 3), performs the Korngold Quintet with the Viani Quartet in Heidelberger-Frühling’s Kammermusik Plus series, and records music by Janačék for Delphian Records.

Jean-Sélim has performed widely in Europe, both as soloist and chamber musician. He has taken part in Sir András Schiff’s Building Bridges series, IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music and the Banff Artist in Residence programme. In addition to composing for musicians such as Heinz Holliger, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Camerata Bern, Jean-Sélim has written prizewinning music for film scores. He was a prizewinner at the YCAT International Auditions in 2017.

...an uncommonly poetic musician

The New York Times / 92nd Street Y

Jamal Aliyev | Cello

In 2021 Jamal was featured as one of Classic FM’s ‘30 of the most brilliant young classical musicians playing today’. Jamal was a prize-winner at the 2019 Concert Artists Guild International Auditions in New York. In 2017 he made his solo debut at the BBC Proms with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. In the same year he won the ‘Arts Club – Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award’ and released his debut CD 'Russian Masters' for Champs Hill Records to critical acclaim. This season Jamal records with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. He makes his USA debut with recitals at Merkin Concert Hall (NY), The Weiss Center at Bucknell University Pennsylvania and the Macon Concert Association, and appears as soloist with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.

Hugely popular in Turkey, he returns to give recitals with Fazil Say, and to perform concertos with the Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Eskisehir and Mersin Symphony Orchestras. Jamal has performed widely internationally, highlights including recitals at Wigmore Hall and solo appearances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (broadcast by Radio 3) and Symphony Orchestra Simón Bolívar of Venezuela. He was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions in 2017.

Thoughtful, expansive readings from a young artist possessed of enviable technique and a rich broad palette. Classical Music Magazine / 'Russian Masters', Champs Hill,

Jordan Bak | Viola

Winner of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild (New York) Grand Prize and jointly represented in partnership with Young Classical Artists Trust (London) and Music Masters (UK). Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak is an outstanding artist of passion, energy, and authenticity in the recital and chamber music arenas. A Sphinx MPower Artist Grant Recipient and a top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Bak is also a winner and Audience Prize recipient of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, the recipient of the 2019 Samuel Sanders Tel Aviv Museum Prize and the 2019 John White Special Prize from the Tertis International Viola Competition.

In addition to his growing solo career, Jordan Bak is a member of the celebrated New York Classical Players. Highlights of the 2020-2021 season include debuts at Merkin Concert Hall and The National Gallery, performances at Caramoor, The Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and the American Viola Society, and concerto appearances with Brevard Music Festival and Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra. Jordan is the second Robey Artist in partnership with Music Masters.

A star in the making... Seattle Pi

Tabea Debus | Recorder

Described by The Times as a ‘charismatic virtuoso’ Tabea is much sought after as soloist, collaborator, teacher and communicator. Over the last year she has returned to Wigmore Hall and recorded live concerts commissioned for release online by the Vancouver Recital Society, San Francisco Early Music, the Shriver Hall Washington D.C. Discover Series, London International Festival of Early Music and the Banquo de la Republica in Colombia. In 2020 her recording for Delphian, 'Ohrwurm' was released to critical acclaim. Passionate about outreach work, Tabea has developed several projects including a music art-game Soundshapes, a play-along library Continuo Lines, and Endo the Earthworm (a series of videos inspired by Gareth Moorcroft’s ‘Diaries of the Early Worm’).

This season Tabea gives recitals across the USA including the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., Morgan Library (NY), UChicago series, Merkin Concert Hall (NY) and Houston Early Music. She returns to the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany where she won the prestigious Soloists Prize in 2019. Tabea was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions (London) in 2018 and the Concert Artists Guild (New York) Auditions in 2019.

Tabea Debus is one of the most exciting young musicians in the early music world... Classic FM

Armand Djikoloum | Oboe

Born in France, Armand studied at Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon and with Philippe Tondre at the Hochschule für Musik Saar. In 2021 he was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions. Recent highlights include his debut at Wigmore Hall as a member of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective. This season he records with the Kaleidoscope CC, performs chamber music at the Lammermuir Festival and gives a recital at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. In 2018 Armand won 3rd Prize and the Audience Award at the International Oboe Competition in Japan performing the Strauss Concerto with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and giving recitals at Kioi Concert Hall. A year later he won two Special Prizes in the Muri Competition in Switzerland.

