Streichquartett & Stimme

Speakers

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  Lisa Jacobs Violinst
  

  Lisa Jacobs

  Violinst

  Dutch violin virtuoso Lisa Jacobs is known for her passionate performances, interesting programs and communicative qualities on stage. At the age of 17, Lisa has made her successful debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Riccardo Chailly. She has played all around the world ever since, both as a soloist with renowned orchestras and conductors, and a recitalist and vivid chamber musician.

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  Lech Antonio Uszynski Viola
  

  Lech Antonio Uszynski

  Viola

  With his characteristic warm sound and sensitive interpretation, Lech Antonio Uszynski has become a sought-after Violist on international stages. As a soloist and chamber musician he has played in concert halls that include the Philharmonie Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Zurich Tonhalle, the Vienna Konzerthaus, London’s Wigmore Hall and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.

  He is also a regular guest at international festivals where he has performed with Artists such as Vilde Frang, Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff & Antoine Tamestit. In June 2022 he had his critically acclaimed Solo Debut at the NFM in Wrocław under the direction of Krzysztof Urbański. In addition to his wide stylistic range as a performer, he is also passionate about teaching and has been giving regularly Masterclasses over the past years. Lech Antonio Uszynski is professor of Viola at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.

  He has been the Stradivari Quartet’s viola player since 2010 and enjoyed great acclaim with this ensemble on international tours throughout Europe, Asia and America. Additionally, to his performance as chamber musician and soloist, he has been invited in the past years as guest principal Viola by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra and numerous other Ensembles. In 2022 he held an “ad interim” position as co-principal Viola at the Sinfonieorchester Basel.

  2019 his solo album “Progetto Gibson” was released by RCA Red Seal (Sony Classical). The pieces on this recording are related to Antonio Stradivari’s famous “Gibson” Viola, 1734, which Uszynski played from 2010-2017. Previous recordings include Steve Reich’s string quartets “Different Trains” & “Triple quartet” for Warner Classics and chamber music versions of Mahler 1st and 4th Symphonies. In 2018 his quartet released two CDs (Works by Schumann & Schubert) for RCA Red Seal (Sony). In 2021 he received much critical acclaim for his live-recording of Bachs Toccata & Fugue in a version for Viola Solo which was published on Youtube.

  He was born in 1986 into a family of Polish musicians in Padova in Italy but moved to Switzerland the following year. It was there that he grew up, studying with Ana Chumachenco, Zakhar Bron and Michel Rouilly at Zurich’s University of the Arts. He also received mentoring and encouragement as a viola player from Rudolf Barshai.

  Lech Antonio Uszynski currently performs on a rare Viola by the Maker Hendrick Willems built in 1690. Lech Antonio Uszynski is an Thomastik-Infeld Exclusive Artist and is playing on Spirocore and PI Strings.

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  Christopher Jepson Cello
  

  Christopher Jepson

  Cello

  Christopher Jepson’s journey with the cello began somewhat late, as his early years were filled with a focus on singing rather than mastering an instrument. He received his first cello at the age of 10, introduced to the Suzuki method, but his serious education as a cellist didn’t commence until he was 15, when he began studying under the tutelage of Alexander Boyarsky.

  Within two years of learning, Christopher already earned a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London. His passion and talent took him further, leading him to Berlin to study with Hans Jakob Eschenburg at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler.”

  After honing his skills in Berlin for 6 years, performing with both the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Christopher moved to Basel in 2010. There, he secured the position of 2nd Solo Cellist with the Sinfonieorchester Basel.

  Christopher’s reputation as a cellist has seen him frequently invited as a guest principal cellist in orchestras across Europe. Since 2011, he has been the steadfast Solo Cellist of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival Orchestra, where he also performs as a chamber musician and soloist at the Menuhin Festival.
  Chamber music is one of Christopher’s greatest passions, and he is deeply committed to this field. He frequently performs in recitals with piano and spent six enriching years as the cellist for the Amar String Quartet in Switzerland.

  Christopher regularly graces international festivals, performing alongside esteemed members of the Artemis, Belcea, Alban Berg, Jerusalem, and Stradivari Quartets, with more recent engagement as both a chamber musician and soloist at Festival Klassiek in Zeeland.

