Cello

Now regarded as one of the finest cellists of the younger generation, Alexander Chaushian has performed extensively throughout the world as a soloist with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the Academy of St Martin-in- the-Fields, The London Mozart Players, The Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, The Boston Pops and The Armenian Philharmonic, and has given highly acclaimed performances in such venues as London’s Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Sala Verdi Milan, Konzerthaus Vienna, Suntory Hall Japan, the main Carnegie Hall New York, and Symphony Hall Boston.

He performs regularly in festivals throughout the world and is the Artistic Director of the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival in Cyprus and the Yerevan Music Festival in Armenia.

After initial studies in Armenia, Alexander Chaushian studied in the UK at the Menuhin School and the Guildhall School, London. He then pursued advanced studies at the Hochschule Berlin, graduating with distinction in 2005. He is a laureate prize winner of many international competitions including the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the ARD Competition in Germany. As an alumnus of Young Concert Artists, New York, he toured extensively in the USA. Amongst the many distinguished musicians whom he has collaborated with are Yehudi Menuhin, Julia Fischer, Levon Chilingirian, Yuri Bashmet, Diemut Poppen, François-Frédéric Guy, Emmanuel Pahud. His regular chamber music partner is Yevgeny Sudbin.

A pupil of Radu Aldulescu, Luigi Piovano graduated at age seventeen. 

For many years he served as principal cello of the Baroque group Concerto Italiano leaded by Rinaldo Alessandrini. He first attracted attention on the international music circuit after his participation in the "Pollini Project" in 1999, which brought forth a highly-successful debut at the Salzburg Festival, as well as performances in Tokyo, New York and Rome. 

As a sought-after chamber musician, he has played with artists as Wolfgang Sawallisch, Myung- Whun Chung, Alexander Lonquich, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Leonidas Kavakos, Veronika Eberle, Nikolay Lugansky, Malcolm Bilson and the Labèque sisters. He regularly performs in duo with Antonio Pappano since 2005, and from 2009 to 2019 he performed with Latitude 41 piano trio. 

He has performed as soloist with orchestras as Tokyo Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Montréal Symphony and Seoul Philharmonic under the batons of such conductors as Chung, Menuhin, Nagano, Pappano and Pletnev. 

He has worked as Principal cellist of the Symphony Orchestra of National Academy of St. Cecilia since the end of the 1990s. 

His many recordings include Bach Six Cello Suites and the complete music for cello of Saint-Saëns, a Schubert CD and both Saint-Saëns' Trios with Latitude 41 and Bach's Goldberg Variations with Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Yuri Zhislin.