Concerts
To widely introduce a regular event starting in 2026 to everyone in Japan,
we have decided to hold a pre-concert in 2025.
At this special concert,
you will have the opportunity to fully experience the charm of chamber music.
We will also introduce the theme and concept of SeetalClassics Tokyo,
providing you with an opportunity to convey its appeal.
We sincerely look forward to welcoming many of you.
Please stay tuned.
2025
Beni & Friends
Andreas Janke / アンドレアス・ヤンケ violin
Paul Westermayer / ポール・ウエスタマイヤー viola
Benjamin Nyffenegger / ベンジャミン・ニフェネガー cello
Kaoruko Masuya / 増矢 馨子 piano
Thu. 27. Mar. 2025 19:00
Ginza OJI HALL
Artist talk starting at 18:00
All seats reserved ¥ 6,600 Student ￥3,300
ticket : eplus.jp
contact seetalclassics.tokyo@jcom.zaq.ne.jp
Program
J. Brahms Piano Quartet No. 3 in C ｍinor, Op.60 "Werther"
L. v. Beethoven Trio for violin, viola & cello in G major, Op. 9-1
F. Schubert Trio for violin, viola & cello in B major, D.471
Profile
Andreas Janke violin
Andreas Janke, is the principal concertmaster of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. He is currently thriving as a member of the Oliver Schnyder Trio. He was born into a family of German and Japanese musicians in Munich and studied in Igor Ozim’s masterclass at the Salzburg Mozarteum and with the Hagen Quartet. Even as a young musician he was already winning prizes at international competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, the Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna and the Prague Spring Competition. As a solo artist he has appeared in many leading venues in Europe and Asia, including Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Munich Philharmonie, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Zurich Tonhalle and the Taipei National Concert Hall, while the orchestras with which he has performed include the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. He is additionally a welcome visitor both as a soloist and as a chamber recitalist at many national and international festivals. Among his chamber partners have been Julia Fischer, Nils Mönkemeyer, Martin Grubinger, Vilde Frang, Jörg Widmann and Martin Fröst. In 2013 he was appointed professor of violin at the Zurich University of the Arts. He gives regular masterclasses both at home and abroad. Andreas Janke performs on the “Hozier–Andrews” violin made by Carlo Bergonzi in Cremona between 1733 and 1739 and placed at his disposal by Mercedes-Benz Automobil AG of Zurich.
Benjamin Nyffenegger cello
Benjamin Nyffenegger, has been principal cellist with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra since 2008. He is currently thriving as a member of the Oliver Schnyder Trio and Julia Fischer String Quartet. His international career as a soloist and as a chamber musician – including as cellist with the Julia Fischer Quartet – has taken him to leading centres of music in Europe and Asia. Among these venues have been London’s Wigmore Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Munich’s Prinzregententheater, the Vienna Musikverein, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Zurich Tonhalle and the Taipei National Concert Hall. Among the major international festivals where he has performed are the Schwetzingen Festival, the Prague Spring Festival, the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, the Frankfurt Festival, the Linz Bruckner Festival, the Septembre Musical Festival in Montreux, the Schwarzenberg Schubertiade and the Pärnu Festival. Among the chamber musicians with whom Benjamin Nyffenegger has shared a platform are Leif Ove Andsnes, Yulianna Avdeeva, Daniel Hope, Marc Bouchkov, Sarah Chang, Wolfram Christ, Vilde Frang, Roberto Gonzalez-Monjas, Maximilian Hornung, Daniel Müller-Schott, Alina Pogostkina, Maxim Rysanov, Jörg Widmann and William Youn. As a soloist he has performed with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Berne Symphony Orchestra, the Winterthur Musikkollegium, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. He has also worked for numerous public broadcasting corporations throughout the whole of Europe. His first teacher was Magdalena Sterki-Hauri, after which he studied with Walter Grimmer at the Zurich University of the Arts, where he completed his studies under Thomas Grossenbacher in 2005, graduating with a diploma in concert performing. Benjamin Nyffenegger is artistic director of the SeetalClassics series of concerts at Seon in Switzerland. In 2023, he was appointed artistic director of the Swiss traditional Bosville Festival, together with violinist Julia Fischer. In 2024, he will become the artistic director of SeetalClassics Tokyo.
_edited.jpg)
Paul Westermayer viola
After graduating from the Zurich University of the Arts, he won the competition sponsored by the Kiwanis Foundation in Switzerland. He has been active as a guest violist with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and major orchestras within Switzerland. Additionally, he excels in chamber music, collaborating with prominent ensembles such as the European String Quartet, the Bernina String Quartet, Ilios String Quartet, Schweizer Octet, and participating as a key member in events like the Lucerne Festival.
With a deep understanding of Japanese culture and arts, he is an enthusiast of Japan and regularly visits to perform while also contributing to the development of young musicians. Born in
New Zealand, he holds Swiss citizenship.
In 2024, he established the Westermayer Music & Arts Association as a public interest corporation and assumed the role of representative for SeetalClassics Tokyo.
Kaoruko Masuya piano
Studied piano under H = J Strub and chamber music under the Carmina Quartet at the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland. She obtained Konzertreife and Solisten Diplom at the highest level and co-starred with the Swiss Winterthur Orchestra twice. She performed Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 5 "Egypt" and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 and gained popularity in the Swiss newspaper.
After returning to Japan, she was invited as a soloist in various parts of Switzerland, Germany,
France, and the Netherlands, and was praised by the German newspaper as "a color and sound like a painting." In 2017, she performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Swiss Octet and was acclaimed by the Swiss newspaper. Concerts with the group are held regularly in Switzerland and Japan with the support of the Swiss Musikverein and the Swiss Embassy in Japan.
She appeared in Yomiuri Rookie Concert and passed the NHK Western music audition. She also performed with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra. She studied with Kei Itoh.
With a brilliant and clear touch, it expresses free and singing music, and fascinates the audience with its pearly tone.
Der Landbot Paper (Switzerland)
Clearly brilliant and expressive performance. It attracted the audience with its colorful tone and sound like a painting.
Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
Program Notes
J. Brahms
L.v.Beethoven
