Rising Stars

Three to look out for…

Brandee Younger Harpist

Born: Hempstead, NY Career highlight: Taking part in the Soundtrack of America concert series at the Shed in New York City, under the direction of Steve Mcqueen and Quincy Jones. It celebrated the impact of African-american music on today’s culture, and I performed with singers Moses Sumney and Kelsey Lu.

Musical hero: Ravel, hands down. As a harpist, it’s probably not a surprise, but his harmonies are the most beautiful. His Introduction and Allegro in the harp repertoire is my favourite to perform and listen to. Dream concert: Stevie Wonder, Marsha Ambrosius, D’angelo and I performing at the Hollywood Bowl!

Bla parovec Clarinettist

Born: Ljubljana, Slovenia Career highlight:

Playing Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto and winning first prize in the 2019

Carl Nielsen Competition in Odense, Denmark. It allowed me to grow as a musician and created new career possibilities. Musical hero: Any artist with a deep musical understanding across all genres. Dream concert: Having recorded Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto with a Danish orchestra in Denmark, I’ve realised how much a composer’s culture and environment affects their musical world. My dream concert series, therefore, would be all the important clarinet works conducted by their own composers with orchestras who are very familiar with their music.

Maya Levy

Violinist

Born: Glabais, Belgium Career highlight: Performing a duet with tenor Rolando Villazón at the Stars von Morgen broadcast. It was so inspiring, and such a good learning experience. Musical hero: Violinist Jascha Heifetz has had the most impact on my fascination with the instrument, but Mahler and Shostakovich are also sources of inspiration. Dream concert: Playing Szymanowski’s concertos with the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle, with my grandmother and mother in the audience. On a more personal level, I’d love to play in schools and hospitals in the most impoverished regions of the world with no access to music.