Jamal Aliyev

In 2017 Jamal Aliyev made his debut at the BBC Proms, won the Arts Club – Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award and was selected for representation by YCAT. His debut CD Russian Masters was released by Champs Hill records to critical acclaim.

Engagements this season include appearances as soloist at the Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra, at the Enescu Festival at the Atheneum broadcast live on Medici television and with the Symphony Orchestra Simón Bolívar of Venezuela.

Katya Apekisheva

Katya Apekisheva is one of Europe’s most renowned pianists, in demand internationally as both a soloist and as a chamber musician. Since becoming a prize-winner in the Leeds International and Scottish Piano Competitions and collating awards such as the London Philharmonic ‘Soloist of the Year’ and the Terence Judd Award she has been marked out as a pianist of exceptional gifts, performing with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, The Philharmonia, the Halle Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, working with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, David Shallon, Jan Latham-Koenig and Alexander Lazarev.

SongHa Choi

Born in Bielefeld, Germany, in 2000, South Korean violinist SongHa Choi was the Winner of the Senior Second prize and the Senior Audience prize in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in London in 2016. She has won a number of additional national and international competitions, including the 1st prizes at the 2015 Jeunesses Musicales International Violin competition, Hangukilbo competition, Eumyeon Music competition and Buam Music competition, and was a semi finalist at the 2018 Premio Paganini international Violin competition.

Jams Coleman

Born in Anglesey, North Wales, Jâms Coleman enjoys a rich and varied musical life as a chamber musician, song accompanist and soloist. 

Recent highlights include chamber music by Colin Matthews for the BBC Proms live on Radio 3, appearing on BBC2’s Proms Extra with cellist Jamal Aliyev and giving song recitals at Wigmore Hall and the Oxford Lieder Festival.

Finghin Collins

One of Ireland's most successful musicians, Dubliner Finghin Collins was born in 1977 and studied piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with John O'Conor and at the Geneva Conservatoire with Dominique Merlet. He achieved major international success by taking first prize at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland in 1999. Since then he has developed a flourishing international career that takes him all over Europe, the United States and the Far East. Most recently, he made his Australian début in July 2016.

Cédric Tiberghien

Hannah Dienes-Williams is 17 and a Music Scholar at Guildford High School. Her singing teacher is Gary Coward.

She joined Guildford Cathedral Choir at the age of nine and was its Head Chorister from 2017-18. Over her seven years as a member, she has featured as a soloist on two BBC radio broadcasts and a CD recording with the choir, as well as frequently performing solos in services and concerts, including the Pie Jesu from Duruflé’s Requiem with the Southern Pro Musica Orchestra, as well as works by Cecilia McDowell and James MacMillan.

Amber Emson started playing violin at the age of 5 as a pupil of Margaret Norris and later Natasha Boyarsky; in 2009 she joined RAM’s Junior Department. As a student at Chetham’s School of Music 2014-16, she won the school’s Concerto Competition resulting in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Chetham’s Sinfonia at Manchester Cathedral, and the Catherine Perkins Chamber Music Prize. Amber is currently a music scholar at Reeds School in Cobham; she studies violin under the tutelage of Maciej Rakowski and enhances her music education at RCM’s Junior Department.

Jamal Aliyev

Born in 2002 in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain, Gorka Plada Giron showed his interest in music at a very early age. He began teaching himself the piano from the age of five, before joining the local music school three years later where he received piano tuition from Maria Jesús Durán.

In 2016, Gorka joined the Yehudi Menuhin School where he now studies piano with Marcel Baudet and was awarded a scholarship by the UK’s Music and Dance Scheme.

Benjamin Grosvenor

British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is internationally recognized for his electrifying performances and insightful interpretations. His virtuosic command over the most strenuous technical complexities underpins the remarkable depth and understanding of his musicianship. Benjamin is renowned for his distinctive sound, described as ‘poetic and gently ironic, brilliant yet clear-minded, intelligent but not without humour, all translated through a beautifully clear and singing touch’ (The Independent), and making him one of the most sought-after young pianists in the world.

