Memorable melodies and a descriptive sense of place mark out Alexey Shor’s two concertos. The Cello Concerto juxtaposes styles across the epochs in pursuit of a unique ‘musical pilgrimage’, while in the Violin Concerto no.3 his focus is on ‘seasonal’ Manhattan, as he adds a contemporary vision to the historical precedents set by Vivaldi and Piazzolla. Phoenix is a rhapsodic fantasy, lyrical and full of variation, which evokes a sense of renewal and transformation, while Schubertango offers a celebration of playful contrasts.

Internationally admired Armenian cellist Alexander Chaushian’s recent concerto appearances include concerts with Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He is ‘a force to be reckoned with’ (The Guardian), while The New York Times singled out ‘[the nobility] of Mr. Chaushian’s firmly sustained phrasing’.

South Korean violinist Zia Hyunsu Shin won top prizes in all the major international competitions, including the Long–Thibaud International Competition, the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition, the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, and many others.

Dumitru Pocitari has been concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019. In 2022 he won the ‘Classic Strings’ International Competition and received two special prizes, and in 2023 he was appointed a concertmaster of the Wiener Symphoniker. Kristóf Baráti was a prize-winner of the Long–Thibaud and Queen Elisabeth competitions, and he won the Paganini Competition in Moscow in 2010.