The Chaos Quartet are among the seven artists in the latest cohort of the BBC’s classical music talent development scheme

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Chaos Quartet © Andrej Grilc

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BBC Radio 3 has revealed the names of the New Generation Artists joining the station’s talent development scheme in September 2023 through to December 2025. They are:

James Atkinson baritone (UK)

Chaos Quartet (Europe)

Alim Beisembayev piano (Kazahstan)

Giorgi Gigashvili piano (Georgia)

Niamh O’Sullivan mezzo-soprano (Republic of Ireland)

Michael Pandya collaborative piano (UK)

Johanna Wallroth soprano (Sweden)

The performers join the New Generation Artists who have been on the scheme since 2022, and remain on it until December 2024, including Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia, New Zealand violinist Geneva Lewis and the Leonkoro Quartet.

Sam Jackson, Controller of BBC Radio 3 said: ’Supporting the development of outstanding young artists as they take the first steps in their career is an absolute privilege for Radio 3: we witness the growth of these performers as they appear on prestigious stages across the country and beyond, and are listened to by millions on our airwaves.

’I am sure our audience will share in the excitement as we announce the seven New Generation Artists joining the scheme this year - and I really look forward to seeing how they evolve, push boundaries, and create extraordinary performances for us all to enjoy.’

The only string players in this year’s cohort, the Chaos Quartet, comprising violinists Susanne Schäffer and Eszter Kruchió, violist Sara Marzadori and cellist Bas Jongen, won the 2023 Bad Tölz 1st International String Quartet Competition. The quartet has also won prizes at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, the Bartók World Competition and the Premio V. E. Rimbotti. It has appeared at festivals at Davos, Ravenna, Gent, Bologna, Budapest, Florence, Vienna and Heidelberg.

Launched in 1999, the New Generation Artists scheme supports young musicians at the beginning of their international careers with performance opportunities in London and around the UK. These include solo recitals, performances with the BBC orchestras, and appearances at some of the UK’s most prestigious venues and festivals, including the BBC Proms, Cheltenham Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Ulster Hall, and Snape Maltings among many others. Through broadcasts on Radio 3 these rising stars are heard by listeners all over the UK, and across Europe through the European Broadcasting Union.

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