James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after violinists on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest of many of the world’s most respected conductors including Ashkenazy, Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Denève, Elder, Ivan Fischer, Gardner, Paavo Järvi, Noseda, Robertson and Runnicles. Ehnes’s long list of orchestras includes, amongst others, the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York, London Symphony, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, DSO Berlin and the NHK Symphony orchestras.

Recent and future orchestral highlights include the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall with Noseda, London Symphony with Alsop, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig with Shelley, Vienna Symphony with Elder, New York Philharmonic with Mena, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin with Slatkin, Chicago Symphony with Gaffigan, Orchestre National de France with Gardner, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Boston Symphony Orchestras with Denève, Frankfurt Radio Symphony with Orozco-Estrada, Pittsburgh Symphony with Honeck, Minnesota Orchestra with Vänskä, Sydney Symphony with Søndergård, Hong Kong Philharmonic with van Zweden and Oslo Philharmonic with Petrenko. In 2017, Ehnes premiered the Aaron-Jay Kernis Violin Concerto with the Toronto, Seattle and Dallas Symphony Orchestras; future performances of the piece include with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Ehnes was awarded the 2017 Royal Philharmonic Society Award in the Instrumentalist category.

Alongside his concerto work, James Ehnes maintains a busy recital schedule. He performs regularly at the Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center Chicago, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Ravinia, Montreux, Chaise-Dieu, the White Nights Festival in St Petersburg, Festival de Pâques in Aix, and in 2009 he made a sensational debut at the Salzburg Festival performing the Paganini Caprices. In 2016, Ehnes undertook a cross-Canada recital tour, performing in each of the country’s provinces and territories, to celebrate his 40th birthday.

As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with leading artists such as Andsnes, Lortie, Vogler and Yo-Yo Ma. In summer 2017, Ehnes makes his debut at the Verbier Festival performing with artists including Antonio Pappano, Yuja Wang, Nikolaï Lugansky, Antoine Tamestit and Mischa Maisky. In 2010, he formally established the Ehnes Quartet, with whom he has performed in Europe at venues including the Wigmore Hall, Auditorium du Louvre in Paris and Théâtre du Jeu de Paume in Aix, amongst others. Ehnes is the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.

Ehnes has an extensive discography and has won many awards for his recordings including a Gramophone Award for his live recording of the Elgar Concerto with Sir Andrew Davis and the Philharmonia Orchestra. His recording of the Korngold, Barber and Walton violin concertos won a Grammy Award for ‘Best Instrumental Soloist Performance’ and a JUNO award for ‘Best Classical Album of the Year’. His recording of the Paganini Caprices earned him universal praise, with Diapason writing of the disc, “Ehnes confirms the predictions of Erick Friedman, eminent student of Heifetz: ‘there is only one like him born every hundred years’.” Ehnes’s recent recording of the Bartók Concerti was nominated for a Gramophone Award in the Concerto category. Recent releases include sonatas by Beethoven, Debussy, Elgar and Respighi, and concertos by Britten, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, as well as the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Manze, which was released in October 2017 (Onyx Classics)

Ehnes began violin studies at the age of four, became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin aged nine, made his orchestral debut with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal aged 13 and graduated from The Juilliard School in 1997, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and in 2010 was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

James Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.

Praised for his remarkable range of colors, virtuosity, and captivating stage presence, Josef Špaček has earned acclaim for his “astonishing articulation and athleticism” (The Scotsman) and “richness and piquancy of timbre” (The Telegraph). His performances showcase technical poise and a beautiful tone across a wide repertoire.

Recent highlights include successful debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Jakub Hrůša, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with Nathalie Stutzmann, and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig with Andrew Manze. Upcoming engagements feature debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Petr Popelka, London Philharmonic Orchestra with Edward Gardner, and NHK Symphony Orchestra with Jakub Hrůša. Špaček has also performed with prestigious ensembles like the Orchestre de Paris, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, collaborating with conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Manfred Honeck, and the late Jiří Bělohlávek.

