Chamber music plus 2024
Chamber music plus: original programs with chamber music, orchestra concerts and contemporary music performed by some of the most renowned chamber players in the world!
But who is actually playing at Chamber music plus?
All concerts of Chamber Music Plus
At the bottom of the page you can find a short video-interview with Alasdair Beatson, the artistic director.
For the two weeks, concertmasters, members of the world's best chamber music groups and university professors travel to Ernen to make music for a two-week period in ever-changing formations with the highest intensity and enthusiasm. Many of the musicians say that the two weeks in Ernen are the best time of their year: an enthusiastic atmosphere among the musicians, an receptive and open audience, ideal conditions and the breathtaking surroundings in Ernen make the perfect mix.
The programmes bring together exciting pieces from baroque music to contemporary music. Each of the concerts has a characteristic title that refers to the respective festival motto (2024: "Fire and Flame"). In each concert, listeners are thus immersed in a coherently designed musical cosmos that is both varied and interwoven.
In 2024, the group consists of the following musicians:
Alasdair Beatson is the artistic director of the series "Chamber music plus". He selects the invited musicians, designs the programmes and finds the ideal combination of musicians for each piece. Beatson is a world-renowned chamber musician who has worked with Steven Isserlis, Pekka Kuusisto, Viktoria Mullova, Pieter Wispelwey, the Doric Quartet, Gringolts Quartet, Meta4 Quartet and the Nash Ensemble. He teaches piano at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. First time in the Musikdorf: 2011
Joonas Ahonen is a world-renowned performer of both contemporary music and chamber music on period instruments (Fortepiano). He was a member of the Klangforum Wien and plays regularly with Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Pekka Kuusisto. He is professor of piano at the Cologne University of Music and Dance. First time in the Musikdorf: 2024
Violinist and violist Daniel Bard performs as concertmaster of the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and is also principal violist of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and principal member of the Swedish Camerata Nordica. First time in the Musikdorf: 2014
Jordi Carrasco Hjelm is a Swedish double bass player who has made a name for himself as an outstanding chamber musician and improviser. In both chamber orchestra and crossover ensembles, he is a sure guarantee of perfect timing and solid foundation. He performs regularly with the O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra (Stockholm) and the Asko Schönberg Ensemble (Amsterdam). First time in the Musikdorf: 2019
Swiss bassoonist Valeria Curti is principal bassoonist in the Musikkollegium Winterthur and teacher of bassoon at the Bern University of the Arts. She often performs as a soloist and chamber musician and also plays historical bassoons from the 18th and 19th centuries. First time in the Musikdorf: 2021
Lennard Czakaj is a Polish trumpeter who, after studying in Basel and elsewhere, graduated from the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic and has been principal trumpet of the Stuttgart State Orchestra since 2022. First time in the Musikdorf: 2024
Alessandro D'Amico was born in Caracas and was a member of the "Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra", where he was able to work with Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel and Sir Simon Rattle, among others. After his studies in Europe, he became a member of the Merel Quartet and the Camerata Variabile (Basel). First time in the Musikdorf: 2021
Italian cellist Francesco Dillon is in demand as both a chamber musician and interpreter of contemporary music, including as a member of the ensemble Alter-Ego and the Quartetto Prometeo. He has worked with Philip Glass, Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich, among others, and is artistic director of Music@villaromana (Florence) and the Castel Cello Festival (Tyrol). First time in the Musikdorf: 2021
Chiara Enderle Samatanga is a 1st prize winner of the Lutosławski Competition (Warsaw) and pursues a busy career as a soloist and chamber musician. She is a member of the Carmina Quartet and since 2023 lecturer for violoncello at the Bern University of the Arts. First time in the Musikdorf: 2018
Paolo Giacometti is a regular chamber music partner of Pieter Wispelwey and professor of piano at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf. He has performed as a soloist with Frans Brüggen, Andrew Manze and Jaap van Zweden, among others. First time in the Musikdorf: 1989 as participant of the master class with György Sebők.
Clarinettist Matthew Hunt is one of Europe's leading clarinettists. He is known for his quality vocal musicianship and his gift for communicating with the audience. As a soloist he has performed with Paavo Järvi and Trevor Pinnock, among others, and as a chamber musician with the Pavel Haas Quartet, the Chiaroscuro Quartet, with Pekka Kuusisto, Alina Ibragimova, Thomas Adès, Antoine Tamestit, Cédric Tiberghien, Steven Isserlis and Elisabeth Leonskaja. He is principal clarinettist of the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and chamber music professor at the Folkwang University in Essen. First time in the Musikdorf: 2019
Suyeon Kang performs worldwide as a sought-after concertmaster, soloist and chamber musician. She is a member of the Belcea Quartet, the Trio Boccherini, the Camerata Bern and concertmaster of the Kammerakademie Potsdam. She teaches at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. First time in the Musikdorf: 2020
The Finnish violist Lilli Maijala has been professor of viola at the Zurich University of the Arts since 2023. She performs worldwide as a sought-after soloist and chamber musician and was a member of the critically acclaimed and daring Quartet Lab (with Pieter Wispelwey, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Pekka Kuusisto). First time in the Musikdorf: 2019.
Spanish cellist Guillermo Ortega Santos studied at the Musik-Akademie Basel, where he founded the Helix Trio (piano trio). He is a laureate of the Kiefer Hablitzel | Göhner Music Prize, a scholarship holder of the Rahn Kulturfonds; 2019–2021 he was academist at Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, he has played in the Philharmonia Zürich (Zürich Opera House) and takes up his position in the Zurich Chamber Orchestra this year. First time in the Musikdorf: 2023
Alinka Rowe is a British-Polish violist currently studying at the Musik-Akademie Basel. She has performed with artists such as the Doric Quartet, the Jerusalem Quartet, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Adrian Brendel and Steven Isserlis. First time in the Musikdorf: 2022
Finnish violinist Sini Simonen is first violinist of the Castalian String Quartet and a member of the Calvino Piano Trio and the Esbjerg Ensemble. She has won numerous international competitions (including the ARD, Banff, Carl Flesch and Sibelius Competition) and regularly performs as a soloist with major orchestras in Europe. First time in the Musikdorf: 2024
Antonio Viñuales Pérez is a sought-after chamber musician and principal 2nd violin in the Basel Chamber Orchestra. He was a laureate of the Kiefer-Hablitzel | Göhner Music Prize and a member of the Basel Symphony Orchestra. First time in the Musikdorf: 2022
The Polish violinist Maria Włoszczowska leads the Royal Northern Sinfonia as concertmaster and regularly performs as a soloist in the world's most important concert halls - including the BBC Proms and the Wigmore Hall. She was winner of the 2018 Bach Competition in Leipzig and is first violinist of the Valo Quartet. First time in the Musikdorf: 2018
(For the search engine: Sometimes people search her under the imprecise name Maria Wloszczowska.)
