The Artists
Marc Sabbah
viola | USA
Artistic Director
As artistic director and founder of the Kâsteaux Chamber Music Festival, Marc Sabbah is also a Solo Violist at the Belgium National Orchestra and plays solo and chamber music concerts throughout Europe. Marc Sabbah (1988, New York City), described as"a magnificent player" by legendary conductor Zubin Mehta, Marc is regularly invited as guest principal violist of the Israeli Philharmonic. As of September 2017, he has been a professor of viola at the Royal Conservatory of Mons, Belgium. Graduating Cum Laude from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Marc was a pupil of Sven Arne Tepl and Nobuko Imai. His recent awards include the 1st prize at the 2016 Rising Stars Grand Prix music competition performing solo at the Berlin Philharmonic hall as well as his recent 1st Grand Prize at the Manhattan International Music Competition with a recital at Carnegie Hall. Having played numerous concerti with European orchestras such as the Belgian National Orchestra, Casco Philharmonic, de Filharmonie Amsterdam, the Hochreinisches Kammerorchester, Marc Sabbah is creating a path as a musical force of his generation.
Nicolas Dupont
violin | Belgium
"With over 80 concerts per year, violinist Nicolas Dupont (°1992) is one of the most active Belgian chamber musicians of his generation.” (El Diario Montanes)
As a member of the Kugoni Trio, the Malibran Quartet, the Urban Piano Quartet, the Argenta Trio and the Duo Andaluza, he has performed in venues such as Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, King’s Place, Colston Hall (UK), BOZAR, Flagey, AMUZ, deSingel (BE).
Based in Brussels since 2017, Nicolas frequently travels as a soloist, in duo with the pianists Olga Kirpicheva and Giulio Potenza, or with his trio and quartet colleagues across Europe and Asia. His ensembles are ambassadors for contemporary music and have commissioned over fifty pieces in close collaboration with composers. Despite his young age, Nicolas’ discography includes around ten CD’s with music by Astor Piazzolla, Josef Suk, Leoš Janáček as well as Belgian music by Wilfried Westerlinck, Jan Van Landeghem, Jan Van Damme, Piet Swerts, Wim Henderickx, Mathias Coppens, Pieter Schuermans and Jeroen d’Hoe.
Over the course of the 2019-2020 season, he will record new CD’s with the Kugoni Trio, the Duo Andaluza, as well as a CD dedicated to the music of Emil Hartmann with Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider, Tony Nys, Justus Grimm and Daniel Blumenthal.
Roeland Hendrikx
clarinet | Belgium
Roeland Hendrikx is one of the leading Belgian clarinet players of the present day. Hendrikx was principal clarinet with the National Orchestra of Belgium for many years, but in 2017, he embarked on a solo career. He nevertheless remains a zealous advocate of chamber music, which he plays with his own Roeland Hendrikx Ensemble.
Roeland Hendrikx apperead as a soloist with, amongst others, the Belgium National Orchestra, The Flemish Symphony Orchestra, I Fiamminghi, the Beethoven Academy, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, the Limberg Symphonic Orchestra, the Georgia Philharmonic, the Symphonic Orchestra of Lithuania and the Philharmonia Orchestra of Hagen. In October 2018, EPR Classic released his registration of Mozart and Finzi's clarinet concertos and Bruch's double concerto, which he recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Martyn Brabbins). The Belgian Newspaper De Standaard praised this recording as "outstanding" and "a barrel full of listening pleasure" (October 2018). According to the authoritative French magazine Diapason (5 pitchforks), it “has it all: accuracy, lyricism, elegance”. And the BBC Music Magazine (****) praised the “restrained approach to Mozart’s concerto (…) which works surprisingly well”, and the fact that Roeland “captures the contrastive moods [of the Finzi concerto] with clarity, and particularly in the Adagio, beauty”
Among his many chamber music recordings are the Mozart and Brahms Clarinet Quintets with the Panocha String Quartet (Phaedra), the quintets of Weber and Bārmann, Mozart chamber music with the Roeland Hendrikx Ensemble, and sonatas Debussy and Poulenc with duos by other French composers (all Etcetera), quintets by Reicha and Romberg with the Arriaga String Quartet, and the Clarinet Quintets of the Belgian composers Piet Swerts and Peter Cabus.
Roeland is teaching clarinet at the Maastricht Conservatory (The Netherlands) and the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven (Belgium). He has given masterclasses in Europe, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and the US (Juilliard School of Music NY, Manhattan School of Music NY, Long Beach University LA, De Paul Univ. Chicago, Yale University, Emory University Atlanta, Oklahoma University, Yale University, Miami University).
