Eddie Pogossian, cello

Edvard Pogossian, widely known as Eddie Pogossian, is a highly accomplished cellist whose exceptional talent and dedication to music have garnered him international acclaim. Born into a family with a rich musical heritage, Pogossian began his cello studies at a young age and quickly demonstrated remarkable skill and musicality.

In 2022, Pogossian achieved significant recognition as the proud Overall Winner, Strings Winner, and Audience Prize Winner at the prestigious Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition. This notable achievement is a testament to his outstanding technical proficiency and profound interpretive abilities.

Eddie Pogossian’s talent was further recognized when he won the Juilliard Concerto Competition, leading to a series of remarkable performances. He played Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the Juilliard Orchestra under the baton of the legendary Itzhak Perlman. These performances took place at esteemed venues, including David Geffen Hall in New York and the Harris Theater in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune praised his performances, highlighting his “astonishing musical and technical maturity” and “winning lightness of touch to everything he played, combined with a velvety tone.”

Throughout his career, Eddie Pogossian has appeared as a soloist with several renowned orchestras, including the Boston Pops, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and the New Mexico Philharmonic. His collaborations with these orchestras have solidified his reputation as a cellist of extraordinary caliber.

Eddie Pogossian’s commitment to chamber music is equally noteworthy. He attended the esteemed Yellow Barn and the Marlboro Festival from 2019 to 2022, where he honed his skills and collaborated with other distinguished musicians. He is a dedicated member of Trio Isimsiz, a piano trio that has performed extensively throughout Europe, with notable appearances at the renowned Wigmore Hall. His contributions to the trio are marked by his deep musical insight and expressive playing.

In addition to his performance career, Eddie Pogossian has recently taken on a new role as a professor at the Royal Northern College of Music. This professorship allows him to share his extensive knowledge and experience with the next generation of cellists, fostering their growth and development in the field of classical music.

Eddie Pogossian is also a frequent guest principal cellist with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, where his leadership and musicianship are highly valued. His involvement with the orchestra further demonstrates his versatility and ability to excel in various musical settings.

Edvard Pogossian’s achievements and contributions to the world of classical music are significant and far-reaching. His technical mastery, combined with his expressive musicality, has captivated audiences around the globe. As he continues to perform, teach, and collaborate with other musicians, Pogossian’s influence on the classical music landscape is sure to grow, inspiring both audiences and fellow musicians alike.

With a career that seamlessly blends solo performances, chamber music, and educational endeavours, Eddie Pogossian stands out as a versatile and dynamic cellist. His recent appointment as a professor at the Royal Northern College of Music marks a new chapter in his journey, where he will undoubtedly continue to make substantial contributions to the world of classical music.

Pablo Hernán Benedí, violin

Pablo Hernán Benedí was born in Madrid, where his journey with the violin began. His initial training took place at the Padre Antonio Soler Conservatory in San Lorenzo de El Escorial under the guidance of Polina Kotliarskaya. His early promise in music was evident, and in 2009, he moved to London to further his studies at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Here, he was mentored by distinguished violinists David Takeno and András Keller. Benedí’s education was supported by scholarships from the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund (MMSF), Juventudes Musicales, and La Caixa. An influential figure in his development has been Gordan Nikolic, with whom he has maintained regular contact since the age of 14.

In 2010, Pablo Benedí became a member of the renowned Chiaroscuro Quartet. With this ensemble, he has performed at some of the world’s most esteemed concert venues, including London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Berlin’s Boulez Saal, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Tokyo’s Oji Hall, and the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid. The quartet boasts an extensive discography and has received numerous accolades, notably the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik in 2015, Germany’s most prestigious CD award.

Pablo Benedí is also a founding member of the Trio Isimsiz, established in 2011. The trio has garnered significant recognition, winning the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award Fellowship, first prize and the audience prize at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, and second prize at the Haydn Vienna Competition. Their future engagements include performances at the Beethoven Haus as part of the Complete Beethoven’s Chamber Music series and the complete Beethoven Trios at the Wigmore Hall in London. They are also commissioning a new trio from composer Francisco Coll.

As a soloist, Pablo Benedí has performed with several prominent orchestras, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Chamber Players, and Concerto Budapest. He is also a regular collaborator as leader or section leader with ensembles such as Arcangelo, Concerto Budapest, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.

Pablo Hernán Benedí performs on the “Alard” J.B. Vuillaume violin from 1851 and a 1570 Andrea Amati violin, which he plays with his quartet.

Pablo Hernán Benedí’s career is marked by his versatile performances both as a soloist and chamber musician. His contributions to the Chiaroscuro Quartet and Trio Isimsiz highlight his commitment to exploring the depth of chamber music while his solo performances demonstrate his virtuosity and expressive range. As he continues to engage with audiences worldwide, Benedí’s artistry remains a testament to his dedication and passion for music.

