Musicians
DANIEL RUBENSTEIN - violin
Daniel Rubenstein performed extensively as a chamber musician, in recitals or as a soloist, across Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania, Brazil, Turkey, Tunisia, Israel, South Korea and Japan. 1st Prize Winner of several national music competitions, Daniel Rubenstein gave his first concert as a soloist at the age of 15 with the National Orchestra of Belgium under the direction of Mendi Rodan. He performed nearly 200 chamber music works with nearly 100 International artists in festivals and important Concert Series, and has created more than 40 new works by renowned composers, some dedicated to him. His discography of a dozen CD received excellent critics from the International press (Gramophone, Crescendo, Klassik Heute, Fanfare). Graduated with Honors from the Royal Brussels Conservatory (Belgium) and the Indiana University (USA) in 3 instruments (violin, viola & piano), Daniel Rubenstein is presently violin, viola and chamber music professor at the Royal Conservatory of Mons (Belgium), Associate Professor in chamber music at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and Artistic Director of the Festival Mozart (Belgium & Japan).
SOPHIE ACKERMANN - violin
A Prize Winner of the 2013 New Tenuto National Competition (Belgium), Sophie Ackermann performed as soloist in Mozart, Aruntunian, Mendelssohn and Brahms concertos, together with the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie in festivals in Belgium and with the Symphony Orchestra of the Alicante University in Italy (Musicfest Perugia). After obtaining her Master Degree with High Distinction at the Mons Royal Conservatory in Belgium in the class of Daniel Rubenstein, she pursue her studies in the class of Hagaï Shaham at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at the University of Tel-Aviv where she also served as concertmaster of the University Orchestra which worked under conductors such as Zubin Mehta. As a chamber musician, Sophie Ackermann was also invited in 2014 and 2015 as a Young Artist at the Festival Mozart (Waterloo) where she performed as a violinist and violist in various chamber music works together with International artists. Since then, and besides teaching, she has been mostly concentrating as a chamber musician, performing in Belgium, France, Luxemburg and Japan among other places.
GERGELY KOTA - viola
Originally from Hongary, Gergely Kota is an active concert violist regularly seen on the main concerts hall in Belgium and in Europe, both as an orchestra leader or a chamber musician. Member and founder of the String quartet Quatuor CoryFeye, then fouding member of the Trio Becel (viola, flute & harp), he is also principal viola in chamber orchestras such as the Namur Chamber Orchestra, the Ensemble Atanares, and Concertmaster of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Brussels. His participation in international festivals includes also performance in the jazz festival of Pápa (Hungary), or within the German group Kulturtecphniker. Graduated from the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Brussels, he also studied Improvisation and is an avid initiators of various multimedia projects. Besides his concert career, Gergely Kota is an active pedagogue, Chamber music professor at the Academy of Watermael-Boitsfort and teaching in Summer Masterclasses in Belgium, Hungary etc.
LAURENT HOUQUE - viola
Sensitive to the power of music, Laurent Houque distinguishes himself through a career as a concert performer and composer. Member of the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles since 2012, and in duo with the pianist Misa Kakumoto, his concerts have taken him to numerous stages in Europe: the Concerts Métropole in Brussels, the Cultuurmarkt in Antwerpen, Ars Musica, the Clef de festival Soleil in Lille, the Gaudeamus contemporary music festival in Utrecht, as well as as a soloist with the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the Orchester Ecume Sonore, the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional del Ecuador etc. Graduated in violin with great distinction at the Royal Conservatory of Mons - ARTS2 in the class of Daniel Rubenstein with whom he also studied viola, an instrument in which he is also performing with, his violin training was given by Florence Nivalle, Suzanne Gessner, Jerrold Rubenstein, Régis Pasquier and Dominique Juchors, as well as in masterclasses with Augustin Dumay, Mihaela Martin, Marianne Piketty, Gérard Poulet, Hagai Shaham, Jan Talich, and in composition with Jean-Michel Bardez, Alain Louvier and Claude Ledoux.
