“The audience burst into spontaneous and repeated applause after the first movement, which the soloist had crowned with a brilliantly played cadenza….And where could you hear a larghetto played as divinely beautifully as by Milwidsky?”
- Süddeutsche Zeitung, Oct 2019 (Beethoven Violin Concerto with Dachau Sinfonietta)
Born in London in 1994, British violinist Mathilde Milwidsky, a 2023 Classic FM Rising Star: 30 under 30, has been praised by The Strad (2017) for her "perfect intonation and beautiful shaping and colouring, comprehensively nailing each new stylistic and emotional universe as she went" as well as by the Ostfriesen Zeitung (2018) – “Milwidsky showed in the interplay with the pianist Thomas Hoppe a unique, rarely heard musical experience... that was sensational.” She has performed as a soloist at venues in the UK such as the Royal Festival Hall, the Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, St John's Smith Square, Cadogan Hall and the Royal Albert Hall as well as across Europe in Finland, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Ireland and Sweden.
She has been featured on Scala Radio as ‘One to Watch’, broadcast live as a soloist on BBC Radio 3 ‘In Tune’, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Radio Swiss Classic, DR (Danish Radio), Yle Radio Suomi (Finnish National Radio), Classic FM, Times Radio and Hessischer Rundfunk.
Mathilde’s debut CD for Toccata Classics with pianist Sam Haywood, comprising the world premiere of the three Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Agnes Zimmermann, was released in 2020 and has received widespread acclaim, including Mathilde being named Classical Music Magazine’s Artist of the Month and glowing reviews - “London-born violinist Mathilde Milwidsky is simply terrific, her tone, technique, and temperament the ideal mix and balance for these works. Five stars: I’d give it 10 if I could. This is one of those once-in-a-decade or more discoveries.” (Fanfare Magazine, US). Her latest release, of both Beethoven Romances for Violin and Orchestra, alongside the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Rimma Sushanskaya, was released worldwide on the Guild label, and was subsequently given a 5* review by Musical Opinion.
Mathilde was the sole British violinist to be selected for the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in Brussels and recently won 3rd Prize at the Windsor Festival International String Competition 2019. In 2020 she was a major prizewinner at the Peter Pirazzi Stiftung Competition (Frankfurt) and became a scholarship-holder of Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben (Hamburg). At the inaugural Aurora Music Competition 2018 (Sweden) the jury, chaired by Gordan Nikolic, unanimously awarded her First Prize, alongside the Audience Prize. Mathilde is a semi-finalist laureate of the 2018 International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition Hanover and won the String Section of the 2017 Royal Overseas League Music Competition. She became a St John's Smith Square Young Artist for the 2017/18 season, for which she gave the world premiere of a piece written for her by the acclaimed composer Sally Beamish.
She is regularly invited to festivals such as Verbier, Lerici, Fanø, IMS Prussia Cove, East Neuk, Fraenkische Musiktage, Musikdorf Ernen, Presteigne and Three Choirs, collaborating with musicians such as Anthony Marwood, Avi Avital, Ettore Causa, Adrian Brendel, Huw Watkins, Rosanne Philippens and Ksenija Sidorova, as well as woodwind principals of the Philharmonia and die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. In 2021 and 2022 Mathilde attended the Verbier Festival Academy on the Soloist & Chamber Music Programme as one of eight violinists selected worldwide. She has worked closely with such esteemed composers as Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Joseph Phibbs, Huw Watkins, Sally Beamish and David Matthews and in 2023 will be giving world premieres of works by Charlotte Bray and Deborah Pritchard.
