FESTIVAL MOZART
Waterloo International Chamber Music Festival
Waterloo / Belgium - Nagakute / Japan

ALISSA MARGULIS / violin

German violinist of Russian origin, Alissa Margulis is renowned for the expressive intensity and emotional depth of her performances. She appears regularly in many of the world's leading concert halls, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Musikverein in Vienna, BOZAR – Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Tonhalle Zurich, Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow. She studied in Cologne with Zakhar Bron, in Brussels with Augustin Dumay, and in Vienna with Pavel Vernikov. A prizewinner at several international competitions, she was awarded the Pro Europa Prize by the European Arts Foundation, presented to her by Daniel Barenboim. Alissa Margulis made her concerto debut at the age of seven and has since performed with numerous leading orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Belgian National Orchestra, the New Russia Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Orchestras of Kyiv, Ljubljana and Minsk. She has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Ivor Bolton, François-Xavier Roth, Lars Vogt, Jaap van Zweden, Howard Griffiths, Yuri Bashmet and Gidon Kremer. A devoted chamber musician, she has shared the stage with artists including Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky, Alexandre Tharaud, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Ivry Gitlis, David Geringas, Bruno Giuranna, Gabriela Montero and Stephen Kovacevich. She is also a regular guest at prestigious international festivals, including Verbier, Gstaad, Schleswig-Holstein, the George Enescu Festival, the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, Salzburg Mozart Week and the Progetto Martha Argerich Festival in Lugano. Her extensive discography of more than fifteen recordings includes works by Mozart, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Enescu, Messiaen, Liszt and Piazzolla. Several of her recordings with Martha Argerich have received Grammy Award nominations and have been honoured with the prestigious Diapason d'Or.

YUZUKO HORIGOME / violin

Born in Tokyo, Yuzuko Horigome began studying the piano at the age of four and the violin at the age of five. After her first lessons with Ryosaku Kubota, she continued her musical training with Toshiya Eto at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. Her international career began in 1980 when she won First Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Since then, she has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic. She has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Seiji Ozawa, Riccardo Chailly, Herbert Blomstedt, André Previn and Iván Fischer. A dedicated chamber musician, Yuzuko Horigome is a regular guest at major international festivals including Marlboro, Lockenhaus, Tanglewood, La Jolla and Lugano. She has shared the stage with distinguished artists such as Martha Argerich, Rudolf Serkin, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, Nobuko Imai, Abdel Rahman El Bacha and Jean-Marc Luisada. She is also the founder of the Casals Hall Quartet, which was appointed Resident Quartet of Tokyo's Casals Hall. Deeply committed to contemporary music, she has worked closely with composers including Toru Takemitsu, Akira Miyoshi, Joji Yuasa, Toshio Hosokawa and Misato Mochizuki, premiering and recording numerous works written especially for her. Her extensive discography, released on labels including Sony, Denon, Camerata Tokyo, Dabringhaus & Grimm, Octavia and Pavane, spans a wide repertoire ranging from Bach and Mozart to Brahms, Bruch and contemporary Japanese music. Alongside her international performing career, Yuzuko Horigome is Professor of Violin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the Conservatorium Maastricht. She regularly gives masterclasses throughout Europe, Japan and North America and serves on the juries of leading international competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition, the Montreal International Music Competition, the Indianapolis International Violin Competition and the Sendai International Music Competition, where she has chaired the violin jury since 2016.

NICOLAS DUPONT / violin

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Nicolas Dupont is one of Belgium’s leading violinists of his generation. Based in Brussels since 2017, he has performed in renowned venues including Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, BOZAR, Flagey, Philharmonie de Paris, La Seine Musicale and the Boulezsaal. He studied with Dejan Mijajev, Yuzuko Horigome, Itamar Golan and Rodney Friend. A sought-after chamber musician, he regularly collaborates with artists such as Yuzuko Horigome, Justus Grimm, Mihaela Martin, Tatiana Samouil and Pascal Moragues. As a member of several ensembles, he has premiered more than 90 contemporary works and has recorded over 25 albums featuring both major repertoire and music by Belgian composers. Leader of the Ataneres Ensemble, Nicolas Dupont has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Orchestre National de Lille, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the Santander Festival Orchestra. He is Professor of Violin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

