JULIA FISCHER

One of the world’s leading violinists, Julia Fischer is a versatile musician also known for her extraordinary abilities as a concert pianist, a chamber musician and a violin teacher. Born in Munich to German-Slovakian parents, Julia received her first violin lessons at the age of 3 and her first piano lessons shortly after from her mother, Viera Fischer. At the age of 9 she started studying with the renowned violin professor Ana Chumachenco, later becoming her successor at the University of Munich. The first prize at the international Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 1995 was one of the milestones in her early career and she has since performed with top orchestras worldwide, frequently working with renowned conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Alan Gilbert, Jakub Hrůša, Vladimir Jurowski, Juanjo Mena, Riccardo Muti, Vasily Petrenko, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Thomas Søndergård, Yuri Temirkanov, Michael Tilson-Thomas, and Franz Welser-Möst.

During the 2022-23 season, Julia Fischer serves as Artist in Residence of the Staatskapelle Dresden, embarking on a tour under Christian Thielemann as well as performing a solo recital and chamber music with members of the orchestra. This season also sees her working twice with Riccardo Muti, firstly with the Orchestre National de France in October, then with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in February. She celebrates twenty years of collaborating with the cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, performing the Brahms Double Concerto with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Juanjo Mena, before returning to the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, also with Juanjo Mena, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana with Markus Poschner and the Warsaw Philharmonic led by Andrey Boreyko. Julia Fischer continues her collaboration with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and in the summer she returns to the Schubertiade to make chamber music and joins the EU Youth Orchestra and Antonio Pappano on a tour of Europe.

The 2021-22 season highlights included Julia Fischer as Artist in Residence with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, an extensive European tour with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields marking 20 years since their first tour together, and a recital tour of major European venues with pianist Yulianna Avdeeva as well as with the Julia Fischer Quartet.

Julia Fischer is an enthusiastic chamber musician. In 2010 she founded her own Quartet with Alexander Sitkovetsky, Nils Mönkemeyer and Benjamin Nyffenegger and continues to tour extensively in this formation. Her concert at the Alte Oper Frankfurt in 2010 marked her debut as a pianist: she performed the Grieg Piano Concerto in the second half of the concert, having played Saint-Saëns’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in the first half. The performance is available on a Decca-released DVD. Teaching is another integral part of her musical life as she continues to nurture and guide young talent including performances alongside her students. She regularly gives masterclasses at Musikferien at Lake Starnberg (Starnberger See). In 2019, Julia Fischer founded a children’s orchestra, the Kindersinfoniker, teaming up with Johannes X. Schachtner and pianist Henri Bonamy in her home town of Munich.

Julia Fischer holds numerous awards including the Federal Cross of Merit, Gramophone Award and the German Culture Prize. She plays a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1742) as well as an instrument made by Philipp Augustin (2018).

Visit juliafischer.com

KIRILL TROUSSOV

Supported and guided by Sir Yehudi Menuhin at a young age, Kirill Troussov is widely recognised as one of the leading violinists of his generation. He works with renowned orchestras and is a regular guest at prestigious festivals and in famous concert halls all over the world.

His celebrated performances have brought him among others to Tonhalle Zürich, Berliner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palais des Beaux Arts Brüssel, Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, De Doelen, NCPA in Beijing, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Auditorio Nacional de Musica in Madrid, Verbier Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival and Menuhin Festival Gstaad.

His passion for chamber music and friendship connect him to artists like Sol Gabetta, Yuja Wang, Julian Rachlin, Daniel Hope, Joshua Bell, Gautier und Renaud Capucon, Natalia Gutman, Christian Zacharias, Yuri Bashmet, Mischa Maisky and Julia Fischer.

Kirill Troussov regularly gives master classes at the Mozarteum Salzburg, European Music Intstitute Vienna, in Cremona, Milan, Madrid, Dublin, Berlin, Munich, Oslo, Budapest, USA and Hong Kong.

He is frequently invited as a jury member to international violin competitions, among them the “Schoenfeld International String Competition” and “Ysaÿe International Music Competition”.

Since 2021 Kirill Troussov has been Chairman and Artistic Director of the “Hong Kong International Young Musicians Competition”.

Kirill Troussov plays the Antonio Stradivari violin “Brodsky” of 1702, which was played by the violinist Adolph Brodsky to perform the world premiere of Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto on December 4th 1881.

For more info visit www.troussov.com