Mathilde's studies began at the Royal College of Music Junior Department where she was a Tsukanov Scholar taught by Viktoria Grigoreva and David Takeno. She was then offered a place at Trinity College, Cambridge but instead studied at the Royal Academy of Music as a full scholarship student under György Pauk, graduating in July 2017 with First Class Honours and the Regency Award for notable achievement, the Louise Child Memorial Prize for highest-achieving graduate and the Marjorie Heyward Fund for the highest violin mark of the year. She is currently studying under Professor Mi-kyung Lee at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. Additional inspiration has come from members of the London Haydn Quartet and masterclasses with, among others, Midori, Leonidas Kavakos, Steven Isserlis, Maxim Vengerov and Augustin Dumay.
Generous scholarships have supported her studies, including awards from the Hattori Foundation, Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, the Philharmonia Orchestra's Martin Musical Scholarship, the Drake Calleja Foundation and the Tillett Trust. Mathilde is an Artist on the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme for 2020-2022. She plays a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin kindly loaned to her through the Beare’s International Violin Society.
Michel Camille has been engaged as the Esbjerg Ensemble’s viola player since 1995 and from 1997 – 2001 presided as the Ensemble’s Artistic Director. In 1999 Michel founded the annual Esbjerg International Chamber Music Festival and as its Artistic and Administrative Director, has collaborated with Denmark’s most notable composers and invited chamber musicians and soloists from all over the world.
Kristoffer Nyholm Hyldig, a talented musician from Denmark, captivated audiences with his debut concert at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in 2010. Under the guidance of Professor Niklas Sivelöv and Tove Lønskov, he showcased his remarkable skills and left a lasting impression. Since then, Hyldig has become a prominent figure in the Danish music scene, enthralling listeners as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist at various music societies and festivals.
Ditta Rohmann is a highly versatile musician, renowned for her exceptional abilities in various musical domains. She has captivated audiences as a soloist in prestigious concert halls, showcased her improvisational skills with world-music ensembles, and made significant contributions to collaborative projects with dancers, both as a chamber musician and recently as an actress.
Over the past three decades, Katrine Gislinge has established herself as one of Scandinavia's leading and most significant pianists, and with her formidable will to express herself and exceptional empathy in music, she places herself as one of the most significant and interesting artists in Denmark.
One of the most intriguing artists on today’s British music scene, Liverpool-born clarinettist and composer Mark Simpson’s musical life is a symbiosis of performance on the concert platform and poring over his manuscripts. Current highlights include Mark performing premieres of Alchymia, a new clarinet quintet by Thomas Adès dedicated to Mark and the Diotima Quartet; while performances of his own works include his first piano concerto premiered by Vikingur Ólafsson and the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner; the German premiere of his first opera, Pleasure at the Theater Erfurt in Spring 2023; the Dutch premiere of his violin concerto (also premiered with the London Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) will be performed by its dedicatee Nicola
Tim recently completed his undergraduate degree with Alexander Janiczek at the Guildhall School of Music in London where he was awarded a Concert Recital Diploma and the Lord Mayor’s Prize for the highest mark across the music department, and was subsequently invited to return as a Chamber Fellow.
Pau Codina was born in 1988 in Barcelona and began studying the cello at the age of five with Eulalia Subirà. Other teachers to date have included Ivan Chiffoleau, Daniel Grosgurin, Peter Thiemann and Louise Hopkins. He graduated from the Yehudi Menuhin School in 2006, and from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with first class honours in 2010. He later obtained a Solo Artist Diploma from the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, where he studied with Gary Hoffman.
Kerstin Thiele has been a member of the Esbjerg Ensemble since 1986.
Ron Chen-Zion has been a member of Esbjerg Ensemble since 1993.
It was a bit scary in the beginning to find out that it is not that easy to play the bassoon. Like, I played the first month on a plastic reed I found in the case of the music school instrument and was advancing really quickly. I was naturally in my mind on my way to become the next genius superstar of the bassooning, the one that would just change the way we think about everything in life. Then it hit me that there is a number of tone exercises, study pieces and scales to play and a huge number of wooden mouthpieces to make yourself before I could actually even dream about any kind of professional musician’s life. The instrument case started to feel really heavy and I became very upset for a moment.
