Born in Wales, Ruth Hahn became the youngest leader of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. At the age of thirteen, she travelled to London to take lessons in Suzanne Rosza’s class at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Soon after she joined the Solo Class of Yfrah Neaman, where she graduated with distinction and was awarded several major prizes. A British Council award led to further studies with Ayla Erduran in Geneva, and later to a position in the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Switzerland. On returning to London, she played with the English Chamber Orchestra and Covent Garden Opera House. Since then, she has also recorded for BBC radio and performed regularly as soloist and ensemble player in this country and festivals abroad. Ruth teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and at Chethams School of Music, Manchester. She is also invited regularly to teach at prestigious music festivals abroad. She has recorded solo works of Bach and Ysaÿe. Ruth plays on an Italian violin made by Carlo Giuseppe Oddone in 1920. Her passion for modern languages has led her to study the major European languages as well as Russian and takes great pleasure to read world literature in the original.  She joined Astona in 2024 in place  of her husband Detlef Hahn, who was unable to attend due to illness. 

Latica Honda-Rosenberg is among the foremost representatives of the generation of young violinists that is now established in concert life. Winning the silver medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1998 paved the way for an international career for her. The music magazine ‘The Strad’ wrote at the time: “Her assurance and strength of will immediately brought Heifetz to mind. Her musical idiom and her playing are eloquent, expressive, sensitive and variegated, or in short: wonderful, uplifting.”

Born as the child of a (female) Croatian cellist and Japanese singer, Latica Honda-Rosenberg grew up in Germany and commenced playing the violin at the age of four. She became a young pupil of Tibor Varga at the Detmold School of Music when she was nine. She continued her training with Zakhar Bron in Madrid at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia and at the Musikhochschule Lübeck.

Performing in the series ‘Debut on Deutschland-Radio’ and accompanied by the Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, she made her debut as a soloist at the Philharmonie Berlin in 1989. She has since appeared as a soloist with the Orchestra of the Beethovenhalle Bonn, NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Hanover, MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra National de Belgique, Russian State Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Prague Chamber Orchestra and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Along with the appropriate Baroque solo concertos, Latica Honda-Rosenberg is happy to play not only works ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky to Bartók, Shostakovich and Prokofief, but also such lesser-known concertos as those by Robert Schumann, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Jacques Loussier.

Since 2000 Latica Honda-Rosenberg has been recording exclusively for the Oehms Classics label. Three recordings with works by Bloch, Prokofief (chamber music), Shostakovitsch and Tchaikovsky (solo concertos) are already available. The recordings of chamber music by Ernest Bloch were chosen by ‘The Strad’ as its CD of the Month.

Apart from her worldwide activities on the concert platform, since 2003 Latica Honda-Rosenberg has held a professorship for violin at the Musikhochschule Freiburg. She also gives master classes in Germany, Italy (Gustav Mahler Academy), France, Croatia, Slovenia, Portugal, Israel, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, where she teaches on a regular bases.

Since April 2009 she received a professorship at the University of the Arts in Berlin.To nourish the very young talents, she also teaches at the Valdres Summer Symphony Courses in Norway and, since 2026, at Astona International. 

Judith Ingolfsson was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, to an Icelandic father and a Swiss mother. She began violin lessons at the age of three and gave her first public concert on Icelandic national television at the age of five. Her family emigrated to the United States in 1980, and at the age of 14 she was accepted into the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Jascha Brodsky. Ingolfsson then earned her master's degree and artist diploma at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of David Cerone and Donald Weilerstein.

As a violinist, she has built an outstanding international career as both a concert musician and a teacher. She is a gold medalist at the Indianapolis International Violin Competition and a prize winner at the Premio Paganini Competition in Genoa and the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York. These successes established her international career and led to solo performances with major orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Tokyo.

An active chamber musician, she performs worldwide and, together with her husband, pianist Vladimir Stoupel, forms the Ingolfsson–Stoupel Duo, known for its innovative programmes and interpretations of rarely performed 20th-century works. With fourteen acclaimed recordings, Ingolfsson's discography reflects her wide-ranging musical interests and commitment to artistic excellence. 

A dedicated teacher, Ingolfsson is Professor of Violin at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, having previously held professorships at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart and the University of Colorado Boulder. She regularly gives masterclasses at leading international festivals and academies, and her students perform in major ensembles such as the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.

To nourish the very young talents, she also teaches at the Valdres Summer Symphony Courses in Norway and, since 2026, at Astona International.  

www.judithingolfsson.com

Norwegian Alf Richard Kraggerud is now recognized as one of the most esteemed violin educators and talent developers in the Nordic countries. Serving as the Head of Young Talents at the Barratt Due Music Institute from 1999 to 2007 and again from 2009 onwards, as well as being the founder of the Valdres Summer Symphony, he holds a position of significant influence in Norway in these domains. Kraggerud's exceptional achievements and forward-thinking visions have made him a highly sought-after lecturer and guest masterclass instructor both at home and abroad. He pursued his education in violin and pedagogy at the Barratt Due Music Institute and studied conducting at the Royal Academy in London.

