Elisso Gogibedaschwili, violin, born in 2000 in Vorarlberg, Austria, was born into a multicultural family of musicians and has been considered an exceptional talent since childhood. In 2008, she was accepted as a junior student by Josef Rissin at the Karlsruhe University of Music, where she continued her bachelor's studies in 2019. Since October 2021, she has been studying with Krzysztof Wegrzyn at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Masterclasses with Ingolf Turban, Midori, Mihaela Martin, and Ana Chumachenco complemented her training.

From the age of 6, she won several first prizes with distinction at the Austrian music competition Prima la Musica as well as at international competitions in Lithuania and Sicily. At the age of 10, she made her orchestral debut with the MAV Orchestra at the National Museum in Budapest. This was followed by numerous international engagements, including at the Smetana Hall in Prague, the Broward Center in Miami, and the Palazzo Liberty in Milan. At the age of 12, she performed the Sibelius Concerto at the Musikverein in Klagenfurt – her international debut as a soloist. The young violinist is a regular guest at the Centre of Arts Toronto, Glenn Gould Studio, Tübingen University Hall, the Bayreuth Festival, and the Alba Music Festival. She has played with renowned orchestras such as the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim, Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestra da Camera di Mantua.

For the upcoming 2024/25 season, she will make her solo debut at the Vienna Konzerthaus, NDR Konzerthaus Hannover, and Carnegie Hall in New York. To mark the 20th anniversary of Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now e.V., she will perform Beethoven's Triple Concerto together with Igor Levit, Ciàra Whitnall, and the NDR Radiophilharmonie. To mark the 100th birthday of Georgian composer Otar Taktakishvili, she will premiere his violin concerto in several countries in Europe and America. She has participated in solo and chamber music recordings for EMI, ORF, and Genuin Label. In 2019, she was awarded the Fördergabe für Kunst des Landes Vorarlberg (Vorarlberg State Art Grant). She also received the Wagner Scholarship from the Richard Wagner Foundation and was the only string player selected to give a concert at the 2021 Bayreuth Festival. She is also a scholarship holder at the International Music Academy Liechtenstein, where she participates in the intensive weeks. Since 2022, she has been a recipient of the Germany Scholarship and the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Hannover e.V. Scholarship. Since the 2024/25 season, she has been a scholarship holder at Villa Musica Rhineland-Palatinate.

Elisso Gogibedaschwili plays a violin made by Andrea Guarneri at the end of the 17th century, which has been generously provided by the Otten family.

SEBASTIAN SCHMIDT has been teaching as a professor of violin at the Hamburg University of Music and Theater since 2013.

Chamber music has been the focus of his musical work for more than 30 years. As first violinist of the Mandelring Quartet, he has won international competitions in Munich (ARD), Evian (France), and the Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy over the years.

Since then, his intensive concert activities have taken him to music centers around the world. In addition to numerous concerts throughout Europe, the quartet regularly travels to North and South America (New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Lima), Japan (Osaka, Tokyo), Asia, and the Middle East. He is also a welcome guest at major festivals (Schleswig-Holstein, Salzburg Festival). Numerous CDs, such as the Schubert, Brahms, and Shostakovich series, have received excellent reviews.

Sebastian Schmidt was one of the first students to study with Ulf Hoelscher at the University of Music in Karlsruhe. Prior to that, he was a junior student in Würzburg with Max Speermann. A DAAD scholarship enabled him to study in Bloomington, Indiana (USA) with Nelli Shkolnikova and Josef Gingold. Master classes with Yfrah Neaman (London) and Vladimir Landsman (Montréal), among others, as well as numerous chamber music courses rounded off his training.