Alina Ibragimova

Performing music from baroque to new commissions on both modern and period instruments, Alina Ibragimova has established a reputation as one of the most accomplished and intriguing violinists of her generation. This was illustrated in her prominent presence at the 2015 BBC Proms, which included a symphonic concerto, a performance with a baroque ensemble and two late-night Royal Albert Hall recitals featuring the complete Bach partitas and sonatas, for which The Guardian commented “The immediacy and honesty of Ibragimova’s playing has the curious ability to collapse any sense of distance between performer and listener”.

Emma Johnson

Emma Johnson is one of the few clarinettists to have established a busy career as a solo performer which has taken her to major European, American and Asian venues as well as to Africa and Australasia.

She is one of the UK's biggest selling classical artists, having sold over half a million albums worldwide. Her recent recording of sonatas by Brahms and Mendelssohn with John Lenehan was described as “definitive . . . triumphant . . .a landmark disc" in The Observer and follows on from her classical chart-topping successes: Voyage and The Mozart Album on the Universal label. Her much admired recording of the Finzi Concerto was nominated for a Gramophone Award and Pastoral was chosen as CD of the Year by BBC Music Magazine.

Florian Mitrea

Described by Martha Argerich as ‘an outstanding young pianist’, Romanian/British pianist Florian Mitrea is the winner of the 2018 Royal Overseas League Piano Competition, and a double-laureate at the 2017 Scottish, 2017 Saint Priest, 2015 Hamamatsu and 2014 ARD Munich International Piano Competitions.

He was also a major prize-winner at the 2018 Harbin International Competition in China and the 2016 James Mottram International Competition in Manchester, and he was joint-winner of the 2016 Verona International Piano Competition.

Alison Rhind is recognised as one of the leading collaborative pianists specialising in the repertoire for piano and strings. Her ability to accompany was recognised and nurtured at an early age whilst still at Chetham’s School of Music and she became increasingly in demand throughout her time at Oxford University where she read Music at Wadham College. Chetham’s invited her back immediately she had finished her degree but she completed her studies with Edith Vogel at the Guildhall School of Music before returning there.

Richard Uttley

Sasha Scott is an Anglo-Caribbean violinist and composer from Wembley, London. She was a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music primary and junior department for four years and was a member of the National Children’s Orchestra GB for six years, winning a Leverhulme scholarship on two occasions.  

Callum Smart attracted wide public attention at the age of thirteen having won the strings category of the 2010 BBC Young Musicians Competition performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Vasily Petrenko. In the same year he went on to become the top European prize-winner at the Menuhin Competition and now enjoys critical acclaim for his lyrical and accomplished interpretations.

Llŷr Williams

Hollie Tibbotts is 16 years old and has been playing the flute for nearly 10 years. Since she was 13, she was taught by Steve Goodwin at Woking High School and became Principal Flute and Piccolo for the Windband.  She also won the Lorna Patterson Award for Special Achievement in Music, resulting in being invited by the Mayor of Woking to play ‘Sonatina’ by Burton at their Civic Reception.

Llŷr Williams

Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams is widely admired for his profound musical intelligence and the expressive and communicative nature of his interpretations. He has worked with orchestras including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Phiharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, I Pomeriggi Musicali, Meininger Hofkapelle, Berner Kammerorchester, and the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg.

Cédric Tiberghien

Cédric Tiberghien is a French pianist who has established a truly international career. He has been particularly applauded for his versatility, as demonstrated by his wide-ranging repertoire, interesting programming, an openness to explore innovative concert formats and his dynamic chamber music partnerships.

Performances this season include the London Symphony Orchestra with François-Xavier Roth (Debussy’s Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra) and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (Messiaen’s Turangalila).

Richard Uttley

Noted for the integrity and breadth of his musicianship as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist, Richard Uttley has been recognised for his ‘musical intelligence and pristine facility’ (International Record Review), ‘amazing decisiveness’, and tumultuous performance’ (Daily Telegraph). His playing is frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and has featured on BBC Two, BBC Four and Sky Arts. Richard won the British Contemporary Piano Competition in 2006 and was represented by Young Classical Artists Trust 2011-17.