The Trio
Ashley Tong
British-Taiwanese violinist Ashley debuted with The Taipei Symphony Orchestra at the age of 8 after winning the ‘Young Soloist competition’. She has since appeared at the Wigmore Hall, the Barbican Hall, St. Martin in the fields, the Royal Festival Hall, Menuhin Hall, The National Gallery in London, Taiwan National Concert Halls, Wien Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus, Graz Musikverien, Bösendorfer Saal in Austria, Crystal Hall in Asahikawa, Japan, Dramaten and Kungasalen in Stockholm, and Konserthuset Stockholm.
An avid chamber musician, Ashley is the violinist and co-founder of The Heathcliff Trio. She has also performed with distinguished musicians such as Lev Klychkov (Concertmaster of St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra), Günter Seifert (1st Violin of Wiener Philharmoniker), Barnabas Keleman, and Kathryn Stott. Her festival appearances include K&M Fest Stavanger, Britten Pears Festival and Aurora Festival, where she led the Aurora Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster in two consecutive years under the baton of Jukka-Pekka Saraste in collaboration with Leonidas Kavakos and Mischa Maisky.
Over the years, Ashley has received accolades from esteemed artists such as Schmuel Ashkenasi, Michael Frischenschlager, and Thomas Brandis. Born in 1993, She started playing the violin at the age of 7, studying with the violinist-conductor, Drapal Liao. After graduating from The Yehudi Menuhin School with Lutsia Ibragimova, she studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Krzysztof Smietana, and Kunst Universität Graz with Eszter Haffner. Currently based in Copenhagen, Ashley completed her Master's degree at The Royal Danish Academy of Music with Tim Frederiksen and Peter Herresthal.
Clara Lindenbaum
Cellist Clara Lindenbaum, originally from Vienna, has made several appearances throughout Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. In addition to performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations and Vivaldi’s Double concerto with orchestra in Vienna, she has toured as a soloist with the Young Master Players Vienna, performing in Chile and Germany. In 2018, she opened the Supercello Festival in Beijing as a soloist with the Romanian Youth orchestra.
Furthermore, she appeared various times as a chamber musician in festivals like Art&Music festival Stavanger/Norway, Cantiere Internazionale d ́Arte/Italy, Styriarte Graz, Hvide Sande chamber music festival/ Denmark and many others. Since 2022 she is part of the Organization Musethica, which enables concerts in social institutions such as prisons, schools and refugee centers. Her interest for Contemporary Music led her to cooperations with various ensembles and artists, lately to concerts in New York with the oNSET Ensemble.
Clara received numerous prizes in cello competitions throughout Europe, including two first prizes at the Austrian Bundeswettbewerb Prima la Musica, a second prize at the Liezen cello competition, and a special-prize at the 2012 Gradus ad Parnassum Cello Competition as a finalist.
Clara started the cello at the age of seven. She studied with Prof. Reinhard Latzko at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, and then continued her studies with Prof. Thorleif Thedéen at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Since Autumn 2020 she is a student of Prof. Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt in Weimar, Germany. Other mentors include Clemens Hagen, Patrick Demenga, Marko Ylönen, Julian Arp, and Conradin Brotbeck.
Jonathan Siahaan
Jonathan Siahaan (b. 1989) is a young Danish pianist who resides in Copenhagen and completed his soloist diploma at The Royal Danish Academy of Music with Professor Jens Elvekjaer. He began taking private piano lessons at the age of 6 with Japanese teacher Kyoko Kato and 3 years later with Bella Zapolski.
At the early age of 12 he had his first professional appearance on the public scene performing Chopins Piano Concerto no. 1 with Copenhagen Festival Orchestra.
Jonathan Siahaan has achieved several national prizes including 1st prizes in all age categories and V.I.P. prize in the national Steinway Piano Competition, Gold medal in Berlingske Tidendes Music Competition, 1st prize in Danish Radiocast Competition “Spil for livet” which was broadcasted on national television, and 1st prizes in The Royal Danish Academy of Music Piano Competition in 2016 and 2018. Jonathan Siahaan has been honoured and supported by a number of Danish foundations including DR Emil Holms Mindelegat, Den Berlingske Fond, Jacob Gade Talentpris, Jacob Gade Store Legat, Bernhard Rosenfelds Legat, Wilhelm Hansens Fonden and Odd Fellow Ordenens Legat etc. In 2019 he released a piano album on Dacapo Records with pieces written by contemporary Danish composers.
He has performed as soloist with orchestras such as Odense Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Chamber Orchestra and Danish National Symphony Orchestra and had his first solo recital in Tivoli Concert Hall in 2012 which was highly acclaimed by the press.
Beside his appearances as a soloist, Jonathan is also an active chamber musician and accompanist, he established Heathcliff Trio in 2020, and has received chamber music lessons from Trio con Brio Copenhagen, Lars Anders Tomter, Tim Frederiksen, Kathryn Stott, Eszter Haffner and Gerhard Shulz. He as performed with established musicians such as Nikolaj Sczeps-Znaider, Enrico Pace, Sergei Malov, Andrei Bielow, and Andreas Brantelid. His chamber music festival appearances include Hindsgavl Festival and Kerteminde Chamber Music Festival. In 2016 and 2019 Jonathan was appointed a permanent accompanist for the contestants in The 10th Carl Nielsen Violin Competition and The 11th Carl Nielsen Violin Competition.