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Festival Artists

E L E M E N T S

RCMF

Romsey Chamber Music Festival

23 - 31 May 2026

This year's festival features some of the world's finest young artists: we welcome back Luke Hsu and Emma Roijackers (violins), Marthe Husum and Kyungsik Shin (viola), Rainer Crosett and Lydia Hillerudh (cello), Coby Mendez (guitar) and Ziteng Fan (piano). We are also delighted to welcome back Tom Guthrie (baritone) and Johan Lofving (guitar/theorbo) for the next instalment of the great Schubert song cycles. Joining us for the first time are Ruslan Talas (violin), Anuschka Cidlinsky (viola), Jack Cherry (double bass), Jaehong Kim(baritone), Daniel Shao (flute) and Annie Yim (piano). We are especially excited to feature our first group of exceptional young performers in the RCMF Young Artist Scheme: William Harris (cello), Joanna Lam and Sofia Sacco (piano), Emme Hensel (flute) and the Florens Quartet.

Jack Cherry is a freelance double bassist based in north London. Over the past decade he has built a varied freelance career, performing with leading orchestras, in musical theatre, and recording for television, radio and film. Recent highlights include touring the UK and Europe with The Rock Orchestra, touring China as principal double bass with the National Symphony Orchestra, and performing the Koussevitzky Double Bass Concerto as a soloist. Jack studied music at Anglia Ruskin University, graduating with First Class Honours and the Mark Devin Performance Prize in 2013, before completing a Master’s degree at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where he won the Vernon Elliot Double Bass Competition in 2014.

Jack Cherry

Double Bass

Biography
Anuschka Cidlinsky is a German violist and passionate chamber musician. She has performed alongside renowned artists such as Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Gluzman, Rainer Schmidt, Jens Peter Maintz, Viviane Hagner, Timothy Ridout and Valentin Erben. Her chamber music engagements have brought her to prestigious venues including the Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, as well as international festivals such as OCM Prussia Cove, Krzyzowa Music, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, and the Yellowbarn Festival. She received her formal education from Thomas Riebl at the Mozarteum Salzburg and Nobuko Imai in Amsterdam. As a passionate chamber musician and quartet player, Anuschka has been mentored by esteemed artists such as Eberhard Feltz, the Hagen Quartett, Gerhard Schulz, Thomas Adès, Kirill Gerstein, and Günter Pichler in Madrid. Her musical development has also been influenced by Tabea Zimmermann, Kim Kashkashian, and Jean Sulem. She performs regularly as a substitute with the Berliner Philharmoniker and has appeared as guest principal violist with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Bamberger Symphoniker, Brussel Philharmonic and the Luxembourg Philharmonic. She is a scholarship holder of the Kammermusikstiftung Villa Musica and the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. Anuschka plays a 1690 Antonio Cassini viola, generously loaned to her by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. As of October 2025 she will hold a teaching position at HMTM Hannover as part of the Dorothea Erxleben stipend.

Anuschka Cidlinsky

Viola

Biography
American cellist Rainer Crosett has appeared as a soloist on major stages throughout the United States and Europe and has performed in many renowned chamber music festivals. He came to international attention as the recipient of the 2018 Pierre Fournier Award in London, and has also been honored with the Silver Medal at the 2017 Ima Hogg Competition in Houston, Texas, resulting in a debut with the Houston Symphony. Highlights of recent seasons include his Wigmore Hall recital debut and an upcoming debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. As a chamber musician, Rainer has performed at festivals including Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, the Trondheim Kammermusikkfestival, Prussia Cove, La Jolla SummerFest, and the Perlman Music Program's Chamber Music Workshop. He began his studies in the Harvard-New England Conservatory Joint Program, through which he received his M.M. from New England Conservatory and his A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy from Harvard College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior and was named a John Harvard Scholar. He was also the recipient of Harvard’s Lucy Allen Paton Prize for excellence in the humanities and fine arts and an Artist Development Fellowship. Rainer received his Artist Diploma from the University of Southern California and he is now continuing his graduate studies at the Berlin University of the Arts with Jens Peter Maintz. His other principal teachers and mentors have included Ralph Kirshbaum and Paul Katz.

