Cellist Ivan Karizna signs with Maestro Arts

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Maestro Arts has announced the signing of cellist Ivan Karizna to its roster. A French citizen, Karizna currently divides his time between Paris and Amsterdam.

Born into a musical family in Minsk, Belarus, Karizna began the cello aged seven and went on to study with Jérôme Pernoo in Paris and Frans Helmerson at Kronberg Academy. Following early prizes at the Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth Competitions, he attracted the attention of orchestras including Orchestre de Paris, Mariinsky Theatre and St Petersburg Philharmonic, as well as chamber music partners Gidon Kremer, Renaud Capuçon and Christian Tetzlaff.

In January 2023, Karizna stepped in to perform the Dvořák Cello Concerto with Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw, in place of Truls Mørk, which resulted in him being chosen for a six-concert tour with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Vladimir Jurowski. Forthcoming engagements include concerts with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra in Belgium, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and recitals in Vienna and Cologne.

He plays a 1760 Tassini cello previously owned by Paul Tortelier on generous loan from a member of the Stretton Society. ‘It’s a very big cello, a beast, with a huge projection and a unique colour,’ Karizna says of the instrument. ’When I see Tortelier in films and recordings, I have the sense of his personality in the cello, although now I’ve played it for almost two years, it’s becoming more like my own personality. I’m very happy with it.’

Playing

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