Kira Kraftzoff was born in 1971 in Leningrad, USSR (now St.Petersburg, Russia). Aged 6, he started his studies at “The Special Music School for Highly Talented Children” of St. Petersburg State Conservatory, under tutorship of Prof. Mark Reisenstock.

He had his public debut at the age of 14 with the Orchestra of St.Petersburg Radio performing The Cello Concerto by A. Khatchaturian in The Grand Concert Hall of St. Petersburg Philharmony.

In 1987, he took part in the “All-Russia Cello Competition”, and was granted a diploma there. In 1988, he was the youngest finalist ever in the All-USSR Cello Competition, winning a diploma and a special award for a ”most brilliant perspective”.

He continued his studies with the class tutored by Prof. Anatoly Nikitin at St.Petersburg State Conservatory named after Rimsky-Korsakow, which he graduated with honors in 1994.

On graduating, he was the assistant teacher of Prof. Nikitin's class for four years, as well as being a student of the legendary performer and composer Daniel Schafran.

In 1993, he received the high distinction of representing St. Petersburg Conservatory in Mstislav Rostropovichґs first master-class in Russia after his long exile.

As a partaker of a student exchange programme he came to Stuttgart, completing his studies with Prof. Peter Buck (Cellist of the "Melos-Quartett") and graduating as a student laureate.

Kira Kraftzoff won prizes in the following international competitions:

1990 Murcia (Spain): First Prize

1990 Roma (Italy): "Valentino Bucchi prize" Special Award

1992 Pretoria (South Africa) Third prize in "Unisa String Competition" 

1994 Trapani (Italy): Second prize in "Chamber music Competition""

(1. Prize was not awarded)

1995 Munich (Germany) Third prize in "Konzertgesellschaft Wettbewerb" 

1997 Vienna (Austria ): First prize in "Vienna International Competition"

He performed as a soloist in many of the great concert halls.

Among these are :
The Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory, The Grand Hall of St. Petersburg Philharmony, The Hermitage Theatre, The Grand Hall of St.Petersburg, Academic Choir Chapel (The Capella), Alte Oper Frankfurt, Herkulessaal Munchen, Tonhalle Zurich, Spiegel Saal Hamburg, Stefaniesaal Graz, Mozarteum Salzburg, Chautauqua Auditorium Colorado, Taegue Philharmony South Korea and many others.

He was invited to perform in numerous festivals all over the world, such as "Davos Music Festival", "Freiburger Zeltwunder Festival", "Colorado Music Festival", "Savonlinna Festival Finland", “Musical Olympus St.Petersburg”, working with artists like Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Mikhail Gantwarg, Irena Grafenauer, Justus Frantz.

He appeared in countless radio and television broadcasts, like the Bayerischer Rundfunk, Sьddeutscher Rundfunk, Hessischer Rundfunk, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, South Korea State TV & the Russian State TV, which broadcasted a forty minute film about his life and career in 1993.

He was invited to play the Daniel Schafran Memorial Concert, playing the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto for the late grandmaster of Cello in 1997.

As a Guest Professor he led master-classes in:
Mainz - Villa Musica (Germany - 1991), Taegue City (South Korea - 1995), Bitola (Macedonia - 1995 and 1998), Vertiskos (Greece-2001).

From 1991 until 1994, he was the principal Cellist in the ensemble "St. Petersburg Soloists". Since 1998, he is the principal Cellist of the "Wurttembergisches Kammerorchester" (Germany).

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Kirill Timofeev was born in 1978 in St. Petersburg.

In 2001 he graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatoire, where from 1996 to 2001 he studied music and cello with Prof. Anatoly Nikitin.

During the same period, he studied chamber music with N. Arzumanova as well as basso continuo and ancient music with E. Seredinskaja.

Furthermore, from 2003 to 2005 he studied at the Music College in Stuttgart in the soloists class of Prof. Peter Buck.

In 1997 he was the third laureate of the Pan-Russian Cello Contest in Voronesz, in 1999 he took the first place at the Caltanissetta Chamber Music Contest (Italy) as the cellist of a piano trio.

In 1998 he played in the St. Petersburg Philarmonic Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov, and in 1999 and 2000 he worked with the "St. Petersburg Soloists chamber" orchestra under the direction of M. Gantvarg.

Kirill Timofeev gained valuable experience in the field of contemporary music by taking part in the various programs of the St. Petersburg institute of modern art "Pro Arte". He has successfully appeared in chamber ensembles and as a soloist at concerts and festivals in Europe, Russia and USA.

Sergio Drabkine was born in 1953 in Polotsk (Byelorussia).

He studied music at the Minsk State Conservatory.

In 1976 he was a laureate of the National Cello Contest.

After graduating, he became a leading cellist of the Minsk State Symphonic Orchestra.

He was also a member of the Byelorussia State Quartet, of the ensemble of ancient music "Cantabile" and of the Minsk Chamber Orchestra.

In 1995 he moved to Germany, where he has performed in numerous German and international orchestras and chamber music ensembles.

Since 1999 he is a member of the Wuerttemberger Kammerorchester.

Sergio Drabkine has written arrangements for a number of famous musician such as James Galway, Irena Grafenauer, Michaela Petri, Giora Feidman and the Wuerttemberger Kammerorchester.

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Misha Degtjareff was born in 1978 in St-Petersburg.

In 1985 he joined the cello class of Elena Dernova at the Special Music School of the St-Petersburg Conservatory.

From 1996 to 2001 he studied at the Conservatory under Prof. Anatoly Nikitin and his assistant Kira Kraftzoff.

He performed at the Conservatory conserts and was a member of the St-Petersburg Cello Ensemble directed by Prof. Nikitin.

He has played in some of the main concert halls of St-Petersburg, such as The Minor Hall of the Philharmonic Society of St-Petersburg, the Capella, the Glazunov Hall and others.

In 1996 he won a diploma at the Orel festival "Young talents of Russia", andin 1998 he was a laureate of the Hamburger Gartow Foundation's contest.

From 1999 till 2001 he worked with the St-Petersburg Philharmonic as well as lead cellist of the chamber orchestra "Divertimento".

From October 2000 to June 2005 he studied with Prof. Peter Buck at the Stuttgart Musikhochschule.

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