ENSEMBLE LUX

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE

ensemble LUX: Louise Chisson, Thomas Wally, Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg and Mara Achleitner

The Viennese string quartet ensemble LUX is primarily dedicated to the performance and promotion of modern and contemporary music. Since its formation in 2004, it has continuously held a strong presence in the Austrian contemporary music scene. Numerous works have been composed especially for, and subsequently premiered by the quartet. ensemble LUX has performed all across Austria, including at the Aspekte Festival Salzburg, the Vienna Musikverein, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Graz (KULTUM), the Bregenz Festival, the Feldkirch Festival, Wien Modern, and Imago Dei Krems. The quartet was heard in a total of 19 performances of the highly acclaimed production “Johnny Breitwieser. Eine Verbrecher-Ballade aus Wien”, in the Schauspielhaus Wien, where it accompanied the actors with “clockwork precision” (Wiener Zeitung). In 2022, ensemble LUX performed a cycle of three concerts at the Jewish Liberal Community Vienna – Or Chadasch with the title “Music. Judaism. Vienna.”

International concert tours have included performances in Germany at the Unerhörte Musik Berlin series, the Konzertring Aalen and at the Forum Zeitgenössische Musik Leipzig, in Spain at the Jornadas de Música Contemporánea Sevilla, in Poland at the Poznańska Wiosna Muzyczna, the Festival MusicOlomouc and at the Krakow Academy of Music, and in Paris, France at the Théâtre Dunois. A North American tour brought the quartet to the Austrian Cultural Forum New York as well as to Montréal and Toronto, Canada.

ensemble LUX first appeared at Wien Modern in 2008, followed by further concerts in 2010 and 2012. At Wien Modern 2013, ensemble LUX performed the world premiere and several performances of “Das Märchen vom alten Mann”, a music theater piece for children by Thomas Wally, at Dschungel Wien.

Critics have repeatedly praised the high standard of the ensemble. Lucia Maloveskà (Opera Plus) wrote about a concert by ensemble LUX in Prague: “The evening fulfilled all expectations of a high-quality performance: many impressions, emotions and special new impulses. There are still not enough concerts during which one has the opportunity to hear contemporary music at such a high level.” After a guest performance in Baden-Württemberg in 2023, the Schwäbische Zeitung wrote: “ensemble LUX presented itself in all three pieces as an extremely homogeneous, experienced and technically highly accomplished quartet.”

During the 2024–25 season, ensemble LUX was heard at the Schönberg-Haus Mödling and at MuTh. In November 2024, the ensemble was again invited to perform at Wien Modern, and in February 2025 at the Impuls Festival Graz. International appearances also brought the quartet to Budapest (Sonus Foundation) and to Switzerland (Zofingen and Riehen).

ensemble LUX celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026 with performances at the Arnold Schönberg Center (including a world premiere by Margareta Ferek-Petric), in Ehrbar Saal and in Gläserner Saal (Musikverein Wien). In June 2026, ensemble LUX makes its debut at the Konzerthaus Klagenfurt.

ensemble LUX is supported by the Stadt Wien and the SKE-Fonds.

LOUISE CHISSON, Violin

Born in Bordeaux, Louise Chisson began playing the violin at age three with Robert Papavrami and studied with him until age seventeen. She then entered the class of violinist Dora Schwarzberg at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where she received her Master's degree unanimously with congratulations from the jury.

Louise Chisson has been on stage from an early age and has played in orchestras such as the Solistes Moscou-Montpellier, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, l’Orchestre d'Auvergne, l’Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse, die Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie and the Prag Philharmonic Orchestra. She has distinguished herself in brilliant performances of the 24 Caprices of Paganini, the sonatas of Ysaÿe, Bach and Prokofiev, and of the violin concertos of Brahms, Prokofiev and Bartók.

Her musical activities have brought her to be noticed by and work with prestigious musicians such as Isaac Stern, Maya Glesarova, Tedi Papavrami, Augustin Dumay, Wolfgang Marschner and Ana Chumachenco.

Also chamber music has a very important place in her musical life. Her constant desire to enrich her repertoire has led her to develop a passion for music of the 20th and 21st century. She has performed numerous recitals with French pianists Jean-Philippe Collard and Eric Ferrand N’Kaoua.

Since 2008, she performs regularly with the Georgian pianist Tamara Atschba. Her first CD, dedicated to Janacek, Prokofiev and Poulenc was released in 2013 by the Austrian label Gramola and was ranked among the 10 best classical music albums of 2013 on artistxite.com.

