Ivan Karizna is known for his poetic interpretations and powerful stage presence. Sir András Schiff has described him as ‘one of the finest cellists of his generation.’ Karizna grew up in the Russian school before joining the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of 17. He studied there with Jérôme Pernoo, and later at Germany’s Kronberg Academy under Frans Helmerson. Karizna was a prizewinner at the Tchaikovsky Competition and Queen Elisabeth Competition, among others. In recent seasons, he has performed as a soloist with the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, and other orchestras under conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Stéphane Denève and Juraj Valčuha. An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with Clara-Jumi Kang, Amihai Grosz and Elena Bashkirova. Karizna plays the 1760 ‘ex-Paul Tortelier’ Tassini cello on generous loan from the Stretton Society.