YCAT Artist File 2022/23

2022-23 ARTISTS

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. © Jason Joyce

Alison Balsom OBE, trumpet YCAT Artist 2001-04

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 © Robert Workman

ycat artists 2022-23

Adelphi Quartet

Maciej Kułakowski

Quatuor Agate

Magdalena Kuźma*+

Chromic Duo+ Jordan Bak+ Tabea Debus+

Prepared piano Viola Recorder

Cello

Ariel Lanyi+

Soprano Piano

Jonathan Leibovitz*+ Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux+

Clarinet Violin

Armand Djikoloum

Oboe

Balourdet String Quartet+

Irène Duval

Violin

Iyad Sughayer

Piano

Samuele Telari

Accordion

*Selected in 2022 + jointly supported with Concert Artists Guild (USA) Photography ©Kaupo Kikkas unless stated

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 USA) 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 Belcea Quartet Ben Goldscheider Doric Quartet Elizabeth Watts Ema Nikolovska Ian Bostridge CBE James Baillieu Joanna MacGregor CBE Li-Wei Qin Llŷr Williams Mark Simpson Sean Shibe Timothy Ridout

Adelphi Quartet

Adelphi Quartet

Maxime Michaluk, violin Esther Agusti, violin Marko Milenković, viola Nepomuk Braun, cello In 2022 the Adelphi Quartet won 2nd Prize and the Esterházy Foundation Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.

Previous awards include 1st Prize in the 2020 Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation Competition at the Heidelberger Frühling Festival, and 3rd Prize at the 2021 Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy.

Over the last year the Quartet has given debut recitals at Wigmore Hall, the Fundación Juan March in Madrid, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Aldeburgh Festival.

They were resident at the Heidelberger Frühling Quartet Festival and gave recitals for Frankfurt Hindemith-Tage

series and Festival de Quatuor ‘Voix intimes’ in Tournai (Belgium).

Highlights this season include concerts at the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Staatstheater Darmstadt and Flagey Brussels. They return to Wigmore Hall and record for SWR2.

Formed in 2017 the Quartet studied with Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.

The Adelphi Quartet were prize-winners at the YCAT International Auditions in 2021 and are the YCAT Hans Keller Artist.

The Adelphi Quartet is completely in its element here painting sonorous soulscapes with highly emotive energy. drehpunktkultur.at, Gottfried Franz Kasparek

Quatuor Agate

Quatuor Agate

Adrien Jurkovic, violin Thomas Descamps, violin Raphaël Pagnon, viola Simon Iachemet, cello Formed in 2016, the Paris-based Quatuor Agate studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin with Eberhard Feltz, in Paris under the guidance of Mathieu Herzog, and with the Quatuor Ebène at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich. In 2021, they were prize-winners at the YCAT International Auditions.

Highlights this season include debut recitals at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Alte Oper Frankfurt and the Lammermuir Festival in Scotland.

They return to Wigmore Hall and collaborate with the Modigliani Quartet at the TauberPhilharmonie and the Diotima Quartet at the Lange Nacht der Streichquartette in Munich. In 2023 they record the complete Brahms Quartets for the Naïve label.

Over the last year the Quatuor Agate has made their debut at Wigmore Hall and given recitals across Europe at the Konzerthaus Dortmund, Brucknerhaus Linz, TauberPhilharmonie Weikersheim, the Verbier, Salon-deProvence, Radio France and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festivals. They recorded with Frank Braley and Gabriel Le Magadure for the Naïve label due for release in 2023.

The Quartet is artist in residence at the Fondation Singer Polignac, resident at Pro-Quartet in Paris, and Associate Artist at the Festival la Brėche in Savoie. In 2016 they founded the CorsiClassic Festival. The Quatuor Agate is grateful for support from the Günther-Caspar Stiftung.

They tore through the drama of the First Quartet with thrilling precision, investing it with all the psychological intensity and driving power that it deserves...

Seen and Heard

Chromic Duo

© Adrianna Tan

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 a passion for connecting the dots between grief and joy, belonging and displacement, and creating community in boundary pushing performances and web based experiences.

Recent projects include Homecoming: love you all ways, commissioned by the Baryshnikov Arts Center which brings alive the sounds and stories of people and communities in New York City’s Chinatown, and an AR soundwalk commissioned by NYPhilharmonic VYC that guides you through a year of transformation and growth.

Jordan Bak | Viola

© Dario Acosta

Jordan Bak | Viola

Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak is building an exciting international career as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence and robust alto sound.

A top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Jordan is also a Grand Prize winner and Audience Prize recipient of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the 2019 John White Special Prize from the Tertis International Viola Competition. In addition, Jordan is a featured artist for WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab. Recent highlights include recital debuts at Wigmore Hall, Merkin Concert Hall & Baltimore’s Shriver Hall, chamber music tours with Musicians from Marlboro and CAG on Tour, and new music commissions from composers Tyson Davis, Shawn Okpebholo & James Ra. A proud new music advocate, Jordan gave the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög for viola and

mezzo-soprano and the viola premiere of Jessica Meyer’s Excessive Use of Force. He has been a presence at numerous chamber music festivals including the legendary Marlboro Music Festival; he has collaborated and performed with top-level ensembles including Verona Quartet and Merz Trio, and such artists as Jonathan Biss, Lara Downes, and Ani Kavafian.

During the 2022/23 season Jordan returns to Wigmore Hall and makes his debut at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Schleswig-Holstein Festival. He gives recitals across the UK, collaborates with the National Children’s Orchestra and Music Masters pupils inspiring the next generation.

Jordan is the YCAT Robey Artist in partnership with Music Masters.

In Jordan Bak they have given us a star in the making. He is a young artist to watch for...

Jon Sobel, Seattle Pii

Tabea Debus | Recorder

Tabea Debus | Recorder

Described by The Times as a ‘charismatic virtuoso’ Tabea is much sought after as soloist, collaborator, educator and teacher.

Over the last year she has given debut concerts across North America at Merkin Concert Hall (NY), the San Francisco, Napa Valley and Spoleto Festivals.

She returned to the Festspiele MecklenburgVorpommern where she won the prestigious soloists prize, and appeared as soloist with La Serenissima, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and The English Concert.

Tabea has performed widely internationally, highlights including Wigmore Hall, the Summerwinds Münsterland, Musica Antiqua Bolzano, Edinburgh International Festival and the Funkhaus Cologne.

Her collaborations include Elizabeth Kenny, the Castalian Quartet, Iestyn Davies and Rachel Podger, and premieres of new works by Gareth Moorcraft, Freya Waley-Cohen and Alex Nante.

Over the last two years she has recorded the critically acclaimed Ohrwurm for Delphian, Settecento with La Serenissama for Signum, and Sounds Familiar with GWK. Passionate about outreach work, Tabea has contributed to Saffron Hall education projects and given masterclasses at the Gstaad Baroque Academy, University of Music & Arts Vienna and the Royal College of Music. Born in Germany, Tabea studied at Frankfurt University and the Royal Academy of Music, London.

...the whole 70-minute CD goes by like an informal but fiery set at a jazz club...

Early Music America

Armand Djikoloum | Oboe

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.

Nominated as a 2022 Rising Star Artist by Classic FM, this season Armand returns to the Queen Elizabeth Hall and St Georges Bristol as soloist, performing the Vaughan Williams Oboe Concerto with Chineke.

Solo and chamber music highlights include recitals at Wigmore Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, the Lammermuir Festival and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Over the last year Armand has recorded with Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective for Chandos, and given concerts with them at Wigmore Hall and the Dublin International Festival, including performances of Britten’s Phantasy Oboe Quartet.

He joined the Chineke Chamber Ensemble at the Adelaide Festival in Australia, the Edinburgh International Festival, Cartier Foundation in Paris and Chipping Camden Festival.

In demand as guest principal with leading orchestras, this autumn Armand appears with the Dresden Staatskapelle.

He has given masterclasses at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Guildhall School of Music & Drama (London), and worked with students from the Benedetti Foundation.

…the hugely talented Armand Djikoloum…suave and technically superb.