Martin Klett
piano | Germany
The pianist Martin Klett transcends borders with his effortless musicianship. With equal commitment and refinement, he performs classical piano concertos and jazzy recitals with duo partner Sebastian Manz. The press lauds the “cultivated, spirited touch” (Crescendo) and “suave technique” (Piano News) of his Rachmaninoff album and his “passion, ease and precision” (Rheinpfalz) in tango programmes with the Cuarteto SolTango.
This diversity is not only apparent on stage but also in his discography. With the release of “Lamento” in 2019, this comprises ten CDs – two solo albums, five chamber music recordings and three releases with the Cuarteto SolTango. Regular live recordings and interviews attest to a vivid interest from broadcasters in Martin Klett’s artistic oeuvre. 2008 was an important year for Martin Klett, when he won both the Johannes Brahms International Competition as a soloist and the German Music Competition as a duo partner. Since then he has made a name for himself as a concert pianist at international festivals in Europe and beyond. He plays regularly with ARD and ECHO award winners, concert masters from renowned orchestras and university professors.
As a Hamburg native, Martin hails from a musical family that supported his curiosity for various forms of expression in young years – for composing and arranging in addition to piano. He was able to further develop his artistic personality with his long-time mentor Prof. Konrad Elser at the Lübeck Conservatory of Music and later at the University of the Arts in Berlin. He now teaches at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Conservatory in Leipzig and at the Detmold Conservatory of Music.
His passion for tango dancing has given Martin Klett deep insight into the music of this intangible world cultural heritage. He often incorporates tango music into his concert programmes today. With his Cuarteto SolTango, founded in 2008, he brings fresh new impulses to chamber music platforms and radio channels.
Current highlights include Martin Klett’s first appearance at the Konzerthaus Vienna, and a reinvitation to the Gasteig Munich as well as debut collaborations with Julian Steckel, Tanja Tetzlaff, Chiara Enderle and actress Johanna Wokalek. Future plans include a recording with Cuarteto SolTango and Argentine singer Leonel Capitano for Bavarian Radio in summer 2020.
David Cohen is one of the most successful young cellists in Europe. He is undoubtedly one of the world's most charismatic cellists. Born in the town of Tournai in Belgium, David made his solo debut with the Belgium National Orchestra at the age of nine. His International career as a soloist soon flourished with the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Soloist Chamber Orchestra, l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Liege, l'Orchestre Symphonique de la VRT, l'Orchestre de la Beethoven Akademie, l'Orchestre National de Lille, the Zurich chamber orchestra, L'Orchestre de chambre de Lauzanne, l'Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, l'Orchestre Symphonique de Grenoble, the Polish Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphonia of Varsaw, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, NHK, BBC Concert Orchestra… In his remarkable career, David has worked as a soloist with some of the most distinguished conductors in the industry such as Lord Menuhin, Mislave Rostropovitch, Walter Weller, Sir Charles Mackerras, Vladimir Ashkenazy, C.V.Dohnanyi, Pedro Hallfter, Martin Brabbins ect….
David is the Artistic Director of the Melchior Ensemble, which brings together the greatest young talents from Europe such as Sasha Sitkovetsky, Priya Mitchel, Corine Chapelle, Silver Ainomae, Razvan Popovici ect... The ensemble is in Residence in Peter House Cambridge. David was appointed Principal Cello of the Philharmonia Orchestra in March 2001 (the youngest Principal cello ever!) You will find award winning recordings by David with Forlane, Classic FM, Cypres-Records and the LPO Label. Future releases of his recordings of the Lutoslawsky cello concerto with the Philharmonia and the S.Gubbaidulina recording with the BBC Symphony will soon follow this year. David is the cellist of the Brussels based string trio Trio NOMADA and is a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Mons, Belgium. David plays on a magnificient Dominicus Montagnana cello circa 1735 thanks to the kindness and generosity of Mrs Pat Morton and the help from the Razumovsky trust.
David Cohen
cello | Belgium
Noé Inui
violin | Belgium / Greece / Japan
Having started to play the violin at the tender age of 4, Noé Inui chose to study at the conservatories of Brussels, Paris, Karlsruhe and Düsseldorf. This made him understand the various ‘schools of playing’; the Franco-Belgian, the German and the Russian tradition, and the vision of pedagogues Galamian and Stoliarsky.
