Rising Stars 2025

The Luxembourg cellist Benjamin Kruithof has in recent years performed recitals on stages such as Kings Place in London, Salle Cortot in Paris, and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and has been a soloist with ensembles including the East-West Chamber Orchestra and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. It is also the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra together with Concertgebouw that has nominated Benjamin Kruithof for Rising Stars.

He performs here with the award-winning Armenian pianist Zhora Sargsyan in a personal programme with a French accent: Gabriel Fauré's beautiful and melancholic Élegie and the swiftly fluttering Papillon, and Nadia Boulanger's both decorative and spirited Three Pieces. Additionally, a tango by the Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, who studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. As a contrast, there is a completely new piece by the British composer Sally Beamish.

Rising Stars is a unique and forward-looking collaboration between 24 of Europe’s leading concert halls, all members of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). A handful of young musicians and ensembles from various countries are selected each year and given the opportunity to tour the concert halls and perform before international audiences. Experience shows that those who are selected as Rising Stars also have internationally successful careers.

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Menu: Roasted corn soup with bell pepper oil. The soup is served with sourdough bread, crispbread, butter, mineral water/light beer, coffee/tea, and a piece of chocolate. Wine and beer available for purchase for those who wish.

All soups are lactose- and gluten-free. Please inform us of any special dietary requirements when booking.

Pianist Lukas Sternath is on the path to a brilliant career. He has performed in renowned concert halls such as Vienna's Musikverein, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and Tonhalle in Zurich. Sternath was a member of the famous Vienna Boys' Choir and later trained at the Conservatory in Vienna, as well as studying under Igor Levit in Germany.

Sternath eagerly tackles the hyper-virtuosic repertoire, including Franz Schubert's heroic and extremely challenging Wanderer Fantasy. Schubert himself couldn't play it well enough and is said to have remarked, "The devil can play this piece!" In addition to a newly composed piece, Sternath also takes on Franz Liszt's monumental B minor Sonata, a captivating and forward-looking work filled with drama, beauty, power, and contemplation.

Rising Stars is a unique and forward-looking collaboration between 24 of Europe’s leading concert halls, all members of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). A handful of young musicians and ensembles from various countries are selected each year and given the opportunity to tour the concert halls and perform before international audiences. Experience shows that those who are selected as Rising Stars also have internationally successful careers.

Lukas Sternath was nominated by Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, and Philharmonie du Luxembourg.

Rising Stars is a unique and forward-looking collaboration between 24 of Europe’s leading concert halls, all members of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). A handful of young musicians and ensembles from various countries are selected each year and given the opportunity to tour the concert halls and perform before international audiences. Experience shows that those who are selected as Rising Stars also have internationally successful careers.

The French Quatuor Agate took their name from Brahms's incredibly beautiful second string sextet, which he dedicated to one of his great loves, Agathe von Siebold (the other being Clara Schumann). The quartet has been awarded several prizes, including for the best performance of new music at the Banff International String Quartet Competition in Canada, and the audience prize at the Verbier Festival. Their recent debut album delves deeply into Brahms, featuring all three string quartets.

On the program, they also include Joseph Haydn's quartet commonly known as "The Joke," referring to his first substitution of a minuet movement with a scherzo, Italian for a joke or jest. Between Haydn's classical quartet and Korngold's restless and energetically explosive third string quartet, Quatuor Agate presents a newly composed piece by the exciting Ukrainian singer, pianist, organist, conductor, and composer Anna Korsun.

Rising Stars is a unique and forward-looking collaboration between 24 of Europe’s leading concert halls, all members of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). A handful of young musicians and ensembles from various countries are selected each year and given the opportunity to tour the concert halls and perform before international audiences. Experience shows that those who are selected as Rising Stars also have internationally successful careers.

With phenomenal attention to both detail and musical entirety, Carlos Ferreira has positioned himself as one of the most exciting young clarinet stars. In fierce competition, he clinched the coveted soloist prize at the 2021 Mecklenburg Festival, and after serving as alternate principal clarinetist in the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, he has now been appointed as principal clarinetist in the prestigious Orchestre National de France.

Alongside Portuguese pianist and composer Pedro Emanuel Pereira, he presents a diverse programme on his Rising Stars tour, ranging from Leonard Bernstein's Sonata and Joseph Horovitz's warm-hearted and entertaining Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, to music by participating pianist Pereira and French composer Charles-Marie Widor.

Additionally, there's a brand-new piece by Chinese composer Lanqing Ding, commissioned by ECHO in collaboration with Casa da Música Porto, Fundação Gulbenkian Lisbon, and The Sage Gateshead – which also nominated Carlos Ferreira for Rising Stars.

Rising Stars is a unique and forward-looking collaboration between 24 of Europe’s leading concert halls, all members of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). A handful of young musicians and ensembles from various countries are selected each year and given the opportunity to tour the concert halls and perform before international audiences. Experience shows that those who are selected as Rising Stars also have internationally successful careers.