His success as an educator is a direct result of his diverse and extensive educational background and professional experience. Notably, he began teaching at the young age of 13. After completing his studies in pedagogy and violin at the Barratt Due Music Institute, he pursued conducting in London in 1992, where he attended classes with G. Hurst at the Royal Academy and L. Leonard at Morley College. Following a brief tenure as the first violinist in the Broadcasting Orchestra, he assumed the role of principal at Gjøvik Kulturskole from 1995 to 1999. From 1999 to 2007, he served as the Head of Young Talents at Barratt Due. During this period, the department gained international recognition as a highly respected institution for musical education. In 2007, he became the principal of the already renowned Razumovsky Academy in London. However, in 2009, he returned to Norway as the deputy head of the Barratt Due Music Institute. Alf Richard Kraggerud has been a member of the faculty of the Astona International Summer Music Academy from 2002 to 2008 and again since 2016.

Norwegian violist Eivind Ringstad (born 1994) began playing the violin at the age of five and switched to the viola as his main instrument nine years later. He studied at the Barratt Due Music Institute in Oslo, Norway, with Prof. Soon-Mi Chung Barratt-Due. He also received instruction from Henning Kraggerud and Maxim Rysanov.

He made his breakthrough after winning first prize at the Eurovision Young Musicians 2012 in Vienna, where he performed in front of 40,000 spectators and was broadcast live on television throughout Europe. Since then, he has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Bergen Philharmonic, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, the Arctic Chamber Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta.

Eivind Ringstad has released several recordings during his career. His first recording, featuring William Walton's Viola Concerto with the Oslo Philharmonic, was released in 2017 by Lawo Classics. Three years later, he released ‘Correspondances’ with German pianist David Meier on Rubicon Classics. In June 2024, he released his latest album, ‘Mozart Next Generation,’ featuring Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with Swedish (Astona participant) violinist Johan Dalene and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg conducted by Howard Griffiths on Alpha Classics.

As a chamber musician, he has performed with leading world-class musicians such as Janine Jansen, Pinchas Zukerman, Steven Isserlis and Leif Ove Andsnes. He has been invited to festivals such as the Utrecht Chamber Music Festival, the Bergen International Festival, the Sion Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival and the Oslo Chamber Music Festival. Eivind Ringstad is also artistic director of the Norsjø Chamber Music Festival in Telemark, Norway, together with violinist Ludvig Gudim and composer Jo David Meyer Lysne.

Since February 2024, Eivind Ringstad has been principal violist with the London Symphony Orchestra and, since November 2024, professor of viola at the Royal College of Music in London. Since 2026 he is also teaching at Astona, 

www.eivindringstad.com

Danish cellist Troels Svane studied with Asger Lund Christiansen in Copenhagen and with David Geringas at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, where he graduated from the master’s and soloist class with distinction and the highest grade in all subjects.

He also received lessons from Anner Bylsma, Frans Helmerson, Ralph Kirshbaum, György Ligeti, Yo-Yo Ma, Siegfried Palm, Boris Pergamenschikow, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran, Paul Tortelier and the Amadeus Quartet.

After finishing high school, he was appointed co-principal cellist of the Copenhagen Philharmonic at the age of 18. He won prizes at prestigious national and international competitions and was awarded numerous scholarships.

As a soloist, he has performed with most Danish orchestras as well as with orchestras in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, England, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Troels Svane has performed throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, South America and the United States. He played concerts with Yuri Bashmet, Zakhar Bron, Ana Chumachenco, Sol Gabetta, David Geringas, Ulf Hoelscher, Dong-Suk Kang, Karl Leister, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Sabine Meyer, Johannes Moser, Feng Ning and Thomas Zehetmair.

He has recorded more than 40 CDs, including the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Reger.

Troels Svane was the assistant of David Geringas for eleven years before being appointed Professor of Violoncello at the Musikhochschule Lübeck in 2004. In addition, he teaches a cello class at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

He has given masterclasses in Australia, Asia, South America and in numerous European countries, and has been a jury member at major international competitions.

His students include first-prize winners at prestigious international competitions (ARD, Beethoven, Bordeaux, Buchet, Cassado, Concertino Prague, Davidov, Dotzauer, Fournier Award, Geneva, Isang Yun, Janigro, Johansen, Khachaturian, Liezen, Lutoslawski, Lyon, Mahler, Manhattan, Markneukirchen, Melbourne, Mendelssohn, Minato Tokyo, Popper, Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky for Young Musicians, Vienna Classic, Wigmore Hall and Young Virtuosos Sofia), as well as laureates and prize winners at many other major international competitions (including Brahms, Feuermann, Paulo, Queen Elisabeth, Rostropovich, Schoenfeld, Tchaikovsky and UNISA Pretoria).

