Orchestra Principals

The orchestra’s principal players are internationally selected artists of highest caliber,
taking a leading position in the Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra.

Gabor Szabo – Concertino

Gabor Szabo

Co-CEO Madrid Soloists

Artistic Director – Concertmaster

Gabor Szabo is the Artistic Director and Concert Master of the Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Co-CEO of the Madrid Soloists Artist Management.

Since 2022 Gabor Szabo is a professor for violin at the Escuela Superior de Música Forum Musikae and in 2019, he was appointed Executive Director of the Global Music Partnership in USA (Music Management), creating educational programs and organizing concerts worldwide.

Mr Szabo is Co-CEO of the Fejes Music Academy and Foundation in Budapest, Hungary.

Born in Budapest, Gabor Szabo received multiple awards over his musical career in numerous national and international violin competitions: First Prize at the Budapest National Violin Competition, First Prize at the Zathureczky National Violin Competition, First Prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in the string trio category (USA).

He won the Second Prize and the Special Prize for his performance of Paganini’s Violin concerto, No.1 at the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition (Hungary) and the Third Prize at the Hubay National Violin Competition.

Gabor Szabo completed his studies in Hungary at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music under the guidance of Professor László Kóté and Eszter Perényi, and from 2001 at the Southern Methodist University (USA), where he studied with Dr. Eduard Schmieder.

Since 1993, Gabor Szabo has been a continuous soloist and recording artist for the Hungarian National Radio and has made more than 70 live recordings. His recitals are being broadcasted by European television and radio companies.

Gabor Szabo is known for his extensive repertoire, ranging from Vivaldi to more contemporary composers. As a recitalist, he has performed in more than twenty European countries, as well as the United States and South America.

Gabor Szabo held the position of Concertmaster in the Budapest Symphony Orchestra (MAV) and was soon after appointed Concertmaster of the Budapest Chamber Orchestra.

From 1998 to 1999 he held the same position at the Municipal Opera Theatre in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was the principal violinist at the Galician Symphony Orchestra in La Coruña, Spain.

Gabor Szabo frequently collaborates with orchestras as concertmaster all over Europe.

During his future engagements as concert master of the Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Gabor Szabo will collaborate with artists, such as: Julian Rachlin, Shlomo Mintz, Alissa Margulis, Vilmos Szabadi, Nuno Corte-Real, Sergei Kvitko, Jura Margulis, Wenting Kang, etc.

Since 2008, Gabor Szabo resides in Madrid, Spain and is a member of the Royal Opera Orchestra (Teatro Real).

Wenting Kang – Principal Viola

Wenting Kang – Violist

The Chinese violist Wenting Kang appeared as an “excellent violist” who “possesses a dark glowing sound” in the New York Times after her Marlboro Music Festival tour performance at Carnegie Hall. Kang’s playing also has been lauded as “elegant”, “precise” as well as “pure” and “tone-passionate without ever losing a sense of control” in the Boston Musical Intelligencer. Recently, The Strad described her as “both a standout player and a brilliant arranger” after a performance including her arrangements written for the ensemble – the Imai Viola Quartet.

Kang was the recipient of the 1st Prize in the Tokyo International Viola Competition in 2012. Previously, she had won numerous prizes in events such as the Johannes Brahms International Competition, the Primrose International Viola Competition, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante Competition at New England Conservatory, and National Viola Competition in China.

Kang’s repertoire covers both solo work as well as chamber music ranging from the baroque periods to contemporary compositions.

As a soloist, Kang performed Walton Concerto with Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Don Quixote with Misha Maisky and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed the Bartok and Elgar Concertos for viola, Britten “Lachrymae”, and the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, appearing with orchestras such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, the Tokyo TOHO Gakuen Orchestra, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Kang has been invited to international festivals in North America, Europe, and Asia, such as Marlboro Music Festival, Steans Institute at Ravinia Festival, Yellow Barn, Monadnock festival, Morningside Music Bridge, Verbier Festival, Rencontres Musicales Camerata Lysy, Kronberg Academy’s Mit Musik-Miteinander, Chamber Music Connects the World, and the Viola Space Festivals both in Tokyo and Taiwan. Renowned artists, whom she shared the stage with, include Kim Kashkashian, Nobuko Imai, Antoine Tamestit, Steven Isserlis, Christian Tetzlaff, Lucy Chapman, Paul Katz, Peter Wiley and Marcy Rosen. Kang’s enthusiasm for chamber music is also more recently documented by her becoming a member of the Imai Viola Quartet and the Dalia String Quartet.

Kang studied at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, the New England Conservatory in Boston, later at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, under the guidance of professors such as Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Garth Knox, Donald Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, Liangsheng Chen, and Changhai Wang.

From 2014 to the beginning of 2016, Kang was a member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Further on, her focus leaned towards teaching and performance of solo and chamber music. In recent years, Kang has taught masterclasses for viola and chamber music in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Japan, Taiwan and China. Currently, Kang is active as assistant professor in the international viola class of Nobuko Imai at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia as well as the principal violist of Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid in Spain.

Paul Cortese – Principal Viola

Paul Cortese – Viola

Paul Cortese is an active concert performer and chamber musician, having recorded numerous works for the viola.

Paul is professor of viola and chamber music at the Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain. He is administrator of Facebook Violists, the largest group of its kind dedicated to the viola. Paul is a Larsen Strings Performing Artist.

Dmitri Tsirin – Principal Cello

Dmitri Tsirin – Cello

Dmitri Tsirin is prize-winner of several important international cello competitions, such as the Rostropovich Competition in Paris, the Leonard Rose Competition in Washington and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Dmitri Tsirin studied with professor Natalia Shakhovskaya and Natalia Gutman and took lessons from Daniil Shafran and Mstislav Rostropovich.

As a soloist, he has played with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Noord Nederlands Orkest, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and many more.

Dmitri Tsirin has offered masterclasses in Russia, Israel, Denmark and Spain. He has participated at prestigious chamber music festivals (Kuhmo Chamber Music, Esbjerg Festival) collaborating with musicians, such as Mikhail Lidsky, Ernst Kovacic, Christian Altenburger, Boris Berezovsky and Marianna Shirinyan.
On recommendation of Mstislav Rostropovich, Dmitri received a J. B. Guadagnini cello from the Russian State collection.

Natalia Margulis – Principal Cello

Natalia Margulis – Cello

Natalia debuted with concerts at the National Auditorium in Madrid, Spain, the Megaron Hall in Thessaloniki, Greece, the Walton Arts Center in Arkansas, USA, the Schoenberg Hall in Los Angeles, USA, and others. She has performed with the Greek National Orchestra, the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Cologne Youth Orchestra and performed at festivals such as the Santander Festival, Verbier Academy and the Eilat Chamber Music Festival. As a member of the “Margulis Trio” she has received the diploma in the Competition of ’99 Osaka Chamber Music, and in 2004 the diploma of the international competition “Maria Canals” in Barcelona.

She interpreted Beethoven’s Triple Concert in the United States, broadcast on radio and television, as well as recorded by Spanish Radio. She was invited to give masterclasses at the International Music Seminar in Vertiscos, Greece.

Natalia has been chosen to offer the most important concert every year at “La Chapelle” in Brussels and played at the “Palais des Beaux Arts” in Brussels.

She currently holds the Co-Principal Cello position with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid / Teatro Real Madrid.

Aniela Frey – Principal Flute

Responsable for Wind Section