Musicians 2026
Bjarne Hansen
violin
Bjarne Hansen is one of Denmark’s most prominent violinists and has, throughout his career, established himself as one of the country’s leading concertmasters. At a young age, he was appointed principal concertmaster of the Odense Symphony Orchestra, a position he held with great success for many years. His musical leadership and technical mastery have also made him a sought-after guest concertmaster with the Royal Danish Orchestra and other prominent Danish orchestras.
Bjarne Hansen is a passionate chamber musician and soloist whose playing has inspired both colleagues and audiences. His dedication to the music life of Funen has been crucial to the development of the Odense Symphony Orchestra, and over the years he has played a central role in the region’s musical growth.
Frank Reinecke
double bass
Frank Reinecke is one of Germany’s leading double bassists and a pioneer in microtonal music. His musical journey began at the age of five, when he played the violin, before later switching to double bass and developing a versatile career spanning both classical and early music traditions.
As a member of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Frank has established himself as a key figure in the classical music world. He has released several critically acclaimed solo recordings and performed on international stages as a soloist and chamber musician. For many years he has worked closely with violinist Helge Slaatto in a duo, premiering works inspired by Nordic musical tradition and groundbreaking microtonality (Wolfgang von Schweinitz, among others).
Ida Bach Jensen
double bass
Ida Bach Jensen is a double bassist, composer, and filmmaker based in Copenhagen. She performs as a soloist with her own electroacoustic works and works in a field where sound, improvisation, and composed material merge into a vibrant concert expression.
She also has a distinct profile in cross-genre collaborations, including projects where double bass and electronics function as co-creative elements in the music.
Jakob Koranyi
cello
Jakob Koranyi is a Swedish cellist who has made his mark internationally as both a soloist and chamber musician. He has received a number of major prizes in Sweden, including Swedish Young Musician (2002), the Ljunggrenska Prize (2004), and the prestigious Swedish Soloist Prize (2006).
In 2009 he received 2nd Grand Prix at the Rostropovich Competition in Paris, as well as a special prize for best interpretation of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. For a number of years, Koranyi has been affiliated with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York and has also been a “Rising Star” of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO).
Jacob Slaatto
storyteller
Jacob Slaatto began telling stories out of boredom. As a child, every Sunday he went to a small free church with a nervous electric organ and pastors who far too often lost their train of thought. When the stories ran aground, his imagination woke up—and seven-year-old Jacob turned fallen admonitions into new stories in his head.
To this day, he is still driven by picking up where other stories end—whether it’s about packed lunches, old myths or megalomaniac characters. Stories can reveal new sides of both ourselves and the community. Audiences can look forward to something funny, thought-provoking and surprising.
Jonathan Slaatto
cello
Jonathan Slaatto is a prizewinner of several renowned competitions, including ARD Munich, the Melbourne International Music Competition, and the Joseph Haydn Wettbewerb in Vienna. He performs regularly as a chamber musician in Denmark, Europe, and the USA, and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
Jonathan has also given masterclasses at the Lake District Festival in England and has taught chamber music at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. He was also a member of Ensemble MidtVest for many years, and he remains one of the leading figures in the Danish Clarinet Trio—not least as the driving force behind the Schackenborg Festival. He has recently taken up the position of principal cellist with the Odense Symphony Orchestra.
Melissa Jacobson-Velandia
clover
Melissa Jacobson-Velandia is a Swedish pianist with Colombian roots and has, in recent years, made a strong name for herself as both a soloist and a sought-after chamber musician in Sweden and internationally. After being among the three finalists for Solistpriset 2018, she has been praised for her natural musicianship, tonal richness, and intense commitment to the music.
She has performed solo and chamber music concerts in, among other places, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland, and her repertoire ranges from major classical works to virtuosic solo pieces. At this year’s festival, she visits during a period when she can also combine the festival with another solo appearance at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.
Ylva Larsdotter
violin
Ylva Larsdotter is a Swedish violinist and has established herself as a strong chamber musician, appearing at festivals across Europe. She grew up in Sandviken and, at the age of 16, began her studies at Edsberg/Royal College of Music in Stockholm with Ulf Wallin, before continuing with Helge Slaatto in Münster.
She has received significant grants from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and has also built a clear profile within the Scandinavian chamber music scene. Ylva took part in Late Summer Festival several years ago, where she won the audience over, and we are very happy that she is returning this year.
Niklas Walentin Jazz Quartet
Niklas Walentin, violin · Snorre Kirk, drums · Anders Fjelsted, bass · Filip Ekestubbe, piano
Niklas Walentin and the Snorre Kirk Trio have been a regular constellation since 2022. The ensemble brings together the award-winning violinist with three of Scandinavia’s leading jazz names: pianist Filip Ekestubbe, bassist Anders Fjelsted, and drummer and composer Snorre Kirk.
The quartet is in demand for its original compositions and virtuosic jazz arrangements of classical works—especially arrangements of Bach’s sonatas and partitas for solo violin. They are also known for reworking Danish popular music by composers such as Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, Svend Gyldmark, and Svend Asmussen, including on the album Another June Night.
Rasmus Lyberth Quartet & Duo
Rasmus Lyberth, vocals and acoustic guitar · Kristoffer Jul, piano and organ · Jane Clark, violin · Simon Krebs, electric guitar
Rasmus Lyberth has been awarded the Order of the Dannebrog, inducted into Tønder Festival’s “Hall of Fame”, and has received a wide range of prizes and accolades throughout his career. He has performed on stages around the world, and in 2011 he appeared in a BBC Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Together with his quartet, Lyberth offers a poetic, intimate concert experience. Drawing on his own songs, he takes the audience on a musical journey through life, weaving in stories along the way about the songs, his career, and what lies behind them. At Late Summer Festival 2026, he appears both with the quartet and in an intimate duo format – with Rasmus at the centre, and Greenland as a vivid presence in voice, language, and sound.
Anette Slaatto & Helge Slaatto
Artistic Directors, viola & violin
Anette has distinguished herself as an outstanding interpreter of contemporary music, earning excellent reviews in both the Danish and international press. Her contributions to CDs such as The Secret Melody, The Planets and Axel Borup-Jørgensen’s Viola Works, as well as a successful recording of Bach’s solo suites, underline her position as one of today’s leading musicians.
Since 2014, together with Helge Slaatto, she has been the artistic director of the Late Summer Festival and the Lindegaard Concerts in Kgs. Lyngby. In November 2024, Anette Slaatto received the “Axel Borup-Jørgensen Composer Prize” for her educational work, and throughout her career she has composed for children and young people. At this year’s festival, a brand-new work will be performed, created in collaboration with the creative artist and double bassist Ida Bach Jensen.
Helge, with 25 years of experience as a professor at the University of Music in Münster and now at MGK Copenhagen, has enriched the classical music scene with countless concerts and masterclasses in Europe and the USA. His collaboration with double bassist Frank Reinecke has resulted in more than 50 original works composed for the two of them, and their duo has received the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik award. Together with Anette Slaatto, Helge is currently recording a CD of Danish Duos for violin and viola, and they continue to explore the possibilities of classical music and bring unique experiences to Late Summer Festival.