These insights meet with Noé’s balanced personality, always searching profound musicality beyond his considerable virtuosity. His talents have been recognized internationally, at the 2005 Sibelius Competition (Special Prize for Young Talents), the 2007 Louis Spohr Medal and the 2009 Young Concert Artists/New York among others. He received the Incentive Prize for Young Artists from the German federal state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. At the Verbier Festival Academy in 2012, he was awarded the coveted Prix Julius Bär, presented to a musician of exceptional talent. It led to an invitation in the festival’s 2013 edition. In 2020 the Concertgebouw Amsterdam selected Noé as one of their ‘Classical Futures Europe Artists’.
Noé chooses his concerts and collaborations with care, allowing the music to guide his path in development. This approach has given opportunities to perform all the main violin concertos, but also less often played concertos like Bartók No. 2, Korngold, Milhaud, Weill and K.A. Hartmann.
Close to his way of working, Noé is a committed chamber musician, collaborating on a frequent basis with pianists Vassilis Varvaresos and Mario Häring. After having played in the Trio Carlo van Neste for many years, Noé co-founded the successful Piano Quartet Corneille, which includes Varvaresos, viola player Georgy Kovalev and cellist Ella van Poucke. He teams up with Varvaresos and cellist Benedict Kloeckner in the Trio Bell’Arte. Noé is also part of the Brussels based string trio, Trio NOMADA.
In addition to his international concert activities, he teaches at Robert Schumann University of Music Düsseldorf and the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts. Noé gives regular masterclasses in Japan, the USA, Greece and Belgium.
Noé Inui has recorded seven CDs, the most recent of which is dedicated to the solo sonatas by Eugène Ysaÿe. It contains as a bonus the world première recording of an Étude Poème by the same composer and has received worldwide critical acclaim. Noé Inui is currently playing a Tomaso Balestrieri violin from 1764 (Mantua).
Our Past Artists
Ofer Canetti
cello | Israel
Ofer Canetti is the principal cellist of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. He completed his studies in The Buchmann-Mehta School of music at the Tel-Aviv University with Prof. Hillel Zori, and was granted the Bachelor of Music Degree of Cello playing followed by studies for the "Diplom" degree in the Hochschule für Musik in Köln, Germany, with Prof. Claus Kanngiesser. In June 2012 Ofer completed his Master degree studies of Cello playing in the Mozarteum University, Salzburg, Austria, with Prof. Clemens Hagen and was continued his studies in the Post-graduate program. In addition, Ofer was studying regularly with Prof. Uzi Wiesel.
Throughout his studies, Ofer attended master-classes and lessons with artists such as prof. Bernard Greenhouse, prof. Janos Starker, prof. Wolfgang Boettcher and many others. Ofer performed his Debut Recital in the Carnegie-Hall, New-York in February, 2010. Performed as a soloist with Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss, Georgische Kammerorchester Ingolstadt, Jenaer Philharmonie, Moscow Chamber Orchestra of the Slobotkin Center, Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Salzburg Chamber Soloists and others, and regularly performs in recitals around Israel and Europe. Recorded numerous times as a soloist and with different chamber groups in the Israeli classical-music Radio station "Kol Hamusika" and the ORF in Austria. Ofer performs in many occasions Israeli compositions such as Paul Ben-Haim Cello Concerto, "Kaddish" by M. Kopitman and "Confession" by N. Sheriff.
Prize winner of the “Bucchi” International Competition for Cello playing in the 20th-21st centuries, Rome, 2011, and the "Enerico Mainardi Competition", Salzburg 2012. Won the Buchman-Mehta school of music competitions in the Solo instrument and Chamber music categories as well as special prizes in the "Allegro Vivo" festival in Austria, and the "Paul Ben-Haim" competition in Israel. Winner with excellence of the American-Israeli cultural foundation scholarship and from 2007 was granted the prestigious scholarship for studies abroad.
Born in Japan, Kei Tojo began playing the violin at the age of 3. Attracted by the instrument through various chamber and orchestral experiences she started playing the viola at 12 years old. She finished a master's degree at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris (CNSMDP) in the class of Jean Sulem and continued her studies with Tabea Zimmermann in Berlin. She also studied with Jeffrey Irvine at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the United States. She arrived in Paris in 2010 and successively won international competitions such as the Lionel Tertis International Competition in England (2nd prize and the prize for the contemporary piece), William Primrose International Competition in the United States (special prize for Bach), Concours International Beethoven in the Czech Republic (2nd prize). She has recently won the 2nd prize, the J.S.Bach Award, the Special Prize for a Japanese Work, and the Losque Public Prize at the 3rd Tokyo International Violin Competition in Japan. Passionate about orchestra, she was selected by the Academy of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2012/13 season and by the Orchestre de Paris for the 2014/15 season. In addition to her orchestral activity, she also participates in chamber music ensembles such as the "Quintes et plus" concerts at the Invalides, "Seiji Ozawa International Academy Switzerland", "Ravel Days" at Montfort l'Amaury, "Les Moments Musical " in La Baule, "La Folle Journée" in Japan and Nantes," Viola Space "in Tokyo," Marlboro Music Festival "in the United States, the "International Festival of Chamber Music in Giverny" etc ... From September 2017 onwards she will perform concerts at the Berliner Philharmoniker in the role of an academic at the Karajan Akademie.
