Boris Garlitzky  - violin
Alexander Zemtsov   - viola
Leonid Gorokhov  - cello

"This ensemble will do much to put more string trio repertory on the musical map"   The Strad

In the short time since its foundation in 2004, the Hermitage String Trio has established itself as an outstanding ensemble. With the appointment in 2008 of Boris Garlitsky, leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as violinist, joining founder members Alexander Zemtsov, principal viola of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and cellist Leonid Gorokhov, who has a flourishing solo career, this European-based Russian trio looks forward to the future and to making a serious contribution to chamber music.

An ensemble steeped in the great Russian tradition of string playing, their love of chamber music shines through in their programmes which offer an enticing combination of lesser-known pieces and masterworks of the string trio repertoire.

In autumn 2004 The Hermitage String Trio made their London début at St John's Smith Square in Academia Rossica's Series Russian Virtuosi in London. Their UK concerts have since included the Petworth Festival, where their programme included Schubert's Trout Quintet with Nikolai Demidenko and to which they were invited to return, the Newbury Spring Festival and , in June 2008, the Wigmore Hall. Abroad, they have played at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, and have given concerts in Munich and in Paris.

Boris Garlitsky began studying the violin at the age of six at the Gnessin Special Music School of Moscow and later studied with Yuri Yankelevich at the Moscow Conservatory. After winning the Paganini Competition in Italy in 1982, he toured as a leader and soloist with the Moscow Virtuosi ensemble throughout the Soviet Union, Europe, Japan, and North and South America. He moved to France in 1991 and until 1999 was Concertmaster of the Orchestre National de Lyon. As a soloist, he has performed at the Musikverein in Vienna, at Avery Fisher Hall in New York and at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow and has recorded Mozart (with Spivakov) and Bach concertos. He has played in festivals such as the Schleswig Holstein in Germany, the Pablo Casals in France, the Mostly Mozart in New York, and the Proms in London. As a chamber musician he has collaborated with Gidon Kremer, Pinchas Zukerman, Truls Mørk and Maria João Pires, amongst others, and leads the Garlitsky Piano Trio. He is a Professor at the Paris Conservatory and Artistic Director of the Summer Academy of Violin in Troyes in France. Boris Garlitsky became Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2003.

Alexander Zemtsov was born in Ufa, USSR, and studied with Elena Ozol at the Gnessin Special Music School in Moscow. After further studies in Maastricht with Michael Kugel and in Berlin with Tabea Zimmermann, he was awarded a number of prizes, including first prize at the International Youth competition Classical Legacy in Moscow in 1995, at the Elise Meyer Competition in Hamburg in 1997 and at the 8th Brahms Competition in Austria in 2001. Alexander Zemtsov has worked with several European orchestras and in 2002 was appointed Principal Viola of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to his concerts with the Hermitage String Trio, Alexander is active as a soloist and in chamber music; he plays regularly with the Razumovsky Ensemble. In 2004, he played a leading role in founding a chamber ensemble of members of the LPO; he has toured as a soloist wth this ensemble in Germany. Other engagements as a soloist include concerts with orchestras including the Belgian Radio Orchestra, Konzertverein Orchester, Vienna, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, in venues including the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire Hall in Moscow, the Musikhalle in Hamburg, the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. Alexander is professor of viola at the Guildhall School of Music.

Leonid Gorokhov studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. Winner of the 1986 Geneva Concours and the 1987 Paris Chamber Music Competition, in 1995 he was awarded the Cultural Achievement Prize by the European Association for Encouragement of the Arts. In 1991 Leonid Gorokhov appeared as soloist with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic conducted by Lord Menuhin; the strong musical rapport between Leonid Gorokhov and Lord Menuhin resulted in a long collaboration between these artists. Leonid Gorokhov has played as soloist with orchestras including Bergen, Berlin & Royal Philharmonic, English Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, the St Petersburg Capella and the Zurich Tonhalle; in chamber music, he has performed at the Townsville Festival, Australia, BargeMusic, New York, the Megaron, Athens, and at many international festivals including Budapest Spring, Corinthian Summer, Davos, Evian, Gstaad, Harrogate, Interlaken, Kuhmo, Ljubljana, Munich, Perth (Scotland), Schleswig-Holstein and Spoleto. He tours Japan regularly and has made several recordings, including two duo recital recordings with Nikolai Demidenko, with whom he has played at Båstad, Belfast, Eilat Winter, Oslo Chamber Music and Petworth Festivals, Munich and Wigmore Hall. He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music.

General Management: Aminah Domloge, Pro Artist

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