Russian-Vietnamese “Aylen Pritchin is the future of the violin and he will amaze us with all his art.” (ClassiqueHD).
He is taking Europe by storm, and in this concert is joined by the scintillating pianist, Taiwanese-Canadian Connie Shih who is Steven Isserlis’s most regular duo partner, in Saint-Saëns’ radiantly lyrical and virtuosic showstopper.
Johnsson is a marvellous young Swedish-Japanese violist, Senft is Principal bass of the prestigious Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and they are joined by our Artistic director on cello.
Beethoven’s string trio is a sheer delight, and the programme is capped by Schubert’s joyous “Trout” Quintet with its utterly charming variations on his song “Die Forelle”.
The addition of a double bass helps to give this piece its buoyancy and verve; it is probably the single most popular piece of all chamber music.
Musician Biographies
Enno Senft
Enno Senft is principal double-bass and a founder member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He has performed and recorded with many of the greatest conductors and soloists such as the late Bernard Haitink, Yanniek Nezet-Seguin, Andras Schiff, Heinz Holliger, Sir Roger Norrington and with the late Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
He has performed in various chamber music and contemporary music festivals, notably the Berliner Festwochen, Wien Modern, the Huddersfield, Cheltenham and Aldeburgh Festivals, Venice Biennale, Oxford May Music, the Wigmore Hall Series in London and the Sydney Festival.
Enno has played with the Berliner Philharmoniker and appears as guest principal with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Sympony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, the London Sympony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. As well as teaching at the RCM, he has also been a tutor for the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO).
Read Enno's full biography here.
David Waterman
David Waterman was born into a musical family in Leeds. He studied philosophy at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was awarded an MA and PhD degrees.
Founding member of the Endellion Quartet, his frequent collaborations with other artists have included appearances with members of the former Amadeus Quartet, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Joshua Bell, Lukacs Hagen, Steven Isserlis, Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Sandor Vegh. He was commissioned by Cambridge University Press to contribute a chapter to the “ Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet” which was published in 2003.
M. Waterman has taught at the Yehudi Menuhin School, the Royal Northern College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, the Guildhall, and the Menuhin Academy at Gstaad and teaches cello and chamber music for IMS at Prussia Cove.
Read David's full biography here.
Aylen Pritchin
Aylen Pritchin is one of the most sought-after and versatile artists today. He performs repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary, playing on period and modern instruments.
In recital, he has appeared at renowned festivals and venues: Wiener Konzerthaus, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Stockholm Musikaliska, Salzburg Mozarteum, Tchaikovsky Conservatory Hall in Moscow and the Champs-Elysées Theatre in Paris. Pritchin also performs at the Hong Kong Concert Hall with pianist Rémi Geniet and at the Toppan Hall in Tokyo with pianist Tomoki Kitamura. In Europe, his recent invitations include the Dubrovnik Summer Festival with Maxim Emelyanychev, the SoNoRo Festival in Romania, La Folle Journée de Nantes with Lukas Geniusas and the Lockenhaus Kammermusikfest, collaborating with such artists as Lawrence Power, Nicolas Altstaedt and Olli Mustonen.
Aylen is currently teaching at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf.
Read Aylen's full biography here
Ami-Louise Johnsson
Swedish violist Ami-Louise Johnsson has been lauded for her insightful musicianship and the warmth of her captivating sound. With a growing career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist, she is steadily establishing herself as a prominent voice in the classical music world.
Ami-Louise has been selected as the Swedish Radio Classical Artist of the Season 2026/27, featuring performances with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir, as well as the premiere of a newly commissioned work written especially for her.
In 2025, she was a prizewinner at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, performing Viola Concerto by William Walton with the Royal Northern Sinfonia under Thomas Zehetmair at Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
She was also awarded 2nd prize and the Dvořák Society Award at the Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition in Prague, and received the Junior Award from the Hattori Foundation in London.
She has performed at festivals including the Verbier Festival Academy, International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht, IMS Prussia Cove, Yellow Barn, and Nume Festival.
Ami-Louise studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with David Takeno, supported by scholarships from the Anglo-Swedish Society, the Drake Calleja Trust, and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
Born in Stockholm in 2001, Ami-Louise began violin studies at the age of five at Lilla Akademien Music School. She made her solo debut at eight with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Visit Ami-Louise's website here.
Connie Shih
Canadian pianist Connie Shih is considered to be one of Canada’s most outstanding artists. In 1993 she was awarded the Sylva Gelber Award for most outstanding classical artist under age 30. At the age of nine, she made her orchestral debut with Mendelssohn's first Piano Concerto with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. At the age of 12, she was the youngest ever protégé of Gyorgy Sebok, and then continued her studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Claude Frank, himself a protégé of Arthur Schnabel. Later studies were undertaken with Fou Tsong in Europe.
As soloist, she has appeared extensively with orchestras throughout Canada, the U.S.A. and Europe. In a solo recital setting, she has made countless appearances in Canada, the U.S., Iceland, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan and China. Connie has given chamber music performances with many world-renowned musicians. To critical acclaim, she appears regularly in recital with cellist Steven Isserlis. Including chamber music appearances at the Wigmore and Carnegie Halls, she performs at the prestigious Bath Music Festival, Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Weill Hall, and at the Kronberg Festival. Her collaborations have included Maxim Vengerov, Tabea Zimmerman, and Isabelle Faust. Recent recordings include her CD with Steven Isserlis on the BIS label.
Read Connie's full biography here.
