This performance forms part of the Hattori Foundation early evening concert series. This is a very friendly series, in true Salon-style, where guests are invited to enjoy a pre-concert drink included in the ticket price, a one-hour performance (without interval) and then meet the performers and Trustees in the Club's bar after each recital for complimentary refreshments.
Programme (60 minutes, no interval)
TBC
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The Hattori Foundation was established as an Educational Trust by the Hattori Family and granted charity status in 1992.
The aim of the Foundation in the field of music is to encourage and assist exceptionally talented young instrumental soloists or chamber ensembles who are British Nationals or resident in the UK and whose talent and achievements give promise of an international career. |
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George was born in Manchester in 2001, and his passion for music was kindled in earnest as a chorister at Manchester Cathedral.
His debut album as a collaborative pianist, Rodrigo Ruiz’s ‘Venus and Adonis’ with Grace Davidson, won the Spanish prize ‘Melomano de Oro’ in January 2025. His recent recording of Strauss' Sonata for Violin and Piano with Nathan Mierdl for Linn Records will be released in early 2027. He has recently collaborated with Carolyn Sampson for the Rodolfus Choral Foundation, with Florian Stoertz for the London Bach Society, and with Susan Bullock. He is a Young Artist at the Leeds Song Festival and the Oxford International Song Festival, a Samling Artist, and a member of the Wigmore Hall French Song Exchange. George has recently performed at Wigmore Hall, Paris' Salle Cortot, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, and the Grand Théâtre de Provence. George studied German and Music at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he was organ scholar. He is now studying for an MA in Ensemble Piano at the Royal Academy of Music with Professors Michael Dussek and James Baillieu, where he is a scholarship recipient and a member of the Academy Song Circle. In 2026 George won the Academy's Schumann Lieder Prize for pianists and the Strings and Piano Duo Prize. He won the pianist's prize at the 2026 Eastbourne International Singing Competition, and he won first prize and the audience prize at the Somerset Song Competition with his duo partner Klara Solen. He also studies singing at the Academy with Giles Underwood, and works regularly as a singer with Tenebrae choir. He is passionate about interdisciplinary work, and has recently collaborated with composer David Roche on a Welsh language heavy metal project. He works with environmental author Bernhard Malkmus on literary-musical project ‘Flight Paths’, with recent performances in Oxford, Newcastle and Regensburg. In 2025 he curated the ‘Chapel Lates’ chamber and song recital series at New College, Oxford. He is generously supported by the Choir Association of St John’s College, Cambridge. |
Photo by Dik Ng
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Sofia Mekhonoshina |
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Sofia Mekhonoshina is a dedicated classical clarinetist currently pursuing her musical studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, UK. She is working towards a Master of Performance (LSO Orchestral Artistry) expected to be completed in 2027, under the guidance of Principal Professor Andrew Marriner, who has been her mentor since 2022. Prior to this, she earned a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Classical Clarinet at the same institution, studying with Andrew Marriner and Michael Collins from 2020 to 2022. She also received her education at F. Chopin Moscow State Music College in Moscow, Russia, from 2011 to 2024, where she studied clarinet under Professor Evgeny Petrov, majoring in Musical Performer and Music School Teacher. Additionally, she has actively participated in master classes conducted by renowned clarinetists, including Alessandro Carbonare, Martin Fröst, Anthony McGill, and Pascal Moragues, continuously enhancing her musical skills.
Sofia has achieved remarkable success in numerous international and national music competitions. In 2025, she was awarded the Leverhulme Arts Scholarship and the Special Jury Prize (Clarinet) at the International Clarinet Competition of the municipality of Parc Hosingen. She won the First Prize at the Vienna International Music Competition in 2023, and in 2022, she obtained the Platinum Prize at the London Young Musician Competition and the First Prize at the London Classical Music Competition. Throughout her career, she has also secured multiple first prizes and grand prizes in competitions held in Russia, Portugal, Italy, and Bulgaria, as well as being a finalist in important events like the “Grand All-Russian Selection” of the Russian National Orchestra. With rich performance experience, Sofia has performed as a soloist in prestigious venues worldwide, including the Musikverein Brahms Hall, Milton Court Concert Hall, Zaryadye Concert Hall, and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. She has collaborated with renowned orchestras such as the Russian National Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Sofia Philharmonic, and the State Chamber Orchestra “Moscow Virtuosi”. She has also participated in various music festivals and events across Europe and Israel, including the Chamber Music Festival in London, the International festival “Musical Olympus” in St. Petersburg, and recorded a concert for BBC Radio 3, showcasing her versatility and artistic expression. |
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