BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists scheme offers an unrivalled platform to talented young musicians across the globe.
Radio 3’s New Generation Artists scheme was founded in 1999 as part of the BBC’s commitment to nurturing young talent. Now in its 16th year, the scheme provides musicians with opportunities to develop their live and recorded performances, including broadcasts with the BBC orchestras, lunchtime concerts from around the UK and regular studio recordings, as well as forming chamber music collaborations with fellow NGAs.
Through supporting the brightest musicians in reaching the next stage of their careers the scheme showcases new talent to listeners across the UK via a series of Radio 3 broadcasts, fronted by BBC Young Musician presenter Clemency Burton-Hill. Over the past 16 years the scheme has supported and spotted internationally recognised artists as diverse as Benjamin Grosvenor, Alison Balsom, the Belcea Quartet, Christine Rice and Gwilym Simcock.
Edward Blakeman, Editor, and Emma Bloxham, Lead Producer, Radio 3, say: "BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists scheme offers an unrivalled platform to talented young musicians across the globe. With such a vast and diverse range of performers having already passed across our roster, we are delighted to welcome the 2014-2016 NGAs and look forward to working with them to develop their skills and broaden their experience."
The 2014-16 New Generation Artists are:
The Armida Quartet - String Quartet (Germany)
The Armida Quartet is named after one of Joseph Haydn’s most successful operas. The Quartet was founded in the summer of 2006 in Berlin and is currently attending the Artemis Quartet’s class at the Universität der Künste. In September 2012 the Armida Quartet received first prize and the Audience Award at the 61st International Music Competition of ARD, where it was also awarded the Special Prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned composition 'Lost Prayers' by Erkki-Sven Tüür.
Benjamin Appl – Baritone (Germany)
German baritone Benjamin Appl studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich and the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding, and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He was the last private pupil of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Benjamin is a member of the Yehudi-Menuhin-Foundation Live Music Now and recipient of many awards, including the 2012 Schubert Prize awarded by the Deutsche Schubert Gesellschaft. Benjamin appears regularly with the Wigmore Hall and Schubertiade Festival, while recent opera appearances include Il mondo della luna (Ernesto) in Augsburg, and a new commission for the Bregenz Festival (Das Leben am Rande der Milchstraße by Bernhard Gander). He will also be an ECHO Rising Starts artist during the 2015/16 season.
Alec Frank-Gemmill - French Horn (UK)
Horn player Alec Frank-Gemmill is recognised internationally for the exceptional breadth and depth of his music making. He has performed concertos with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and Sinfonietta Köln and on numerous occasions with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, where he is also Principal Horn. Alec was Artist in Residence at the 2013 Lammermuir Festival and made his Wigmore Hall debute in the same year. Forthcoming performances include the premiere of a piece by John Luther Adams at the East Neuk Festival, a recital as part of the Junge Elite series at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and baroque horn concertos at the Spitalfields Festival.
Narek Hakhnazaryan – Cello (Armenia)
Narek Hakhnazaryan studied at the Moscow and New England Conservatories; he was mentored by Rostropovich and received a scholarship from the Rostropovich Foundation. Prizes include the 2008 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the Cello First Prize and Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition 2011. Hakhnazaryan's many high-level engagements have included concerto appearances with the London Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony orchestras, with conductors such as Gergiev, Robertson, Bělohlávek and Koopman. He has also performed in recital and chamber music in many of the major halls and festivals across the globe including Wigmore Hall, Salle Pleyel (Paris), Berlin Konzerthaus and Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
Pavel Kolesnikov – Piano (Russia)
Pavel Kolesnikov began to study piano and violin at the age of six and entered the Moscow State Conservatoire in 2007. He continues his education at the Royal College of Music in London as an Else Gertrude Martin Scholar supported by an Evelyn Tarrant Award. Pavel is the 2012 Honens Prize Laureate, and his other awards include First Prize at the Gilels International Piano Competition and the special Jury Prize at the XIV International P.I. Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Pavel has played in concerts, both as soloist and chamber musician, in Russia, the Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland.
Esther Yoo – Violin (US / Korea / Belgium)
Esther Yoo is currently a student of Ana Chumachenco in the Excellence Bachelor Programme at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich and of Augustin Dumay in the Artist Diploma Programme at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels. Esther was the youngest prize winner of the 10th International Sibelius Violin Competition in 2010, aged just 16, and in 2012 she was one of the youngest ever prize winners of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition. Following her London debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra under the late Lorin Maazel in March, she is currently touring South America with the orchestra, under Vladimir Ashkenazy, with performances of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Williams’ The Lark Ascending.
This year’s New Generation Artists will join those from 2013 and listeners will be able to hear from both talent pools throughout the year. The 2013-15 New Generation Artists, who remain on the scheme for another year, are: Danish String Quartet, mezzo soprano Kitty Whately, pianist Zhang Zuo, violist Lise Berthaud, pianist Louis Schwizgebel and soprano Olena Tokar.
Notes to Editors
• New Generation Artists is a scheme run by Radio 3 and offers listeners access to the very best young international talent. The scheme was launched in 1999.
• Every autumn, six or seven artists or groups who are beginning to make a mark on the international music scene are invited to join the NGA scheme. They are given the opportunity to give concerts in London and around the UK, as well as make appearances and recordings with the BBC orchestras, studio recordings for Radio 3, and, last but not least, appearances at the Proms.
• New Generation Artists have featured in some of Britain's most prominent festivals, including the City of London Festival, the BBC Proms, the London Jazz Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Cheltenham Festival and Edinburgh International Festival.
• Radio 3 has also commissioned a number of works for New Generation Artists, from composers including Simon Holt, Geoffrey Burgon, Augusta Read Thomas, Karin Rehnqvist, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Alexander Goehr.
• BBC Radio 3 is the home of classical music. The station also broadcasts a wide range of cultural programming including jazz, world music, arts and over 25 new drama programmes a year. Radio 3 features more live classical music programming than any other and is the home of the BBC Proms, broadcasting every Prom live and over 600 complete concerts a year. The station is also the most significant commissioner of new musical works in the country and is committed to supporting new talent; composers, writers and new young performers through schemes such as New Generation Artists and New Generation Thinkers.
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