ECMA Ensembles 2024 / Showcase

Seen as the one of the most exciting chamber ensembles of their generation, the Paddington Trio has been recognized in international competitions and live performances for their fresh interpretations and exuberant energy. As did the famous bear, Finnish violinist Tuulia Hero, Irish cellist Patrick Moriarty and American pianist Stephanie Tang have made London their home and emerged as an ensemble of an entirely unique and lasting entity. The trio is celebrated for its close and energetic communication, insightful and imaginative programming as well as its highly refined ensemble playing. The trio’s grand mission is to bridge the gap between new listeners and serious classical music enthusiasts by welcoming everyone into their living room of musical discovery and shared love of chamber music. 

Tuulia, Patrick and Stephanie have had the privilege to work closely with internationally renowned musicians, such as Eberhard Feltz, Marc Danel, Gary Hoffman, Levon Chilingirian, Robert Levin, Johannes Meissl, David Dolan and members of the Ébène, Takács, Endellion and Meta4 quartets. They join the European Chamber Music Academy in 2023 and also receive mentorships from ChamberStudio and the Netherlands String Quartet Academy. The trio studied under Thomas Adès at the IMS Prussia Cove’s 50th anniversary masterclasses.

Tetra Brass is characterized by creativity, endless curiosity and experimental openness. This open approach to music creates a diverse repertoire, ranging from original works of the late romantic and the 20th century to contemporary music written especially for and premiered by the ensemble. In addition to collaborations with composers and interdisciplinary projects, the quartet regularly performs rediscovered music as well as their own idiomatic arrangements for brass quartet.

Since 2022, Tetra Brass has been a member of the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA), a network of active participation in shaping the future world of music, based on the great European chamber music traditions.

In 2023, Tetra Brass was awarded the Förderpreis für Musik der Landeshauptstadt München and is supported by the Safran Foundation in the 2022/23 season. The year before, the quartet was awarded several first prizes in international competitions in Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Chieri (Italy) und Vršac (Serbia).

Osimun Quartet is a young group born in 2021 composed of four Spanish saxophonists, who aim to express their own language through chamber music. Its members Maria Bel Serra, Fátima Alcázar, Inés González and Ricard Martínez are currently based in Cologne and Maastricht. Their continuous search for growth and ambition to further develop as chamber musicians has led them to recently join the Netherlands String Quartet Academy (NSKA), where they receive lessons from some of the most influential figures including Quatuor Ébène and Eberhard Feltz among others. Recently they have also been selected to be part of the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) which main teachers are Johannes Meissl and Patrick Jüdt.

Founded in 2019, the Modulor Quartet has performed at the Davos Festival, the St. Galler Festspiele, the Swiss Chamber Music Festival, the quatres saisons festival Lausanne, the Chamber Music Days Bergkirche Büsingen, the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater and the Braunwald Chamber Music Week. The young musicians are coached by Rainer Schmidt and Anna Gebert at the Basel Academy of Music and have attended masterclasses with Eberhard Feltz, Robert Levin and Florian Donderer. In addition to classical repertoire, the Modulor Quartet is dedicated to contemporary music and interdisciplinary projects with dance and architecture. 

The quartet's name pays respect to Swiss architect Le Corbusier's theory of architectural proportions – the golden ratio. In 2021 the quartet won a 2nd prize at the Orpheus Chamber Music Competition in Fribourg, the 1st prize at the 2022 Kiwanis Competition in Zurich and in 2023 was awarded the main prize of the Lucerne-based Marianne and Curt Dienemann Foundation. The Modulor Quartet was nominated for the Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes 2023 (Lausanne) and qualified for the 2021 International Bartók Competition in Budapest, the 2023 International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove (UK), the 2023 Carl Nielsen Chamber Music Competition (DK) as well as the 77th Concours de Genève 2023. 

Last year the Modulor Quartet joined the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) and the international chamber music platform MERITA.