Nathan Amaral, violin; Alice Chenyang Xu, piano

A remarkable young violinist from Rio de Janeiro, Nathan Amaral has earned rave reviews from his appearances in Europe, South America and the United States. In 2024, he was awarded First Prize at the 27th Sphinx Competition and in the same year, he released his debut album on the Decca label.

Nathan Amaral took up the violin at the relatively “late” age of 12, and received his first violin lessons as part of a social initiative targeting at-risk kids in the slums of Mangueira, where one violin was shared by five other students. In a class of 200, he was the only one who kept pursuing music. Now he gives back, through the work of the annual festival he founded to support and teach young musicians from difficult backgrounds in Brazil.

Amaral recently made his London debut at Queen Elizabeth Hall, followed by appearances at Wigmore Hall, Salzburg Mozarteum, and the Berlin Philharmonie. He has been awarded top prizes in numerous national and international competitions, an almost unheard of career trajectory for someone who began playing at age 12.

Hailed by The Boston Musical Intelligencer as “incisive and with innate musicality,” pianist Alice Chenyang Xu has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Germany, the United States, Canada, and China. She has appeared at numerous international festivals, including the Internationale Mendelssohn-Akademie, Yellow Barn, Annapolis Chamber Music Festival, and The Art of Piano. Currently a D.M.A. candidate at the New England Conservatory of Music, she holds undergraduate degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and Roosevelt University, and a master’s degree from New England Conservatory.