At the age of 22 Armand was appointed principal oboist at the Hannover Staatsoper. He regularly appears as guest principal with leading orchestras including the Staatskapelle Dresden, Stavanger Symphony, Frankfurt Opera and Oslo Opera Houses. In the UK he has worked with the Chineke! Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble.

There were delectable solos from...Armand Djikoloum The Times / Queen Elizabeth Hall, 2019

Irène Duval | Violin

Since graduating from the Conservatoire de Paris and Kronberg Academy Irène has emerged as a compelling and versatile performer.

Irène has given recitals at major venues and festivals across Europe, including the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Salle Gaveau, Dresdner Kulturpalast, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Festival de la Roque d’Antheron and Les Folles Journées.

Over the last year she has given recitals at Wigmore Hall with Steven Isserlis (live streamed and broadcast by Radio 3) and a Gala Concert at the Philharmonie de Paris with Khatia Buniatishvili.

Solo highlights include the Dresdner Philharmonie, Kremerata Baltica and Orchestre Colonne. In 2017 she released her first CD ‘Poèmes’ for Mirare/Harmonia Mundi.

Engagements during the 2021/22 season include her debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a solo recital at Wigmore Hall, and concerts in Lucerne with Steven Isserlis and Connie Shih. She returns to the Kryzowa Chamber Music Festival and Open Chamber Music at IMS Prussia Cove.

Irène plays a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin of 1850, a copy of the Sancy Stradivarius, which is on loan to her by a private sponsor.

In 2021 Irène was a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust International Auditions.

Ben Goldscheider | Horn

Nominated by the Barbican as an ECHO Rising Star, during the 2021/22 season Ben gives recitals at major concert halls including the Concertgebouw, Musikverein, Elbphilharmonie and Köln Philharmonie. He makes his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner at the Royal Festival Hall and with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo at the Barbican. In 2022 he returns to the Pierre Boulez Saal to give a solo recital and to Wigmore Hall with Mahan Esfahani, Nicholas Daniel and Adam Walker.

He returned to Wigmore Hall and made his debut at the Aldeburgh Festival. Ben is a member of the Pierre Boulez Ensemble and principal horn of the West-East Divan Orchestra. He was a prize-winner at the 2019 YCAT International Auditions and a BBC Young Musician Concerto Finalist in 2016.

...it’s Goldscheider’s horn, golden and glorious, that properly takes the crown. BBC Music Magazine

Highlights over the last year have included the release by Three Worlds Records of 'Legacy: A Tribute to Dennis Brain', and a solo concerto recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra to be released this autumn.

George Harliono | Piano

In 2019 George was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions at Wigmore Hall.

with the Musica Viva Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Rudin.

Born in London, he became the youngest student ever to take up a scholarship at the Royal College of Music in 2017.

As soloist George has appeared with the Marinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev, the Moscow State, Tatarstan National, Sochi Symphony, Tyumen Philharmonic, New Millenium Chicago, Jurmala Festival (Latvia) and Firebird (London) Orchestras.

Awards include top prizes at the Grand Piano Competition in Moscow (2016), the Gina Bachauer (Utah 2016), Aarhus (Denmark), Royal Over-Seas League and Dinu Lipatti (Bucharest) Competitions. This season George gives recitals at Wigmore Hall, the International Piano Series at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, St. David’s Hall Cardiff and Leeds Town Hall. He performs Liszt’s Concerto No.1 with the Frankfurter Opern-und Museumsorchester conducted by Sebastian Weigle and returns to Moscow to perform Beethoven’s 'Emperor' Concerto

Recital highlights include the Scherzo series in Madrid, Berlin Philharmonie, Royal Albert Hall, Konzerthaus Vienna, Duszniki Chopin Festival and the Russian Academy of Arts.

