Artists

Seen as the most promising young string quartet in the Netherlands, the Animato Quartet is known for its passionate, spontaneous playing and powerful on-stage presence. Within the Netherlands the Animato performed in Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Tivoli-Vredenburg in Utrecht, Diligentia in The Hague, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, Rotterdam/Doelen. The quartet also performed on numerous world-class events such as the Utrecht International Chamber Music Festival and on festivals in Portugal, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and France. The development both as musicians and as a quartet has also greatly benefited from lessons and mentorship of some of the most recognized players in their disciplines, such as Eberhard Feltz, Marc Danel, Anner Bylsma, Jan-Willem de Vriend, Alfred Brendel, Gerhard Schultz and Vera Beths. Artist in Residence bij de Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie (NSKA). Until 2022, the Animato was ‘artist in residence’ of the Dutch String Quartet Academy (NSKA).

British cellist Brian O’Kane enjoys a busy career as both soloist and chamber musician. Since winning first prize at the Windsor International String Competition in 2008, he has made his debuts with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra under Ashkenazy and in recital at the Wigmore Hall. Brian is a former "Rising Star" of Ireland's National Concert Hall and he recently recorded his debut CD for the Champs Hill label. An avid chamber musician, Brian enjoys playing as a member of the Cappa Ensemble and Navarra Quartet. He has collaborated with a wide variety of artists such as Michael Collins, Aleksandar Madzar, Anthony Marwood, Pekka Kuusisto, Lawrence Power, Antoine Tamestit and Sir James Galway. Brian has also performed at concert halls and festivals throughout the world such as Sydney Opera House, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Seoul Arts Centre, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, West Cork, Radio France-Montpellier, Lockenhaus and the Weesp Chamber Music Festival, Holland of which his quartet are the artistic directors. A graduate of both the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Brian‘s biggest influences have come from Louise Hopkins and at Prussia Cove, Aldeburgh & Chamber Studio from studies with Ralph Kirshbaum, Steven Isserlis, Ferenc Rados and Eberhard Feltz.

Swiss-Italian cellist Claude Frochaux began playing the cello at the age of six at the Suzuki Talent Center, then at the Conservatory of Turin. Studies followed in Frankfurt with Michael Sanderling, where he completed his diploma and his concert examination with the highest rating in the soloist class, as well as postgraduate studies with honours in Essen and Madrid. Besides Italy and other European countries, solo and chamber music concerts have brought him to North and South America, India and China with performances in halls such as the Wigmore Hall and King’s Place London, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Berlin, Kölner Philharmonie, Musikverein Wien, Parco della Musica Roma, Auditorium Sony Madrid, Arvo Pärt Centre Estonia, as well as the NCPA Theatre Mumbai and Teatro del Lago Chile. In 2008 he founded Monte Piano Trio with which he has won numerous international prizes -Maria Canals Barcelona, Schumann Frankfurt, Folkwang Prize Essen, Brahms Austria, European Chamber Music Competition Karlsruhe. He plays in ensembles such as O/Modernt Stockholm, Chamber Orchestra of Europe or Ensemble Midtwest Denmark and he has gained experience through the years with several orchestras such as Bamberger Symphoniker, English Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Pomeriggi musicali di Milano, Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino, Spira Mirabilis.Claude Frochaux is the artistic director of Kammermusikfest Sylt, an international chamber music festival that is held on the German island every year since 2012.