Violinist Matteo Cimatti and cellist Petar Pejčić join pianist Kasparas Mikužis and guitarist Samrat Majumder in this year’s cohort
The Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) has announced the newest members of its roster of young musicians for its 40th anniversary season.
Violinist Matteo Cimatti and cellist Petar Pejčić join the roster, along with pianist Kasparas Mikužis and guitarist Samrat Majumder, who has also been selected as the YCAT 40th Anniversary Artist. Majumder will receive an enhanced package of support during his first year with YCAT.
Italian violinist Cimatti splits his time between Switzerland and London. He graduated in 2024 from the Haute École Musique de Lausanne in Switzerland, where he most recently studied with Janine Jansen and Tomo Keller.
Serbian cellist Pejčić studied in Germany at the University of Music and Theater ’Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’ in Leipzig with Peter Bruns and is currently enrolled in the Professional Studies programme at the Kronberg Academy, in the class of Frans Helmerson. He was recently named as an ECHO Rising Star for the 2026/27 season.
Lithuanian-born pianist Mikužis was named Rising Star 2025 by Classic FM. Recent highlights include a concerto performance with John Wilson and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, his recital debut at Wigmore Hall in London, as well as a solo appearance at London Fashion Week.
Majumder is a Scottish-Indian classical guitarist currently studying Konzertexamen at the Robert Schumann Hochshule, Düsseldorf. He is co-founder of the Classical Guitar Reach Foundation of India (CGRFI) which organises classical guitar educational events across India.
In joining YCAT, the four artists will enjoy major recital debuts at venues including London’s Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The artists will receive full international management, performance opportunities both in the UK and internationally, as well as promotional resources, professional media assets and strategic career planning.
YCAT continues its partnership with the Concert Artists Guild (CAG) in New York. Guitarist Majumder has been selected for North American support as a joint YCAT-CAG artist.
The artists were chosen at the final auditions, held on 22 May at Wigmore Hall. The selection panel comprised Caro Barnfield, music programme Director at Britten Pears Arts; Guido Gaertner, former managing director and intendant, Bremer Philharmonker; Philip Noyce, managing editor, Classic FM; Rachel van-Walsum, director and co-founder of Maestro Arts; Stephen McHolm, director of the Verbier Academy; Tanya Bannister, president of Concert Artists Guild, NY; and Alasdair Tait, chief executive and artistic director of YCAT.
Read: Covid-19 and young musicians: What you make of it
Read: 28 violinists selected for 2025 Tibor Varga Violin Competition
The number one source for playing and teaching books, guides, CDs, calendars and back issues of the magazine.
In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.
The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.
The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.
No comments yet