Alon Kariv Named Associate Artist of English Chamber Orchestra

Rising pianist Alon Kariv has been named an Associate Artist of the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) for 2027.

During his tenure as Associate Artist, Kariv and the ECO will embark on a landmark three-concert series at London's Cadogan Hall. Reuniting with Maestro Roberto Fores Veses, Kariv will perform all five of Mozart's final piano concertos. In addition to these live performances, the ECO and Kariv will also explore this profound repertoire together in the recording studio.

The appointment marks a deepening of a highly successful relationship between the pianist and the orchestra. Kariv has previously collaborated with the ECO on multiple occasions, including at Cadogan Hall under the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor Fores Veses, and has already recorded his debut solo album, for future release, with the ensemble.

'Setting out to play all of the last five Mozart concertos is a major journey, especially for a young artist,' says Kariv. 'But there's something interesting as a young musician, in bringing that perspective to Mozart's final thoughts as expressed in his beloved form of the piano concerto. Of course, Mozart himself died at only 35, so he himself wasn't actually all that much older than what we would describe as a young artist. It's endlessly fascinating.

'Besides which, these five concertos are such masterpieces, constantly surprising and a mix of concertos that are very well-known with some that are less often played. I'm delighted to undertake this journey with the ECO, truly a great orchestra, such a pleasure to make music with, in every way. I'm honoured to have been invited to be Associate Artist and to join the ECO, the brilliant Maestro Roberto Fores Veses, and their audiences for this incredible cycle.'

The ECO's announcement comes during a remarkably busy and successful period for the young pianist. Kariv is the First Prize winner of the 2025 Kissinger Sommer Internationales Musikfestival's KlavierOlymp (Piano Olympiad), a prestigious accolade that places him alongside illustrious previous winners such as Behzod Abduraimov, Kirill Gerstein, Alice Sara Ott and Igor Levit.

Kariv's rapidly expanding international career includes collaborations with eminent conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Julian Rachlin, Ilan Volkov, Ivor Bolton, and Karl-Heinz Steffens. He has performed with major ensembles including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the RSB Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.

Earlier in 2027, he will be touring the UK (playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1) with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under their Music Director, Steven Mercurio, and also in Prague. And he will also be playing the Mozart concertos with a variety of international orchestras, including the Orquesta de Extremadura, and the Haifa Symphony Orchestra.

In recent months, Kariv has toured Eastern Europe with Julian Rachlin and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, undertaken a six-city US tour (including Carnegie Hall) with the Kyiv Virtuosi Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Dmitry Yablonsky, made his debut with the Israel Camerata Jerusalem, and played prestigious recital dates such as the AMG Rising Stars series at the Stadtcasino Basel, 'Tuesday Matinees' at the Kaufman Music Center in NYC, and at the Warsaw Auditorium Maximum Chopin Series.

Alon Kariv is managed by James Inverne Music Consultancy.

Photo Credit: English Chamber Orchestra / Colin Sheen (top); Kissinger Sommer Internationales Musikfestival (middle); Julia Milberger (bottom)