Other solists we love in London
Welcome to some pianists playing in London this year
Anastasia Kobeknia
German
Cello
One of the worlds best . Kobekina performs on Violoncello Antonio Stradivarius from 1698 generously loaned by Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger.
I saw her in concert at Wigmore Hall playing Janacek and Faure and by chance met a friend who also knew her parents.
Born in Russia, she received her first cello lessons at the age of 4.
Anastasia studied with Frans Helmerson and Prof. Jens-Peter Maintz in Germany and then in Paris with Jerome Pernoo. Currently, she is studying baroque Violoncello with Kristin von der Goltz in Frankfurt.
Anastasia is prizewinner at international competitions such as Tchaikovsky Competition (St. Petersburg 2019) and Enescu Competition (Bucharest 2016). She has been a BBC New Generation Artist from 2018-2021 and became Borletti-Buitoni Trust Artists by receiving an award in 2022. The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival has selected Anastasia for it's 2024 Leonard Bernstein Award.
189000
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Anthony Halstead
18061945 English
Wind
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Antony Friend
Wind
A keen exponent of contemporary and twentieth-century music, he is co-founder of Filthy Lucre, an immersive, mixed-genre new music series.
Old Westminster
After leaving Westminster Antony attended Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music, subsequently with Patrick Messina and Pascal Moraguès in Paris. As a clarinettist, he has worked with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonia
Royal Philharmonic Society Award for his Spotlight Chamber Concerts series.
850
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Augustine Hagelbach
Italian
Hadelich enjoyed a blossoming career as a wunderkind violinist, pianist, and composer in Germany
83000
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![In 2015, Dirvanauskaitė was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium.[2] In 2017, she collaborated with Daniil Trifonov and Gidon Kremer in a recording of trios by Rachmaninoff, which was released by Deutsche Grammophon in 2017](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e516e5_189869993c32442995e213b718d8c9f4~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_166,h_252,al_c,lg_1,q_80,usm_2.00_1.00_0.00,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image-empty-state.jpg)
Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė
Lithuanian
Cello
As a member of the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra – from its start in 1997, and as principal cellist from 2008 – she has recorded more than 30 albums
Saw her at the Barbican in Feb 2025 playing with vgeny Kissin, Maxim Rysanov, and Gidon Kremer
In 2015, Dirvanauskaitė was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium.[2] In 2017, she collaborated with Daniil Trifonov and Gidon Kremer in a recording of trios by Rachmaninoff, which was released by Deutsche Grammophon in 2017
4000
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Marianela Núñez
Dancer
Her mother sent her to ballet classes when she was three. At first, she took dance classes at her teacher's garage. At age five, Núñez decided to focus on ballet
In 1997, at age 15, she auditioned for The Royal Ballet when the company was on tour in Los Angeles, even though she didn't speak English. She was offered a contract, but UK employment law prevented her from working in the UK until age 16.
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Matthew Ball
Dancer
Ball was born in December 1993 in Liverpool.[1][2] His mother is a GCSE dance teacher and his father works in arts education. He started dancing at the age of 6,
entered the Royal Ballet Lower School at 11 and moved to the Upper School at 16. He graduated in 2013,
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Maxim Rysanov
Ukranian
Viola
Grammy-nominated Ukrainian-British violist and conductor, and Principal Guest Conductor of I Musici de Montréal, Maxim Rysanov has an established reputation as one of the world's most vibrant and charismatic musicians. Both as a conductor and a violist, he frequently visits prominent orchestras – often in programmes where he both plays and conducts.
Seen at the Barbican Feb 2025
Guildhall School od Music and Drama
A past winner of Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award and the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Award, Maxim is also a prize-winner at the Geneva, Lionel Tertis and Valentino Bucchi competitions.
41600
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Mikyung Sung
South Korean
Double Bass
Born into a musical family, Mikyung Sung first studied piano and cello, then started playing bass at age 10. Her lessons were initially from her father, Youngseog Sung, who played bass for 30 years in the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She was accompanied on piano by her mother, Inja Choi, who was pianist for the Korean National Choir. Her professional debut as a soloist was at age 12 with the Guri Philharmonic in South Korea
After attending the Sunhwa Arts School, she attended the Korea National University of Arts Preliminary School before earning a Bachelor of Music degree there as a gifted student in 2013, studying with Ho-gyo Lee. She pursued graduate studies in the United States.
In 2010 she was awarded First Prize, Audience Prize, and the Special Jury Prize at the International J. M. Sperger Competition for Double Bass in Germany, At the 2017 Bradetich Foundation Competition she won the internet-voted prize for her finals performance of Bottesini's Concerto No. 2, as well as Honorable Mention overal
13800
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Nicola Benadetti
Italian Scottish
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Nina Simone
American
Pop voice
8900000
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![Gabetta won the Crédit Suisse Young Artist Award in 2004. In 2006, she founded her own festival, the Festival Solsberg. She was awarded the Herbert von Karajan Prize at the Salzburg Easter Festival in 2018.[2]. Other prizes have included the Gramophone Award for Young Artist of the Year in 2010 and the Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany in 2012. At the Echo Klassik Awards, she received the award in 2007, 2009 and 2013, being named Instrumentalist of the Year in 2013. She received the Diapason d'Or for her recordings of Haydn, Mozart and Elgar cello concerti, as well as works by Tchaikovsky and Ginastera. Gabetta has made commercial recordings for Sony and Deutsche Grammophon.[3][4]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e516e5_c3fb2d858170409b997bc2520ba0f6b5~mv2.webp/v1/fill/w_265,h_402,al_c,q_80,usm_2.00_1.00_0.00,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image-empty-state.webp)
Sol Gabetta
French Russian
Cello
Started learning the violin aged 3 and cello at 4 winning her first competition aged 10.
Studied at the Reina Sofia School of Music with Christine Walevska
Gabetta won the Crédit Suisse Young Artist Award in 2004. In 2006, she founded her own festival, the Festival Solsberg. She was awarded the Herbert von Karajan Prize at the Salzburg Easter Festival in 2018.[2]. Other prizes have included the Gramophone Award for Young Artist of the Year in 2010 and the Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany in 2012. At the Echo Klassik Awards, she received the award in 2007, 2009 and 2013, being named Instrumentalist of the Year in 2013. She received the Diapason d'Or for her recordings of Haydn, Mozart and Elgar cello concerti, as well as works by Tchaikovsky and Ginastera. Gabetta has made commercial recordings for Sony and Deutsche Grammophon.[3][4]
150000
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Yasmine Naghdi
Flemish Iranian
Dancer
Due to play Juliet again in March 2025 at the ROH
Andrew's recommendation to see her in the Ongein ballet and then meet her at her book launch at the Southbank. Jill's son at Hill House at the same time too
Grew up in Kensington Attended Hill House before going on Richmond Royal Ballet School at White Lodge. She appeared on the Royal Opera House stage, aged 11, in Cinderella, aged 12 in Swan Lake, and later on in Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.
Naghdi joined The Royal Ballet in April 2010 and was promoted to the rank of first artist by the end of 2011–2012 season. She joined The Royal Ballet in 2010, was promoted to First Artist in 2012, Soloist in 2014, First Soloist in 2016, and Principal in 2017.
At the age of 22, she danced her debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet; The Royal Ballet was celebrating 50 years since Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet premiered at the Royal Opera House in 1965. She danced her debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake aged 24.
In March 2009 she was awarded first prize in the "Young British Dancer of the Year" competition.