Rising Stars 2026

Young and wild for life: “Rising Stars” with new and rare finds

Excitement is in the air when the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester presents “Rising Stars”. On one hand because you might encounter a star of the future, on the other because aside from up-and-coming young musicians you can also experience works outside of the standard repertoire. This is especially true this year, where a tuba soloist is featured alongside the piano and violin. This makes direct comparisons difficult, especially as the three young musicians became known to the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in different ways. Violinist Raphael Nussbaumer began his promising career in Switzerland. He demonstrates his talent with Paganini’s “Sonata Napoleone” for violin and orchestra, which abounds with violinistic sophistication. The career path of Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko led him to Europe via Tel Aviv. He offers a real rarity with the piano concerto by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, which is characterised by Lisztian virtuosity. Even more rare is the repertoire choice of tuba player Lewis Chinn, who is sponsored by the Royal Philharmonic Society in England, and Ursula Strebi from Lucerne. Chinn plays the tuba concerto by Finnish composer Lauri Porra, who is also active as a bass guitarist in the metal band Stratovarius, demonstrating that the “Rising Stars” are heralding a new young generation. But in conclusion, the orchestra’s rendition of the second suite from Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet”, shows that being young and wild is not always a question of age.