At the end of May, Trinity Laban welcomed world-leading musicians, including Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay (leader of the Philharmonia), Antonio Mercurio (Principal Bass of the Arturo Toscanini Foundation), and Kristina Blaumane (Principal Cello of the LPO).
Our double bass students performed works by Bottesini, Misek, and Dittersdorf, receiving insightful feedback from Antonio Mercurio. Kristina Blaumane held a masterclass with our cellists, who delivered powerful performances of pieces by Elgar, Ginastera, Dvořák, Shostakovich, and Strauss. Trinity Laban’s violinists performed an expressive selection of concertos and sonatas by Sibelius, Beethoven, Brahms, and Debussy, delving into interpretation and technique in an engaging workshop with Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay.
Principal Double Bass Antonio Mercurio says: “Let me begin by extending my sincere thanks to Valentina Ciardelli for the invitation and to Trinity Laban for their genuinely warm welcome. Days spent like the masterclass truly hold immense value, particularly in the way they bring musicians together.
“It was a profound pleasure to share my experience in such a thoughtfully curated environment. Equally, it was an honour to engage in a dynamic exchange with instrumentalists who demonstrated a strong desire to learn and grow. I can honestly say I’ll be taking away both significant and subtle lessons from each of them. The ability to truly listen and learn from each other’s perspectives—from both sides of the experience—is absolutely essential for continuous mutual improvement. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Trinity Laban for making this invaluable opportunity possible.”
About Antonio Mercurio
Since 2015, Antonio Mercurio has held the principal double bass position at the Arturo Toscanini Foundation in Parma, having previously served in the same role with the Oviedo Philharmonic Orchestra (2010-2015). His achievements include the ‘Carlo Capriata’ International Prize (2015) and the International J.M. Sperger Competition “Cinematic Award”.
His solo career is also noteworthy, having performed works by Bottesini, Bruch, Piazzolla, and Proto, appeared with prestigious orchestras such as the Filarmonica A. Toscanini, the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, and the Orchestra da Camera di Alessandria, under the baton of distinguished conductors like Alpesh Chauhan and Giuseppe Lanzetta. He has performed numerous solo recitals both in Spain and Italy. He collaborated on Diego Zecharies’s CD “Music for double bass solo, duet and quintet” (2015) and is currently recording solo Italian 20th-century repertoire for Brilliant Classic. An active chamber musician, he founded the Coll’Arco quartet (2020), the Duo with G. Palena (accordion) and Duo with M. Costea (violin). He has performed at major festivals and with ensembles such as Quartetto Noûs and Filarmonici di Busseto, including a notable performances with Spira Mirabilis.
He was principal double bass of the L. Cherubini Orchestra under Riccardo Muti (2004-2008) and is regularly invited as principal by orchestras like the Orchestra Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Balthasar Neumann Orchestra, Teatro San Carlo, and Royal Northern Sinfonia. He has also collaborated with the Filarmonica della Scala and other prominent orchestras. His career in Spain included the orchestras of Murcia, Gran Canaria, Galicia, Bandart, and Oviedo. He was part of the Spira Mirabilis project (2006-2012). Since 2020, he has been a lecturer at the Accademia ‘Hdemia22’ in Parma and teaches masterclasses, including for ‘El Sistema’.
About Kristina Blaumane
Latvian cellist Kristina Blaumane is invited to play as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician around the world. She has performed as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Chicago Civic Orchestra, and more. Kristina is a keen chamber musician and has worked in partnership with such artists as Isaac Stern, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Yo-Yo Ma, and has performed at festivals such as Lockenhaus and Gstaad.
Kristina has been an avid promoter of new music. She has premiered a number of works, among them cello concertos by Dobrinka Tabakova, Kristaps Pētersons, Pēteris Plakidis, Artem Vassiliev and most recently Elena Langer. Kristina appears as a soloist on the ECM debut disc of composer Dobrinka Tabakova, which reached number 2 in the UK classical charts and has received a GRAMMY nomination. Besides this album, Kristina has recorded for ONYX, QUARTZ and BMG labels.
Kristina is a winner of many awards including Latvian Philharmonic Young Musician of the Year, Latvian Television Competition “Alternatīva”, Carmel International Competition, Musicians Benevolent Fund and Lord Mayor’s Prize. She is a two time laureate of the Grand Music Award (Lielā Mūzikas Balva), the highest prize given by the Latvian State in the field of music (2005; 2007).
Since 2007, Kristina combines her busy career with a principal cello position in London Philharmonic Orchestra.
About Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay
German-Hungarian violinist Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay is a founding member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim and later Concert Master of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), performing under conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, and Sir Colin Davis.
Zsolt won the Concert Master position at the Philharmonic Orchestra Gera immediately after finishing his studies and shortly afterwards joined the Philharmonia Orchestra as Joint Concert Master at the age of 24. He is regularly invited as guest Concert Master in orchestras throughout the UK, Europe, the US and Canada. Those include Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with many illustrious conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, and Christoph Von Dohnányi.
Laureate of several international solo prizes including the International Henry Marteau Violin Competition, the International Louis Spohr Violin Competition and the Jugend Musiziert, Zsolt is regularly invited to perform with a number of German orchestras. He has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen and recently, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in the Musikverein.
As a recording artist, Zsolt has recorded the Rachmaninov and Shostakovich Piano Trios with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Mats Lidström for Decca Records, Bartok “Contrasts” with Yefim Bronfman and Mark van de Wiel (Signum) and is a featured artist on the debut album of soprano Lise Davidsen, also for Decca Records. He frequently records for film and TV soundtracks as both a concert master and solo artist. Zsolt is passionate about education and was the head of the Strings faculty of the I,Culture Orchestra, an organisation bringing together young musicians from Eastern European countries. He is currently Head of Strings for the Sinfonica Azteca Youth Orchestra in Mexico. Zsolt teaches privately and gives master classes to students at the music colleges in London, focusing in particular on preparing students for orchestral auditions.