Rhapsodies and Variations: the current cohort of LSO Conservatoire Scholars show what they are capable of in their showcase recital at LSO St Luke’s

Some of the 2025 LSO Conservatoire Scholars (Photo: ©Kevin Leighton)

Last night, 2 February 2026, was the LSO Conservatoire Scholarships 2026 showcase at LSO St Luke’s when this year’s LSO Conservatoire Scholars gave a recital featuring music by Paganini, Stravinsky, Glinka, Jessie Montgomery, Lutoslawski, Ernst Sachse, Madeleine Dring, Franck Angelis and Bottesini. 

Launched in 2023, the LSO Conservatoire Scholarships aim to ensure that musicians of all backgrounds have access to conservatoire training. Each year, the LSO awards ten new individuals with scholarships to contribute to living and maintenance whilst studying, lasting for the duration of their postgraduate course. There are also professional development opportunities with mentoring, coaching, side-by-side rehearsal and performance opportunities.

So far, the scheme has supported over 31 artists and applications are now open for the 2026/2027 cohort. Before the recital, we heard from three previous scholars about how significant the support from the scheme was in terms of allowing them space to concentrate on their postgraduate study without the pressure to teach and work as well.

The recital featured 17 of the 18 artists in the current cohort with a diverse range of instruments including seven violinists, a double bass player, pianists, a harpist, an accordionist and a trombonist. Entitled Rhapsodies and Variations, the recital had these two forms threading their way through the music, with Paganini also a feature.

We began with a passionate account of Paganini’s famous Caprice No. 24 from violinist Deniz Sensoy, then pianist Nikita Demidenko demonstrated virtuosity of a different type with Guido Agosti’s positively outrageous transcription of the Danse Infernale from Stravinsky’s Firebird. In a rather more civilised style, Tannaz Beigi demonstrated great poise with Glinka’s Variations on a theme of Mozart for solo harp.

Violinist Ugnė Liepa Žuklytė made Jessie Montgomery’s Rhapsody No. 2 for solo violin into something vivid and up-front, relishing the cascades of notes. Violinist Alix Vaillot-Szwarc and pianist Alexander Doronin gave us a forceful, passionate account of Bartok’s Rhapsody No. 1. The first half ended with an element of wit and whimsy when pianists Mikhail Kaploukhii and Kasparas Mikužis played Lutoslawski’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini.

During the interval there was a panel discussion with Kathryn McDowell (managing director of the LSO), violinist Olwen Miles (one of the current cohort of scholars), violinist Maxine Kwok (from the LSO), Jonathan Vaughan (principal of the Guildhall School), and James Williams (principal of the Royal College of Music). Miles emphasised the difference the scholarships made, allowing the recipients time to work at lessons and absorb information properly. Kwok pointed out that when she was a student, the only aim was to be a better violinist, but nowadays, players need to be so much more than that.

Vaughan used a football analogy, commenting that in expecting postgraduate musicians to study and work meant we were expecting Premiership players to work in non-League conditions. Williams highlighted the differences between London and the areas outside where availability of good teachers can be a problem. 

The creative industries in the UK brought in 125 billion, and if we want to preserve that share of the creative economy we need to train for it.

The second half began with something of a novelty for the non-trombonists in the audience, the Allegro Moderato final movement of Ernst Sachse’s Trombone Concertino in B flat played by bass trombone player José Pedro Teixeira and pianist Nikolai Demidenko. Sachse (1813-1890) was a German trombonist and composer who was based in Weimar, worked with Liszt and played in the premiere of Wagner’s Lohengrin. The movement from the concertino proved to be a delightfully jaunty piece, the progressively more complex variations putting a smile on your face.

Another lesser known piece was Madeleine Dring’s Three Fantastic Variations on ‘Lilliburlero’ for two pianos, played by Radu-Gabriel Stoica (from the current cohort of scholars) and Michael McHale from the LSO. We heard the final two variations, the first richly romantic and the second full of perky wit.

Accordionist Alise Siliņa played the Fantasie on a Theme of Piazzolla – Chiquilin de Bachin by the French accordionist and composer Franck Angelis (born 1962). A piece that was full of melancholy romanticism alongside some lovely detailed writing for the instrument. Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889) is known for a handful of virtuoso works for the double bass, though I also discovered that he conducted the premiere of Verdi’s Aida in Cairo. His Grand duo concertante is perhaps one of his best known piece. Here played by Iohan Coman (violin), Strahinja Mitrović (double bass) and Henry Lewis (piano), it was a piece that combined fun with virtuosity, especially watching Mitrovic’s left hand dashing all over the fingerboard and producing all manner of dazzling notes.

We ended with a bit more fun. Irish composer Paul Frost’s arrangement of Paganini’s Caprice No.24 for four violins, here played by three of the current cohort, Olwen Miles, Emil Hartikainen and Elfida Su Turan plus Maxine Kwok from the LSO. Not so much a transcription as a reworking, Frost gives a catchy jazz-slant to Paganini’s piece. Great fun.

But that wasn’t the end and everyone joined together for a stirring rendition of the famous slow variation from Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini.