Leonard Elschenbroich cello

Fellowship Winner 2008

Twenty-two year-old cellist Leonard Elschenbroich has recently caught the attention of today's greatest international conductors. Subsequent invitations for orchestral debuts include: Valery Gergiev and Basel Symphony, Semyon Bychkov with WDR Symphony, Christoph Eschenbach and Anne-Sophie Mutter at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, as well as personal invitations from Fabio Luisi, Paavo Järvi and Manfred Honeck. He has also been invited to perform chamber music by Gidon Kremer at the Lockenhaus Festival, Katia & Marielle Labéque at the Verbier Festival and Anne-Sophie Mutter in Weimar and Munich. As part of the concert series "Masters on Tour" he will give recitals at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Bratislava, Prague, Tallinn and Helsinki. He has just made his debut recording for Naxos, to be released this summer, featuring works by Alfred Schnittke, which will include an homage composition by Leonard Elschenbroich. Recently he appeared as a soloist with the Kremerata Baltica, the Bremen Philharmonic and the Belarus National Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw. He has given recitals (with renowned pianists such as Marc-André Hamelin, Martin Helmchen, Kirill Gerstein and Anna Vinnitskaya) in 16 European countries. At the last Kronberg Cello Festival he was awarded the "Landgraf-v.-Hessen-Prize", previous awards include: "Best Newcoming Artist" by the "Pro Europa" Society 2005, Eugene-Istomin Prize for "Most Promising Young Artist" 2004 and Verbier Academy "Top Cellist Prize" 2003. Leonard also receives intensive support by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation as their only cellist. Born in Frankfurt, he was invited to the Yehudi Menuhin School in London at the age of 10 and gave over a hundred concerts in England as a soloist at the Royal Festival, Queen Elizabeth and Wigmore halls. He currently holds a Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He plays the "Leonard Rose" cello by Matteo Goffriller, which is loaned to him by the Violoncello Society of London.