Kei Tôjô
viola | Japan
Sébastien Walnier
cello | Belgium
Sébastien Walnier likes to use all the opportunities of 21st century and had many experiences to enrich himself with different musical styles. He is Principal Cello of the Opera de la Monnaie in Brussels. He has been exposed to chamber music from a very early age. This ever growing passion has led him to perform with musicians of international renown, such as Roland Pidoux, Jean-Claude Pennetier, Lorenzo Gatto, Jean-Claude Vanden Eyden, Liviu Prunaru, Boris Belkin, Gaby Van Riet … Sebastien Walnier started playing the cello at a very early age with Laurent Chantraine. He won a first prize at the Conservatoire Royal de Liège (Belgium) at the age of 13, and obtained post-graduate diplomas in cello (with Maryse Douin) and in chamber music (with Cécile Evrard) four years later. He taught chamber music at that same conservatory from 2001 till 2008. He also studied with Edmond Carlier, a disciple of André Navarra. His meeting with Roland Pidoux at CNSM in Paris has had a decisive influence on his career. He has also benefited from Daria Hovora’s and Michaël Hentz counsels/directions. He's a founding member of Trio Talweg (Alexander Gurning, piano and Sebastien Surel, violin) and makes arrangements for his Cello Octet, Ô-Celli. In addition, for several years he has been playing jazz on stage with Andre Klenes (double-bass) and the group Moonly Delights, and has founded the jazz-fusion group named Blade Runner with Jeanfrançois Prins (guitar). Sébastien Walnier was awarded "Musician of the Year 2012" by the Belgian Musical Press Union. He's playing on a cello by Giovanni Grancino from 1699.
Asi Matathias
violin | Israel
Violinist Asi Matathias, protégé of Pinchas Zukerman, is already recognized as one of the most celebrated talents of his generation. He made his debut at the age of fourteen with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, displaying a musical maturity and inspiration far beyond his years.
This success was immediately followed by another invitation from Maestro Mehta to play with him in the following season. Since then, Mr. Matathias has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras around the globe with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Leon Botstein, Stephen Gunzenhauser, The late Mendi Rodan, Oliver Weder and Yaron Traub. He has recorded for the BBC, CBC, WQXR, IBA and ORF. Mr. Matathias is a frequent recitalist and has performed extensively throughout Europe, USA, Asia and Israel in halls such as Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weil hall, Berlin Philharmonie, The Mann Auditorium in Tel-Aviv, Izumy Hall in Japan and The National Arts Center in Canada. He has performed in Festivals such as the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, The Con Anima Festival in Austria, Vienna Bezirk Wochen Festspiele, Israel Festival and Prussia Cove in England.
Bas Treub
violin | The Netherlands
Bas Treub (The Hague, 1987) is a Dutch violinist. He studied with Peter Brunt and Philippe Graffin at the Royal Conservatoires of The Hague and Brussels and graduated summa cum laude for his Master’s degree in 2013.
Bas presently holds the position of Principal 2nd violin in the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He has been engaged as guest concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orpheus Sinfonia. As Principal 2nd violin he has been invited as a guest with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Ensemble, the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Next to that he performs as a freelance violinist with ensembles such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, London Sinfonietta and Spira Mirabilis. Bas used to be a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra for many years and served as their concertmaster during his last seasons.
A passionate chamber and orchestral musician, Bas has performed at international festivals and venues like the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Abu Dhabi Festival, Carnegie Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, Konzerthaus Berlin, Wigmore Hall and Concertgebouw Amsterdam. As an orchestral leader he worked closely with renowned musicians such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Isabelle Faust and Gautier Capuçon.
Bas has a special love for performing orchestral music in a chamber music manner; with lots of freedom, individuality and spirit. It is his sheer belief that music making should always be about creating, rather than reproducing. He enjoys performing music from all periods and in different settings.
Bas plays on a beautiful violin made by Emile Germain in Paris in 1891, generously loaned to him by the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation.