Bell Raphael - Assistente Sebastian Bertoncelj

Biography:

Raphael Bell enjoys a varied career as a principal cellist, chamber musician, teacher, and festival director. He is currently principal cello of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Belgium, founder and co-director of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival in Virginia, and co-Artistic Director of La Loingtaine in Montigny-sur-Loing, France. As a chamber musician he has performed at Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Salle Gaveau, Berlin Philharmonie, Köln Philharmonie, Luzerner Theater, Tokyo Suntory Hall, and Kyoto Concert Hall, and at festivals including Seattle Chamber Music, Ferrara Musica, Wiener Festwochen, Elba Festival, Ravinia, Verbier and Resonance Festival Belgium. He was part of the IMS Prussia Cove tour that won the Chamber Music Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society in London, and has collaborated with musicians such as Steven Isserlis, James Ehnes, Martha Argerich, Pekka Kuusisto, Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, and with quartets including Brooklyn Rider, Dante and Orpheus, as well as Oxalys and Japan's Nagaokakyo Ensemble. He gave the world premier of Olli Mustonen's Triptych for three cellos with Steven Isserlis and Steven Doane. Solo performances include concertos with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Luft Ensemble, and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic under Edo de Waart and Philippe Herreweghe. This autumn he will perform the Lalo Cello Concerto with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and Krzysztof Urbanski. As a member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra for many years, he played in the Lucerne Festival Orchestra’s celebrated Mahler Symphony Cycle with Claudio Abbado. He has also worked with the Munich Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English Baroque Soloists, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra, among others. Raphael studied at The Juilliard School with Harvey Shapiro, and later with Mario Brunello, Steven Isserlis and Ferenc Rados.

ASSISTENT Sebastian Bertoncelj

Sebastian Bertoncelj is a versatile soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue. Born in a musical family in Slovenia, he is strongly rooted in his nation’s artistic legacy and frequently shares his music and knowledge with audiences far behind its borders.

As a soloist he has collaborated with orchestras such as Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, RTV Ljubljana, Music academy of Ljubljana Symphonic and Chamber orchestra, HMDK Stuttgart symphony orchestra and Bled festival orchestra and conductors P. von Steinaecker, E. Shao, R. Baumann, S. Dvoršak, L. Voltolini, N. Firšt, Z. Bičanin on works by Tchaikovsky, Dvořàk, Rachmaninov, Kabalewsky, Shostakovich, Haydn, Bragato and Bloch.

In addition to this, he has performed concerts for Festival Ljubljana, Jeunesse musicale, Cellofest Ljubljana, Imago, Festival Bled) Festival Velenje, Kogojevi dnevi, Incontri Musicali Spoleto, Teatro Verdi Trieste, Lucca Classica, Nei suoni dei luoghi, Musica da camera Cividale, Teatro Luigi Bon, Badia Musica).

As a passionate chamber musician, Sebastian has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Anna Kandinskaya, Andrea Rucli, Christopher Tun Andersen, Emma Steele, Solenne Païdassi, Aylen Pritchin, Wonji Kim-Ozim, Emile Cantor, Mark Gothoni, Boštjan Lipovšek, Lorenzo Cossi, Luka Ljubas and late Klaus Maetzl. He frequently appears with Salzburg-based Accio piano trio.

After his studies at Ljubljana’s Conservatory and Academy of Music with Miloš Mlejnik, he broadened his education in Luzern and Salzburg with masters Christian Poltéra, Enrico Bronzi and Götz Teutsch. In 2025, he finished his soloist diploma „Konzertexamen“ at HMDK Stuttgart under Conradin Brotbek with distinction.

A sought-after teacher, he holds positions at Ljubljana and Maribor Conservatories of music, Celje Music high school, works as Assistant to the cello class of Ljubljana University, Academy of Music and regularely gives masterclasses to young and advanced cellists all over Europe

  course dates:  28 luglio - 3 agosto 2026

course description: 

Participation fee: 350€