Pablo Ferrández

Prizewinner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition and SONY Classical exclusive artist, Pablo Ferrández is hailed as a “new cello genius” (Le Figaro). A captivating performer, “Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” (El Pais). He has turned into a cello phenomenon and one of the most in-demand instrumentalists of his generation.

His debut album under SONY Classical, “Reflections”, released in 2021, was highly acclaimed by the critics and praised with the Opus Klassik Award. In Fall 2022 Pablo Ferrández released his second album, which comprised the Brahms Double Concerto, performed with Anne-Sophie Mutter, the Czech Philharmonic under M. Honeck, as well as Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, performed with Ms. Mutter and Lambert Orkis, also receiving rave reviews.

Recent highlights included appearances with LA Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl, Czech Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Oslo Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Bayersichen Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Konzerthaus Orchester, Tonkuenslter Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Israel Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic. Ferrández toured last season with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the London Philharmonic under Ed Gardner, with Munich Philharmonic under Myung-whun Chung, and with the Antwerp Symphony under Elim Chan.

He is also frequently invited to international renown festivals such as Verbier, Salzburg, Dresden, Sion, Dvorak Prague Festival, Grant Park and Jerusalem, among others.

The 23/24 season brings the debut at the David Geffen Hall in New York with the Orquesta del Teatro Real, and also with the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Liege, Stavanger Symphony, Musikkollegium Winterthur, the returns to the Rotterdam Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Dusseldorf Symphony, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestra National de France and Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia.

Ferrández will also return to the LA Philharmonic, performing Brahms Double Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter under G. Dudamel, and will tour with the Czech Philharmonic under S. Bychkov in Japan and Europe, performing Dvorak Cello Concerto.

Born in Madrid in 1991, in a family of musicians, Pablo Ferrández joined the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía when he was 13 to study with Natalia Shakhovskaya. After that he completed his studies at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and became scholar of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

Mr. Ferrández plays the Stradivarius “Archinto” 1689, on a generous life-long loan from a member of the Stretton Society.

Julio Elizalde

Praised as a musician of “compelling artistry and power” by The Seattle Times, the gifted Hispanic-American pianist Julio Elizalde is a multifaceted artist who enjoys a unique career as soloist, collaborator, curator, and educator. Julio has performed at many of the world’s major music centers including Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), Koerner Hall (Toronto), Alice Tully Hall (New York), Kioi Hall (Tokyo), Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), St. Paul’s Knightsbridge (London), National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico City), National Concert Hall (Taipei), and the Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore), among many others.

For nearly a decade, he has appeared as recital partner to world-renowned violinists Ray Chen and Sarah Chang, and has collaborated with many of the leading artists of our time, including Pablo Ferrández, Kian Soltani, Pamela Frank, Robert McDonald, and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Takács, Kronos, Brentano, St. Lawrence, and Dover string quartets. As a founding member of the N-E-W Trio, he won the grand prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and received the Harvard Musical Association’s prestigious Arthur W. Foote Prize. As part of the Trio, he performed for notable American politicians including President Bill Clinton and Secretaries of State Condoleeza Rice and Henry Kissinger.

A champion of new music, Julio has collaborated with celebrated composers such as Osvaldo Golijov, Sir Stephen Hough, Adolphus Hailstork, and Michael Stephen Brown. Julio was a featured artist on the soundtrack composed by Academy Award-winner Howard Shore for the film Jimmy P, starring Benicio Del Toro. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Julio is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with honors as a student of Paul Hersh. He holds master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal, Joseph Kalichstein, and Robert McDonald. Since 2014, Julio has served as artistic director of the Olympic Music Festival outside Seattle, Washington, and he is currently the Associate Chair of Strings & Piano Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.