Sabi Yordanov
Sabi Yordanov was born in 1995 in Rousse (Bulgaria) and already at the age of 4 received a comprehensive musical education at the "National School of Arts Professor Veselin Stoyanov" Rousse. In addition to violin lessons, he has gained solo experience in the orchestra and as a chamber musician. He has won prizes at national and international competitions such as the International Competition "Franz Shubert", International Anton Rubinstein Competition and has collaborated with David Russell, Ida Bieler, Irina Muresanu, Yosif Radionov, Mincho Minchev, Mario Hossen, Maria Prinz and more. He has also taken part in major festivals such as International "Duchi d'Acquaviva "Festival International Atri, March Music Days Festival Rousse. For his aspired music studies he is currently studying with Ida Bieler at the "Robert Schumann Hochschule für Musik" Düsseldorf and plays a repertoire from Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn to his own compositions. In 2012 he wrote his own movements inspired by Bach ́s Solo Sonatas and Partitas and in 2014 his own Sonata for violin and piano.
Sabi Yordanov is also a very good chamber music partner. He is first violin with his "Equinox" string quartet founded in 2018. The quartet has repertoire and although recently built, the participants have many engagements and make music together full of love and joy.
Sabi not only works in classical music, but also contemporary music and film music. In 2017 he made the soundtrack for the short film based on the book "Are there free places in paradise" by his great childhood friend Dayan Schaer. In connection with some friends he is part of the show for the creation of "The Golden DJ of Bulgaria". They have performed all over the country. The group has accompanied their own works with great success.
Christine Schäfer
Christine Schäfer is a classical violinist and violin teacher based in Wuppertal. She studied with Susanne Imhof at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, Germany and with Krysia Osostowicz at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, United Kingdom. After her bachelor degree she deliberatley decided on private studies with Anna Heygster in Köln. Masterclasses, private lessons and audition training with Demetrius Polyzoides, Dagmar Engel, Simon Fischer, Jörg Hamann und Ginette Decuyper, Eszter Haffner and Isabelle van Keulen contributed and enriched her musical education. As far back as a child, teenager and student she distinguished herself as a dedicated member of various ensembles, such as Landesjugendorchester NRW, Junge Kammerphilharmonie NRW, Junges Orchester NRW, Jugendsinfonieorchester der Rheinischen Musikschule, Bayer Philharmoniker Leverkusen and Musikfabrik Köln. In the year 2016 to 2017 Christine Schäfer got a scholarship from the "Hartmut und Lore Schuler-Stiftung" in Wuppertal for her extraordinary musical talent. In her professional career Christine Schäfer is a regular member of projects of "Philharmonisches Orchester Bergisch Land", of "Kölner Symphoniker" and "EOS Kammerorchester Köln". With the latter she contributed to a CD production at "Deutschlandfunk" in 2019. Further engagements led her to performances with for example "Bergische Symphoniker Solingen-Remscheid" and "Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha". Christine Schäfer fills the responsible position of first and second concert master in several ensembles, such as in constant engagement with "Instrumentalverein Wuppertal" and in projects at "Sinfonietta Wuppertal" and German-Scandinavian Youth Orchestra at Berlin Philharmonie. Festivals, tours, internships and projects led her all around the world, for example to chamber orchestra "The Knights" to New York City, USA, and to Sweden, Portugal, China, Great Britain and Switzerland. Thereby she accompanied famous soloists such as Mischa Maisky and played with famous conductors such as Valery Gergiev and Jukka Pekka Saraste. Her classical repertoire expanded considerably througout engagements with rock orchestra, musical and cooperations with singer-songwriters, cooperation with jazz musicians, improvisation artists, dancers, clowns and actors right up to TV productions. Christine discovered her fascination and joy for chamber music in numerous chamber music formations, among them also classical formations such as string duet, trio, quartet and octet, as well as special duos with harp and percussion. Important teachers in that area were Abel Tomás, Vera Martinez (Quarteto Casals), Annette Reisinger, Ulrich Isfort (Minguet-Quartett), Ralph de Souza, Garfield Jackson (Endellion Quartet), Matthew Jones, Prof. Ingeborg Scheerer, Prof. Werner Dickel and Prof. Susanne Müller-Hornbach. Christine Schäfer and her colleagues from the Equinox string quartet are carrying their passion for the cosmos string quartet from her home base NRW out into the world.
Lydia Haurenherm
Lydia Haurenherm was born and raised in Germany. The first instruments that she picked were the piano and the violin, although it was the viola that became her primary instrument for the following years. The viola was also her major subject for her academic studies at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf. In 2015 she had the chance to visit Hungary for a year to study at the Liszt Academy in Budapest as an exchange student. Afterwards she returned to Düsseldorf to complete her master degree in 2017. Experiences in professional state orchestras were gained in the Gürzenich Orchester Köln, Sinfonieorchester Aachen and as a sub leader in the Sinfonieorchester Osnabrück. In the past she has visited multiple master classes and has been coached by great performers such as Hariolf Schlichtig, Maxim Rysanov, Mate Szücs, Anna Malikova, Barnabas Kelemen, Marc Tooten and Sander Geerts, for solo as well as chamber music repertoire. Quite in the beginning of her academic studies Lydia got familiarized with contemporary music through ensembles like Studio MusikFabrik, Wandelweiser, Neue Musik Ensemble Aachen, Notabu Ensemble Neue Musik and Eos Kammerorchester, which led her to performances at internationally renown festivals including Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Acht Brücken, Moers Festival, Musiktriennale Köln and Ruhrtriennale. Most of the time she is operating as an instrumentalist in the Düsseldorf and Köln area, but has also toured with orchestras and chamber music groups to China, the Al Bustan Festival in Lebanon and across Europe. Alongside her classical career she has collaborated with bands and singer songwriters and has taken part in numerous TV and CD productions.
Kristin Patschinsky
Kristin Patschinsky, born in 1999, received her first cello lessons at the age of 5 and perfected her technical skills and unique sound at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in the class of Prof. Gabriel Schwabe. She attended master classes with Prof. Maria Kliegel, Prof. Susanne Müller-Hornbach, Prof. Josef Schwab, Prof. Matias de Oliveira Pinto, Prof. Jan Ickert, Prof. Gabriel Schwabe, Emanuel Wehse, Peter Wolf, Sabine Krams and received chamber music lessons with Kerstin Dill and the Auryn Quartet. In 2022 she won a cello solo recital at the Polifonie International Masterclass in Italy, awarded by La Società die Concerti di Milano for the 2023/24 season. Various projects have taken her to the historic Stadthalle Wuppertal, the WDR Studio Wuppertal, the Bürgermeisterhaus Essen and to countries such as Italy and Finland. Now she is part of the Equinox String Quartet and inspires with her quick entry into the chamber music scene.