Artists 2026
David Coucheron
Violin
His phrasing is elegant and his concentrated tune a thing of beauty.
David Coucheron
Violin
David Coucheron is Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He won the position in competition with more than 200 contestants, becoming the youngest Concertmaster of any major US orchestra. Born in Oslo, Norway, David Coucheron began playing the violin when he was three years old. He earned a Bachelor’s of Music degree at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, a Master’s of Music at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and a Master’s of Performance from Guildhall School of Music in London. He has studied with such eminent professors as Igor Ozim, Aaron Rosand, Lewis Kaplan and David Takeno. David plays a 1732 Stradivarius, loaned to him by the Anders Sveaas Almennyttige Fond.
Julie Coucheron
Piano
She has a beautiful legato and rubatoplay with great sense of melodic lines and exact vocals.
Julie Coucheron
Piano
At twenty-seven years of age, Ms. Coucheron has already established an international career, winning prizes in Italy, Germany and the United States. Ms. Coucheron has worked with musicians such as Claude Frank and Emanuel Ax. She has toured Europe, America, South America and Asia, performing on such great concert stages as Verizon Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.
Born in Oslo, Norway, Ms. Coucheron began to play the piano at the age of four. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at the Royal Academy of Music in London, with honors. Ms. Coucheron has performed at festivals such as the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, the Bergen International Music Festival and at the La Jolla Summerfest. For the last two years, Julie has been artistic director of the Fjord Cadenza festival in Norway. She is also a founding member of the Kon-Tiki Classical Music Fest in Oslo, Norway. In September, 2002, she released her first recording, ‘Debut’, on the Naxos label, performing with her brother, David. The CD includes lyrical and virtuoso music from the classical repertoire. In September, 2008, Ms. Coucheron and her brother released their second recording, ‘David and Julie’, on the Mudi/Naxos label. This recording, which includes sonatas by Grieg and Brahms, received superb reviews worldwide. Ms. Coucheron is a member of the Georgian Chamber Players and recently performed the Brahms piano quartet with them in Spivey Hall in Atlanta.
Amalie Stalheim
Cello
Amalie Stalheim currently plays a GB Guadagnini cello from 1783, generously loaned by Dextra Musica in Norway. The cello instrument was previously owned and played by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Amalie Stalheim
Cello
Born in Bergen in 1993, Amalie Stalheim is recognized as one of Scandinavia’s most exciting and versatile cellists. She has captivated audiences as a soloist with leading orchestras across Europe and beyond, including the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Ankara Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Antalya Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra, among many others.
Upcoming highlights in the 2024/25 season include solo performances with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonietta Riga, Antalya Symphony Orchestra, Jönköping Sinfonietta, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, and Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra.
While celebrated for her interpretations of the great classical cello concertos, Stalheim is equally dedicated to contemporary music. Passionate about expanding the cello repertoire, she actively commissions and performs new works by leading composers of our time, including Kaija Saariaho, Lisa Streich, Missy Mazzoli, Britta Byström, Anders Hillborg, Vasco Mendonça, Daniel Kidane, Anna Berg, Tebogo Monnakgotla, Jo David Meyer, Marcus Paus, Lasse Thoresen, and Jostein Stalheim.
Stalheim has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Norwegian Soloist Prize (2021), the Swedish Soloist Prize (2018), and the Ljunggren Competition (2015). She was named a “Rising Star” by BBC Music Magazine (2022) and received the Nicholas A. Firmenich Prize at the Verbier Festival (2015).
Beyond the concert stage, Stalheim is deeply committed to supporting the next generation of musicians. She is the founder of the mentoring program Classical Link, in collaboration with the Bergen International Festival, where young musicians work closely with emerging composers to premiere new works.
From the autumn 2025, Amalie Stalheim is Artist in Residence at the Malmö Academy of Music.
From 2026-2028 she will be the Artist in Residence with Musica Vitae orchestra in Sweden.
Previously, from 2018 to 2020, she was Artist in Residence at the Swedish Radio’s classical music channel P2.
Amalie Stalheim is currently playing a GB Guadagnini 1783 cello, generously lent to her by Dextra Musica in Norway. The cello was previously owned and played by M. Rostropovich.
Nicholas Swensen
Viola
Nicholas Swensen has established himself as a prominent voice in international music life – both as an award-winning violist and as a conductor on the rise in Scandinavia and Europe.
Nicholas Swensen
Viola
Nicholas Swensen has distinguished himself as a musician on both sides of the Atlantic, as both a violist and a conductor. After winning the Juilliard Viola Competition in 2021, he appeared as soloist in William Walton’s Viola Concerto with Sir Antonio Pappano and the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center in New York. He has also received prizes in competitions in Los Angeles, Prague, and Berlin.
Since 2023, he has been affiliated with the Kronberg Academy Professional Studies program under the guidance of Tabea Zimmermann. In Denmark, he has been awarded the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize, the Jacob Gade Grant, the Van Hauen Grant, and the Wilhelm Hansen Honorary Prize.
Nicholas has performed with artists such as Sir András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, and Christian Tetzlaff, and serves as Artistic Director of the Oremandsgaard Chamber Music Festival.
As a conductor, he has studied with Jorma Panula and Fabio Luisi, made his debut with the Lyngby-Taarbæk Symphony Orchestra, and is part of the talent program Dirigentløftet. He plays a 1616 Amati viola, on loan from the Anders Sveaas Charitable Foundation.
Alongside his career as a violist, he has pursued conducting in parallel. He has studied at the Malko Academy in affiliation with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, as well as within the Danish conducting forum “Dirigentløftet.” Last summer, he made his professional conducting debut with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and has been invited back to conduct in December 2026. In the upcoming season, he will also make his conducting debuts with, among others, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil, and the Randers Chamber Orchestra.