JOHANNES BURGHOFF - cello
Passionate about chamber music, Johannes Burghoff performed as soloist or as a chamber musician in famous concert halls such as the Tonhalle (Zürich), the Lincoln Center (New-York), the Arts-Center of Seoul etc. Coming from a family of musicians, Johannes Burghoff graduated from Liège and Strasbourg in the classes of Marise Douin and Marc Coppey. Founder of the Trio Mistral, piano trio performing regularly on different continents, a member of the Prosperus4 string quartet, he is also a member of the Ensemble Linea (Strasbourg) and the Concert Olympique (Antwerp). As a chamber musician, he performed with musicians such as Maiko Inoue, Tatiana Samouil, Alissa Margulis, Philippe Graffin, Anne Cambier, Mario Caroli, Aldo Baerten, Marcio Carneiro, Olivier Piguet, Pablo Marquèz, Misha Besverkny, Diederik Suys, Tony Nys, Sheva Tehoval, Ning Kam and others. His discography of more then 10 CD's (labels BMI, UT3-record etcs.) includes works by Beethoven, Bruch, Rachmaninov, Dvorak, Shostakovitch, Mozart... Artistic director of the « Festival International de musique à Jodoigne » (Belgique) , Johannes Burghoff plays on a 1733 cello made by Januarius Gagliano.
CATHERINE LEBRUN - cello
Cello-solo during 2 years of the Guayaquil Symfony Orchestra in Equator with which she travelled throughout South America, Catherine Lebrun has been a Laureate of the Pro Civitate National Competition (now Belfius Classics) and the Fondation Belge de la Vocation. As a chamber musician, she performed during 6 years extensively chamber music at the Queen Elisabeth Chapelle. A founding member of the Ensemble Mendelssohn, she is also a member of several chamber music groups such as the Trio Vidas, Sturm und Klang, Franchomme Duo, Limoncello Quartet as well as with pianist Michel Laurent. Graduated with Honor of the Brussels Royal Conservatory, she also received a Virtuoso Diploma in cello at the Ghent Royal Conservatory. Since last year, she explores the world of baroque music. Catherine Lebrun is an active pedagogue, and have been teaching cello and chamber music at the Namur Hight Institute of Music (IMEP - Belgium), as well as cello pedagogy at the Brussels Royal Conservatory.
Partners
Partners involded in recent and actual projects
MAXIME DESERT
Viola
MARTA COSTA SOARES
Double-bass
ALESSANDRO CERVINO
Piano
AYSEGUL KIRMANOGLU
Clarinet
JEAN-MARC FESSARD
Clarinet
MAVROUDES TROULLOS
Bassoon
RACHEL TALITMAN
Harp
RAPHAEL AUBRY
Viola
ADRIEN EBLE
Oboe
Composers
Composers who dedicated or wrote works created by the Ensemble Mendelssohn
TALIA AMAR
When soft voices die
for piano quintet (2021)
Written for the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2023
GUILLAUME AUVRAY
Timbre électroacoustique
for string quintet 2 cellos and electronics (2018)
Premiere recording by the Ensemble Mendelssohn in 2018
JEAN-PIERRE DELEUZE
'Vue sur le jardin de lumière'
for piano quintet
Commissioned by the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2011
JACQUELINE FONTYN
'Sul Cuor Della Terra'
for piano quintet
Version commissioned for the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2019
HAJIME FUKAGAWA
Quartet for piano, 2 violins & cello
Commissioned by Masahiro Kawakami & the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2016
OLA GJEILO
'Brooklin'
for piano quintet
Commissioned by the Ensemble Mendelssohn, creation in 2005
MICHEL LYSIGHT
'Hexagramme' for string sextet*
'Trois Croquis' for string quintet**
Concerto Grosso for clarinet, bassoon, harp and string quintet***
*Premiered by the Ensemble Mendelssohn in 2005
**Premiered and recorded by the Ensemble Mendelssohn in 2004
*** Premiere recording with the Ensemble Mendelssohn in 2023
VLADIMIR MENDELSSOHN
Transcription of Beethoven Symphony No.9 op. 125 for string septet, organ, percussion and 8 solo voices
Commissioned by the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2021
STEPHANE ORLANDO
Gakki (2023)
for piano quintet
including Taïko, Shinobue, Shamisen and Sho, commissioned by the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2023
ANNA SEGAL
'Terra Santa Abruzzo' for clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello
Concertino for clarinet, harp and string quintet
Suite for oboe, harp and string quintet
Creation and Premiere recordings by the Ensemble Mendelssohn in 2017
ADRIEN TSILOGIANNIS
'Rituel d'Eleusis'
for piano quintet
Dedicated to the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2023
HAO-FU ZHANG
'Flowing Sleeves'
for piano quintet
Dedicated to Daniel Rubenstein and the Ensemble Mendelssohn, premiered in 2019