Guest Performance by the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra Guest Performance by the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra

Biography

Kyiv Symphony Orchestra

The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra (KSO) is renowned for its commitment to Ukraine’s musical heritage and plays a vital role in representing Ukrainian culture on the international stage. Founded in 1979, the orchestra has a repertoire which spans from the 16th century to today’s younger generation of composers; the ensemble regularly presents Ukrainian works in dialogue with the western European canon. In 2022 the KSO toured Europe with performances at venues including the Rudolfinum in Prague, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, the Philharmonie Berlin, the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, the Philharmonie de Paris, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. That summer the orchestra found a temporary home in Gera, Thuringia; in 2023 the Berliner Philharmoniker assumed patronage of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra. Since August 2024, the KSO has held a residency in Monheim am Rhein as part of the Monheimer Kulturwerke.

Christian Blex

Winner of the Siemens Conductors Scholarship, Christian Blex has been an assistant conductor of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra since 2023. As a former fellow of the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker, he previously assisted chief conductor Kirill Petrenko as well as guest conductors such as Daniel Harding, Gustavo Dudamel, and Tugan Sokhiev in concert performances. He also led independent projects with the Karajan Akademie. Blex is currently continuing his studies in the conducting class of Ole Kristian Ruud at the Norwegian Academy of Music. He has also participated in masterclasses with Hannu Lintu, Jorma Panula, Vasily Petrenko, and others. He has collaborated with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. 

Noah Bendix-Balgley

Noah Bendix-Balgley, originally from North Carolina, was concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 2011 to 2015 before joining the Berliner Philharmoniker in the same role. In addition to this position, Noah Bendix-Balgley appears as a soloist with leading orchestras around the world—including, of course, in concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker. A passionate chamber musician, he performs in several permanent ensembles, for example in a trio with pianist Robert Levin and cellist Peter Wiley, as well as in the genre-crossing septet Philharmonix with members of the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics. As an enthusiastic performer of traditional Klezmer music, Noah Bendix-Balgley has appeared with world-famous Klezmer ensembles such as Brave Old World.

Jean-Guihen Queyras

The versatile cellist is equally devoted to early and contemporary music and has premiered numerous works, including those by Bruno Mantovani, Michael Jarrell, and Thomas Larcher. As a chamber musician, he collaborates with artists such as Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov, and he also performs worldwide with leading orchestras. Jean-Guihen Queyras studied in Lyon and Freiburg, as well as at the Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music in New York. His collaboration with Pierre Boulez as longtime solo cellist of the Ensemble intercontemporain was particularly formative. Since 2011, he has been a professor at the Freiburg University of Music and artistic director of the festival Rencontres Musicales de Haute-Provence.

Vadym Kholodenko

Vadym Kholodenko, winner of the 2013 Cliburn Piano Competition, is among the internationally distinguished pianists of his generation. He performs with leading orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, and collaborates regularly with renowned conductors. His recordings have received numerous awards, including a Diapason d’Or. Born in Kyiv, Vadym Kholodenko began performing internationally at the age of 13. He studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Vera Gornostayeva. As a chamber musician, he collaborates with artists such as Vadim Repin and the Belcea Quartet.