ALISA ZAIKA Composer, pianist and conductor

  • I chose to do music professionally because it brings me true fulfilment - it is an intellectual, spiritual, and extremely personal activity that has a right to exist as any other art form. I believe that it serves the world in secluded ways and keeps us human.

  • When I'm not doing music, I take part in volunteering activities and fundraising events to support my country during the full-scale invasion. I also enjoy doing visual art and photography.

Alisa is a musician from Kyiv, Ukraine. She is currently 22 years old and has recently graduated from the Royal College of Music in London, UK, with a Bachelor's degree in music composition and orchestral conducting.

Until 2022 Alisa majored as a pianist too and was actively involved in piano solo and chamber performances. Highlights of Alisa's most recent activities in composition include a performance of her music on LSO Discovery (April 2023) and being awarded a silver medal at the 7th Manhattan International Music Competition (June 2023). 

Alisa describes her compositional style as a result of her collective experiences in performance and discovering different music - she doesn't stick to a certain restrictive style and tries to experiment with all means of expression. She points out particular attention to the function of pitch and harmonic organisation in her compositions - varying on the whole spectrum of consonance to dissonance.

JOSEF ALIN Cellist

  • To be a cellist is the ultimate way to live close to music. Playing the cello is literally a physical experience as you are so close to the instrument and the vibrations resonate within your body. On a good day, it feels like therapy! I am passionate about chamber music and the opportunity to be and communicate with others through music.

  • My biggest hobby is playing tennis! It's an incredibly addictive sport and I'm completely hooked. I'm currently training for a comeback in the "Arild Open," a tennis tournament in Skåne where I used to get beaten badly every summer as a kid in the boys' categories... Now, I'm hoping for great success in the Men's Singles B!

Cellist Josef Alin was born in 1995 in Stockholm, grew up in a musical family and started to play the cello at the age of 6. After studying at Lilla Akademien Music School in Stockholm with Ulrika Edström, he moved to Berlin in the autumn of 2014 to study at the Universität der Künste with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz. After four years in Berlin, he studied at the Edsberg Music Institute in Stockholm under Torleif Thedéen, Jakob Koranyi, and Mats Zetterqvist. Josef has also actively participated in masterclasses throughout Europe with renowned cellists, has received numerous scholarships in Sweden and has been a prize winner in both national and international competitions. Most recently, he won 1st prize at the "Anton Rubinstein International Cello Competition" in Düsseldorf. After completing his studies, Josef now leads an active freelance career as a chamber musician, soloist, and orchestral musician both in Sweden and abroad.

THEO HILLBORG Saxophonist

  • I started playing saxophone at a very early age and then I couldn't stop.

  • It varies, but right now I'm super into tennis!

With a repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary classical music and jazz, Theo Hillborg is quickly establishing himself as one of Sweden's most exciting and versatile young saxophonists.

As a soloist, he has won awards in national and international competitions, such as the Stockholm International Music Competition and Polstjärnepriset. In April 2021, Theo, together with his duo partner Julia Isaksson (piano), won the Ung & Lovande Chamber Music Biennial.

Since 2020, he has been a member of the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, one of Europe's leading ensembles for new music. Theo has collaborated with conductors such as Sakari Oramo, Edward Gardner, Oliver Knussen, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Kaspars Putniņš, performing with orchestras and ensembles including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Manchester Camerata, BBC Singers, and Radiokören.

After completing his bachelor's degree with First Class Honours at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied with Simon Haram, Theo is currently pursuing his artist diploma in advanced interpretation under the guidance of Professor Christer Johnsson at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

BUN KOBAYASHI Dancer

  • I like to dance because it is a beautiful way to make friends and make people smile.

    I like to dance because it lets me enter a dialogue with myself in a fun, playful, curious way.

    I like to dance because I can feel my body filling up with awareness, space and possibility.

    I like to dance because it is a way of noticing what I want to do at any given moment.

    I like to dance because there are so many ways to do it!

  • When I am not dancing or talking to people about dance, I like to go to pottery classes or go on walks in nature and take pictures.

Bun Kobayashi graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in 2018 and is currently working on a project with Gracefool Collective drawing on the physicality of football and its link to women's protest and activism, which will be performed outdoors with a local community cast. Bun recently performed in Olive Hardy’s work at Sadler’s Wells as part of the Young Associates programme and is an understudy for Vera Tussing’s Tactile Quartet(s).

ALICIA REYES Multimedia composer and performer

  • Aiii noo this question…

    Alright, I guess I do what I do because it gives some sort of peaceful sense to my existence. It’s a way of telling stories, asking questions and creating memories. A way of sharing and building community around certain values and aesthetics. I believe that this desire or impulse of mine transcends art. If I were not a composer, I would tell stories and create collective memories with other tools. Building cabins, going on hikes with friends, writing books, organising conferences or researching in scientific groups to find solutions on how to live in peace with oneself and with what is left of the planet we inhabit.

