Niall Brown

Niall Brown, Violoncello

Variously described as possessing…”eloquent cello sonorities and dignified treatment of music that reaches the essence of its emotions”…”technical mastery of his instrument with excellent intonation”… and …”the cello came to the fore with marvelous singing tone”… Niall has, over the course of the past three decades, established himself as an internationally renowned cellist, chamber musician and pedagogue.
Completing his studies under the tutelage of distinguished musicians Maurice Gendron, Ralph Kirshbaum, Radu Aldulescu, Robert Masters, Alberto Lysy and Nadia Boulanger, Niall has dedicated himself to a career as an all-round musician.
For a decade as cellist of the prestigious Australian String Quartet, and as principal cellist the Camerata Bern, Camerata Lysy and the Scottish Ensemble, Niall has toured the world performing in some of the most prestigious concert halls and festivals including the Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, Carnegie Hall and Avery Fischer Centre, New York, Théâtre des Champs Elysées and Théâtre du Chatelet, Paris, Konzerthaus and Philharmonie, Berlin, Sydney Recital Hall and Melbourne Concert Hall, Australia and the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He has collaborated with such artists as Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Nikita Magaloff, Janos Starker, Bruno Giuranna, Stephen Kovacevich, Melvyn Tan, Edith Fischer, Alberto Lysy, Antonio Lysy, Sine Nomine Quartet, Jesus Lopez Cobos, Thomas Füri and Milan Horvat.
Living in Luxembourg, Niall combines activities as co-principal cellist of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and cellist of the Kreisler Quartet with regular performances with Isabelle Trüb, pianist with whom he has recorded exteznsively for the Swiss label Doron. For more than a decade Niall has been a founding Artistic Director of the festival “Automne Musical d’Ollon” in Switzerland.
Isabelle Trüb, Klavier

Isabelle Trüb, piano

Born into a family of musicians, pianist Isabelle Trüb discovered her passion for chamber music in all its forms at a very early age. After receiving a scholarship from the Goehner/Migros foundations in Switzerland, she completed her musical training at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. On her return to Switzerland, she was engaged as pianist/harpsichordist by the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad/Camerata Lysy. She works regularly with many renowned artists, including cellists Pierre Fournier and Janos Starker, violist Bruno Giuranna and violinists Shmuel Ashkenasi and Maxim Vengerov. The duo she founded with her long-time partner, cellist Niall Brown, has a vast repertoire and has recorded the complete works of Gabriel Fauré, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Paul Hindemith, among others. Teaching is also an important part of her career, and for ten years Isabelle taught piano and chamber music at the Ecole Sociale de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland. She lived in Australia from 1997 to 2006, where she worked as a teacher and piano accompanist at the University of Adelaide. She sits on the jury as an expert for the AMEB examinations, while giving numerous chamber music concerts in Australia and Europe. Isabelle has lived in Luxembourg since 2006, where she first worked as a cultural journalist, before being hired by the Conservatoire de Musique de la Ville de Luxembourg, where she teaches piano accompaniment and has been working as a pianist accompanist for several years. 
Elisabeth Perry, Violine

Elisabeth Perry, Violine

The versatile British violinist Elisabeth Perry is widely acclaimed for her contributions to all facets of the musical metier. Applauded for her virtuosity in the standard repertoire, an avid proponent of contemporary music, a committed chamber musician, dedicated pedagogue and an internationally renowned concertmaster, Ms Perry has reaped unanimous praise for her ability to convey urgency while emphasising the distinctive lyrical and dramatic qualities in a large repertoire.

Ms Perry showed great musical talent at an early age. She was privileged to join the first class of pupils at Yehudi Menuhin's school in 1963. At the age of 14 Perry shared centre stage with Lord Menuhin in a memorable Royal Albert hall concert and subsequently recorded the Bach double concerto with him for Teldec. Perry has been a welcome guest soloist with Britain's leading orchestras including the LSO, Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestra. Generous grants allowed her to continue her studies at the Juilliard School in the famed classes of Dorothy Delay and Oscar Shumsky. Making her mark in the United States, Perry won New York's prestigious Concert Artists Guild Competition and was invited to play Bartók's second violin concerto in Chicago's Orchestra hall.
A passion for contemporary music and a commitment to expanding the violin repertoire led to many acclaimed premieres. Perry was the first to champion Alfred Schnittke's Quasi Una Sonata performing its US premiere at Lincoln Center.

Critically acclaimed recordings bear testimony to her premieres of works by Michael Nyman and Andrew Poppy and her American Heritage series CD recording of Leon Kirschner's Duo for violin and piano was released in 1984.