Rainer Crosett

Cello

Biography
Chinese-born Finnish pianist Ziteng Fan is a versatile musician who has appeared in solo recitals and chamber music concerts in the UK, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Portugal, Germany, Belgium and China. She has performed as a soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Camerata and the Helsinki Junior Strings. She has also appeared in various festivals, including Romsey Chamber Music Festival, Musica Nova Helsinki, SibaFest and Musica Mundi International Chamber Music Festival. Her musical career has been generously supported by organisations such as Dartington Hall Trust, Finnish Wihuri Foundation and Martin Wegelius Foundation. She was twice selected as “Young Artist of the Year” by Zonta International and Finnish Rotary club respectively. Ziteng is a prize winner in several piano competitions, including the Sterndale Bennett Piano Competition in UK, the Helmi Vesa Piano Competition in Helsinki and the Chopin 200th Anniversary Piano Competition in China. She is also the recepient of the RAM Else Cross Prize. ​Her career in music began at the age of four, studying piano with Professor Chaoming Chen from Shenyang Conservatory in China. After moving to Finland at the age of seven, she studied under Hanna Kamensky at the Northwest Helsinki Music Institute before joining the Junior Department of Sibelius Academy in 2000. Under the tutorship of Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna and Juhani Lagerspetz, she graduated from Sibelius Academy with distinction in BMus in 2013 and in MMus in 2018. Between 2015 and 2017, under the tutorship of Professor Hamish Milne, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she graduated also with distinction in MA in 2017. ​Ziteng is also a passionate and active chamber musician. Her piano trio, the Mila Piano Trio, regularly gives concerts and workshops across the UK. Their recent performances have included debuts at Buxton International Festival, at St. John’s Smith Square and at St. Martin-in-the-Fields as finalists of the 2018 St. Martin’s Chamber Music competition. They have been awarded First Prize in chamber music category at VERÃO CLÁSSICO Festival and have won prizes in the Isaacs and Pirani Piano Trio Competition and the RAM Historical Women Composers Competition.

Ziteng Fan

Piano

Biography
Praised for their “playing of such passion and authority” (Classical Source, 2023), the Goethe String Quartet is quickly emerging as one of Europe’s most exciting string quartets. The quartet is comprised of Luke Hsu and Laura Rickard, violins; Marthe Husum, viola; and Rainer Crosett, cello. The GSQ has appeared at festivals in the UK, US, and Europe over the past several years, performing a wide range of works from Haydn to Berg and contemporary music. Most recently, they were Artists-in-Residence at Yellow Barn in Putney, Vermont (US), focusing on Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 132 and three commissioned works written for them by celebrated composers Eun Young Lee, William Cooper, and Reinaldo Moya. Their 2025 American tour included debut performances at Yellow Barn and in the Boston area, at the Wayland Concert Series and Wellesley Chamber Music. A highlight of their 2025 summer will be their debut at Presteigne Festival (Wales) and their return to the Romsey Chamber Music Festival. The quartet has also appeared at the HearAndNow Festival Amsterdam 2024, performing Berg Op. 3 live on the Netherlands’ NTR Radio 4, and in the Bartok Salon Amsterdam 2023 performing Bartok String Quartet No. 3. They have collaborated with artists such as Donald Weilerstein, Doric String Quartet, Kim Kashkashian, Laurence Lesser, Parker String Quartet, Miro Quartet, Levon Chilingirian, Anthony Marwood, Roger Tapping, Gunther Pichler, and Paul Katz. Individually, they have also received international recognition and prizes such as: Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition 2019 (Laureate), Pierre Fournier Award 2018 (Winner), Isaacs and Pirini Competition (First Prize), Verão Clássico Chamber Music Competition (First Prize), and Associateships of the Royal Academy of Music.

