Zuzana Schmitz-Kulanova was born in Slovakia and began taking violin lessons at the age of six. Her move to Igor Karsko at Lucerne Music College – where she obtained her diploma in concert and solo performance with honours – was followed by continued studies with Vesselin Paraschkevov at the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen.

Between 2007 and 2017, she was concertmaster of the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra in Essen and has held the same post with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra since 2016. The violinist is a very welcome guest performer with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne and the Aachen Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, Zuzana Schmitz-Kulanova has frequently performed with the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra as well as with the Kosice State Philharmonic and the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra.

Her particular passion is for chamber music. She is a founder member of Ensemble Ruhr, with whom she performs regularly in a variety of chamber music formations. She has been a member of The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen since 2017.

Born in Osaka, Japan, Tomohiro Arita began playing the violin from an early age and first came into contact with the viola at the age of 15. He graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, one of Japan’s most prestigious universities. He was a finalist of the ›Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition 2014‹ in Birmingham, and was awarded 2nd prize in the ›Salzburg Mozart International Chamber Music Competition‹ in Tokyo. Tomohiro Arita has played with the Geidai Philharmonia, the Birmingham Conservatoire String Orchestra and has performed at various music festivals, including the famous Swiss Verbier Festival in Lucerne or the Le pont Music Festival in Japan.

Originally from New Zealand, Emma Yoon began her studies with Stephen Larsen at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. She then completed her master’s degree and concert exam with Elisabeth Kufferath at the Hanover College of Music, Drama and Media. She also studied chamber music with Oliver Wille in Hanover. Among other prizes, this violinist has won the New Zealand National Concerto Competition. In 2010 she made her solo debut with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra performing Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. Emma Yoon is also an avid chamber musician, collaborating with outstanding artists such as Sarah Christian, Florian Donderer and Tanja Tetzlaff. Her most recent recording, the chamber music album ›Jonny‹, was nominated for an Opus Klassik in 2020.

Both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, Emma Yoon has performed concerts throughout Europe, the UK, the USA and New Zealand, and has appeared at international festivals such as the Edinburgh International Arts Festival, the Rottweil Musikfestival Sommersprossen and the Heidelberger Frühling. She was an academist with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen from 2017 to 2019 before becoming a permanent member of the orchestra, and has played as concertmaster in ensembles such as the Kammer­philharmonie Landshut, Musica Assoluta and Camerata Hamburg.

She has also completed an internship with the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover and has played as a section leader in ensembles such as the Kammer­philharmonie Landshut and the Camerata Hamburg. Since 2018, Emma Yoon has also been a member of the Estonian Festival Orchestra, working with Paavo Järvi at the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia.

Born in Paris, Tristan Cornut has won prizes at many international competitions, including the ARD Music Competition, the Domnick Competition and the Gaspar Cassado Competition. He studied with Roland Pidoux at the Paris Conservatoire and at Stuttgart College of Music as well as with Jean-Guihen Queyras at Freiburg College of Music.

He has performed as soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphonie Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk, the Stuttgart Kammer Orchester, the Münchner Kammer Orchester, the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra and Ensemble Resonanz, among others. Since 2012, he has been principal cellist of the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen.

A passionate chamber musician, he has performed alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Antonio Meneses, Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Giuranna, Miguel da Silva and Daniel Hope as well as being prize-winner at the Melbourne, Trondheim and Joseph Haydn (Vienna) chamber music competitions.

Tristan Cornut has been Professor of Violoncello at the Stuttgart University of Music since 2017. He currently plays a 2005 Urs Mächler cello.