Louise became a member of ensemble LUX in 2013.

THOMAS WALLY, Violin

Born in Vienna, Austria, Thomas Wally studied composition with Erich Urbanner and Chaya Czernowin and violin with Josef Hell at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, graduating in 2008 with distinction (violin and composition).

In 2005/2006 he spent an exchange year at the Sibelius-Akatemia Helsinki as a composition student of Paavo Heininen. His violin teachers in Helsinki were Erkki Kantola and Päivyt Meller. He attended violin masterclasses with Hanna Weinmeister and Volkhard Steude (Concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic).

As a violinist, Thomas dedicates himself primarily to the performance of contemporary music. He has played with Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Wiener Collage and PHACE | CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Thomas has been a frequent substitute at the Vienna Philharmonic since 2002 and has had several contracts at the Vienna State Opera.

As a composer he has been awarded numerous prizes and scholarships. His music has been performed in Europe, New York, Buenos Aires, Hongkong and Tokyo and broadcasted by Radio Ö1, Radio Stephansdom and Radio Orange (Austria), RBB Kulturradio (Germany), RAI Bozen (Italy) and NHK (Japan).

In 2012 he began teaching the “Historical Compositional Techniques” course at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Since 2019 he teaches the courses “Analysis”, “Satzlehre” and “Ear training” as a senior lecturer as well.

Thomas is co-founder of ensemble LUX.

NORA ROMANOFF-SCHWARZBERG, Viola

Born in New York and raised in Vienna, Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg continues her family ́s musical tradition in the fourth generation. As a violist she is recognized for her captivating charisma and is a regular guest on international stages.

Both as a soloist as well as a chamber musician she has performed in prestigious venues and festivals such as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus Vienna, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano, Heidelberg Spring Music Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, and the Salzburg Festival. Among her chamber music partners were outstanding musicians such as Mischa Maisky, Gabriela Montero, Renaud Capuçon, Andrey Baranov, Lilya Zilberstein, Lily Maisky, Sergey Nakariakov, Martha Argerich and Ivry Gitlis. She is founder and artistic director of the PODIUM festival Mödling as well as the series #musikbefreit in Vienna. Her CD recordings were released by labels such as Naxos, Gramola and AVI music, as well as by EMI Classics and Warner Classics as part of the annual series “Martha Argerich and Friends”, which were

GRAMMY-nominated several times.

Since 2013 is a member of the string quartet „ensemble LUX“. She is also founder and violist of « trio l’aprés-midi » together with flutist Eric Lamb and harpist Christoph Bielefeld.

A passionate teacher, Nora regularly holds viola and chamber music masterclasses and workshops around Europe and Asia. She is a regular guest professor at the Royal College of Music in London and teaches privately in Vienna.

MARA ACHLEITNER, Violoncello

Mara Achleitner is a versatile cellist with a strong focus on chamber music and contemporary repertoire and has been a member of ensemble LUX since 2007. She also performs with REIHE Zykan +, a vocal and instrumental ensemble founded by Irene Suchy and Michael Mautner, and co-founded the trio Triora together with soprano Shira Karmon and pianist Deniz Gür. The ensemble is dedicated to developing and performing innovative concert programs at the intersection of vocal and chamber music.

Mara Achleitner regularly records with the Synchron Stage Orchestra Vienna, one of the world’s leading orchestras in the field of film and media music. She is also principal cellist of the Big Island Orchestra, which specializes in film and multimedia studio recordings. She performs with numerous ensembles and orchestras, including the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Kontrapunkte, the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, Ensemble Reconsil, the Vienna Volksoper, and the stage orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. As principal cellist, she toured Japan, Tunisia, and Southern Europe with the Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra. She is founder and cellist of the clarinet quintet Ensemble 5 and guest cellist of the Koehne Quartet.

Born in Palo Alto (USA), Mara Achleitner has lived in Austria since 2003. She received her musical education in the United States at Mannes College of Music in New York (Bachelor of Music) with Irene Sharp and Paul Tobias, and at Rice University in Houston (Master of Music) with Desmond Hoebig, former principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra. During her studies, she performed with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the Austin Symphony Orchestra and participated in international music festivals such as Aspen, Tanglewood, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo (Japan). From 2003 to 2006, she was a member of the Orchestral Academy of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.