He conquered the hall with the first chord...

Sochi, 2019

Mayumi Kanagawa | Violin

In 2019 Mayumi won 4th Prize at the Tchaikovsky International Competition and was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions.

In Europe she makes her debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and gives recitals at Wigmore Hall and Berlin Konzerthaus.

Based in Berlin, of Japanese-American heritage, over the last year Mayumi has made her debut with the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra (at Suntory Hall), the Yomiuri Nippon, Nagoya Philharmonic and Sapporo Symphony Orchestras.

An avid chamber musician, Mayumi has taken part in the Trans-Siberian, Verbier Academy, Chanel Pygmalion, Aspen Music and Yellow Barn Festivals. She has undertaken TONALI tours across Germany, introducing children to music. Mayumi studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler with Kolja Blacher. Her awards include 2nd Prize at the 2018 Long-Thibaud Crespin Competition in Paris.

She returned as soloist with the Hiroshima Symphony, Kyoto Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic and Amadeus Orchestras collaborating with conductors including Kazuhiro Koizumi, James Feddeck and Sebastian Weigle. Engagements this season include performances with the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tadaaki Otaka and the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton.

....Form without formality, originality without mannerisms: stunning!

Berliner Zeitung

Maciej Kułakowski | Cello

In 2015 at the age of 19, Maciej won 1st Prize at the Lutosławski International Cello Competition. He was a Laureate in the Finals of the 2017 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and a prizewinner at the 2019 YCAT International Auditions at Wigmore Hall. Over the last year Maciej has appeared as soloist with the London Mozart Players, the Polish Baltic, Polish Chamber Orchestra Sopot, Opole Philharmonic and Koszalin Philharmonic Orchestras. He gave solo recitals at the Emanacje Music Festival in Lusławice, and was invited to record Penderecki’s complete solo cello music. Highlights this season include two solo recitals at Wigmore Hall.

He premieres a new work by Anna RoclawskaMusialczyk in Gdansk, takes part in the Kronberg Festival, returns as soloist with the Podlasie Philharmonic Orchestra in Białystok, and records a CD of French music with Delphian. Born in Gdansk, Maciej studied with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Kronberg Academy.

...cultured, uncomplicated and highly lyrical... showing a clear symbiotic relationship between soloist and orchestra. Bachtrack / London Mozart Players Schumann Concerto, 2020

Ariel Lanyi | Piano

In 2021 Ariel won 3rd Prize (The Roslyn Lyons Bronze Medal) at the Leeds International Piano Competition, performing Brahms Concerto No.2 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze in the Finals. In the same year Ariel was a prize-winner in the YCAT (London) and Concert Artists Guild (New York) International Auditions. Over the summer Ariel has made his debut at Wigmore Hall and participated in the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. His recording of music by Schubert for Linn Records was released, and he gave live concerts (for release online) for the Vancouver Recital Society in Canada and the Banco de la República in Colombia. As soloist he performed Brahms Concerto No.2 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Beethoven’s Concerto No.2 at the Royal Academy of Music.

This season Ariel returns to give performances in the Miami Piano Festival and at Wigmore Hall, as well as appearing as a soloist with orchestras in the US and in Israel. Ariel has performed widely in Europe - previous highlights including recitals at the deSingel Arts Centre in Antwerp (stepping in for Till Fellner) and Salle Cortot in Paris. Born in Jerusalem, in 2021 Ariel completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

This special talent is based on two qualities: innate intelligence and a sense of flawless rhythm. He has that specific combination of brain and heart. Rudy Tambuyser, Cultuurpakt

Geneva Lewis | Violin

Geneva was the inaugural prize winner of the joint YCAT and Concert Artists Guild (CAG) USA 2021 International Auditions. Born in New Zealand, Geneva’s recent accolades include the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant Award for a solo instrumentalist who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and excellence in music and 1st Prize at the 2019 New England Conservatory’s Concerto Competition. In 2018 she was named a Finalist at the Naumburg Competition and is currently an American Public Media "Performance Today Young Artist" in Residence. Solo highlights include appearances with the Pasadena Symphony, Symphony NH, Diablo Symphony Orchestra, Culver City Symphony, Sierra Summer Festival Orchestra, collaborating with conductors including Nic McGegan, Edwin Outwater and Michael Feinstein.

