Rising Stars 2026

Ageless, young and wild: “Rising Stars” with discoveries and rarities

There is a sense of anticipation in the air whenever the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester presents “Rising Stars”. On the one hand, because this is where audiences may encounter a star of the future. On the other, because the series brings together not only outstanding young musicians, but also works beyond the standard repertoire.

This is especially true this year: alongside piano and violin, the tuba also appears as a solo instrument. Comparisons are difficult in any case, since the three young artists came to the attention of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester by very different paths.

Violinist Raphael Nussbaumer has launched a promising career in Switzerland. In Paganini’s Sonata Napoleone for violin and orchestra, he demonstrates his talent in a work full of virtuoso finesse.

Pianist Illia Ovcharenko’s career has taken the Ukrainian musician from Tel Aviv to Europe. With Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Piano Concerto, marked by Lisztian virtuosity, he presents a true rarity.

Even more unusual is tubist Lewis Chinn, who is supported by the Royal Philharmonic Society in England and by Lucerne patron Ursula Strebi. He performs the Tuba Concerto by the Finnish composer Lauri Porra, who is also active as bassist in the metal band Stratovarius. This, too, is a sign that “Rising Stars” gives the stage to a new generation.

At the close, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester shows with the Second Suite from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet that being young and wild is not a question of age.