As a chamber musician, Špaček forms the Trio Zimbalist with cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin and pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu, regularly touring the US and Europe. Their debut album of piano trios by Weinberg, Auerbach, and Dvořák earned Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice in March 2024, described as “miraculously fresh.” His recordings for Supraphon, including Martinů’s Concerto for violin, piano, and orchestra with Miroslav Sekera and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, have received high praise from BBC Music Magazine for their virtuosic and poignant interpretations.

Špaček studied with Itzhak Perlman at The Juilliard School, Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute of Music. He was a laureate of the International Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and won top prizes at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand and the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Denmark. He served as the youngest concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra until 2020, now focusing on his solo career. Performing on the 1732 “LeBrun; Bouthillard” Guarneri del Gesù violin, Špaček lives in Prague with his family and enjoys cycling in his spare time.

Photo credit: Andrej Grilc

Vera, TSU Weiling, serving as a Adjunct Professor at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, is a renowned violinist and educator, Vice-President of China Violin Society and China Federation of Chamber Musician, the Co-Chairman of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition as well as Chairman of Violin Jury Harbin International Music Competition. Born in Shanghai, during the distinguished international violin master Isaac Stern’s first visit to China in 1979, as a sophomore from the Central Conservatory in Beijing, TSU performed for Mr. Stern and was featured in the overwhelming Oscar-winning documentary From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. Ms. TSU went to the USA in 1980, where she continued her study with Dorothy DeLay and Rafael Bronstein, who was then the only living disciple of violin ancestor Leopold Auer. She graduated from the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music with master’s degrees. From 1993-2000, Ms. TSU was the first associated concertmaster of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ms. TSU has been invited to sit on the jury of many prestigious competitions worldwide, including the Queen Elizabeth Competition of Belgium (2009, 2012), Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition Poznan (2011, 2016), Menuhin Competition, Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition, Montreal International Musical Competition and the remarkable XV Tchaikovsky Violin Competition Moscow in 2015.

As an educator, Vera, TSU Weiling organized and attended Master Classes and seminars in several countries and regions in the world. Her students won many prizes and gained a great reputation in international competitions. As a soloist, she has also been performing on stages with both domestic and international orchestras including WDR Sinfonieorchester Koeln, the New York City Symphony, the New York Symphonic Ensemble, the Charleston Symphony, London Chamber players, the Orchestra de Cannes, the Budapest Radio Orchestra, the Slovakia Radio Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, the Hanover Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Vera, TSU Weiling’s 20th anniversary of teaching concert was successfully held at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall on March 8, 2021.

Photo credit: Qiqing An

Born in Japan, Natsuko Yoshimoto began playing the violin at the age of three. She studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal Northern College of Music in England and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She received direct guidance and teaching under Lord Menuhin and Wen Zhou Li.

She has won many awards and prizes in international competitions including the Gold Medal in both the prestigious 1994 Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Competition and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa Award and the Iwaki Award for outstanding achievement as a Japanese artist.

In great demand as a soloist, she has appeared with many world renowned orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia (London), Halle Orchestra, Odense Symphony (Denmark), Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Melbourne Symphony and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras.

Natsuko is also a member of highly acclaimed chamber group, Ensemble Q. She has been the leader of both the Australian String Quartet and the Grainger Quartet as well as the Concertmaster of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Natsuko frequently guests as a Concertmaster with many major orchestras in Australia and Asia and continues to perform chamber music as a guest artist with various groups and musicians in many of the festivals.

Natsuko is also a passionate teacher and is a staff member at the Conservatorium of Music in Queensland teaching violin and chamber music.

She has given many world premieres of works by Australia’s most prominent composers and has recorded for Virgin Classics, ABC Classics, Melba Records and Tall Poppies.

Andrew Beer, acclaimed as a “virtuoso soloist” (San Francisco Classical Voice) with a “glorious string tone” (The Strad), has captivated audiences worldwide with his dynamic performances and profound musicianship. Recognized as a “musical gift” (The New York Times), he delivered a “consummate performance” of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto in its NZ premiere, hailed as “one of the most exciting things I’ve heard in a while” (RNZ).

Andrew has performed as soloist and chamber musician across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australasia, with broadcasts on NHK Japan, CBC Radio-Canada, WQXR New York, and ABC Classic FM. He has performed at prestigious festivals including Music@Menlo, Tanglewood, Aspen and IMS Prussia Cove.