Goethe String Quartet

Biography
Tom is an acclaimed collaborative theatre and music maker. He began his musical life as a chorister at St John’s College, Cambridge under George Guest before returning to complete a degree in Classics at Trinity College. Specialising in violin and voice, he then went on a scholarship to do a Performing Masters at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he won the Fassbaender Award for Lieder, the Schubert Prize and a scholarship for further study with Sir Thomas Allen in Chicago. Directing credits include Aida (Liceu), Semele (La Scala, Rome, Paris, London, Barcelona), Flying Dutchman, Marriage of Figaro and Magic Flute (Longborough Festival), Dido and Aeneas (Barbican, Bodø, Vache Baroque Festival), Donizetti’s Rita and Walton’s The Bear (ROH), Julian Grant’s Hot House (ROH), David Lang’s Shout Out and Public Domain (LSO/Barbican/Spitalfields), Jonathan Dove’s Monster in the Maze (LSO/Barbican, Grange Festival), Purcell’s Fairy Queen and Rossini’s Barber of Seville (ETO), King Arthur (touring), Monteverdi’s Orfeo (Princeton, USA, London, Brighton), Caccini’s Ruggiero, Gagliano’s Dafne and The Bootmaker’s Daughter (Brighton), Orlando (Barber Institute), Mozart’s Apollo et Hyacinth and Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots (Classical Opera Company), Bach’s St Matthew and St John Passions (York Early Music Festival, Oxford Bach Soloists). He has revived Andrea Chenier (Beijing), Barber of Seville, Magic Flute (winner of What’s On Stage Best Revival) and Marriage of Figaro for the Royal Opera House. He champions grassroots work. Highlights include directing Carmen for the Prison Choir Project at Dartmoor Prison, and his own arrangement and production of ‘SAL:VEH’ for the National Youth Choir at the Royal Festival Hall, which mixed South American renaissance polyphony with Arturo Marquez’ Danson 2 arranged for 5 choirs. Tom’s recent arrangements and videos include Where Have All the Flowers Gone made with friends, neighbours and colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic which raised over £10,000 for Help Musicians, featured on US and Finnish TV and radio, and has been archived in the BFI’s Lockdown Collection. As a singer, commercial recording highlights include Biber with Sonnerie (winner of a Gramophone Award 2002), Bach Cantatas with John Eliot Gardiner (2000), and Denisov in Prokofiev’s War and Peace (1999, live from Spoleto) with Sir Richard Hickox. He has sung at venues across the world, including regularly at the Wigmore Hall and South Bank in London, and was for over 25 years a choirman at Temple Church in London, where his two sons were choristers (they also sang as two of the Three Boys in his production of Magic Flute at Longborough Festival). More recently he has performed all over the world with Barokksolistene’s Alehouse and Playhouse projects, appearing on BBC4 and regularly on the radio both in the UK and elsewhere, as well as on recordings with the band for Rubicon Classics. In 2014 he founded his own charity, Music and Theatre for All, to allow him to explore and develop his interest in physicality, music and text, and mix his passion for locally based and generated creative work with his international career as a performer and director. Inspired by the idea that storytelling is inherently connected to place and community, MTFA received critical acclaim for its inaugural Death Actually show, which premiered at the Spitalfields Festival and included the world’s first full staging of three Bach motets. Current projects include the Lewisham Creative Chorus, which has grown out of a new Gwyneth Herbert/participant-created Urban Opera for Lewisham as part of the London Borough of Culture celebrations 2022; The Hive, a national network of recycled intimate performance spaces; and Schubert 200 (of which this is the first part), for which he is arranging and dramatising each of Schubert’s song cycles with long-term collaborators and fellow-performers Barokksolistene/The Alehouse Boys in time for the 200th anniversary of each cycle’s composition. Tom’s latest work, Stories We Tell Ourselves, which premiered in Spring 2023, was co-devised with Lewisham Creative Chorus in response to Schubert’s Die schöne Mullerin, and featuring Laura Rickard and friends from the Outcry Ensemble.

Thomas Guthrie

Baritone

Biography
Cellist Lydia Hillerudh was born into a musical family in Stockholm, Sweden - she is in fact the oldest out of seven sisters who all grew up playing the cello. Lydia began her cello studies in 2000 with Elisabeth Lysell-Bjermkvist, and in 2012 she won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she was mentored by Mats Lidström and Robert Cohen. She graduated with Distinction in 2017, and was also awarded the Barbirolli Prize for her solo playing and outstanding studentship. Lydia is currently enrolled on the Advanced Course at the Royal College in Stockholm, studying with Finnish cellist Johannes Rostamo. In 2022, Lydia was one of two recipients of the prestigious Järnåker award. Lydia is currently active in the UK and Sweden, mainly as a chamber musician and soloist. Her main chamber music partners include the Mila Piano Trio and the Tritium Trio (clarinet, cello & piano trio). Recent highlights have included performing concertos by Schumann and Elgar with Henley Symphony Orchestra and Wyatt Sinfonia, and performing chamber music at festivals such as Ashwell, Buxton, Islington, Dartington and Romsey. As an orchestral principal and co-principal, she regularly guests orchestras such as Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Musica Vitae and Västerås Sinfonietta.