Christina Smith
Flute
Christina Smith is an internationally renowned flautist with an outstanding career as a soloist, orchestral musician, and educator, and has been a central artistic force in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for over two decades.
Christina Smith
Flute
Christina Smith is one of the most sought-after flutists in the world as an orchestral player, soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. This is her twenty-sixth season as principal flutist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and her flute solos can be heard on forty ASO recordings. She has also appeared with the orchestra numerous times as concerto soloist.
A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, she studied at the Curtis Institute of Music as a pupil of the legendary Julius Baker. Ms. Smith has also studied with Jeffrey Khaner, Tim Day, and Keith Underwood. Ms. Smith has recently appeared as guest principal flutist with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the orchestras of Vancouver, Baltimore, St. Paul, and Pittsburgh.
Equally passionate about teaching and performing, Ms. Smith serves on the faculty at Kennesaw State University and Emory University. She remains highly in demand to teach master classes across the country. Ms. Smith plays a vintage solid platinum flute, handmade in 1938 by Verne Q. Powell. The flute was once owned by renowned flutist Joseph Mariano, and has a rare one-piece body. Ms. Smith lives in Atlanta with her husband and two daughters.
Alexander Rybak
Violin
His international breakthrough came in 2009, when he won the Eurovision Song Contest with "Fairytale".
Alexander Rybak
Violin
Alexander Rybak (b. May 13, 1986, Minsk, Belarus) is a Norwegian violinist, composer, and performer. He moved to Norway at the age of five and grew up in a musical family, studying both violin and piano from an early age. He later chose the violin as his primary instrument and enrolled at the Barratt Due Institute of Music at just ten years old.
From early on, Rybak showed a unique musical voice, combining classical training with a curiosity for jazz, folk, and popular styles. He began composing as a child and performed widely with orchestras and ensembles, both in Norway and internationally.
He first gained national attention by winning the Norwegian talent competition Kjempesjansen in 2006 with his own composition “Foolin.” International breakthrough came in 2009 when he won the Eurovision Song Contest with “Fairytale,” achieving a record-breaking score. The song became a major hit across Europe, and his debut album Fairytales reached multi-platinum status.
In addition to his concert career, Rybak has appeared in theatre—including Fiddler on the Roof, for which he received the prestigious Hedda Award—and has contributed to film and voice acting, including the Norwegian dubbing of the How to Train Your Dragon films. He has also composed music for film and stage, as well as for Eurovision selections in multiple countries.
A passionate educator, Rybak regularly leads workshops and collaborates with young musicians internationally. He completed his violin degree at the Barratt Due Institute in 2012 and continues to perform, compose, and explore a wide range of musical styles around the world.
Ebba Lejonclou
Mezzo sopran
Ebba Lejonclou is a sought-after lyric mezzo-soprano with performances at leading opera stages, concert halls and festivals in the Nordic region.
Ebba Lejonclou
Ebba Lejonclou, lyric mezzo-soprano, is educated at the Stockholm University of the Arts’ Opera Vocal Performance programme, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig, and Vadstena Folkhögskola, where she specialized in voice, piano, and the interpretation of art song.
In spring 2026, she returns to Folkoperan in Stockholm to perform the role of Megacle in L'Olimpiade by Antonio Vivaldi. During the fall of 2025, she appeared as Kutchtík in Rusalka at the Royal Swedish Opera, followed by the extensive Christmas tour Vår jul, with more than 50 performances across Norway. Since graduating in 2024, she has appeared regularly with institutions such as the Royal Swedish Opera, Folkoperan, and Vadstena Academy.
As a concert soloist, she has recently performed with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the Stockholm Concert Hall and with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra at the Louis De Geer Concert Hall. She is also active on the festival circuit, appearing at several national and international chamber music festivals. In May, she performs as a soloist with the Östgöta Wind Symphony Orchestra at Crusell Hall.
Ebba has collaborated with conductors including Alan Gilbert, Case Scaglione, Gabriella Teychenné, Henrik Schaefer, Cathrine Winnes, Andreas Hanson, Fredrik Burstedt, Constantin Trinks, Tobias Ringborg, David Björkman, Staffan Mårtensson, Mats Janhagen, Oliver Weder, Matthias Foremny, and Gotthold Schwarz.
Her musical profile is broad, encompassing opera, concert repertoire, and ensemble singing. Since 2024, she has been a member of the Royal Chapel Vocal Ensemble at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and from 2017 to 2021 she was a first alto in the Leipzig-based vocal sextet Voicemade.
Ebba has received numerous scholarships, including the Hillevi Martinpelto Scholarship and awards from the Royal Swedish Opera and the Hans Björklund Foundation for “Young Talents within the World of Opera,” among others.
Stefan Ibsen Zlatanos
Piano
Stefan Ibsen Zlatanos is an expressive and versatile pianist with international concert activities and a strong presence as a soloist and chamber musician.
Stefan Ibsen Zlatanos
Born into a musical family, Stefan Ibsen Zlatanos (b. 1984) showed an extraordinary affinity for music from an early age—famously uttering the name “Bach” before he could speak—and began playing the piano at just five years old.
He later pursued his formal training at the Norwegian Academy of Music, studying with Liv Glaser and Einar Henning Smebye, before continuing his studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin under Galina Iwansowa.
Widely regarded by colleagues as a versatile, expressive, and deeply intuitive musician, Zlatanos has established himself as a compelling presence both on the concert stage and in collaborative settings.
His extensive performance career has taken him across Europe and beyond, with appearances in Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, and Sweden, as well as throughout Norway—including Svalbard—performing both as a soloist and chamber musician.