Furthermore, his students are members of renowned chamber music ensembles (such as the Armida and Leonkoro Quartets and Trio con Brio), leading orchestras (including the Bavarian Radio, Berlin Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the London Symphony Orchestra) and hold professorships at music universities in Germany and abroad.

After 2008 and 2009, Troels Svave will teach for the third time at Astona in 2026.

Born in Paris in 1962, François Killian entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris at the age of 13 to study piano in the class of Jean and Geneviève Doyen. For seven years, he carried on his studies at the CNSM of Paris with Ventsislav Yankoff, adding chamber music, harmony and counterpoint. He won in 1980 the first prize for piano and chamber music and was admitted to post graduate studies in the advanced course. In 1981 François won the ARD International Competition in Munich. In 1983 he left France for two years to study at the Musikhochschule Hannover (Germany) with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. He recorded with many broadcasting radio stations. François was also prizewinner at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw and Palma de Mallorca in 1985, at the GPA of Dublin, at the Arthur Rubinstein competition of Tel-Aviv and finalist at the Piano Master of Monte-Carlo in 1989 and 1996. He has been invited to play with conductors such as Theodore Guschlbauer, Emmanuel Krivine, Hubert Soudant, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Grzegosz Nowak and Radoslav Szulc. He was invited to play at Salle Gaveau and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Berliner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, at the Music Festival La Roque d’Anthéron, at France Musique in Wigmore Hall and in Japan, Malaysia and Taïwan. In 1999 he performed the complete works of Chopin in Germany. Currently a member of the Schumann Quartet (Maya Kadosh violine, Christoph Schiller, viola, François Guye, cello), he is also a appreciated accompanist and partner of a wide range of artists such as Philippe Bernold, Michel Moraguès, Jacques Zoon, Lajos Lencses, Nobuko Imai, Laurent Verney, Gustav Rivinius, Natalie Dessay, Branimir Slokar, Mayumi Shimizu and Estelle Revaz.

After having been an outstanding accompanist at the Geneva, Lausanne and Bern Conservatories, and then of the candidates of the Geneva International Competition and of the International Menuhin Music Academy he has accumulated over the years a considerable repertoire from duet to octet. Today he is the sought-after partner of a wide range of mastercourses and competitions. He is currently piano accompanist at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB). He joined Astona in 2008. 

Joonas Pitkänen, born in 1986 and resident in Basel (Switzerland), is a charismatic and dynamic Finnish conductor. Aside from the Scandinavian Repertoire to which he feels a natural affinity, he is especially appreciated for his interpretations of Shostakovich and his work as opera conductor. His concerts are intriguing and moving. He sees his mission to make music and musicians come first and to render accessible less well-known works and contemporary music to the audience. Based in Basel, Pitkänen was principal conductor of Monferrato Classic Orchestra in Italy and is currently chief conductor of the City Orchestra of Zug and the Youth Symphony Orchestra Zürichsee in Switzerland.

In 2022 he was handpicked to LEAD! Foundations Excellence Platform for Young Artists where he is being closely mentored by Jukka-Pekka Saraste. 

2023 he was 1st. prizewinner of the International Conducting Competition Città di Beschia-Giancarlo Facchinetti and won a distinction in the 11th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors. This prize includes concerts in Italy, Romania and the Czech Republic. Further engagements in 2023 and 2024 included re-invitations to the Basler Festival Orchestra and debuts with Helsinki Philharmonic, Turku Philharmonic, Akademisches Kammerorchester Zürich, Hradec Kralove Philharmonic Orchestra and Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara.  

Pitkänen also acts as artistic director of Finnish concert series Feeling blue & white in Basel, which he co-founded in 2014. He has appeared as guest conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Biel-Solothurn, Slovak Chamber Orchestra, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz and Kammerorchester Basel among others. As an opera conductor he has appeared e.g. with Opera Studio Würzburg and newly with Opernkollektiv Zürich where he conducted the World Premiere Production and Recording of Joachim Raffs “Die Eifersüchtigen”.  

Pitkänen studied cello in Hochschule für Musik Basel with Thomas Demenga and conducting in Musikhochschule Würzburg with Ari Rasilainen. He has also participated in masterclasses with Neeme Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mark Stringer, Ulrich Windfuhr, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Hannu Lintu. In addition to his work as a conductor, he is a permanent cellist with the Camerata Zurich and an active chamber musician. He joined Astona international in 2023.