Lydia Hillerudh

Cello

Biography
Born in Shanghai, raised in Houston, and currently living in Berlin, American violinist and composer Luke Hsu (ARAM - Associate at the Royal Academy of Music) has an artistic philosophy that eschews borders. Believing in the power of art to transcend the boundaries of one’s lived experience, he draws on his passions for history, culture, and folk music in crafting his interpretations, and champions music of our time as enthusiastically as that of the past. Luke’s performances have been critically praised around the world, most recently by the critics from his Warsaw Philharmonic debut as “playing with perfect technique” and from Seen and Heard International as “jaw-dropping.” Luke maintains an active performing schedule as a soloist and a chamber musician. Currently, he is bringing the complete Paganini 24 Caprices to halls across Europe and the US, garnering critical acclaim everywhere. He has appeared as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Windsor Castle, Kennedy Center, Herkulessaal, Philharmonie Berlin, BOZAR, and many others. He has soloed with numerous renowned orchestras from around the world, and worked closely with eminent conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Pascal Verrot, Nikolaj Znaider, Hugh Wolff, Cristian Macelaru and Jean-Jacques Kantarow. He has also played for royalty around the world including His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward and Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium. In addition to his solo appearances, Luke is a devoted and passionate chamber musician. With four other Berlin-based musicians, Luke is a founding member of Tonhain Kollektiv, an exciting chamber music society based in Berlin. He is also a founding member of the Goethe Quartet. In addition, he has collaborated with luminaries such as Itamar Golan, Cho-Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Peter Frankl, and Colin Carr. His festival appearances include Verbier, Gstaad, Presteigne, Romsey, La Jolla SummerFest, Wieniawski, Music@Menlo, and Yellow Barn. Luke is also regularly invited to Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music. A laureate of the Queen Elisabeth competition, Luke has won prizes at many of the most prestigious violin competitions in the world. He won the Bronze Medal, the Bach Prize, and the Mozart Sonata Prize at the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and the 1st prize at the ISANGYUN Competition. Luke has been consistently lauded for his interpretations of Mozart, receiving another special prize for them at the Wieniawski Competition. His other major prizes have come from the Nielsen, Wieniawski, Michael Hill, and Paganini competitions. As a teacher, Luke gives frequent masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was recently selected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) for his significant contributions to the music profession. He currently plays on a rare violin made by Francesco Gobetti, circa 1710.

Luke Hsu

Violin

Biography
Marthe Husum discovered music almost by chance when she arrived at Horten School of Arts at the age of seven. Growing up on a vegetable farm outside Tønsberg, the contrast to the world of Mozart and Haydn was striking—but it opened the door to an entirely new and captivating universe. It was through her encounter with the viola, and with her mentor Morten Carlsen, that music became a serious pursuit. Marthe entered the Talent Programme at the Norwegian Academy of Music, where she also began her bachelor studies under Carlsen’s guidance. She continued her education with Walter Küssner in Berlin, Kim Kashkashian in Boston, and later a soloist degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with Lars Anders Tomter. Chamber music and orchestral playing at the highest level have always been at the heart of Marthe’s musical life. She is a member of Ensemble Allegria and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and appears regularly as a guest with leading international ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. In Norway, she is frequently invited to guest as principal with most of the country’s major orchestras. Together with Maria Angelika Carlsen, she recorded Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Ensemble Allegria for LAWO Classics—a release that was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy (Spellemann Award) in 2018. She is also a recipient of the Leonie Sonning Talent Prize and the Arve Tellefsen Talent Prize. Beyond music, Marthe has a deep appreciation for nature, and some of her most cherished projects are those that take her to beautiful places such as Banff, North of Norway, Cornwall etc. When passionate, dedicated musicians are surrounded by magnificent nature, the greatest inspiration and the most moving musical moments happens! With Marthe’s keen appreciation of nature, some highlights have been projects that have taken her to exceedingly beautiful places, such as Prussia Cove in Cornwall, Banff National Park in Canada, Verbier in Switzerland, as well as Vesterålen and Hardanger in Norway. The encounter with committed musicians in such unique natural surroundings that leads to inspiring and moving music.

Marthe Husum

Viola

Biography
Jaehong Kim is a Korean baritone currently completing a Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he studies with Mark Wildman. From next year, he will continue his training at opera school, focusing on operatic performance and professional development. He has appeared in a range of operatic and concert performances. His operatic roles include Ford (Falstaff), Dr Falke (Die Fledermaus), and Hamlet (Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas). He has also sung in the chorus for productions of Carmen and L’elisir d’amore. His concert experience includes performances of Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler Symphony No. 2, and Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder.