Renowned for her leadership skills in the orchestral sphere, Ms Perry served as concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss from 1985 to 1999. Since 1991 she holds the position of concertmaster in the Radio Chamber Orchestra and since 2013 she holds that same position with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Richard Wolfe, Viola

Richard Wolfe, Viola

Richard Wolfe was born in New York City, where he began his violin studies under the guidance of Aaron Shapinsky. After studies with Dorothy DeLay and Walter Levin (primarius of the LaSalle Quartet), he moved to Israel. As a member of the Israel Chamber Orchestra he appeared as soloist in A Soldier’s Tale by Stravinsky, and here he also had his first professional
engagement as a viola player, in Bach’s 3rd Brandenburg concerto.
In 1982 Richard settled in the Netherlands, and in 1984 began a 35-year tenure as solo-violist of the Netherlands Philharmonic/Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. With these orchestras he appeared often as soloist, performing, among other works, concertos by Henk Badings, Leo Smit, Mozart (Sinfonia Concertante) and Bach (6th Brandenburg concerto). 
In his retirement year, 2019, a cd of the Sinfonia Concertante with violinist Gordan Nikolitch and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra was released on the Tacet label.
Richard was on the viola faculties of the conservatories of Utrecht and Amsterdam, and has been a devoted chamber music player for half a century. In the U.S., he was a member of Sergiu Luca’s Music in Context, and in Belgium, of Roel Dieltien’s Ensemble Explorations. In the Netherlands he is a member of the Rietveld Ensemble and of the Monward Consort.
Joseph Moog

JOSEPH MOOG

Innovative programmes and an award-winning discography portray Joseph Moog's extensive repertoire and characterise his unique artistic personality evoking the Golden Age of piano music. Passionate musicianship, multifaceted sound aesthetics and mesmerising virtuosity have been delighting audiences and press around the world for many years. Awarded the Gramophone Classical Music Award, two International Classical Music Awards and nominated for a Grammy, Joseph feels at home on the world's leading stages.
The 2023/2024 season takes Joseph to major concert halls, festivals and ensembles, including Weill Concert Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Philharmonie Essen, Klavierfestival Ruhr and Sendesaal Bremen. Furthermore he will be Artist in Residence with the Philharmonie Bad Reichenhall performing piano concertos by Mozart, Poulenc and Saint-Saens. His album containing Schumann's Paganini Etudes und Brahms' Paganini Variations was awarded the “Diapason d’Or” and received rave reviews as well as his new recording of Reger's monumental Piano Concerto and the Intermezzi op.45.
Joseph gained his reputation as a soloist at concerts within the legendary Meesterpianisten series at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, at the Moscow International House of Music, at the New Ross Piano Festival in Ireland, the Fribourg International Concert Series, Istanbul Recitals and Eesti Kontsert Tallinn Piano Festival, Mariinsky Theatre Auditorium, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Münchner Gasteig, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, De Doelen Rotterdam and at the Festival La Roque d'Anthéron. Joseph performed many times in the U.S.: At the Frick Collection in New York City, Gilmore International Piano Series, Portland Piano International, Washington Performing Arts Society, Vancouver Recital Society as well as at the Miami International Piano Festival. Over the course of his Asia tour in October 2016, Joseph Moog performed with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, as well as giving recitals in Seoul’s Kumho Arts Hall, Tokyo's Mushashino Hall and at the Singapore International Piano Festival.
Joseph's extensive concert repertoire has resulted in his collaboration with distinguished orchestras all over the world. He performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Netherlands Radio Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Prague Philharmonic, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, Poznan Philharmonic, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dortmund and Bochum Philharmonic, German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre Lamoureux Paris.
The young musician enjoys working regularly with world renowned conductors Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Matthias Pintscher, Thomas Sondergaard, Andrey Boreyko, Michael Sanderling, Ryan Bancroft, Antony Hermus, Lawrence Foster, Michael Francis, Rumon Gamba, John Axelrod, Juanjo Mena, Ben Gernon, Gilbert Varga, Christoph Poppen, Pablo Gonzalez, Nicholas Milton, Ari Rasilainen, Markus Poschner, Elias Grandy, Toshiyuko Kamioka, Fabrice Bollon and Philippe Entremont.
Son of two professional orchestral musicians, Joseph received the award of the 'Prix Groupe de Rothschild' and has been designated a Steinway Artist in 2009. He is a founding member of the 'Konz Musik Festival' near Luxembourg where he now resides and was appointed Cultural Ambassador of his hometown Neustadt an der Weinstrasse.
Pražák-Quartett: 
Jana Vonášková, Violine
Marie Fuxová, Violine
Josef Klusoň, Viola
Pavel Jonáš Krejčí, Violoncello