Stratford Herald

Irène Duval | Violin

Irène Duval | Violin

Since graduating from the Conservatoire de Paris and Kronberg Academy, Irène has firmly established herself as a captivating and passionate performer.

She returned to Wigmore Hall for a recital and chamber music (with Steven Isserlis, live streamed) and performed in a Gala Concert at the Philharmonie de Paris.

This season Irène makes her debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Sir András Schiff in the opening concert of the Kronberg Festival in the new Casals Forum Concert Hall.

Previous highlights include recitals at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Salle Gaveau, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Festival de la Roque d’Anthéron, Les Folles Journées; and solo appearances with the Kremerata Baltica, l’Orchestre d’Auvergne, l'Orchestre Colonne and the Dresdner Philharmonie at the Dresdner Kulturpalast.

She performs in the IMS Prussia Cove 50th Anniversary concerts at Wigmore Hall, and with Khatia Buniatishvili at the Klavier Ruhr and Rheingau Festivals.

A prize-winner at the 2021 YCAT International Auditions, over the last year Irène has made her debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jamie Phillips and the Royal Northern Sinfonia conducted by Janusz Piotrowicz.

With her subtle vibrant and noble sound, her audacious and vivacious way of making music, and her brilliant technique...this was indeed an experience for everyone.

Freie Presse

Maciej Kułakowski | Cello

Maciej Kułakowski | Cello

Maciej won 1st Prize at the Lutosławski Competition, was a Laureate in the Finals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and a prize-winner at the 2019 YCAT International Auditions in London.

Earlier this year Maciej performed solo Bach and took part in improvisations at the Bilbao Wellbeing Seminar for social change. He recorded Penderecki’s complete solo cello music, due for release on the DUX label in 2023.

He completed his studies at Kronberg Academy with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt in 2022.

Recent solo appearances include the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn at the Laieszhalle Hamburg, the London Mozart Players, and the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra in Wroclaw. An avid chamber musician he collaborated with Stephen Waarts, Mischa, Sascha & Lily Maisky.

Highlights this season include concerts at Wigmore Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus and the Kronberg Festival. He takes part in the Cello Biennale in Amsterdam and makes his debut with the Orchestra of Opera North performing the Dvořák Concerto.

Further afield Maciej joins Chamber Music at the World's Edge (AWE) in New Zealand and returns as a Faculty Guest to Morningside Music Bridge in Boston, USA. In October Delphian Records release his album of French music ‘Beau soir’.

Maciej plays a Giovanni Baptista Ruggeri Cello made in Cremona, 1700 on loan from a Charitable Trust.

...cultured, uncomplicated and highly lyrical... showing a clear symbiotic relationship between soloist and orchestra...

Bachtrack

Magdalena Kuźma | Soprano

© Yevhven Gulenjo

Magdalena Kuźma | Soprano

Polish-American soprano Magdalena Kuźma was a Prize Winner in the Concert Artists Guild (New York) and Young Classical Artists Trust International Auditions in 2022.

An alumna of Renee Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall and passionate about song, future engagements include her debut at Merkin Concert Hall (New York) and Wigmore Hall (London).

This season she joins the Metropolitan Opera in New York as a Lindemann Young Artist where her roles initially include Giannetta in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore.

On the concert platform highlights have included Mahler’s Symphony No.4 with Richmond Symphony Orchestra and recitals at the Arts Club of Washington D.C., New York City’s Saint John’s in the Village, and Paris’s Galerie dorée de la Banque de France. She has worked with and performed music by composers Nico Muhly, André Previn, John Musto, and Tom Cipullo.

Over the last year Magdalena has made her debut at Santa Fe Opera performing the role of Frasquita (Carmen). She returned to San Francisco Opera's Merola Program and was a fellow at Ravinia's Steans Music Institute.

Recent awards include 1st Prize at the 2021 ACPC Marcella Sembrich Vocal Competition, the 2021 Opera Mississippi John Alexander Vocal Competition, and the CT District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. In 2021 she was honored as valedictorian at Yale University.

Polish-American soprano Magdalena Kuźma…has a voice that instantly engages the listener: shining, free and lustrous.