Passionate about collaboration, Geneva has taken part in the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Workshop, the International Holland Music Sessions, and the Heifetz International Music Institute; she regularly attends the Marlboro Music Festival, returning in 2021. Geneva has performed with artists such as Atar Arad, Kim Kashkashian, Mitsuko Uchida, and the Borromeo Quartet. As a member of the Callisto Trio, she is currently an Artist in Residence at the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles. The Trio was a recipient of the Bronze Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and has performed at the Philharmonic Bratislava and Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Geneva is currently in the Artist Diploma program as the recipient of the Charlotte F. Rabb Presidential Scholarship at the NEC studying with Miriam Fried. Geneva is an inaugural YCAT Concordia Artist.

Gabriel Martins | Cello

Cellist Gabriel Martins was an inaugural prize winner of the joint YCAT and Concert Artists Guild (CAG) USA 2021 International Auditions.

Upcoming debuts include the Arkansas and Memphis Symphony Orchestras, Merkin Hall in New York City, and Wigmore Hall in London.

A winner of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, he also won major prizes in the 2013 David Popper International Cello Competition, 2014 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, 2018 Orford Music Award, 2018 Prague Spring International Music Competition, and 2020 Schadt String Competition.

His performances have aired on National Public Radio's From the Top, New York's WQXR, and Chicago's WFMT.

Martins has appeared in concerto performances with the Fukuda Ensemble (São Paulo), Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and has given solo recitals on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and IU Summer Music series.

Born of American and Brazilian heritage, Martins grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. He began playing the cello when he was five, studying with Susan Moses at the Indiana University String Academy. He later served as a teaching assistant at the Academy's summer program. He has attended the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival and Aspen Music Festival and School. He went on to pursue his undergraduate studies as a Presidential Scholar at the USC Thornton School of Music (Class of 2019) with Ralph Kirshbaum.

Theo Plath | Bassoon

In 2019 Theo was appointed principal of Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, won 3rd Prize in the ARD Competition in Munich, and was a prizewinner at the YCAT International Auditions. Highlights over the last year include a recording of the Mozart Concerto with the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg and appearances as soloist with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2021 his CD of French music ‘Lost Times’ was released to critical acclaim. This season Theo makes his debut at Wigmore Hall, appears as soloist with the Staatskapelle Halle, the Bergische Symphoniker and Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz. He continues to give recitals across Germany with Aris Blettenberg and the prize-winning Monet Quintet, and appears as guest principal with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician Theo has taken part in the Schleswig-Holstein, Heidelberger-Frühling, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Davos, Molyvos and Heimbach Festivals, collaborating with Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff, Antje Weithaas, Vilde Frang, among many others. Born in Koblenz, in 2020 Theo completed his Masters at the Hochschule fur Musik Munchen.

... it is above all the lyrical qualities of his playing that fascinate....a musicality that goes far beyond what one usually associates with the bassoon. Pizzicato / 'Lost Times', 2021

Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux | Violin

In 2021 Charlotte was a prize-winner in the inaugural YCAT (London) and Concert Artists Guild (New York) 2021 International Auditions. Recent highlights include appearances at Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, and the Gstaadt Festival alongside Alina Ibragimova, Lawrence Power, Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou. Her debut album for Champs Hill records of music for solo violin is due for release later this year. An avid chamber musician, Charlotte has taken part in IMS Prussia Cove, the Santander Encuentro Festival, East Neuk Festival, the Musethica Festivals, and the Evian Festival. She leads the prize-winning Quatuor Confluence, currently in residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac, Paris.

