Introducing the performers…

Trio Isimsiz

Pablo Hernán Benedí (violin)
Michael Petrov (cello)
Erdem Misirlioglu (piano)

The Trio Isimsiz was formed in 2009 at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, under the guidance of Louise Hopkins, Carole Presland and Alasdair Tait. They were selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust in 2013, and in 2015 won 1st Prize and the Audience Prize at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition.

The Trio has undertaken residencies at the Banff Centre, Canada and Mozarteum, Salzburg, and participated in masterclasses with Andras Schiff, Steven Isserlis, Menahem Pressler, Thomas Riebl, Wolfgang Reddick, the Gould Piano Trio and Takács Quartet. In 2015 they attended IMS Prussia Cove working with Ferenc Rados.

During the 2015/16 season the Trio returned to Aldeburgh to undertake a residency and give recitals in the main festival and Britten Weekend. Concert highlights included recitals at Wigmore Hall, Tivoli Concert Hall, the Fundacion Juan March in Madrid, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Gower (broadcast by Radio 3), Peasmarsh and Stavanger festivals.

All three members of the Trio Isimsiz enjoy great success individually.

Pablo Hernán Benedí was born in 1991 in Madrid. He studied at the CI Padre Antonio Soler Conservatory in San Lorenzo de El Escorial and at the Guildhall School with David Takeno. In 2010, Pablo became a member of the Chiaroscuro Quartet, formed by Alina Ibragimova, Emilie Hornlund and Claire Thirion, appearing at major venues throughout Europe. The Quartet’s debut recording was released in 2011 to critical acclaim.

Michael Petrov was born in 1990 in Bulgaria. He studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and at the Guildhall School with Louise Hopkins, winning the Gold Medal in 2014. In recent years he has made his debut with the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and English Chamber Orchestras. During 2014/15 he gave recitals at major concert halls throughout Europe as part of his nomination by the Barbican Centre as an ECHO Rising Star.

Erdem Misirlioglu was born in 1989 in Suffolk. He studied with Mark Fielding at the Junior Guildhall School and since 2008 with Martin Roscoe and Ronan O’Hora. In 2008 he was a Concerto Finalist in the BBC Young Musicians Competition, performing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He recently won first prize in the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe’s Intercollegiate Piano Competition.

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Mathis Rochat (viola)

Born in Geneva in 1994, Mathis Rochat grew up in France before moving to Cologne in 2006. He began his musical studies with violin lessons at the Accademia d’Archi and at the age of 13 switched over to be taught viola by Professor Bernhard Oll. From 2010 until 2013, Mathis studied under Professor Antoine Tamestit at the Cologne University of Music and later with Professor Tatjana Masurenko at the University of Music and Theatre Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig. 

Between 2007 and 2010, Mathis received numerous awards for solo and chamber music performance in the German Jugend Musiziert competition and won the Maria Pajmanns-Kania Preis. He has also attended masterclasses such as IMS Prussia Cove, Kronberg Academy and Blonay with luminaries such as Tabea Zimmermann, Nobuko Imai, Hartmuth Rode, Thomas Riebl, Lars Anders Tomter, the Auryn and Vogler String Quartets and the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt. He is a laureate of two international competitions: the 2014 Cecil Aronowitz international competition and the 53rd Beethoven international competition held in 2015.

During his time as solo violist with the German national youth orchestra, Mathis worked with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Markus Stenz, Sebastian Weigle and Michael Sanderling. As a chamber musician he has enjoyed playing with artists such as Alasdair Beatson, Thomas Reif, Francois-Xavier Poizat and Brian O’Kane at the Xiamen international music festival in China and Musique à Marsac in France. As a soloist, he has appeared at the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festspiele, playing the Walton Viola concerto with the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock under Wojciech Rajski.

Ruan Baartman (double bass)

Originally from Bloemfontein, South Africa, double bass player Ruan Baartman studied at the Menuhin School and with Duncan McTier and Graham Mitchell at the Royal Academy of Music. Ruan has since worked as a faculty member at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in his native South Africa, coaching student chamber groups and playing in faculty concerts, and has appeared in many of the world’s greatest concert halls, including London’s Wigmore Hall.