Pražák-Quartett

The Pražák Quartet – one of today’s leading international chamber music ensembles - was established in 1972 while its members were students at the Prague Conservatory. They won major chamber music prizes from early on, including first prize at the prestigious Evian String Quartet Competition, along with a special recording prize from Radio France. Since then, the Quartet has established itself on major world podiums through its musicality and polished quartet playing that carries on the special Czech tradition of music-making. The Quartet has played in its current formation since 2020 and includes one of its original founding members, violist, Josef Klusoň.
The Pražák Quartet has been at home in concert venues worldwide for decades. They are regular guests in the major European musical capitals such as Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Madrid, London, Berlin, and Munich, and have been invited to participate in many international festivals, where they have collaborated with such artists as Menahem Pressler, Jon Nakamatsu, Cynthia Phelps, Roberto Diaz, Josef Suk, and Sharon Kam. In recent years, the quartet has a special collaboration with pianist François Dumont, including making recordings and giving numerous performances at concert halls such as the Theatre du Champs-Elysees and the Salle Gaveau in Paris, and at festivals such as the Cartagena Music Festival in Colombia.
The Quartet has toured widely in North America, having performed in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Washington, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and many others. The quartet returns to the US and Canada regularly.
The Pražák Quartet has recorded extensively for Praga Digitals, releasing 50 award-winning CDs. In addition to numerous radio recordings in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, the Pražák Quartet has also made recordings for Supraphon, Panton, Orfeo, Ottavo, Bonton, and Nuova Era. The Quartet's recent recordings for the Praga Digitals label include a disc of the last 3 quartets of Joseph Haydn, which received critical acclaim from The Strad and Diapason among others, and a CD in collaboration with François Dumont, celebrating the 200th birthday of Cesar Franck. The Quartet’s latest recording, released in August 2024, is of Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ with soprano Helen Kearns.
Members of the Quartet also regularly give master classes and coaching to young musicians and ensembles at various festivals and courses.
Kammerata Luxembourg | FotoCredit: Bohumil KOSTOHRYZ

KAMMERATA LUXEMBOURG

Founded in 1985, the Kammerata Luxembourg is a variable-geometry ensemble that pays particular attention to the selection of its repertoire. Its activities are financially supported by the Ministry of Culture.
With the release of its CD 'Hommage à Schumann' in September 2019, the ensemble changes its name to Kammerata Luxembourg.
The Kammerata is both a concert organizer and a musicians' and artists' collective and, in various configurations, often presents contemporary works in combination with music from the classical and romantic eras.
In addition, it regularly invites outstanding foreign musicians and secures collaborations with outstanding professionals based in Luxembourg for the majority of its concert series.
A noble mission that has gained increasing importance in the collective's efforts is the promotion of contemporary creation in Luxembourg through commissioning works. As a result of this policy, it was possible to release the recording 'Echoes of Autumn and Light - New Chamber Music from Luxembourg' in February 2021, featuring five new works by four composers living in the Grand Duchy or holding Luxembourgish citizenship: Georges Lentz, Camille Kerger, Marcel Reuter, and Markus Brönnimann.
“Quatuor Agate”

“Quatuor Agate”

Formed in 2016, the Quatuor Agate derives its name from one of the most beautiful chamber music pieces, Johannes Brahms’s Second Sextet, dedicated to his second love, Agathe von Siebold. 
Seven years later, this fascination with Brahms materialized with the release of their debut album on February 23rd 2024, featuring the complete String Quartets under Appassionato, le label.
A few weeks after the quartet’s inception, they embarked on their first venture—the creation of the CorsiClassic festival, an annual event in Ajaccio, Corsica. The festival’s mission is to bring chamber music to diverse audiences.
Distinguished in various international competitions and festivals for several years (including the Best Contemporary Interpretation Prize at the BANFF International String Quartet Competition 2022, Audience Prize at the Steels-Wilsing Competition 2020, and  in the Verbier Festival 2019), the Quatuor Agate achieved a significant milestone in 2021 by winning the prestigious auditions of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in London.
In 2023 the Quatuor Agate were honoured to be named as ECHO Rising Stars 2024/25, and during this season under the scheme will perform at the majority of Europe’s major concert halls including the Philharmonie de Paris, Kölner Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus Dortmund. Other highlights this season include their debut at Leif Ove Andsnes’ Rosendal Chamber Music Festival in Norway, and returns to the Wigmore Hall in London.
Recent highlights have included performances at renowned venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Prinzregententheater in Munich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus Dortmund, TauberPhilharmonie in Weikersheim, Brucknerhaus Linz, as well as participating in festivals like Verbier Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Festival de Salon-de-Provence, Festival de Radio France, Leverkusen stART Festival, Britten-Pears Arts in Aldeburgh, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and Lammermuir Festival in Scotland, among others. Further afield they had their debut tour of Colombia in early 2024. 
Further information at:https://en.quatuoragate.com