1st prize winners of the “Ton & Erklärung 2021” (Sound & Explanation) Competition of the Association of Arts and Culture of the German Economy and 2nd prize winners of the “Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition 2019” in Copenhagen, the Pacific Quintet celebrated their debut concert in the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie Berlin in 2019.

The Pacific Quintet met in 2017 at the Pacific Music Festival, founded by Leonard Bernsteinin Sapporo, Japan. Inspired by the passionate attention to music, the intercultural exchange and the respectful company with each other at the festival, the five musicians decided to carry Bernstein’s spirit to Europe and founded the Pacific Quintet in Berlin. Because its members hail from Honduras, Japan, Russia, South Korea and Germany, tolerance and inclusion is of utmost importance to the Pacific Quintet. This ensemble strives to use music as a means of communication in order to make the wealth of different cultures, origins and traditions visible to all, amidst a society in which fear of the foreign and blanket condemnation based on stereotypes are gaining more relevance again.

The members of the Pacific Quintet studied at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, the University of the Arts Berlin and Zurich as well as in the Karajan-Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Renowned artists such as Christian Wetzel, Nick Deutsch, Christian-Friedrich Dallmann and Wenzel Fuchs have supported the Ensemble with their guidance. Since 2020, the Pacific Quintet has studied chamber music with Martin Spangenberg at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

In addition to their dedication to chamber music, the musicians have performed with many orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresdner Philharmoniker, the WDR-Sinfonieorchester, the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Aliya Vodovozova (Flute), Fernando Martinez Zavala (Oboe), Liana Leßmann (Clarinet), Kenichi Furuya (Bassoon), Haeree Yoo (Horn)