Charlotte performs a diverse repertoire, including concertos by Panufnik, Vasks and Joachim, the latter of which she has performed with the Budapest Concerto Orchestra. In summer 2021 Charlotte completed her Master’s at the Royal College of Music with Alina Ibragimova. Previously she studied in Montpellier, and at the Yehudi Menuhin School. Charlotte is a Countess of Munster Recital Scheme Artist. Charlotte is currently playing on a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, kindly loaned to her by the Swiss foundation Boubo-Music. Charlotte is the annual Ann Driver Trust Artist.

Olivier Stankiewicz | Oboe

In 2015 Olivier was appointed principal oboe of the London Symphony Orchestra. Sought after as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher, Olivier has performed widely in Europe, Japan and the USA. Over the last year he has made his debut at the Phillips Collection, Washington D.C. in a special project exploring the creative dialogues between music and visual art including a new commission by Benjamin Attahir. He returned to Wigmore Hall in a solo recital with Alasdair Beatson and a chamber music programme with Stephen Hough broadcast by BBC Radio 3, and took part in the Crusell (Finland) and Delft (Netherlands) Chamber Music festivals. In 2021 Delphian released his recording of Mozart Violin Sonatas to critical acclaim.

Highlights this season include performances of concertos by Bach and Strauss with the Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra in Tokyo and his debut at the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall. Born in Nice, Olivier studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. In 2016 he was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions. He is a Professor at the Royal College of Music, London.

glistening performances... Adapting three of Mozart’s violin sonatas...Olivier Stankiewicz, makes each one utterly his own with characterful, fluid playing. Apple Music / 'Mozart Violin Sonatas', Delphian, 2021

Iyad Sughayer | Piano

Chosen as ‘One to Watch’ by International Piano Magazine, Iyad’s debut album - Khachaturian Piano Works for BIS Records was released in November 2019 to critical acclaim. The album was described by Gramophone as ‘exhilarating and delivered with perfect clarity’ and ‘an outstanding debut’ by BBC Music Magazine. In 2021 Iyad was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions. This season he records his second CD for BIS with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Andrew Litton including Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto and Masquerade. As soloist Iyad has appeared with leading orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, European Union Chamber Orchestra, the Cairo and Amman Symphony Orchestras.

He has given recitals at Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall & Stoller Hall in Manchester (broadcast by BBC Radio 3), the Laeiszhalle (Hamburg), Festival Musique D’Abord (France), Steinway Hall (New York) and Castleton Festival (Virginia), among many others. Born in Amman, the Jordanian-Palestinian pianist, Iyad completed his International Artist Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2019.

...his wonderfully confident pianism unfolds with a sense of ease.

Piano Journal / Khachaturian: Piano Works, BIS Records, 2019

Iyad Sughayer is an inaugural YCAT Concordia Artist.

Samuele Telari | Accordion

In 2019 Samuele was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions. During the 2021/22 season he makes his debut as soloist with the Haydn Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano in Italy and returns to Wigmore Hall. Over the last year Samuele has given recitals at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Verbier Festival, the Divertimento Ensemble Rondò series in Milan and Schlern Music Festival (North Italy). He recorded for BBC Radio 3 with mezzo Ema Nikolovska and collaborated with Tabea Debus (recorder), the Esmé and Simply Quartets. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations at The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh was released by Delphian Records in July 2021.

Other highlights included live concerts commissioned for release online by Deal Music & Arts Festival, London International Festival of Early Music and the Banquo de la Republica in Colombia. Born in Spoleto, Italy, Samuele is professor at the Conservatoires ‘Gesualdo da Venosa’ in Potenza and ‘Giuseppe Tartini’ in Trieste. Awards include 1st Prizes at the 2018 Arassate-Hiria (Spain) and 2013 Castelfidardo (Italy) Competitions.

...this album is beautifully recorded and performed Gramophone / 'Goldberg Variations', Delphian, 2021

Deshanel Go

Fang Zhang,

rdon, Piano 2020 Jazz Wi nner

Percussion 2020 Winner

YCAT offers expert career advice, diary management and guidance to the finalists of the BBC Young Musician Competition.

Ewan Millar,

Oboe 2020 Finalist

Annemarie Fed

erle, Horn 2020 Finalist