Since 2014, Andrew has served as concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia, while guest-leading orchestras such as the Singapore Symphony, Hallé Orchestra, and Melbourne Symphony. A champion of contemporary music, he has collaborated with icons like Pierre Boulez and Steve Reich, and champions New Zealand composers. His debut album with Rattle Records, 11 Frames (with pianist Sarah Watkins), won “Best Classical Artist” at the NZ Music Awards. He recently premiered Dame Gillian Whitehead’s Tai timu tai pari concerto, earning praise as a “fully validated virtuoso” (NZ Herald).

Always keen to expand his repertoire, Andrew has recently performed concertos by Marsalis, Szymanowski, Conus, Sinding and Harrison, to critical acclaim. He is a founding member of Aotango, a quintet blending tango and world music, which toured China and livestreamed to 600,000 viewers at the Shanghai Spring Festival. He also performs with the Levansa Piano Trio, having released two highly-praised CD’s with Atoll Records.

Having proudly been a pre-selection panelist for every Michael Hill International Violin Competition since 2015, Andrew is excited to be a member of the international jury for the first time in 2026.

Andrew plays a 1845 J.B. Vuillaume violin and a 1855 Nicolas Maire bow.

As first violinist of the Takács Quartet Edward Dusinberre has won a Grammy and awards from Gramophone Magazine, the Japanese Recording Academy, Chamber Music America and the Royal Philharmonic Society. Combining an international career with his longstanding appointment as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Dusinberre performs as a member of the Takács in the USA, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia, and is an Associate Artist at London’s Wigmore Hall. 

Dusinberre’s first book, Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet, melded music history and memoir to illuminate the circumstances surrounding the composition of Beethoven’s quartets and the Takács Quartet’s experiences playing this music. For this work Dusinberre won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2016 Creative Communication Award: ‘Few have told so well of the musician’s life, or offered such illuminating insights to players and listeners alike.’ In June 2020 Dusinberre and the Takács were featured in the BBC television series Being Beethoven. Dusinberre’s latest book Distant Melodies: Music in Search of Home was published by Faber and The University of Chicago Press in 2022.

Christopher Finlayson was born and educated in Wellington. After graduating with a BA in Latin and a LLM from Victoria University, he practiced law in Wellington as a solicitor before going to the Bar in 2002. He was elected to Parliament in 2005 and became Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations in 2008. Mr Finlayson held those positions until October 2017. During his Ministerial career he also held a number of other portfolios. He was chair of the Privileges Committee of Parliament from 2011-2017.

Mr Finlayson retired from Parliament on 30 January 2019 to return to the Bar.

In the course of his career, Mr Finlayson has served on a number of professional bodies including:

·         The New Zealand Council for Legal Education;

·         The Rules Committee of the High Court;

·         The New Zealand Council of Law Reporting;

·         A number of New Zealand Law Society Committees.

Outside of law Mr Finlayson has had extensive involvement in arts and culture. He previously served as chair of the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand and was a trustee of a number of arts organisations before he entered Parliament. Since leaving Parliament he has become a trustee of Chamber Music New Zealand, The Archibald Baxter Memorial Trust, The School of Dance Foundation and the Adam Foundation.

Mr Finlayson is a foundation author of McGechan on Procedure, the leading text on the practice and procedure of the Senior Courts of New Zealand. In 2018 he received a grant from the New Zealand Law Foundation to complete a book on the Crown Māori relationship, and he is also in the initial stages of writing a book on the Office of the Attorney-General.

In the course of his career Mr Finlayson has appeared in all the courts of New Zealand in public and commercial law cases. Examples of commercial cases are cases involving the Commerce Act, copyright, contract interpretation and many others. Prior to entering Parliament in 2005 his last case involved acting for the Sisters of Mercy in an historic abuse case where he was successful in both the High Court and Court of Appeal.

In 2013 he represented New Zealand in the International Court of Justice in a case where Australia sued Japan seeking to stop commercial whaling in the Southern Oceans. New Zealand intervened and Mr Finlayson led the case for New Zealand.