Leonidas Kavakos (Violin)
Leonidas Kavakos is recognised across the world as a violinist and artist of rare quality, acclaimed for his matchless technique, his captivating artistry and his superb musicianship, and the integrity of his playing.
Kavakos works regularly with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors and plays as recitalist in the world’s premier recital halls and festivals. He has developed close relationships with major international orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.
In recent years, he has succeeded in building a strong profile as a conductor and has conducted the New York Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic.
In the 2022-23 season, Kavakos is honoured as Artist in Residence at Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, where he appears as both violinist and conductor. He has toured Europe with pianist Yuja Wang, as well as returned to United States with regular recital partners pianist Emanuel Ax and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Kavakos performs a number of concerts throughout Europe and the Middle East with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Daniel Harding, as well as returns to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, NDR Hamburg, New York Philharmonic and Czech Philharmonic.
He is an exclusive recording artist with Sony Classical. Further recent releases include the Beethoven Violin Concerto which he conducted and played with Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in 2019 for the Beethoven 250th Anniversary year in 2020, and the re-release of his 2007 recording of the complete Beethoven Sonatas with Enrico Pace. In 2022 Kavakos released Beethoven for Three: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5 arranged for trio, with Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma.
Born and brought up in a musical family in Athens, Kavakos curates an annual violin and chamber-music masterclass in Athens, which attracts violinists and ensembles from all over the world. He plays the ‘Willemotte’ Stradivarius violin of 1734.
Enrico Pace (Piano)
Pianist Enrico Pace was born in Rimini, Italy. He studied piano at the Rossini Conservatory, Pesaro, where he graduated in Conducting and Composition, and later at the Accademia Pianistica Incontri col Maestro, Imola. Winning the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in 1989 marked the beginning of his international career.
He has performed with many major orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, and more. Also, Pace has toured extensively, performing in Europe and South America, and has performed at numerous festivals including those in Verbier and Lucerne, among others. He enjoys on-going relationships with renowned musicians, such as violinists Leonidas Kavakos, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Akiko Suwanai and Liza Ferschtman, as well as cellist Sung-Won Yang, performing with them throughout Europe, the United States and Asia.
Pace has also recorded many albums, the label “Piano Classics” released his highly praised solo recording of the Années de pèlerinage, première année – “Suisse” and deuxième année – “Italie” of Franz Liszt in 2011. His recording of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for piano and violin with Kavakos was released by Decca Classics in 2013 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
