Yuri Zhislin was born in 1974 into the musical family of well-known Russian violinist Grigori Zhislin. He studied in his native Moscow and later at the Royal College of Music in London. He has given recitals and performed in concerts with numerous orchestras in London and throughout Europe, the USA, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In high demand as a chamber musician, Yuri regularly appears both on the violin and the viola at festivals around the world. His chamber music partners have included Maria Joao Pires, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Michael Collins, Natalie Clein, Chloe Hanslip and Ashley Wass. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Russian Virtuosi of Europe, an ensemble that brings together some of the finest young Russian musicians based in Western Europe. He is professor of violin and viola at the Royal College of Music and gives masterclasses in Bulgaria, Spain, Holland, Sweden and Japan.

Sergei Podobedov was born in Russia and studied at the Moscow Central School of Music, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and The Royal College of Music, where he was the first ever recipient of a Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Scholarship in 1990. He made his orchestral debut playing Chopin's 2nd concert age 12, and has toured throughout the world playing in prestigious venues. He has made several critically acclaimed CDs, including the first complete recording of Goltz's piano music. In recent years, he has given fully improvised solo recitals, reviving the improvisation/premiere practice common in the 18/19th centuries, and a new direction in contemporary performance.

Franklin Cohen was principal clarinet of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1976 to 2005 and is one of the outstanding clarinetists of his generation. He has enjoyed an illustrious career as soloist, recitalist, recording and chamber artist, pedagogue and orchestral principal. He has been featured as soloist in nearly 200 performances throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. In 1992, he recorded the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestra and Christoph von Dohnányi for Decca Records, and made a Decca recording of the Brahms Clarinet Sonatas with Vladimir Ashkenazy. Mr. Cohen has given countless master classes and seminars at prestigious universities and conservatories throughout the world. His former students hold principal positions in major orchestras in North America, Europe, Mexico and Asia.

Christopher Richards studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, winning various awards.  He was appointed principal clarinet with the Northern Sinfonia at the Sage Gateshead and in 2010 became principal clarinet with the London Symphony Orchestra.  He has also performed as a guest principal with most of the UK's leading orchestras. In 2008 Chris gave the premiere of Richard Rodney Bennett's Troubadour Music for clarinet and piano at the Wigmore Hall. A regular performer of chamber music, Chris has played at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, LSO St Luke's, The Sage Gateshead and Aldeburgh Festival with artists such as the Aronowitz Ensemble, London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble 360, Thomas Adès, Pascal Rogé and Howard Shelley.

Dina Duisen (piano) comes from a musical family in Kazakhstan, and made her debut aged 14 performing Prokofiev's 1st piano concerto. She studied in Kazakhstan and America before completing her Masters with Distinction at the Royal Academy of Music. She has given solo recitals across the UK and internationally, and performed extensively with her brother Ordabek, a violinist, as part of the Duisen Duo.  She has attended the Sergei Babayan Piano Academy in the USA, the Oxford Philomusica Piano Festival and Summer Academy, and the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove. 

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