Duo Forna - Barbash
Date and Location
Wednesday · October 21, 2026 · 7:30 PM
Attic of the Violin Making School
Performers
Ilinca Forna, Violin | Maksim Barbash, Cello
Program
Jörg Widmann — Selection from the 24 Duos for Violin and Cello
Zoltán Kodály — Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7
Heinz Holliger — Duo for Violin and Cello
Biographies
Belarusian cellist Maksim Barbash has established himself as a distinct voice in contemporary classical music, known for his charismatic stage presence and passionate commitment to expanding the expressive possibilities of the cello. As a winner of the 2025 Kiefer Hablitzel Prize—one of Switzerland's most prestigious music awards—he bridges classical traditions with a spirit of contemporary experimentation. As a soloist, Maksim has performed with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn, and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Belarus. As a member of the Ensemble Zone expérimentale, he regularly premieres new works. Close collaboration with young composers is a central focus of his artistic work, such as in the Anima Mechanica project with Ilinca Forna (violin) and Kirill Zvegintsov (piano), for which Márton Szőcs composed a work dedicated to the trio. Maksim studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Alexey Seleznev and at the Basel Academy of Music with Thomas Demenga and Danjulo Ishizaka. He plays a modern cello built in 2022 by Swiss luthiers Thiemo Schutter and Rahel Widmer.
Ilinca Forna is a Romanian violinist and violist based in Switzerland whose musical world encompasses folk traditions, improvisation, historically informed performance practice, chamber music, and her own compositions—often all in a single evening. She began her studies in Cluj-Napoca, where she founded Jeunsemble. She is currently studying viola with Silvia Simionescu at the Basel Academy of Music and is completing a master's degree in violin performance with Anna Gebert at the Zurich University of the Arts. In 2025, she was awarded the Brambilla Prize for the best viola master's recital. Her orchestral collaborations include the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, and Les Musiciens du Prince. Through the Anima Mechanica project—together with Maksim Barbash (cello) and Kirill Zvegintsov (piano)—she is dedicated to close collaboration with young composers; Márton Szőcs composed a work dedicated to the ensemble. A visual artist as well as a performer, Ilinca believes that concerts can offer genuine enlightenment—small but real moments of brightness in a troubled world.
THANK YOU
We would like to thank all our sponsors and foundations. We also extend our sincere gratitude to all those supporters who prefer to remain anonymous.
Thank you
We would like to thank all the funding bodies that make this concert series possible. We also thank those supporters who wish to remain anonymous.
