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 and raised in the Australian state of Queensland, Glenn Christensen is now a sought after soloist, chamber musician and guest soloist, both at home and abroad. Since 2020 he has been deputy concert master and leader of the 2nd violins with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen, before which he was a full-time member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Between 2012 and 2014, he was first violin with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.  In the 2023 season, this violinist will make guest appearances as leader of the 2nd violins with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and as deputy concert master of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

In addition, Glenn Christensen has also appeared many times as soloist with the Deutschen Kammer­philharmonie Bremen, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. His performances have been broadcast live on ABC Classic FM. In addition, this musician has received a number of accolades including the Conservatorium Medal, the Music Medal and the University medal – and is also the first to receive all three awards. He has won the Kendall National Violin Competition and, as a member of the Lyrebird Trio, he also won the audience prize and the Piano Trio prize at the Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition.  In 2018, Glenn Christensen founded a successful annual music festival in his hometown – the Mackay Chamber Music Festival.

Maria del Mar Mendivil was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina. After studying in Buenos Aires at the ›Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón‹, she participated in the Orchestra Academy of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, where she met Ingrid Zur and decided to continue her studies in Germany. Supported by the Germany Scholarship and the Mozarteum Argentino Foundation, Maria del Mar was able to begin her undergraduate studies at the Frankfurt College of Music and Performing Arts in 2016, where she is currently completing her master’s degree.
This viola player was able to acquire further inspiration through participation in masterclasses with Garth Knox, Lars Anders Tomter, Eberhard Feltz, Heime Müller and Gerald Fauth.

Her musical life has been particularly shaped by close contact with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen and the Frankfurt Opern- und Museumsorchester, where she was able to accumulate valuable experience and impetus.

She has had further musically formative experiences with the Malbec Piano Quartet. With this ensemble she studied chamber music in Frankfurt with Angelika Merkle. Furthermore, she and the quartet have won prizes at chamber music competitions, recorded a CD and played numerous concerts both at home and abroad.

When she is not working as a freelance viola player in Germany, Maria del Mar likes to spend time in her hometown, enjoying contact with family, friends and the sea, sometimes on a surfboard.

Raphael Zinner received his first cello lessons at the local music school aged four, and in the following years at Weimar’s specialist music school  ›Schloss Belvedere‹.  Since 2018, this cellist has been studying with Troels Svane at Lübeck College of Music. Participation in masterclasses by Peter Bruns, David Geringas, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Gustav Rivinius have also provided him with vital musical input. As the first ever three-time winner of ›Jugend musiziert‹, Raphael has also won numerous other prizes at international competitions such as the Heran Competition in the Czech Republic, the Liezen International Competition for Cello in Austria and the David Popper Cello Competition in Hungary. During the 2019/20 season, Raphael held an academy position with the Lübeck Philharmonic.

In addition to his solo playing, he is a passionate chamber musician. He has performed with his piano trio in the Berlin Philharmonie as well as in Boston and Washington. Together with his string quartet, he has performed at the Brahms Festival in Lübeck and at the Atlantic Festival. As prizewinner of the 27th Competition of the German Musical Instrument Fund, he plays a Genoa 1871 Niccolò Bianchi cello.

Sarah Christian’s wish is to convey the honest emotion and energy of classical music to her listeners. In her artistic life, she enjoys combining all influences, not having to compromise anything in her many roles as soloist, chamber musician, the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen’s concert master or as Artistic Director of a chamber music series in her home town of Augsburg. Here she makes the highest demands on herself. Her focus, when studying scores, is always on the music itself, which she approaches with the greatest respect. Her most important teacher is Antje Weithaas, with whom she studied at the Hanns Eisler Music College in Berlin and whose assistant she later became. As professor, Sarah Christian supervises her own class at the Stuttgart College of Music and Performing Arts.

One of her greatest competition success is the ARD Music Competition 2017, at which she won 2nd Prize (no 1st prize was awarded). She also won the audience prize and the Munich Chamber Orchestra’s special prize. Sarah Christian has performed in many European countries, as well as in China, Japan, South America and The United States. As soloist, she has played with orchestras such as the Camerata Salzburg, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia. She gave her debut at Carnegie Hall with the Bavarian State Orchestra in March 2018. Her Debut CD (GENUIN, 2017), featuring Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 80 and Schubert’s C Major Fantasy has been greatly praised by the press »Sarah Christian’s solo debut is simply fantastic! This violinist has proven to be an extremely sensitive interpreter and she is technically quite simply unimpeachable.« (klassik.com).

During his studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Jeffrey Armstrong was awarded numerous prizes, most notably the Principal’s Prize for outstanding contribution to the life of the conservatoire. He is currently enrolled in the solo class of Elisabeth Kufferath at the Hanover College of Music, Media and the Arts. In addition, Jeffrey has worked with and received memorable masterclasses from musicians such as Leonidas Kavakos, Lawrence Power, Antje Weithaas, and Eberhard Feltz among others

As a soloist, this young violinist has already performed many concerts including with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra, and the Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa. He recently won first prize in the UNISA National Music Competition, leading to a performance and recording with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Jeffrey regularly appears as a guest at the Wye Valley Music Festival in England. This violinist is also involved in other projects including the Cape Chamber Music Collective, which he jointly founded in South Africa, as well as the musical education project ›Arco Project‹ for disadvantaged children in Soweto, Johannesburg.

Chris Rogers-Beadle began studying violin at the age of 5 before switching to viola at the age of 16. He went on to get his Bachelor’s degree at the Colburn School in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Paul Coletti and would later graduate from Yale University with a master’s degree having studied with Ettore Causa.

Chris has participated in many masterclasses and festivals in the US and Europe and has been a prizewinner in national competitions in the US.

Chris has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras including the Philharmonic Baden-Baden and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Also a seasoned chamber musician, Chris has performed in concert with artists such as Anthony Marwood, Ivan Monighetti, and Augustin Hadelich.

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.