Turkey’s leading symphonic ensemble, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra (BIPO) was founded in 1999 under honorary conductorship of Gürer Aykal. The orchestra worked with Sascha Goetzel between 2009 and 2020, and then with Patrick Hahn for two seasons. In 2023 BIPO decided to continue with Carlo Tenan as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.

From the 2000/01 season, BIPO regularly performed on both coasts of its home city accompanying world stars and in time has become one of the city’s cultural beacons. It had also been the resident orchestra of the Istanbul Music Festival between 2003–2018. BIPO worked with world-class artists such as Renée Fleming, Hilary Hahn, Elīna Garanča, Angela Gheorghiu, Lang Lang, Maxim Vengerov, Juan Diego Flórez, Viktoria Mullova, to name a few.

BIPO released its first recording Respighi, Hindemith, Schmitt in 2010 and performed that year at the opening festivities of the Salzburg Festival. Its second recording, Music from the Machine Age, followed in 2012 and its third disc of music by Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Erkin and Ippolitov-Ivanov was released in 2014 right after their successful BBC Proms debut under Goetzel. The CD recording titled Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto; Rococo Variations performed by violin virtuoso Nemanja Radulović accompanied by Borusan İstanbul Philharmonic Orchestra under Sascha Goetzel has been released under Deutsche Grammophon label in September 2017. BIPO went on a European tour with violinist Vadim Repin and Nemanja Radulović in February 2016, with Daniel Hope Nemanja Radulović in January 2018, and performed at the Hong Kong Arts Festival in February 2017. The CD recording titled Richard performed by tenor Daniel Behle accompanied by Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Thomas Rösner was released in 2023 under Prospero label.

Prizewinner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition and SONY Classical exclusive artist, Pablo Ferrández is hailed as a “new cello genius” (Le Figaro).  A captivating performer, “Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” (El Pais).  He has turned into a cello phenomenon and one of the most in-demand instrumentalists of his generation. 

His debut album under SONY Classical, “Reflections”, released in 2021, was highly acclaimed by the critics and praised with the Opus Klassik Award. In Fall 2022 Pablo Ferrández released his second album, which comprised the Brahms Double Concerto, performed with Anne-Sophie Mutter, the Czech Philharmonic under M. Honeck, as well as Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, performed with Ms. Mutter and Lambert Orkis, also receiving rave reviews.

Recent highlights included appearances with LA Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl, Czech Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Oslo Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Bayersichen Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Konzerthaus Orchester, Tonkuenslter Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Israel Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic.

Ferrández toured last season with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the London Philharmonic under Ed Gardner, with Munich Philharmonic under Myung-whun Chung, and with the Antwerp Symphony under Elim Chan.

He is also frequently invited to international renown festivals such as Verbier, Salzburg, Dresden, Sion, Dvorak Prague Festival, Grant Park and Jerusalem, among others.

The 23/24 season brings the debut at the David Geffen Hall in New York with the Orquesta del Teatro Real, and also with the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Liege, Stavanger Symphony, Musikkollegium Winterthur, the returns to the Rotterdam Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Dusseldorf Symphony, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestra National de France and Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia. 

Ferrández will also return to the LA Philharmonic, performing Brahms Double Concerto with AnneSophie Mutter under G. Dudamel, and will tour with the Czech Philharmonic under S. Bychkov in Japan and Europe, performing Dvorak Cello Concerto.

Born in Madrid in 1991, in a family of musicians, Pablo Ferrández joined the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía when he was 13 to study with Natalia Shakhovskaya. After that he completed his studies at the Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson and became scholar of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

Mr. Ferrández plays the Stradivarius “Archinto” 1689, on a generous life-long loan from a member of the Stretton Society.