YUICHIRO HARUNO / violin

Young Artists 2026

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Born in Japan in 2004, Yuichiro Haruno began studying the violin at the age of two through the Suzuki Method. In 2013, he toured Europe as a member of Sumire no Kai. Selected as a soloist, he performed Kreisler's Variations on a Theme by Corelli in Paris, Leipzig and Altenburg. In 2016, he joined the Super Kids Orchestra under the direction of Yutaka Sado, performing in concerts throughout Japan in support of communities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. A prizewinner of several competitions, he won the Kariya Music International Competition in 2017 and the Grand Prize at the Aoniyoshi Competition in 2018. As part of this award, he performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with orchestra in Nara. In 2023, he was selected to join the Verbier Festival Orchestra. He is currently studying in the Young Talent Programme at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under the guidance of Aki Sauliere. He is also a member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and regularly performs as an extra musician with the Brussels Philharmonic.

DANIEL RUBENSTEIN / violin - viola - piano

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Belgian violinist, violist and pianist Daniel Rubenstein has built an international career that combines performance, teaching, artistic direction and musical research. A graduate with distinction of both the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and Indiana University (USA) in all three disciplines, he is one of the few musicians of his generation to pursue a high-level career on each of these instruments. Firs prizewinner of several National Violin Competition (Pro Civitate, Édouard Deru and Lioness Club Young Virtuoso competitions), he made his concerto debut at the age of fifteen with the Belgian National Orchestra. Since then, he has performed in more than twenty countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South America, appearing in prestigious venues including BOZAR and Flagey in Brussels, the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, Minato Mirai Hall in Yokohama, the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada and the Henry Crown Symphony Hall in Jerusalem. A dedicated chamber musician, his repertoire encompasses nearly two hundred works, performed alongside distinguished artists such as Augustin Dumay, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Pascal Moraguès, Michel Lethiec, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Alexander Dmitriev, Hagai Shaham, Olivier Charlier and Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden. He is first violinist of the Mendelssohn Ensemble and has also served as violist of the Malher Piano Quartet, the Guarneri String Trio and the Trio Estampes. Deeply committed to contemporary music, Daniel Rubenstein has premiered more than fifty works dedicated to him by composers including Jacqueline Fontyn, Claude Ledoux, Michel Lysight, Jan Freidlin, Don Freund and Jean-Pierre Deleuze. His discography of around fifteen CDs has received widespread acclaim from the international music press. Professor of violin, viola and chamber music at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and Mons (Arts²), he is also Artistic Director of the Festival Mozart – Waterloo International Music Festival, which he has successfully developed in Belgium and abroad for more than twenty-five years.

ROLAND GLASSL / viola

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Internationally acclaimed German violist Roland Glassl was the first German musician to win First Prize at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition in England, where he also received the Peter Schidlof Prize for the most beautiful tone among the finalists. A laureate of numerous other international competitions, he quickly established himself as one of the leading violists of his generation. His career has taken him to major concert halls throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia, including London's Wigmore Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Caramoor Festival in New York, as well as the Musica Riva and Prussia Cove festivals. As a soloist, Roland Glassl has collaborated with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Howard Griffiths, Markus Poschner and Alfred Eschwé, and has appeared with leading orchestras including the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, the China National Opera House Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Orchestra and the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra. A highly sought-after chamber musician, he has performed alongside artists including Julia Fischer, Lisa Batiashvili, Sharon Kam, Leon Fleisher, Michael Tree and Pekka Kuusisto. From 1999 to 2015, he was violist of the renowned Mandelring Quartet, whose recordings received the German Record Critics' Award and several nominations for the International Classical Music Awards. Since 2004, Roland Glassl has been Professor of Viola at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, succeeding Tabea Zimmermann. Born into a German family of violin makers spanning several generations, he performs today on a viola built by his father, who was also his first violin teacher, before continuing his studies in Munich and at Indiana University with Paul Biss and Atar Arad.

FREDERIK CAMACHO / viola

Young Artist 2026

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Born in Venezuela, Frederik Camacho began studying the violin at the age of five with Kelly Mendoza in San Cristóbal as part of the renowned El Sistema programme. At the age of eleven, he won the Young Soloist Prize at the Venezuelan Music Competition, followed in 2010 by the Special Violin Prize at the Nuevo Mundo Festival in Maracaibo. He also served as concertmaster of the Venezuelan National Children’s Orchestra under conductors including Sir Simon Rattle and Gustavo Dudamel. A recipient of several prestigious awards, including those of the Dénéréaz and Max Jost Foundations, the Rotary Club Young Talent Prize and the Lausanne Conservatory Foundation, he was a finalist in the International Yamaha Violin Competition in Switzerland in 2016. After studying at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne with Virginie Robilliard, he continued his training at the Royal Conservatory of Mons with Daniel Rubenstein where he earned a Master’s degree in Violin, following which he earned with Marc Sabbah in 2024 a Master’s degree in Viola. He performs regularly with the Belgian National Orchestra, the Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists including Daniel Rubenstein, David Cohen, Virginie Robilliard and Marc Sabbah. He performs on a 1907 Charles Resouche violin formerly owned by Tibor Varga, and on a viola by Alberto Menchen made in 2022.

SOOLIM SHIN / viola

Young Artist 2026

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South Korean violist Soolim Shin is a prizewinner of numerous national and international competitions, including First Prize at the Crescendo International Competition, Second Prize at the Concours La Marianne, and awards at the Osaka International Competition, the Seoul Chamber Orchestra Competition, the Yejin Competition, the Hanum Competition, the Yewon Chamber Competition, and the Nanpa Competition. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Goyang Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seongnam Youth Orchestra. She has further developed her artistry through masterclasses with distinguished violists including Nobuko Imai, Paul Coletti, Hsin-Yun Huang, Cynthia Phelps and Matthias Buchholz. A dedicated chamber musician, she has performed at international festivals including the Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, the Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF), the Seoul Spring Chamber Music Festival, the Centre de Musique de Chambre de Paris, and the Musiq3 Festival. She has collaborated with artists such as Andrés Díaz, Matthew Hunt, Mariko Anraku and Radovan Vlatković. As a member of the Enigma String Quartet, she received an Honorable Mention at the Lillian Fuchs Competition and Second Prize at the Ruth Widder Competition in 2024. After earning her Bachelor’s degree at Yonsei University, a Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, and a Specialized Master’s degree with Vladimir Bukač, she joined the orchestral academies of the Belgian National Orchestra and La Monnaie in 2026. She also appeared as Principal Viola of the Conservamus Symphony Orchestra at BOZAR under the direction of Nicolás Pasquet.

ALEXANDER DMITRIEV / cello

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Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Alexander Dmitriev began studying the cello at the age of six. After completing his studies at the Special Music School of the Kyiv Conservatory, he was admitted in 1981 to the prestigious Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow, where he studied with Lev Evgrafov and Valentin Berlinsky, founder of the Borodin Quartet. In 1985, he was awarded Second Prize at the Russian National Cello Competition. Upon completing his studies, he joined the legendary Moscow Soloists under the direction of Yuri Bashmet, becoming Principal Cello in 1987. With the ensemble, he toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States, Japan and Australia, appearing at many of the world's leading chamber music festivals. Since settling in France in 1991, Alexander Dmitriev has established himself as one of the country's leading cellists. In 1996, he was appointed Principal Cello of the Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie. A highly sought-after chamber musician, he is regularly invited to perform at major festivals and has also appeared as a soloist with the Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the Cannes Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Orchestra, the Soloists of Europe and the Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia. Renowned for his rich tone and wide-ranging repertoire, Alexander Dmitriev is a valued chamber music partner of many distinguished international artists. His discography includes works by Vivaldi, Fauré, Chopin, Richard Strauss, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich, reflecting his commitment to both the major cello repertoire and chamber music.

DAN SLOUTSKOVSKI / cello​

Born in Switzerland, Dan Sloutskovski has established himself as one of the leading cellists of his generation. A frequent guest on major international stages, he enjoys a distinguished career as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, performing alongside world-renowned artists such as Martha Argerich, Nelson Goerner, Alissa Margulis, Aldo Ciccolini and Sergey Ostrovsky. He has appeared at prestigious venues and festivals including the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Gstaad Music Summits, Munich's Prinzregententheater and the "Martha Argerich and Friends" Festival. He has also performed with leading orchestras such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. His playing, admired for its natural simplicity, refinement and profound expressiveness, places musical clarity and emotional communication above mere virtuosity. This artistic approach has been shaped by the guidance of great masters, including Mstislav Rostropovich, as well as formative encounters with Igor Oistrakh, Natalia Shakhovskaya and Vadim Rudenko. A laureate of the Grand Prize at the Vienna International Music Competition, the Premio Mozart Grand Prize in Italy and First Prize at the G. Zinetti International Competition in Sanguinetto, he regularly develops artistic projects in close collaboration with festivals and fellow musicians. Alongside his international career, Dan Sloutskovski serves as Principal Cello of the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, where he combines artistic excellence with a strong commitment to ensemble playing. Deeply rooted in the Swiss musical tradition while pursuing an international career, he designs original concert programmes ranging from the core repertoire to contemporary works. He is also a founding member of the Geneva Piano Trio, an ensemble dedicated to exploring both the masterpieces of the piano trio repertoire and lesser-known works with the same artistic commitment and musical integrity.

JUSTUS GRIMM / cello

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Born in Hamburg, Justus Grimm took up the cello at the age of five. Initially studying under his father’s guidance, he soon went to study in Saarbrücken with Ulrich Voss and in Cologne with Claus Kanngiesser and Frans Helmerson. He won First Prizes at the Maria Canals International Music Competition and the German National Competition. As a soloist he premiered Matthias Pintscher’s cello concerto La Metamorfosi di Narciso with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with several orchestras including the English Chamber Orchestra, La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, Brandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn. As a passionate chamber musician Justus Grimm recorded with pianist Florian Wiek cello sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms and Shostakovich. Together with flutist Christina Fassbender they form the ‘Trio Wiek’ and recorded works by Weber, Farrenc and Mendelssohn. 2009 saw the release of a Philippe Gaubert album, awarded 5 Diapasons. Since 2008 Justus has also embraced the quartet repertoire with the Malibran Quartet. Justus’s chamber music career saw him perform with Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Gérard Caussé, Augustin Dumay, Benoît Fromanger, Stephen Kovacevich, Katia and Marielle Labèque and Christian Poltéra amongst others. These appearances took him to festivals all over Europe. At the Montepulciano Festival ‘Cantiere’ he has been Artist in Residence since 2010. In 2012 he was the soloist with La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations under the baton of Carlo Rizzi, in a concert broadcast live by Flemish Television. Since 2008 Justus Grimm has held a professorship at the Conservatory of Antwerp.

MARIE HALLYNCK / cello

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An acclaimed soloist, chamber musician and dedicated pedagogue, Marie Hallynck is widely recognised as one of the leading cellists of her generation. She has appeared in many of the world’s foremost concert halls, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, BOZAR – Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Théâtre de la Ville and Cité de la Musique in Paris, as well as the Philharmonie halls in Cologne and Berlin. As a soloist, she has performed with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Lille and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. She also appears regularly in recital and chamber music with distinguished artists including Cédric Tiberghien, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden and Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu. In 2006, together with Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu and clarinettist Ronald Van Spaendonck, she founded Ensemble Kheops, a flexible chamber ensemble bringing together outstanding musicians in programmes ranging from the classical repertoire to contemporary music. Marie Hallynck studied with Reine Flachot, Edmond Baert, János Starker and Natalia Gutman. A laureate of numerous international competitions, she was selected as a Rising Star by the European Concert Hall Organisation in 2001 and named Soloist of the Year by the Belgian Music Press in 2002. Her extensive discography on labels including Harmonia Mundi, Fuga Libera, Alpha, Naxos and Warner Classics has received wide international acclaim. Alongside her performing career, she has taught at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels since the age of nineteen and regularly serves on the juries of major international competitions, including the ARD Competition in Munich and the Queen Elisabeth Competition. She performs on a magnificent 1717 cello by the Venetian maker Matteo Goffriller.

MATIS GRISO / cello

Young Artist 2026

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Matis Grisó (Luxembourg, 2006) began playing the cello at the age of four. He studied at the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg with Claude Giampellegrini, obtaining the Prix Supérieur with distinction in 2022. From 2020 to 2024, he was a Young Talent student at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in the class of Marie Hallynck, where he is currently pursuing Bachelor’s studies in cello and jazz bass. A prizewinner of numerous competitions, he has received awards at the Concours Luxembourgeois pour Jeunes Solistes, the Concours de Violoncelle de Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, the Concours Triomphe de l’Art, the Concours Breughel, the Concours International Léopold Bellan in Paris, and the Grand Prix Anne et Françoise Groben in Luxembourg. As a soloist, he has performed with the Orchestre des enseignants du Conservatoire de Luxembourg, the Musique Militaire Grand-Ducale, and the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg. In 2023, he received the Georges Octors Prize from the City of Brussels. He has also participated in the Luxembourg National Youth Orchestra and has taken part in masterclasses with leading cellists including Gary Hoffman, Daniel Müller-Schott, Johannes Moser, Anssi Karttunen, Roël Dieltiens, Ophélie Gaillard, and Marie Hallynck.