Joke Wijma has been a member of Esbjerg Ensemble since 2005.
Christian Martinez commenced his percussion studies in his home town of Cali in Columbia. Later followed studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and at Rogaland Music Conservatory in Stavanger. In 1996 he graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, the same year he became a member of Esbjerg Ensemble.
Bogdan Božović enjoys a versatile international career as chamber musician, soloist and chamber orchestra leader. As violinist of the world-renowned Vienna Piano Trio from 2012 to 2015, he toured Europe, the Americas and Asia, appearing in some of the most prestigious chamber music venues, including the Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Vienna, Cité de la Musique in Paris and The Frick Collection in New York. He has made two critically acclaimed recordings with the ensemble on the label MD&G, featuring works by Beethoven and Saint-Saëns.
In the last decade Christian Ihle Hadland has established himself as a true craftsman of the piano, a musician whose delicate, refined playing and individual touch have led him to the most prestigious stages in the world.
The Finnish violinist Sini Simonen enjoys an active international career as a chamber musician and soloist. She is the first violinist of the Castalian String Quartet, performing at the finest chamber music series worldwide. Upcoming performances in the 2021-22 season include debut recitals at the Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. 
Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson works prolifically as soloist and chamber musician, adept on modern and historical instruments, and renowned as both performer and pedagogue. Notable performances in 2022/23 include regular appearances at Wigmore Hall, in concert with Steven Isserlis, Viktoria Mullova, the Doric and Maxwell string quartets, as member of the Nash Ensemble, and in festivals including Cheltenham, Ernen, Festivalta, Lewes, O/Modernt, Resonances, Spitalfields and Yellowbarn.
Dutch double bassist Niek de Groot is one of today's leading soloists on his instrument. Originally a trumpet-player he started playing the double-bass
Simon Haje (born 2005) is a successful young German pianist with a
Born in France in 1988, Hélène Clément has learned to combine her proud love for french wine with the cheese delicacies found in England when she moved to London in 2013. Her ferocious enthusiasm and thirst for the chamber music and viola repertoire leads her to constantly expand her musical horizons by performing with a wide range of different collaborations, playing in the most prestigious concert halls in Europe and around the World.
Pablo Hernán Benedí was born in Madrid, and began studying at the Padre Antonio Soler Conservatory in San Lorenzo de El Escorial with Polina Kotliarskaya. In 2009 he moved to London to continue his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with David Takeno and András Keller and was supported by scholarships from the MMSF, Juventudes Musicales and La Caixa. Since the age of 14, Pablo has had regular contacts with Gordan Nikolic who helped shape and nurture his development.
Born in Barcelona in a musicians family, Maria started her violin studies at the age of four with her father, cellist and conductor Cristian Florea, and was only seven years old when she performed her first concert as a soloist.
Finnish cellist Marko Ylönen is a soloist, orchestral player and principal cello, plays in different ensembles, and is a teacher. Ylönen’s repertory is broad, taking in a range of works by C. P. E. Bach, Boccherini, Vivaldi, Haydn, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Piazzolla, and especially contemporary Finnish composers like Einojuhani Rautavaara, Joonas Kokkonen, Jouni Kaipainen, Ralf Gothóni, Olli Mustonen, and many others.
Artturi Rönkä (b. 1990) is a Helsinki-based composer and musician.
Composer and singer Anna Emmeluth has a colorful harmonic understanding. With a curious approach to composition, she works with melody and sound, like oil on a canvas. Sound is her paint. Her voice is soft, clear and playful, and invites the listener to empathize and be seduced by the music. The music is new Nordic jazz and is deeply inspired by the Nordic nature. It exudes presence and sonorous images. The listener is taken far into the forest to a babbling brook, which moves between moss-covered stones, out into the clarity of the winter cold and around the sparkling forest lake. Along the way, there is plenty of room for playful improvisations with a twinkle in the eye.