Jaehong Kim

Baritone

Biography
Johan Löfving has distinguished himself as one of the new generation of musicians and has been praised for his communicative musicianship and unique playing style. He has established himself as both a soloist and chamber musician on the international concert scene and has appeared in, among others, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and Milton Court in London, Sage Gateshead in Newcastle and Konzertsaal der Wiener Sängerknaben MuTh in Vienna. Over the years, Johan has received many awards and prizes, among these the London International Guitar Competition, the Uppsala International Guitar Festival, the Jörgen Rörby Scholarship and the Royal Academy of Music's scholarships. In addition, he has appeared on BBC Radio 3 & 4 and Sweden's Radio P2. His growing interest in early music has manifested itself through a number of concerts on romantic guitar and theorb but also chamber music, mainly with the Flauguissimo Duo together with the flutist Yu-Wei Hu. After starting to play guitar at Årjäng's Kommunala Musikskola with Lars Eriksson, his studies continued with Sven Lundestad and Bo Hansson, then at the Royal College of Music in London where he studied with Gary Ryan and Jakob Lindberg and finally with Prof. Robert Wolff at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Johan Löfving

Guitar

Biography
Coby Mendez was born in Morelia, Mexico and studied viola at the Conservatorio de las Rosas with Maestra Gellya Dubrova before gaining a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music under Jonathan Barritt. Coby has previously held positions as co-principal of the Michoacan State Symphony orchestra and principal of the University of Michoacan chamber orchestra and has recently taken part in concerts with different RCM Historical Performance ensembles in the UK and France while having lessons with Pablo de Pedro Cano and Annette Isserlis. Coby is grateful to have been supported in his studies by the H.M.D. Meyer Violin Prize.

Coby Mendez

Viola

Biography
Beginning piano lessons at age 7, Robert was involved in a diverse range of music making throughout his youth. He studied composition at Birmingham Conservatoire with Richard Causton and Edwin Roxburgh (BMus: 2006-10), and then at the Royal Academy of Music under Simon Bainbridge (MMus/LRAM: 2010-12, PhD: 2016-2022). Over his time at the RAM, Robert’s work was awarded various prizes including the 2011 Eric Coates Prize, the 2012 Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize, and the 2016 Priaulx Rainier Prize. On completing his MMus with distinction, he was awarded a DipRAM, The Charles Lucas Memorial Prize for best composition, and the Edwin Samuel Dove Prize for special merit during studentship. Robert also received valuable tuition from Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Oliver Knussen and Christopher Austin during his studies, and whilst attending the Britten-Pears contemporary music course at Aldeburgh in 2013. Described in the press as ‘…ear-tingling […] genuine music.’ (Geoff Brown, The Times), ‘…incident-packed, capricious and emotional…’ (Colin Anderson, Classical Source), and ‘…work of substance and resonance…’ (Paul Conway, Musical Opinion), Robert’s work has been performed across the UK and abroad by a wide range of professional, non-professional, amateur and young musicians; programmed and commissioned by major festivals; and broadcast on BBC television and BBC Radio 3. (July 2023)

Robert Peate

Composer

Biography
Acclaimed British violinist Laura Rickard is crafting a multifaceted international career as a highly sought-after chamber musician and soloist, festival director, and passionate teacher. In demand as a concerto soloist, she regularly appears with orchestras across the UK, with recent performances at Royal Festival Hall and the Purcell Room. She has been featured on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, and NBC, and was also recently elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of her remarkable contributions to the field. As a founding member of the Mila Piano Trio, Laura has performed on many of the world’s renowned stages. Recent successes include winning first prize at Verao Classico, debuts at St Martin-in-the-Fields and St. John's Smith Square, and appearing at many of the UK's leading festivals. As a chamber musician and orchestral principal, Laura is regularly invited to play at festivals including Winchester, Montesinho (Portugal), San Miguel de Allende (Mexico), Atlantic (USA) and Presteigne. A keen proponent of contemporary music, Laura has commissioned and premiered works by some of the leading composers of her generation. Recent premieres include Robert Peate’s Concerto for Violin and Double Orchestra and Cydonie Banting’s Alpha for solo violin. Laura is the founder and Artistic Director of the Romsey Chamber Music Festival, one of the UK’s leading festivals of its kind, which brings world-class artists to her hometown each Spring, featuring an imaginatively curated and diverse programme of chamber music. Praised by Classical Source as "a little gem" and by Seen and Heard International as "remarkable", the festival’s activities continue throughout the year. It has an ambitious education programme which has reached over 3000 children in Hampshire which covers first access in primary schools, coaching young musicians, side-by-side projects and masterclasses. Other activities include regular residencies and concerts, and commissions of new works by composers. "The atmosphere of camaraderie and joie de vivre has characterized the festival since its inception in 2018" - The Hampshire Chronicle. Laura studied at St John’s College, Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music, where her teachers included Erich Gruenberg, Remus Azoitei, Alex Redington. Her studies were generously funded by the Academy and the Craxton Memorial Trust, she was awarded a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital and the Doris Faulkner Prize for her studentship. She was then appointed as Meaker Fellow in Violin and now continues teaching violin and chamber music at the Academy and King’s College London.