Alicia Reyes (1996, Extremadura) is a multimedia composer and performer based in Hamburg who is interested in electronic music, free improvisation, and interdisciplinary artistic research projects. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Contemporary Composition and Performance (CoPeCo) at different European universities. Her latest works explore human self-perception and its relationship with nature.

aliciareyes.net

@hallo.aliciareyes

Photo: Olena Kryvoruchko

JULIA ISAKSSON Pianist

  • First and foremost, because I love music, and the piano repertoire is incredibly vast and diverse, offering so much to explore. It's also very enjoyable to travel, discover new places, and meet new people. Having the opportunity to create in the moment and convey emotions has always been what I strive for, and it's incredibly fulfilling to be able to dedicate myself to that full-time.

  • I have recently started learning how to knit, which I find to be very relaxing (most of the time). In addition to that, I love travelling, photography, and baking.

Julia Isaksson made her international solo debut at the age of 18, performing to a full house at Laeiszhalle in Hamburg at the International Steinway Festival, after winning first prize in the Steinway Pianofestival. In recent years, she has won first prizes in several national and international competitions and has received numerous scholarships from institutions such as the Countess of Munster Trust and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. In spring 2023, Julia made her debut as a soloist with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, performing Liszt's first piano concerto.

She studied classical piano with Professor Colin Stone at the Royal Academy of Music, where she obtained her Bachelor's degree with First Class Honours, Master's degree with Distinction, and DipRAM. Currently, she is in her final year of interpretation diploma studies at the Malmö Academy of Music under the guidance of Francisca Skoogh whilst working as a freelance pianist.

In 2021, Julia, together with saxophonist Theo Hillborg, won Sweden's largest chamber music competition, 'Ung & Lovande,' and during the autumn of 2022, they performed thirty concerts throughout Sweden. Their performance at the Norrlandsoperan has been broadcasted on several occasions on Swedish Radio.

Website: https://www.juliaisaksson.com 

DUO: JULIA AND THEO

With a natural artistry that sparks curiosity and broadens the listeners' horizons, Duo Julia & Theo offer music that seamlessly moves between genres. Their performance is infused with charming communication between the musicians and the audience." - Swedish Chamber Music Association

Theo Hillborg, saxophone, and Julia Isaksson, piano, started playing together in 2017 during their studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2021, the duo won first prize in the prestigious chamber music competition "Ung & Lovande" (Young & Promising). The first prize included a nationwide tour, and during the autumn of 2022, they have performed over thirty concerts throughout Sweden. During their tour, they have premiered works by Grammy-winning composer Magnus Lindgren. Their performance at Norrlandsoperan has also been broadcasted in its entirety on Swedish Radio on several occasions.

During their time in London, Julia & Theo have received lessons from musicians such as Kathryn Stott, Bengt Forsberg, Huw Wiggin, Nicola Eimer, Diana Ketler, and Gary Carpenter. The duo has already developed a vast repertoire and performed in both the United Kingdom and Sweden. By presenting a unique and innovative program, encompassing genres like folk music, jazz, classical, and contemporary music, they aim to expand the listeners' horizons and make the concerts as refreshing and engaging as possible. Recently, the duo was awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Music's professional development scholarship in ensemble playing, which will enable them to study in London and Manchester in the autumn.

JOEL JANSON JOHANSEN Composer 

  • The fact that I work with sound is rooted in it being a place where, at least for me, the questions asked become increasingly unanswered the more you engage with it. The discrepancy between the intention of what you create and what is experienced. The fact that you can search for something for years and sometimes find it in an afternoon. In this way, it is also a refuge, a place to go when needed and a place to keep searching when everything else comes to a halt.

All other things in the name of music. Joel Janson Johansen (b. 1990) is working mostly with acoustic instruments, trying to make them collaborate with the digital society we live in. This means trying to incorporate smartphones and other devices into the music without losing the music itself. Composer, producer, musician and developer. 

Has studied composition for 2 years at Tonsättarskolan in Visby (studied for Henrik Strindberg, Per Mårtensson, Mattias Svensson Sandell), then a Bachelor in composition from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (studied for Marie Samuelsson and Fredrik Hedelin). Currently studying a masters in composition at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

https://joeljansonjohansen.com/

instagram: @joeljanson

RAYMOND BRIEN Clarinetist and composer

  • I believe that music is relevant to everyone, whether you are an active listener, practitioner or completely new to music. As a performer and writer, community, communication and balance are fundamental elements of nature and society; these all directly related to music making. Using music making as a catalyst, we can continue to develop our understanding of ourselves and our connection to the world around us, and I think that’s pretty cool.

  • Outside of music, I enjoy running, cooking and art.

Raymond Brien is an award winning soloist featured on disks by Tocca Classics, Another Timbre and Polytempo Records. Raymond is on trial as principal clarinet of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and regularly plays with major professional ensembles throughout the UK. Fuelled by the ambition to bring living works to new audiences internationally in conjunction with historical repertoire, Raymond regularly records disks and performs with Apartment House and Riot Ensemble, the Farrenc Trio and Brien-Hao duo. He loves working closely with composers including Rebecca Saunders, Noah Max, Marc Yeats and Jürg Frey in developing and premiering new works which push the clarinet to new heights.

As a composer, Raymond draws upon synaesthesia, acoustic perception and meditation as guiding principles, and he is passionate about developing further literature exploring holistic practice and how this feeds into the world around us.

www.raymondbrien.com