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Hyazintha Andrej received her first cello lessons from Martina Trunk in 2000. From 2007 to 2014 she studied in Graz, at the Vienna University for Music and Performing Arts, with Andrea Molnár, Kerstin Feltz and Rudolf Leopold, and from 2014 to 2019 she continued her studies with Thomas Grossenbacher at the Zhdk in Zurich, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts with distinction. It was also at ZHdk that Hyazintha expanded her repertoire of contemporary music in the improvisation class of Lucas Niggli. Since 2019 she has studied with Clemens Hagen at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Hyazinta has a trio for improvised music and a quartet called ‘Menschenstoff’ where she blurs the boundaries of vast music styles and expands musical expectations.
Otoha Tabata began her studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Boris Kucharsky before going to the Royal College of Music in London, where she was a student of Andriy Viytovych. She continues her studies now at the RCM with Nathan Braude. Otoha performs internationally and across Europe, having appeared as soloist at the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, and Queen Elizabeth Hall. She was awarded Third Prize at the Windsor Festival International String Competition (2021), the Promotion Prize at the Anton Rubinstein Viola Competition (2018), and an Honorary Mention at the Oskar Nedbal Viola Competition (2010). She regularly performs in festivals such as IMS Open Chamber Music, is a regular participant at the Seiji Ozawa International Academy, and took part in the Verbier Festival Academy in 2021, where she received a Special Prize of Merit. Otoha is a member of the renowned LGT Young Soloists, performing in numerous concert tours around the world and making several recordings. Most recently she recorded Paganini La Campanella with the ensemble in Abbey Road Studios, and recorded a new disc in Teldex Studios to be released in 2023. Otoha performs on a Charles Boullangier viola, kindly loaned by the Royal College of Music.
Born into a family of musicians, Anna Sypniewski began viola at the Conservatoire de Toulouse with Valérie Apparailly and entered Conservatoire national Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in Jean Sulem’s class in 2016. At 15, she won First Prize at the Concours National des Jeunes Altistes and received the Prix de la ville de Ciboure at the Académie Ravel. She performs regulary with her sisters in the Trio Sypniewski and has collaborated with musicians including Adam Laloum, Théo Fouchenneret and Alexandre Kantorow at numerous festivals. Anna is a member of the Centre de Musique de Chambre de Paris and has performed in the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Evian Chamber Orchestra.
Sarah Strohm began viola at age 7 at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève with Noémie Bialobroda. She quickly joined the intensive programme of the conservatory, which introduced her to chamber music projects under the direction of prominent artists like Leonardo Garcia Alarcón. She perfected her skills by taking part in masterclasses led by Frédéric Kirch and Garth Knox, as well as with Jean Sulem at the Cervo Summer Academy. Sarah was the winner of the Concours suisse de musique pour la jeunesse in 2018 and gained international attention by winning the Aims Foundation Competition to perform as a soloist with orchestra in Solsona in 2019.
After undergraduate studies at the Colburn School with Paul Coletti, violist Chris Rogers-Beadle has been pursuing his Master’s degree at The Yale School of Music in the class of Ettore Causa. Chris has performed as a soloist with several orchestras in the United States, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as in Europe with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic. An experienced chamber musician, he has collaborated in concert with artists such as Augustin Hadelich, Joseph Silverstein, Ivan Monighetti and Anthony Marwood.
A former student of Roland and Almita Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, Tabitha Rhee now studies at the Juilliard School with Misha Amory and Heidi Castleman, where she is a recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. She won the 2019 Juilliard Concerto Competition as soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra and conductor Peter Oundjian, and is a recipient of the Jerome and Elaine Nerenberg Foundation Scholarship from the Musicians Club of Women. Tabitha has attended the Music@Menlo International Program and Finckel-Wu Han Chamber Music Program at the Aspen Music Festival and is a founding member of the Wisconsin Intergenerational Orchestra, where she serves as an artistic mentor.
Haeji Kim switched from violin to viola at age 16, falling in love with its mellow tones and unique voice. She enjoys playing in an orchestral setting, having participated in the New York String Orchestra Seminar in 2012 as a violinist and in 2014 as principal violist, and as soloist, having played with orchestras throughout her state of Michigan. Her passion for chamber music was fuelled by summers in residence at the Caramoor and Ravinia Festivals. Haeji studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with Roberto Díaz, Hsin-Yun Huang and Edward Gazouleas, and plays on a viola by Joseph Grubaugh and Sigrun Seifert on generous loan from the Virtu Foundation.
Korean-born violist Soyoung Cho began violin at age five and viola at eight. She is a prizewinner at the Johansen International and the Osaka International Music Competitions, was recently a semifinalist in the Young Concert Artists auditions in New York (2022), and appeared at the Primrose International Viola Competition (2021). Soyoung has taken part in programmes of Morningside Music Bridge, Heifetz Institute, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and, in 2021, the Verbier Festival Academy. She regularly plays in chamber ensembles and currently serves as principal viola of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Soyoung graduated from Curtis Institute of Music with a bachelor’s degree in 2022 studying with Roberto Diaz, Hsin-Yun Huang and Ed Gazouleas. She is continuing her master’s studies at Curtis as the Reaumur and Mary Corrin Winston Fellow, studying with Misha Amory and Ed Gazouleas.
Dutch violinist Pieter van Loenen, who now studies with Pavel Vernikov, graduated summa cum laude from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague in 2016 and was awarded the prize for the best exam of the year. He won Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Dutch Oskar Back National Violin Competition (2016) and the Dutch Classical Talent Audience Award (2019), giving him an opportunity to perform throughout his home country. In addition to being active as both a soloist and chamber musician, Pieter was Artist in Residence of the Dutch National Youth Orchestra in 2019. He plays a Marc de Sterke violin with a Sartory bow on generous loan from the Dutch Music Instrument Foundation.
Anna Savkina studied at the Gnessin Special Music School in Moscow with Alexander Vinnitsky and went on to earn her Bachelor of Music Degree at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she is now pursuing her Graduate Diploma as a student of Vladimir Ivanov. She is also studying for her Konzertexamen Degree of the Folkwang University of the Arts in Germany with Boris Garlitsky. She has been awarded top prizes in many prestigious violin competitions, including the Sendai Competition in Japan, the Louis Spohr in Germany, David Oistrakh in Russia, Heino Eller in Estonia, Buchenau Spring in Germany, Andrea Postacchini in Italy and the Astana Competition in Kazakhstan. Anna graduated from Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with the rank ‘Best Graduate 2018’.