Laura Rickard

Artistic Director and Violin

Biography
Emma has established herself as an active chamber musician, soloist and orchestral player, performing in the best halls of The Netherlands including The Concertgebouw (broadcast live on national radio) and all over Europe. Emma regularly collaborates with some of Holland's most famous musicians including Maria Milstein, Caspar Vos, Lisa Jacobs, Michael Zemtsov. She has also been invited to play at several renowned international chamber music festivals, such as the International Chamber Music Festival in Utrecht in Holland, the Francigena International Arts Festival and the Festival Internazionale di Musica (Portogruaro) in Italy, and the Festival Internacional De Música De Marvão in Portugal. ​During the 2021-2022 season Emma will be giving a variety of chamber music concerts, recitals concerts and concertmaster appearances including concerts in Germany, Hungary, Corsica, Portugal and Switzerland and Emma will be returning to the major halls in The Netherlands. She will also appear as a soloists in works by Beethoven and Bruch. She has been given full financial support to create her very own education concert series, which she will develop and perform in schools all over the Netherlands this season. ​Emma has received a number of awards including the ‘Laberté Hoedemaker at the Peter de Groote Festival and she received numerous prizes at the National Prinses Chrsitina Competition. She has also been accepted as one of the twelve participants to Crans- Montana Classics in Switzerland, with artistic director renowned violinist Schlomo Mintz. Recent concerto appearances have included performances of works by Brahms, Bach, Mozart and Vasks. ​Emma was concertmaster of the ensemble ‘The String Soloists’ where she has also appeared as a soloist. Their most recent CD was praised by BBC Music Magazine as being ‘Crisp clean playing’ and by Musicweb International ‘Style and sensitivity meets the exquisite and sophisticated’. Since this year She plays with the Cologne chamber orchestra as second concertmaster. Emma is regularly asked to play with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the Residence Orchestra The Hague, The Noord Nederlands Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Netherlands. ​Emma’s studies began at the junior department at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Emma continued her studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam under Prof. Ilya Grubert and graduated with the highest mark “10”. She then received full funding from the Netherlands to continue her studies with Lukas Hagen in Salzburg where she is currently finishing her post-graduate diploma. Additional inspiration has come from lessons and masterclasses by world famous violinists and musicians such as Christoph Poppen, Leonidas Kavakos, Gerhard Schultz, Schlomo Mintz, Schmuel Ashkenasi, Zakhar Bron, Ray Chen and Jaap van Zweden. Emma plays on a violin built by Giovanni Grancino (1700-1705, Milan), generously given to her on extended loan by an anonymous benefactor.

Emma Roijackers

Violin

Biography
Daniel Shao is a versatile British-Chinese flautist who regularly performs with orchestras, ensembles, and as a soloist. Praised for showing “virtuosity, charm, and charisma in abundance” (Ivan Hewitt, The Telegraph), he has played guest principal with the Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Ulster Orchestra. Daniel was previously Associate Member with the Philharmonia (2019-2021), Principal Piccolo with the European Union Youth Orchestra, and a Fellow at Music Academy of the West in California. He has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Daniel’s awards include winning the Royal Over-Seas League Competition Wind Prize 2024, featuring as a Classic FM Rising Star 2023, and being televised as a BBC Young Musician Wind Finalist 2014. As concerto soloist, he has performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (UK premiere of Ma Shui-Long’s Bamboo Flute Concerto), Oxford Philharmonic, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and has given many solo performances around China. He was selected for the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme and the Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist Scheme, which led to recitals all over the UK, and recently performed with artists from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Centre NYC for Brandenburg Concertos at Surrey Hills International Music Festival. He has been invited for chamber events at at Presteigne, Leicester, Dublin, JAM, Newbury, and Buxton festivals, and at venues such as Wigmore Hall. Passionate about new music, he has worked with the London Sinfonietta, Manchester Collective and Riot Ensemble, studied contemporary techniques with Sophie Cherrier at Lucerne Festival Academy, and is a founding member of Tangram – Associate Artists at LSO St Luke’s. He also regularly records scores for Film and Television, with recent soundtracks including Alien: Romulus, and The End We Start From. Daniel began the flute with Deanne Payne at primary school growing up in South London, later studying at the Purcell School, University of Oxford and Royal Academy of Music with Katie Bicknell and Samuel Coles, also taking classes with Clara Andrada, Emily Beynon, Kersten McCall and Emmanuel Pahud, graduating with first-class honours and DipRAM, and was elected an Associate of RAM in 2025.