Seen and Heard International

Ariel Lanyi | Piano

© Fika Magarik

Ariel Lanyi | Piano

In 2021 Ariel won 3rd Prize (The Roslyn Lyons Bronze Medal) at the Leeds International Piano Competition.

In the same year he was a prize winner in the YCAT (London) and Concert Artists Guild (New York) International Auditions.

This season Ariel records Mozart with the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, gives recitals at the Kissinger Festsommer, Fundaçion Juan March in Madrid, Wigmore Hall and Festspiele MecklenburgVorpommern. Further afield he takes part in the Bendigo Chamber Music Festival in Australia and gives concerts in the USA. Over the last year Ariel has returned to Wigmore Hall as soloist and chamber musician, the Miami International Piano Festival and Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.

He gave debut recitals in the Homburger Meisterkonzerte series, Perth Concert Hall (broadcast by BBC Radio 3), the Menton Festival and Oxford International Piano series, and appeared as soloist with orchestras in the UK, Israel and the USA. In 2022 he undertook a solo tour of Argentina and in 2021 Linn Records released his recording of music by Schubert to critical acclaim.

Ariel was born in Jerusalem, where he studied with Lea Agmon and Yuval Cohen. Now based in London, Ariel recently completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Hamish Milne and Ian Fountain.

Ariel Lanyi put on a brilliant performance at the master concert in Homburg... The young star's virtuosity and sheer orchestral sonority is unbelievable.

Saarlander Zeitung

Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux | Violin

Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux | Violin

In 2021 Charlotte was a prize-winner in the YCAT (London) and Concert Artists Guild (New York) International Auditions.

the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ryedale, Lake District Summer Music, Brighton and King’s Lynn Festivals.

Nominated as a 2022 Rising Star Artist by Classic FM, this season Charlotte makes her debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and CBSO Youth Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, highlights include appearances at the BBC Proms, and the Gstaadt Festival alongside Alina Ibragimova, Lawrence Power, Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou. She has taken part in IMS Prussia Cove, the East Neuk and Evian Festivals.

She returns to Wigmore Hall as soloist, and to the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival where, as leader of the Quatuor Confluence, the Quartet won 1st Prize in the Competition in 2021.

In 2022 Champs Hill Records released her debut solo album Ostinata to critical acclaim, the Gramophone describing her as ‘an artist with something of her own to say’.

Over the last year Charlotte has given recitals and performed concertos across the UK including

Charlotte completed her Master’s at the Royal College of Music with Alina Ibragimova, having previously studied in Montpellier, and at the Yehudi Menuhin School.

Charlotte is the current YCAT Ann Driver Trust Artist.

This sensitively recorded debut presents an artist with something of her own to say, and something worth hearing …

Gramophone

Jonathan Leibovitz | Clarinet

Jonathan Leibovitz | Clarinet

In 2022 Jonathan was a prize-winner at the YCAT (London) and CAG (New York) International Auditions.

He went on to receive the prestigious Arthur Waser Foundation and Lucerne Symphony Orchestra Award.

The prize is endowed with 25,000 Swiss francs and includes debut appearances with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra this autumn.

Nominated as a 2022 Rising Star Artist by Classic FM, highlights this season include appearances as soloist with the London Mozart Players, Slovak State Philharmonic Košice, Jyväskylä Sinfonia and Israel Sinfonietta.

An avid chamber musician, he records and performs with Südwestrundfunk in Bruchsaal and takes part in the Hauho Festival in Finland and Bendigo Chamber Music Festival in Australia.

Previous solo appearances include the Israel Philharmonic, Israel Chamber, Haifa Symphonic, Ostrobothnian Chamber, Lapland Chamber and Kuopio Symphony Orchestras. He has given recitals across Israel, in Germany, Switzerland and Finland.

A top prize winner at major competitions in Israel and Europe, including 1st Prize at the Crusell Competition in Finland, in 2022 Jonathan completed his Masters at the Music Academy in Basel with François Benda.

Born in Tel-Aviv, his musical education began with Eva Wasserman, and with Yevgeny Yehudin at the Buchmann Mehta School of Music.

