Rising Stars

Three to look out for…

Alim Beisembayev Pianist

Born: Almaty, Kazakhstan

Career highlight: Winning this year’s

Leeds International

Piano Competition was something I never expected. It’s a huge achievement I hope will open many doors for me, but I’ll have to proceed with great care. Musical hero: I would give anything to hear Chopin or Beethoven improvise. If what they wrote down is so ingenious, then the music they created spontaneously in the moment must have been priceless.

Dream concert: An appearance at the BBC Proms is a dream for any young musician. I would also love to perform a cycle of Beethoven’s piano concertos as a challenge.

Leia Zhu Violinist

Born: Newcastle, UK Career highlight: My first comeback concert after the pandemic with the LSO and Simon Rattle at Trafalgar Square, before being appointed as artist in residence with London Mozart Players at the age of 14.

Musical hero: I had the honour of meeting and spending time with violinists Ivry Gitlis and Ida Haendel, who were real inspirations. Dream concert: I’ve been fortunate to play in the world’s greatest concert halls in more than 20 countries, but it would be really special to play at the Beijing Concert Hall so my grandma and Chinese family could be there. Nneka Cummins Composer

Born: Liverpool, UK Career highlight: Winning the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s Rushworth Composition Prize this year. It’s so special to know I’ll be able to make a contribution to the city’s music scene.

Musical hero: I enjoy Vaughan Williams’s lyrical folk melodies as well as the contrasting colours and textures in each ‘world’ of Holst’s The Planets suite. I also really enjoy the rhythmic counterpoint developed with the percussive African piano style of Nigerian composers such as Joshua Uzoigwe and Ayo Bankole.

Dream concert: Composing for a mixed ensemble of jazz quintet, string quintet, harp and percussion, produced in collaboration with Solange Knowles,

Erykah Badu and Stormzy.