Maximilian Hornung is regarded as one of the most remarkable cellists on the international stage. Alongside his exceptional technical mastery and versatility, his playing is characterised by an extraordinary depth of tone, a boundless range of colours, and a natural sophistication. The sincerity of his performances allows him to channel the purest expression of the music he plays, connecting with audiences in a profound and meaningful way. In addition to much-loved core repertoire, Hornung carries an impressive and wide-ranging repertory, and devotes himself to lesserknown cello masterpieces.

Recent orchestral highlights include the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Swedish Radio Symphony, London Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Philharmonia, Helsinki Philharmonic, WDR Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and Orchestre National de France. In the 2024/25 season, Hornung makes his debut with the Bergen Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic, and Essener Philharmoniker, and is Artist-in-Residence with the Munich Symphony Orchestra as a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor for performances in and around Munich. Hornung is much in demand with many of today’s leading conductors including Daniel Harding, Yannick Nézét-Séguin, Paavo Järvi, Marie Jacquot, Esa-Pekka Salonen, David Zinman, Lorenzo Viotti, Pablo Heras-Casado, Semyon Bychkov, Manfred Honeck, Antonello Manacorda, John Storgårds, Michael Francis, Krzysztof Urbański, and Robin Ticciati.

As a recitalist, Hornung is a regular guest at world-class venues such as the Berliner Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and London’s Wigmore Hall, as well as festivals including Salzburg, Rheingau, Lucerne, Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Ravinia, and Hong Kong. His chamber music partners include Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vilde Frang, Denis Kozhukhin, Julia Fischer, Antje Weithaas, Hélène Grimaud, Daniil Trifonov, Hisako Kawamura, Christian Tetzlaff, Lisa Batiashvili, François Leleux, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, and Herbert Schuch. In recent years, Hornung has also established himself as a soloist and conductor, and regularly directs projects, most recently with the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana. Hornung’s extensive discography spans solo performances and collaborations with prominent chamber musicians. He received an ECHO Klassik Prize in both 2011 for his debut album Jump! (Sony, 2010) and again in 2012 for his recording of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Bamberg Symphony under the direction of Sebastian Tewinkel (Sony, 2012). Further recordings include Richard Strauss’ major cello works with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink (Sony, 2014) and Joseph Haydn’s cello concerti with the Kammerakademie Potsdam under Antonello Manacorda (Sony, 2015). In 2017, Deutsche Grammophon released a highly acclaimed recording of Schubert’s Trout Quintet in which Hornung performed together with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Daniil Trifonov, among others. In 2018, myrios classics released his recording of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 2 and Sulkhan Tsintsadze’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Andris Poga. Further recordings have been released on Genuin, Linn Records, NEOS, Bridge Records, and CPO.

Born in Augsburg in 1986, Hornung began his cello studies at the age of 8, receiving considerable training from Eldar Issakadze, Thomas Grossenbacher, and David Geringas. Until 2011, he served as cellist of the Tecchler Trio, winning First Prize at the ARD International Music Competition in 2007. At the age of only 23, he was appointed first principal cellist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, a position that he held until 2013. Hornung has been supported and sponsored by the BorlettiBuitoni Trust in London and his mentor Anne-Sophie Mutter. Since 2022, he has been Artistic Director of the Traunsteiner Sommerkonzerte.

Caroline Mallonee (b. 1975) is an award-winning composer and performer based in Buffalo, NY. Inspired by scientific phenomena, visual art, and musical puzzles, Mallonee has been commissioned to write new pieces for prominent ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Spektral Quartet, Firebird Ensemble, Present Music, Wet Ink Ensemble, Antares, PRISM Quartet, Ciompi Quartet, Ethos Percussion, and the Buffalo Chamber Players, for whom she serves as composer-in-residence. Mallonee’s music has been programmed at venues in New York City including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Merkin Hall, Bargemusic, Tenri Cultural Center, Town Hall, Roulette, and Tonic, as well as further afield at the Long Leaf Opera Festival (NC), Carlsbad Music Festival (CA), Bennington Chamber Music Conference (VT), Cambridge Music Festival (UK), Tokyo Opera City (Japan), the Corcoran Gallery (Washington, DC), Turner Ballroom (Milwaukee, WI) and Jordan Hall (Boston, MA).

Her music has been performed by soloists including pianists Eric Huebner, Steven Beck, Stephen Gosling, and John McDonald, as well as Haruka Fujii (percussion), Natasha Farny (cello), Miranda Cuckson (violin), Amy Glidden (violin), Salley Koo (violin), Feng Hew (cello), Janz Castelo (viola), and Kimberly Sparr (viola).

The New York Philharmonic included her music on its CONTACT! new music series at National Sawdust in 2015 and has commissioned a new piece as part of its Project 19 commissioning project.

Mallonee has been recognized through commissions and awards from the Fromm Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Meet The Composer, the Jerome Fund for New Music, and ASCAP, from which she received a Morton Gould Young Composers Award. 

She is a professional singer in Vocális Chamber Choir and Harmonia Chamber Singers and is the director of the Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat, a week-long festival for composers and improvisers held in New Hampshire each June. She was a long-time faculty member of The Walden School Young Musicians Program, where she also served as Academic Dean. As a violinist, Mallonee was a founding member of pulsoptional (based in North Carolina) and Glissando bin Laden (based in New York City).