NOZOMI KANDA / flute - shinobue

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Japanese flautist and performer of traditional Japanese music, Nozomi Kanda is a versatile musician specialising in chamber music and recital performance, with a particular commitment to contemporary music. A graduate in traditional Japanese music, she is also a master of the shinobue, the traditional Japanese bamboo flute, which she frequently combines with Western instruments in innovative concert programmes. She has appeared at prestigious festivals and venues including Flagey, the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM), the Festival des Midis-Minimes, Ars Musica and Festival Mozart in Belgium, as well as in France, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Tunisia and Japan. Her performances have taken her to renowned venues such as Minato Mirai Hall in Yokohama and Tokyo Opera City Hall. Deeply committed to expanding the repertoire for both flute and shinobue, Nozomi Kanda has commissioned and premiered works by composers including Nicolas Bacri, David Loeb, Jan Freidlin, Jean-Pierre Deleuze and Claude Ledoux — several of them world or Asian premieres. Her performances have been praised by the international press, and she was invited as a guest commentator on Musiq'3 during the Ars Musica Festival. An active teacher, she regularly gives lessons, masterclasses and workshops in Belgium, France, Norway, Poland and Japan. She founded the first official shinobue class in France at the Conservatoire du Kremlin-Bicêtre in Paris and is co-organiser of the Festival Mozart and the Voyage Musical concert series in Brussels.

VINCENT LUCAS / flute - alto flute

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Vincent Lucas is one of the leading French flautists of his generation. Admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris at the age of just fourteen, he won First Prize at the International Radio Competition Concertino Praga three years later. After five years as Principal Flute of the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, he joined the Berlin Philharmonic before being appointed Principal Flute of the Orchestre de Paris in 1994, a position he has held for more than thirty years. He has appeared regularly as a soloist with the orchestra, notably performing Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp under the direction of Frans Brüggen and Bright Sheng's Flute Concerto conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. A highly sought-after chamber musician, Vincent Lucas has collaborated with distinguished artists including Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Christian Ivaldi, Éric Le Sage, Paul Meyer, Michel Béroff, Brigitte Engerer, Svetlin Roussev and Xavier Phillips. He is also a member of the Wind Quintet of the Soloists of the Orchestre de Paris. Alongside his performing career, he teaches at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris and serves as Assistant Professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas, and is Honorary Professor at the Toho Gakuen College of Music in Tokyo. His discography includes acclaimed recordings of the French flute repertoire, works for solo flute, Vivaldi's flute concertos and contemporary music.

MAVROUDES TROULLOS / bassoon

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Hailed by Crescendo magazine as "a musician of great sensitivity" and described by the International Double Reed Society as a bassoonist "with a strongly characteristic and remarkably versatile playing style", Mavroudes Troullos has established himself as one of the leading bassoonists of his generation. He has appeared in recitals at many of Europe’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Philharmonie de Paris, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and the Konzerthaus Berlin. A three-time First Prize winner of the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition (Paris, London and Amsterdam), he has also been awarded Second Prize at the North International Music Competition in Sweden, the Horlait-Dapsens Prize in Belgium, and was named Ambassador of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. As a soloist, he has performed with the Ghent Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides, the contemporary ensemble Sturm und Klang, the Orchestre de Nivelles and Antwerpen Camerata. A dedicated chamber musician, he is regularly invited to international festivals including the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, the Pharos International Chamber Music Festival and Hörfest Neue Musik Detmold. He has performed alongside distinguished artists such as Sharon Kam, Daishin Kashimoto, Claudio Bohórquez, Romain Leleu and his regular recital partner, pianist Lily Maisky. Born in Nicosia, Cyprus, Mavroudes Troullos is currently pursuing a Doctor of Arts degree at LUCA School of Arts, where his research focuses on expanding the bassoon repertoire. Several composers, including Philippe Hersant, Denis Ivanidze and Marc Yeats, have written works especially for him. He performs on a century-old Heckel bassoon formerly played by a member of the Berlin Philharmonic.