Daniel Shao

Flute

Biography
Kyungsik Shin has established him as one of most compelling violist among his generation. Following his recent success winning the first prize at the Max Rostal International Violin and Viola Competition, he was named first prize winner of the 28th International Johannes Brahms Competition, International Anton Rubinstein Competition, second prize with "Gewa" prize at the 78th International Prague Spring Competition, as well as the second prize and the Audience prize at the Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition. After winning the KBS Music Competition for the first time ever as a violist, and his early debut with the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Symphony Orchestra, he started career as a soloist, performing with Korean Symphony Orchestra, Gangnam Symphony Orchestra, Cheongju Symphony Orchestra, and the SNU Symphony Orchestra, as well as opening the 2022 season for the Kumho Young Artist Concert series, and the Seoul Arts Center Summer Music Festival Concerts. As an avid chamber musician, he participated in the "Chamber Music Connects the World" performing with Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, and Steven Isserlis at the Kronberg Academy. He has also took part in Seiji Ozawa International Chamber Music Festival, Tianjin Juilliard Chamber Music Festival, Ljubljana Music Festival, Třeboňská Noctura Music Festival, performing and expanding his musical ideas. Since his move to Europe, his appearances with Munich Chamber Orchestra, Czech Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, Hradec Králové Philharmonic Orchestra, Euro Symphony SFK, Barocco Sempre Giovanne orchestra have established him as one of the upcoming soloist of his time. Kyungsik began his studies at a very young age at the Korea National University of Arts, and the Seoul National University, studying with Eun-sik Choi. After graduating with the highest distinction, he continued his studies at the University of Arts Berlin with Prof. Hartmut Rohde where he completed his Master's Degree and is currently obtaining his Konzertexamen. His studies are being supported by Hyundai Foundation and DAAD Scholarshrip.