Iyad Sughayer | Piano

© James Cardell-Oliver

Iyad Sughayer | Piano

Chosen as ‘One to Watch’ by International Piano Magazine, Iyad’s debut album - Khachaturian Piano Works for BIS Records was described by BBC Music Magazine as ‘An outstanding debut’.

In 2022 Iyad co-founded and launched a new specialist music school in Amman - the Mashrek Academy of Music, with a mission to discover and nurture a new generation of creators and musicians.

This autumn BIS release his second album recorded with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted

by Andrew Litton.

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.

Nominated as a 2022 Rising Star Artist by Classic FM, Iyad was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions in 2021.

During the 2022/23 season he returns to Wigmore Hall, as soloist and chamber musician, and gives recitals in the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham International Piano series, Leicester international Music Festival and Perth Concert Hall.

He collaborates with Nicholas Daniel, Jordan Bak and Armand Djikoloum in concerts across the UK.

Born in Amman, of Jordanian-Palestinian heritage, Iyad was made an Associate of the RNCM in 2021.

Iyad Sughayer is an inaugural YCAT Concordia Artist.

...exhilarating and delivered with perfect clarity ... It’s a release that leaves one eager to hear Sughayer in other repertory...

Gramophone

Balourdet String Quartet

© Stephen Barton

Balourdet String Quartet

Angela Bae, violin Justin DeFilippis, violin Benjamin Zannoni, viola Russell Houston, cello The Balourdet Quartet, based in Boston, is currently in residence at the New England Conservatory’s Professional String Quartet Program.

The Quartet received the Grand Prize at the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, as well as prizes in international competitions including the Banff, Paolo Borciani, and Carl Nielsen competitions.

They were awarded the Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music and the 2021 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competitions.

Highlights of the 2022-23 season include appearances at Chamber Music Detroit, the Grand Piano Series in Naples, FL, NEC’s Jordan Hall, Merkin Hall and Wigmore Hall.

Summer 2022 saw the Balourdet performing at festivals including at Bravo! Vail, Music Mountain, and Strings Music Festival. This season the Quartet premiere a new work by composer Karim Karim Al-Zand, made possible through Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning Grant.

The Balourdet has performed at festivals and series including Amelia Island Chamber Music, the Aspen, La Jolla Summerfest, the Montgomery Chamber Music, Santa Fe ProMusica and the Schneider Concert Series.

The Balourdet Quartet was formed in 2018 at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

...Balourdet Quartet poured forth superb sounds with exhilarating hints of Romantic style and passion...

Seen and Heard International

Samuele Telari | Accordion

Samuele Telari | Accordion

A prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions in 2019, over the last year Samuele has made his debut as soloist with the Haydn Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano.

He gives recitals at the Konzerthaus Berlin and Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and with Tabea Debus, develops a new project with choreographer and dancer for Music in the Round in Sheffield.

He gave recitals at Wigmore Hall, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Verbier, Cheltenham, Deal and Schlern Music Festivals, collaborating with Ema Nikolovska, Pablo Barragán, the Leonkoro, Esmé and Simply Quartets. Further afield he undertook a solo tour of Colombia.

Passionate about contemporary repertoire he continues to collaborate with Opificio Sonoro working with composers Sciarrino and Bedrossian, among many others.

Born in Spoleto, Italy, Samuele is professor at the Conservatoire ‘N.Sala’ in Benevento.

In 2021 Delphian records released his recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations to critical acclaim.

During the 2022/23 season Samuele performs the Goldberg Variations at the MITO September Festival in Milan and Torino and makes his debut with London Mozart Players.

the musicianship is so big, so irrepressible that he transcends the instrument he is playing BBC Radio 3 Record Review

Jordan Ashma

n, percussion 2022 Winner

YCAT provides aftercare for all competition finalists - offering vital advice, guidance and career support.

Sasha Canter,

trumpet 2022 Finalist

Ethan Loch,

piano 2022 Finalist

Sofía Patters

on-Gutiérrez,

flute 2022 Finalist

Jaren Ziegler,

viola 2022 Finalist © Dan Prince

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