DELPHINE BENHAMOU / harp

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After initial studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Delphine Benhamou continued her training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the class of Isabelle Moretti, where she was awarded her Master's degree in 2010. Her musical education was further enriched by studies in instrumental theatre, ethnomusicology, generative improvisation and the Alexander Technique, alongside advanced work in chamber music. A regular guest with leading French orchestras, including the Orchestre Lyrique et Symphonique de Nancy, the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, the Opéra de Limoges, the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre Pasdeloup, she performs a wide-ranging repertoire spanning the classical and operatic traditions to contemporary music.

A dedicated chamber musician, Delphine Benhamou has appeared in a Carte Blanche concert at the Musée de l'Orangerie in a programme devoted to Debussy and Ravel, performed in Casablanca with qanun player Souad Chawki, collaborated with the Voce Quartet, and taken part in the Quest and Warning ensembles. Since 2012, she has formed the duo Asturiana with soprano Maïlys de Villoutreys, performing regularly at festivals including the Festival des Forêts, the Festival d'Entrecasteaux, Plage Musicale en Bangor (Belle-Île), Musique en Ubaye, Les Notes d'Été de La Seyne-sur-Mer and Grand Air. A holder of the Certificat d'Aptitude (French national teaching diploma), Delphine Benhamou teaches at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory in Paris. Deeply committed to music education, she also founded the harp class of the DEMOS programme (Music Education and Orchestral Programme with a Social Purpose), an initiative of the Philharmonie de Paris.

BERTRAND GIRAUD / piano

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A graduate of both the Geneva and Paris Conservatories, Bertrand Giraud received a comprehensive musical education under the guidance of Dominique Merlet, Bruno Canino, Colette Zerah and Aquiles Delle Vigne. A laureate of several international competitions, including the Chopin Competition in Texas and the Flame Competition, he has enjoyed an international career as a pianist for more than thirty years. He has performed in over forty countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East, appearing regularly as a recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist. He has collaborated with orchestras including the Łódź Philharmonic, the Lublin Philharmonic, the North Czech Philharmonic Teplice, the Sodre Symphony Orchestra in Uruguay and the Provincial Orchestra of Rosario in Argentina. He is also a frequent guest at international festivals and has appeared on Italian and Thai television. A highly regarded chamber musician, Bertrand Giraud has collaborated with many distinguished artists, including Pierre Amoyal, Bruno Canino, Sophie Koch, Bruno Pasquier, Henri Demarquette, Benoît Fromanger and Philippe Pierlot. His broad repertoire also reflects a strong commitment to contemporary music, and he regularly gives world premiere performances of new works. Deeply committed to teaching, Bertrand Giraud is Professor of Piano at the Conservatoire du Raincy and regularly gives masterclasses throughout Europe and Asia. He is frequently invited to serve on the juries of international competitions and is also the Artistic Director of several festivals and music academies. His extensive discography of more than twenty-five recordings, widely praised by critics, reflects both his devotion to the great piano repertoire and his passion for discovering lesser-known works.

LILY MAISKY / piano

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Born in Paris and raised in Brussels, Lily Maisky began playing the piano at the age of four. After studying with Lyl Tiempo, Hagit Kerbel, Ilana Davids and Alan Weiss, she continued her musical education at the Purcell School in London, where she also studied jazz piano. She later received artistic guidance from distinguished musicians including Martha Argerich, Dmitri Bashkirov, Joseph Kalichstein, Pavel Gililov and Vitalij Margulis.