  As an educator, Christopher is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of cellists. He regularly coaches conservatory-level students and conducts masterclasses at prestigious institutions in the UK, Italy, Germany, Chile, and China. His expertise is also sought after as a guest professor at various festivals, including coaching the Asian Youth Orchestra, and teaching at the British Isles Music Festival, where he remains on the board of directors.

  In addition to his performance and teaching careers, Christopher is the visionary founder and director of Rhein Klassik. This initiative, born during the COVID-19 pandemic, was created to support freelance musicians and young, up-and-coming artists in Switzerland, particularly those facing financial hardship. Rhein Klassik has since flourished into a leading ethical and sustainable classical music concert series, fostering a vibrant musical community and providing valuable performance opportunities in Basel and its surrounding areas.

  Christopher plays on a cello made by Vincenzo Postiglione, Napoli, ca. 1884.

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  Orfeas Hiratos Clarinet
  

  Orfeas Hiratos

  Clarinet

  The Cypriot clarinetist Orfeas Hiratos completed his studies with Francois Benda at the Hochschule für Musik Basel and was a member of the renowned Orchestra Academy of the Zurich Opera House. Orfeas is a sought-after orchestral musician and has performed with orchestras across Europe, including the Orchestre National de France, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Zurich Opera House, and both orchestras of the Verbier Festival.

  As a chamber musician and soloist, Orfeas regularly performs at festivals and concert series such as Rheinklassik, Frauenkomponiert, Berengaria, and Kypria Festival.

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  Aglaia Graf Piano
  

  Aglaia Graf

  Piano

  «Eine Vollblutmusikerin – sie spielt temperamentvoll, intensiv, sensibel und mit Gespür für die klanglichen Möglichkeiten des Instruments.»

  «Aglaia Graf – lebt die Töne atmet mit der Musik – sie spielen zu sehen und zu hören ist schlichtweg eine Offenbarung.»

  14-jährig spielte Aglaia Graf ihr Debut mit Orchester und wurde Jungstudentin in der Konzertklasse von Adrian Oetiker an der „Musikhochschule Basel“, wo sie ihr Konzertdiplom mit Auszeichnung erhielt. In den folgenden Jahren setzte sie ihr Studium in Wien und Paris fort. Sie studierte in der Klasse von Ronald Brautigam, arbeitete intensiv mit Claudio Martinez-Mehner zusammen und vertiefte ihr pianistisches Wissen zusätzlich in Meisterkursen von Andràs Schiff, P.Badura-Skoda, Andrzej Jasinski und Dimitri Bashkirov.

  Konzertreisen führten Graf in viele Länder Europas, nach Japan, China und Russland. So spielte sie in Sälen wie dem Wiener Musikverein, der Wigmore Hall, der Philharmonie in Moskau, und der Tonhalle Zürich. Mit Solorezitals trat Aglaia Graf unter anderem am Lucerne Piano Festival und am Gstaad Festival auf. Mit über 25 Klavierkonzerten war sie als Solistin u.a. mit dem Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, dem Philharmonischen Orchester Würzburg, dem Shenzhen Symphonie Orchestra (China), der Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie und dem British National Wind Orchestra zu hören. Graf komponiert zudem, erhält Aufträge von Pro Helvetia und Uraufführungen ihrer Werke werden regelmässig am Radio ausgestrahlt.

  Aglaia Graf gewann internationale Wettbewerbspreise für Solospiel und Kammermusik und erhielt begehrte Stipendienpreise. Neben anderen Auszeichnungen wurde ihr der “Europäische Kulturförderpreis“ verliehen.

  Im Duo Graf-Gregor spielt Graf mit dem Cellisten Benjamin Gregor-Smith und trat viele Jahre als Duopartnerin des Flötisten Peter-Lukas Graf auf. Eine CD-Einspielung der authentischen Flötensonaten von J.S. Bach dokumentiert ihr Zusammenspiel.

  Aglaia Graf leitet eine erfolgreiche Klasse an der Musikakademie Basel.