ConcertPulse
Teatime Classics
Laeiszhalle, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)
The composers on the programme are not any of the well-known classical ones – and unjustly so, as cello star Sterling Elliott would like to demonstrate. He has chosen three African-American composers and a female composer, also from the USA. Together with Gabriele Strata, an exceptional piano talent from Italy, he presents expressive music which sometimes sounds very romantic, sometimes with a hint of jazz and sometimes highly relevant. What a start to the Teatime Classics series! American cellist Sterling Elliott was born into a musical family and initially wanted to play the violin like his older siblings. After some encouragement, he then, however, completed the Elliott Family String Quartet as a cellist, which shaped his childhood. Although he is still in the final stages of his studies at the prestigious New York Juilliard School, Sterling has already given concerts with large American symphony orchestras, such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2023, the London-based Young Classical Artists Trust designated him as the YCAT-Music Masters Robey Artist, a two-year programme, within which YCAT undertakes the booking and management in the UK and conducts Sterling Workshops for school children. Italian pianist Gabriele Strata is also here to establish himself on the big international stages after his studies at the famous Yale University. Apart from awards such as the first prize at the prestigious Italian competition XXXV Premio Venezia, performances with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin at the Berliner Philharmonie, London’s Barbican Centre and at the Cadogan Hall and with the La Fenice Orchestra at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice already demonstrate this. He has also already celebrated successes with solo recitals and chamber music.