Her international career has taken her to many of the world's leading concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, London's Royal Festival Hall, the Konzerthaus Berlin, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, BOZAR – Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. She is also a regular guest at prestigious festivals such as Verbier, the Progetto Martha Argerich Festival in Lugano, the Edinburgh International Festival, Gstaad, Schleswig-Holstein, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Beijing Piano Festival. A passionate chamber musician, Lily Maisky performs regularly as a duo partner with her father, the celebrated cellist Mischa Maisky, and as a member of the Maisky Trio alongside her brother. She has also collaborated with many distinguished artists, including Martha Argerich, Julian Rachlin, Janine Jansen, Renaud Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Frank Braley, Gérard Caussé, Maxim Rysanov and Alissa Margulis. Her discography includes acclaimed recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, EMI and Avanti Classics. A Steinway Artist, Lily Maisky performs on the last piano owned by the legendary Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Her playing, admired for its elegance, sensitivity and musical maturity, has earned praise from the international press, including BBC Music Magazine and the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

MUHIDDIN DURRUOGLU / piano

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Pianist, composer and pedagogue, Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu is a versatile musician whose artistic personality combines exceptional interpretative depth with a passion for creation. He began studying piano and composition at the Ankara State Conservatory, where he studied with İlhan Baran, a pupil of Henri Dutilleux. He later continued his dual training in Belgium with Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden and Jacqueline Fontyn, and in the United States with Edward Auer and Donald Freund. A laureate of numerous national and international competitions in both piano and composition, he has received awards including the European Piano Competition, the Nany Philippart Competition, the Belgian Vocational Foundation Award, the Arthur De Greef Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium, the Musical Creation Prize of the Académie de Lutèce in Paris, the SABAM Prize, the André Chevillon–Yvonne Bonnaud Prize of the Fondation de France and the Irène Fuérison Prize. He concert career has taken him throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. A passionate chamber musician, he founded Ensemble Kheops in 2006 together with Ronald Van Spaendonck, Marie Hallynck and a group of distinguished musicians including Ning Kam, Tatiana Samouil, Lise Berthaud and Hervé Joulain.

Alongside His performing career, Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu is Professor of Piano at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Belgium, Turkey and the United States. His extensive discography includes numerous critically acclaimed recordings, among them the Ensemble Kheops album Fugitives, released by Cyprès and devoted to his own compositions.

GUTTMAN TANGO QUINTET

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Led by Grammy-nominated violinist Michael Guttman, The Guttman Tango Quintet brings together world-class classical virtuosity and the expressive intensity of Argentine tango. Internationally acclaimed as a violinist, conductor, and artistic director of major festivals, Guttman has shared the stage with legendary artists including Martha Argerich, Elena Bashkirova, Vadim Repin, Antoine Tamestit, and Maxim Vengerov. Behind this distinguished classical career lies another lifelong passion: tango. In the late 1980s, a personal encounter with legendary Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla profoundly shaped Guttman’s artistic vision and inspired the creation of The Guttman Tango Quintet. To pursue Piazzolla’s spirit of innovation, Guttman assembled some of Europe’s leading tango specialists: Franco-Chilean bandoneonist Lysandre Donoso, Belgian pianist Ivo De Greef, Belgian cellist Stijn Kuppens, and Argentine double bassist Ariel Eberstein. Together, these musicians have performed at prestigious international festivals including Pietrasanta in Concerto, Odesa Classics, Crans-Montana Classics, the POLIN Music Festival, the Trans-Siberian Art Festival, Paris Printemps du Violon, and the Corfu and Patmos International Music Festivals. A major highlight was the ensemble’s invitation by Martha Argerich to perform at her festival in Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle, documented on the acclaimed 7-CD release Rendez-Vous With Martha Argerich (Avanti Classic).

JEAN-PIERRE DELEUZE / composer

Composer-in-Residence 2026

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Jean-Pierre Deleuze (b. Ath, Belgium, 1954) studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels before continuing his training in musical analysis and composition with Marcel Quinet. A masterclass with Olivier Messiaen in 1987 had a lasting influence on the development of his musical language. Initially inspired by the late works of Alexander Scriabin, Deleuze gradually developed a distinctive style centred on harmonic colour, timbre, and musical space. Awarded the Irène Fuerison Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium for his trio Ellipsen (1998), he has explored microtonality, the harmonic series, and influences drawn from spectral music and Eastern musical traditions. These ideas are reflected in works such as Quatre Haïku, Âlap, and Vues sur le jardin de lumière. Since 1989, he has taught composition and music theory at the Royal Conservatory of Mons, where he has developed a teaching approach based on the study of musical styles from the Renaissance to contemporary music. He also taught musical analysis at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel from 2001 to 2004. Elected a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium in 2007, Jean-Pierre Deleuze is recognised as one of Belgium’s leading contemporary composers. His works, performed both in Belgium and internationally, are distinguished by their refined writing, in which timbre, silence, and resonance play a central expressive role.