Born in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Anastasia Kobekina is known for her breathtaking musicality and technique, her extraordinary versatility and infectious personality. After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory, she studied at Kronberg Academy in Germany, at Berlin College of the Arts and at the Paris Conservatory with Jerome Pernoo. She is currently completing postgraduate studies at Frankfurt College of Music and Performing Arts. With a broad repertoire, Anastasia Kobekina has established herself as one of the most exciting cellists of the younger generation.

She has already performed as soloist with world-renowned orchestras. Highlights of the 2023/24 season included concerts with the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich conducted by Paavo Järvi, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jakub Hrusa, the Orchester National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, the Orchester National de Belgique and appearances at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and Rheingau Music Festival. As a chamber musician, she regularly performs with renowned artists such as Lars Vogt, Isabelle Faust, Fazıl Say, Gidon Kremer and András Schiff. This musician has also received numerous awards, most recently the Leonard Bernstein Award from the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival 2024. Her instrument, a 1698 Stradivarius cello is on generous loan from the Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger.

Described by the Tagesspiegel newspaper as a »once-in-a-century talent«, Tarmo Peltokoski was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen in January 2022, thereby becoming the first conductor in the orchestra’s history to hold this position. In May 2022, he was appointed Music and Artistic Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and was later appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Since the 2025/26 season, this Finnish conductor has been Music Director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. From the 2026/27 season, Peltokoski will become Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, having served as Designated Music Director in 2025/26. In addition, Peltokoski will begin his three-year residency as ›Exclusive Artist‹ at the Konzerthaus Dortmund in the 2025/26 season.

Peltokoski has already conducted numerous orchestras of note worldwide, including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and The Los Angeles Philharmonic. He conducted his first complete ›Ring Cycle‹ at the age of 22 at the Eurajoki Bel Canto Festival. His upcoming Wagner opera productions include ›Tristan und Isolde‹ (Dutch National Opera), his debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin with ›Parsifal‹,  and ›Lohengrin‹ with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.

In 2023, he received the OPUS Klassik award for his recording with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen. In October of the same year, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon; his debut album was released in May 2024.