Kyungsik Shin

Viola

Biography
Ruslan Talas is a violinist born in Kazakhstan. His musical journey has been shaped by the European, Russian, and Kazakh violin traditions, which continue to inform his multifaceted and passionate approach to the instrument. He began his musical education at the Kazakh National Academy of Music in Astana (2005–2010), studying under Tamara Karp and Valery Magay. He continued his studies at the Central Music School in Moscow (2010–2017) under Irina Bochkova, before enrolling at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow, where he studied from 2017 to 2021 under Irina Bochkova and Graf Mourja, and continued advanced studies through 2022. He also studied for many years with Vladimir Reider in Israel. Ruslan pursued further education at the HEMU Conservatory in Sion, Switzerland, studying under Janine Jansen. He is currently studying at the Kronberg Academy in Germany in the class of Janine Jansen under the patronage of the Carola and Gerd Kaiser Foundation. Ruslan Talas is a laureate and prizewinner of numerous international violin competitions. His distinctions include Laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (2024), Laureate (II Prize) of the Stuttgart International Violin Competition (2024), Finalist of the Montreal International Musical Competition (2023), Winner of the Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition (2022), Winner of the Worldvision Music Contest (2022), Winner of the Vietnam International Violin and Chamber Music Competition (2019), Laureate of the Postacchini International Competition (2018), Winner of the VIII International Tchaikovsky Youth Competition (2014), Laureate of the Yankelevich International Violin Competition (2011), etc. He has performed at major international venues including the Berlin Philharmonic, Wiener Konzerthaus, Bozar in Brussels, Salle Cortot in Paris, Liederhalle Beethovensaal, the Zaryadye State Concert Hall, the Radio Hall in Romania, and the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. His concert activity has taken him to halls and philharmonic venues in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Astana, Tashkent, Beijing, Montreal, Stuttgart, Hanoi, Vienna, Dubai, Brussels, Mexico City, and many others. As a soloist, Ruslan Talas has appeared with numerous orchestras, including the Belgian National Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, State Symphony Svetlanov Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Hanoi Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra for Children and Youth, New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, Taurida International Orchestra, La Primavera Chamber Orchestra, Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra, Omsk Academic Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the State Academic Philharmonic of Astana, the Sun Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, the Eurasian Symphony Orchestra, the San Luis Potosi Symphony Orchestra, Nova Orchestra (NOW!), and the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. He has collaborated with conductors such as Antony Hermus, Rafael Payare, Mikhail Golikov, Ariel Zuckermann, Vladimir Spivakov, Olivier Ochanine, William Garfield Walker, Aidar Torybaev, Rustam Abyazov, Yuri Tkachenko, Dmitry Vasiliev, Anvar Nusupayev, Ulukbek Imamov, and Yuri Beretsky. In addition to his solo career, Ruslan Talas is an active chamber musician. He has collaborated with artists including Janine Jansen, Denis Kozhukhin, Antje Weithaas, Jens Peter Maintz, Daniel Blendulf, Timothy Ridout, Boris Brovtsyn, and Gareth Lubbe. He also regularly performs with rising young talents such as Hana Chang, Noga Shaham, Nikola Meeuwsen, Benjamin Kruithof, Jaemin Han, Oliver Herbert, Alim Beisembayev, Stephen Waarts, LiLa, Sao Soulez Larivière, and Lilja Haatainen. He has performed in chamber ensembles including the Belcea String Quartet, the Cremona String Quartet, and the Leonkoro Quartet. Ruslan has participated in major international festivals and academies, including the Seiji Ozawa International Academy (2024), Sion Festival Academy (2024, 2025), Paganini Festival (2023), International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht (2024, 2025), George Enescu Festival (2025), Rhinegold Festival (2025), and Ostinato Festival (2025). He has taken part in masterclasses with Ivry Gitlis, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Sir András Schiff, Viktor Tretyakov, Shlomo Mintz, Viktor Danchenko, Antje Weithaas, Vadim Gluzman, Kirill Gerstein, Denis Kozhukhin, Pavel Vernikov, Boris Kushnir, Christine Busch, Sadao Harada, Régis Pasquier, Marie Chilemme, Alena Baeva, and others. He has also worked with the Borodin State Quartet, Kopelman Quartet, and Quartetto di Cremona as a member of the Tchaikovsky Youth Quartet.

Ruslan Talas

Violin

Biography
Annie Yim is a Hong Kong-born Canadian concert pianist, creative collaborator, and founder of MusicArt based in London. Her performance has been described by The Times as "the most beautiful sounds, radiantly coloured, thoughtfully articulated”. Known for her wide-ranging solo and chamber music repertoire that encompasses canonic works and new music, Annie has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, and national radios in Canada and Portugal, and made her UK concerto debut at LSO St Luke’s, London. Passionate about collaborations and commissioning new works across art forms, Annie founded MusicArt in 2015 in London, an initiative to create original artist-led performance projects. From London to Berlin and Salzburg, her performances with artists and art spaces were featured in New York T Magazine, Artnet, and Gramophone. She is a recipient of Art Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice award in 2021 for her current work in making connections between music and nature, and Help Musicians UK’s Do It Differently award in 2022. Annie has worked closely with contemporary artists including painter Sir Christopher Le Brun PRA, composers Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Raymond Yiu, and poets Zaffar Kunial and Kayo Chingonyi; and with leading art galleries and national organisations including The Poetry Society (UK) and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (US). Her most recent collaboration has brought together the piano etudes of Philip Glass and the drawings of artist Richard Serra. Her book chapter 'MusicArt: Creating Dialogue Across the Arts' was published by Palgrave Macmillan in the edited volume ‘Researching and Writing on Contemporary Art and Artists’ in 2020. Annie is founding member of the Minerva Piano Trio, who made their London debut at the Southbank Centre in 2014. She was St John’s Smith Square Young Artist in Residence in 2016/17. Her trio album ‘Dance!’ was released on the SOMM label in 2022 to critical acclaim, which includes her arrangement of a work by Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Caroline Shaw. Raised in Vancouver, Annie’s teachers include Robert Silverman at the University of British Columbia and Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music. She was awarded a Doctor of Musical Arts for her performance-based research on Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms at the Guildhall School of Music and City, University of London. Annie was appointed Lecturer and Course Leader in Music Performance at London College of Music, University of West London in July 2023.

Annie Yim

Piano

Biography

RCMF Young Artists 2025/26

Florens Quartet

Biography

Sofia Sacco

Piano

Biography

Joanna Lam

Piano

Biography

Emme Hensel

Flute

Biography

William Harris

Violin

Biography
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