Sergei Istomin (violoncello, viola da gamba, musical direction) is much in demand throughout Europe and North America as soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire includes baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary music on both period and modern instruments. He performs in solo and chamber music concerts with artists such as: forte-pianists Jos van Immerseel, Viviana Sofronitsky and Claire Chevallier; and in chamber music with Midori Seiler, Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper and others. He regularly works with Anima Eterna Orchestra, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Il Gardellino Ensemble and many other prominent European and North American groups.

He has also performed at a wide range of festivals such as Aix-en-Provence, Alden Biesen, Beaune, Leipzig Bach Festival, MA Festival Brugge, Nantes, St.Riquier, Festival van Vlaanderen, Festival de Wallonie, Utrecht, Lockenhaus, Schleswig-Holstein and Sopron. Sergei also teaches and will feature in the Apollo Ensemble's 2010 Summer School and also in directing the Hirzen Pavillon Ensemble in Basel, Switzerland. His performances have been broadcast across Europe, North and South America, Australia, New-Zealand and Japan.

Sergei Istomin started his violoncello studies at the age of six in the class of Vera Birina at the Gnesin School for gifted children (Moscow, Russia) where he obtained his Bachelor Degree. He completed his Master Degree at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and continued his post-graduate studies in viola da gamba with Catharina Meints Caldwell at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, Oberlin, Ohio, USA, where he also had the rare privilege to work with August Wenzinger.

Sergei Istomin has recorded for: Analekta, Canada, (Virtuoso Solos for Viola da Gamba, Best Instrumental CD for the year 2003 by the Globe and Mail, Canada; J. S. Bach Cello Suites, Best Instrumental CD for the year 1997); Music and Arts Programs of America (C.P.E. Bach with Colin Tilney, harpsichord); Zig-Zag Territoires / Harmonia Mundi, France (Franz Liszt with Jos van Immerseel, Erard pianoforte); Passacaille Records, Belgium, (Mendelssohn Complete Works for Cello and Fortepiano with Viviana Sofronitsky). He has also recorded for CBC, Sony Classical. Recently he recorded for the Passacaille Records, Belgium the Haydn's Celli Concerti with Apollo Ensemble. Future releases include Chopin Cello Works and CPE Bach Cello Concertos.

Sergei Istomin, a Russian, French and Canadian musician lives in Brussels from which he continues his international career.

Site: www.sergei-istomin.com