Alexi Kenney, violin

Violinist Alexi Kenney is forging a career that defies categorization, following his interests, intuition, and heart.

He is equally at home creating experimental programs and commissioning new works, soloing with major orchestras around the world, and collaborating with some of the most celebrated musicians of our time. Alexi Kenney is the recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

Highlights of Alexi Kenney’s 2023/24 season include appearing as soloist with the Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee Symphonies, leading a program of his own creation with the New Century Chamber Orchestra, and debuting a new iteration of his project Shifting Ground at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Ojai Festival, in collaboration with the new media and video artist Xuan.

Shifting Ground intersperses seminal works for solo violin by J.S. Bach with pieces by Matthew Burtner, Mario Davidovsky, Nicola Matteis, Kaija Saariaho, Paul Wiancko, and Du Yun, as well as new commissions by composers Salina Fisher and Angélica Negrón.

In recent seasons, Alexi Kenney has soloed with the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Detroit Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Gulbenkian Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, and l’Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, as well as in a play-conduct role as guest leader of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

He has played recitals at Wigmore Hall, on Carnegie Hall’s ‘Distinctive Debuts’ series, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, 92nd Street Y, Mecklenberg-Vorpommern Festival, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Winner of the 2013 Concert Artists Guild Competition and laureate of the 2012 Menuhin Competition, Alexi has been profiled by Musical America, Strings Magazine, and The New York Times, and has written for The Strad.

Chamber music continues to be a major part of Alexi Kenney’s life, regularly performing at festivals including Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Chamber Music Northwest, Kronberg, La Jolla, Ojai, Marlboro, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, Seattle, and Spoleto. He is a founding member of Owls—an inverted quartet hailed as a “dream group” by The New York Times—alongside violist Ayane Kozasa, cellist Gabe Cabezas, and cellist-composer Paul Wiancko. Alexi is also an alum of the Bowers Program (formerly CMS 2) at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Born in Palo Alto, California in 1994, Alexi is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he received an Artist Diploma as a student of Miriam Fried and Donald Weilerstein. Previous mentors in the Bay Area include Wei He, Jenny Rudin, and Natasha Fong. He plays a violin made in London by Stefan-Peter Greiner in 2009 and a bow by François-Nicolas Voirin.

Outside of music, Alexi enjoys hojicha, modernist design and architecture, baking for friends (especially this lumberjack cake), and walking for miles on end in whichever city he finds himself, listening to podcasts and Bach on repeat.

Maria Włoszczowska, violin

Polish violinist Maria Włoszczowska is recognised for her versatile musicianship, performing as soloist, director/concertmaster, and chamber musician.
Maria Włoszczowska began the 2022/23 season with her solo debut at the BBC Proms performing Kaija Saariaho’s Vers toi qui es si loin with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Dinis Sousa. As Leader of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, she also directs a number of programmes; one of this season’s highlights includes directing and performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Further afield, Maria Włoszczowska makes her Hong Kong debut at the Hong Kong Musicus Festival and joins the violin faculty at Yellow Barn, Vermont.

Last season, Maria Włoszczowska gave her New York recital debut at 92NY with Jeremy Denk performing all six Bach Sonatas for violin and keyboard and they return together this season to the Lammermuir Festival.

She appears regularly at the Wigmore Hall and at international festivals such as Musikdorf Ernen in Switzerland, Lammermuir Festival and IMS Prussia Cove as well as a residency at Yellow Barn.  Distinguished artists such as Jeremy Denk, Bengt Forsberg and Dinis Sousa have joined her in recital and other chamber music partners have included Thomas Adès, Alasdair Beatson, Philippe Graffin, Benjamin Grosvenor, Steven Isserlis, Steven Osborne, Hyeyoon Park, Timothy Ridout and the Doric String Quartet.  This season also sees the launch of the Valo Quartet, which she leads; they make their debut appearance in Brussels under the auspices of the Festival Resonances.

Recent seasons have seen projects as a guest leader of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and solo appearances with UK and international ensembles, including symphonic and chamber orchestras in her home country of Poland.   This season, Maria Włoszczowska returns to Leipzig to appear as soloist with Reinhard Goebel and the Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum at the Gewandhaus.

Recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Emily Anderson Prize, the Hattori Foundation Senior Award and Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prize, she based herself in the UK after completing her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Hungarian violinist and conductor András Keller. In 2018 she won both First Prize and Audience Prize at the XXI Leipzig International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition.
Maria Włoszczowska plays on a violin by Francesco Stradivari.