Artists

Principal solo cellist of Tonhalle Orchestra for over 26 years, Thomas Grossenbacher is currently a professor at the ZHdK and much sought-after guest at international festivals such as Aspen and Gstaad. His Strauss recording under the baton of David Zinman earned him worldwide acclaim. He has received important artistic impulses from Menahem Pressler, Robert Mann, György Ligeti and Alfred Schnittke, among others.

Principal clarinetist of the Swiss National Orchestra and former principal at Musikkollegium Winterthur, Di Càsola is prizewinner of CIEM Geneva, the Stresa Competition, and recipient of the «Prix Suisse» for contemporary music. He was elected Swiss Musician of Year and is a recording artist with Sony Classical.

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Ukrainian violist Mila Krasnyuk grew up in a family of musicians and began playing the violin and piano at the age of four. At the age of nine, she made her debut as a soloist with the Lviv Virtuosos Academic Chamber Orchestra. After winning international competitions, she performed all over the world. She studied violin in Cologne and later switched to the viola, winning the Ayrun Chamber Music Competition at the Detmold University of Music twice.
A passionate chamber musician, she is a founding member of the Trio Streich and the Modulor Quartet (main prize of the Dienemann Foundation 2023). Mila is involved in the MUSIC:IN. project. She completed her Master's degree at the Zurich University of the Arts in 2023 and continued her studies at the Bern University of the Arts.

Taiwanese violinist Po-Heng Wang is known for his captivating performances. As the winner of the First Prize at the National Music Competition in Chamber Music, he has appeared at renowned festivals such as the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival and the Allegro Vivo Music Festival. He toured Taiwan with the chamber orchestra of Taiwan Connection (2022–2024) and performed at the Taipei National Recital Hall. He continues his studies at the Zurich University of the Arts with Professor Andreas Janke.

Irish violist Martin Moriarty is regarded as one of his country's foremost musicians and is active internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. He has won numerous awards such as the Amsterdam Viola Festival, the Flax Trust Award and the Peter Pirazzi Foundation Prize. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras such as Baden-Baden Philharmonic and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. He gave the Czech premiere of J. MacMillan's Viola Concerto in 2022. Performances have taken him to prestigious halls such as the National Concert Hall Dublin and Concertgebouw Amsterdam. He has been invited to festivals such as Verbier, IMS Prussia Cove and Krzyżowa Music and regularly collaborates with renowned artists. He was the first Irish musician to be accepted into the Verbier Festival Academy and was a scholarship holder of the Villa Musica Foundation. He completed his studies with Nobuko Imai, Veit Hertenstein and Lawrence Power, among others.

Luke Hsu, an award-winning violinist, composer, and VC Young Artist (Violin Channel), has been hailed by the Montreal Gazette as an artist "in his own class with complete mastery of the instrument." He has been awarded prizes in many prestigious violin competitions, including Laureate of the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition. As a soloist and recitalist, Luke performs in halls such as Wigmore Hall London and the Kennedy Center Washington D.C., among others, and with numerous orchestras around the world, including the "Orchestre National de la Belgique." He current;y serves on the board of Tonhain Kollektiv, Berlin.

American cellist Rainer Crosett, recipient of the 2018 Pierre Fournier Award, made his recital debut at Wigmore Hall and his concerto debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. A passionate chamber musician, he has performed at festivals like Yellow Barn, the Perlman Music Program, Prussia Cove, Trondheim Chamber Music Festival, and Music@Menlo, collaborating with renowned artists such as Robert Levin, Laurence Lesser, Donald Weilerstein, Cho-Liang Lin, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, and Kim Kashkashian. Co-founder of Project LENS in Boston, he currently serves on the board of Tonhain Kollektiv in Berlin. Rainer graduated in Philosophy from Harvard College and is completing advanced studies at the Berlin University of the Arts under Prof. Jens Peter Maintz.

Taiwanese-American cellist Benjamin Lai has won numerous international competitions, including the Popper, Dotzauer, Hindemith, TONALi Grand Prix, and Janigro cello competitions. Trained by renowned professors such as Jens Peter Maintz, Heinrich Schiff, Julian Steckel, and Troels Svane, he has performed at prestigious venues like the Konzerthaus Berlin, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, and Vienna Musikverein. An avid chamber musician, Lai has been invited to festivals like Music Campus RheinMain, Kissinger Sommer, and Usedomer Musikfestival. Mr. Lai serves as chairperson of Tonhain Kollektiv, Berlin.

Paul Handschke, born in 1993, joined the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in 2018 and has been its Principal Cellist since 2022. He previously gained his orchestral experience in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra. He has won prizes at national level and the Migros Culture Percentage Study Prize.

Laureate of international awards, Nitzan Bartana performs worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician. she has performed with orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom she performed at the Carnegie Hall, and many others. She serves as a concert master at the Basel symphony orchestra.

Critically acclaimed and a graduate of the Juilliard school, Or Re’em is a winner of national and international awards in Israel, France, Italy and the USA. Re'em has been invited to give solo recitals across Israel, Europe, North America, and China, in such venues as the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, KonzertHaus in Berlin, Salle Cortot, Paris, and Palau de la Musica, Barcelona.

Born in Cologne, award-winning pianist Chamot has won more than two dozen prizes. Known for his multifaceted performances, he has made appearances on the world's major stages. Trained by Prof. Sheila Arnold and Claudio Martinez-Mehner, Chamot has performed at prestigious venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie and Vienna Musikverein.

Born in 1997, Vertemati serves as second flute and piccolo in the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich. Trained at the Conservatorio "G. Verdi" in Milan and the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, she has played with numerous orchestras and won several prizes.

Esteemed pianist trained under Konstantin Scherbakov & Mira Marchenko, performed internationally, laureate of Robert Schumann Competition, performs regularly at Tonhalle

Queen Elisabeth Competition finalist, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester's principal cellist, awarded Guy Fallot Prize & Kiefer Hablitzel|Göhner Musikpreis, plays Testore's cello.

Belgian violinist, trained by Zakhar Bron and Augustin Dumay. Awarded at the Lipizer and Hindemith competitions, has served as Concertmaster in multiple orchestras, currently Berner Symphonieorchester. Passionate chamber musician, playing a Vincenzo Panormo violin.

A world-renowned violist, currently a principal viola of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich. He was awarded top prizes at the "Munich ARD Competition" and the "Lionel Tertis Viola Competition".

Trained in clarinet at Delémont Music School and Zurich University of the Arts, Burkhard has won several competitions, including the International Competition for Wind Instruments in Serbia. He has performed with several ensembles, including the Zurich Opera House and Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Born in Portugal, Francisco discovered his love for the horn at his local music school. Graduating from the Conservatório de Música da Jobra, he pursued his dream of becoming an orchestral musician at the Zurich University of the Arts. He has interned with the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn and worked with orchestras such as the Zurich Opera House and the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra.