The Glasshouse

Each year, the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) selects a group of exceptional young artists to become its Rising Stars. These outstanding performers are supported to develop their careers in a whole range of ways, including the fantastic opportunity to tour the major concert halls of Europe.

The ECHO Rising Stars programme has shaped the musical careers of many of today’s world-class artists, and for audiences it is an unrivalled opportunity to hear the classical stars of the future. This year, we are looking forward to welcoming four of these incredible musicians to Sage Gateshead for an afternoon of mini concerts on Saturday 18 January. Each concert will include a number of pieces selected by each Rising Star, as well as a new commission composed especially for them.

Chosen by ECHO’s Artistic Directors, the Rising Stars are the best and most promising performers in their field, as their achievements already illustrate…

Magnus Holmander is a passionate advocate for contemporary music and has already collaborated with several notable Swedish composers. He has performed chamber music and the clarinet concertos by Rolf Martinsson and Ander Hillborg and appeared as a soloist in venues including the Grieg Hall in Bergen, the Royal Festival Hall in London, Konserthuset Stockholm and the Auditorium in Milan. Holmander also has creative versatility: since 2013 he has performed not just as a clarinettist in Martin Fröst’s productions Dollhouse and Genesis, but also as a dancer and magician!

Widely renowned as an accordionist, João Barradas excels in performing classical music, jazz and improvised music. He has won the World Accordion Trophy twice, the Coupe Mondale of Accordion, the International Castelfidardo Contest and the Okud Istra International Competition. He has collaborated with composers such as Luis Tinoco, Fabrizio Cassol and Dimitiris Andrikopoulos and premiered many works written specifically for him. He recorded his first album Directions in 2016, which Downbeat named as their Best Album of the Year.

A BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Simon Höfele has already made his solo debuts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ulster Orchestra and the Shanghai Philharmonic, amongst others. He has performed at the Wigmore Hall London, Tonhalle Zürich, Konzerthaus Wien, Bozar Brussels, the Elbphilharmonie and the Konzerthaus Berlin. Höfele plays both classics from the trumpet repertoire by the likes of Telemann, Haydn and Mozart, and contemporary music. He gave the first performance of Mattias Pintscher’s Double Concerto for Two Trumpets and Orchestra and has premiered works by Mark Simpson, Kaan Bulak and Nina Šenk.

Eighteen-year-old violinist Noa Wildschut is already an established soloist on the international stage. She made her debut aged seven at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and released her first recording of Mozart’s violin music in 2017. Wildshut is a member of Mutter Virtuosi, leading to her participation in several concert tours with Anne-Sophie Mutter, who described her as one of the musical hopes of her generation. She has performed with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra and the  Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and has performed recitals at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, BOZAR in Brussels and Philharmonie Essen.

You can catch ECHO Rising Stars at Sage Gateshead on Saturday 18 January. Concerts begin at 1pm, with day tickets just £13.50 for all four concerts.

Click here to find out more.