Leo Quartet

ASSIF BINNESS

Assif Binness, born in Israel in 1997, began to play cello at age of 5. Since 2015 he studied with Prof. Hillel Zori at The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music. In 2018 Assif started his Bachelor's degree studies at Barenboim-Said Akademie in the class of Prof. Frans Helmerson. Assif was a participant of the David Goldman music program for outstanding players. He won numerous prizes and scholarships. In 2017, Assif recorded Kodaly solo sonata for the Israeli radio. He is a member of the West-Eastern Divan orchestra conducted by Maestro Daniel Barenboim and a member of the Divan ensemble. In September 2021, Assif performed Brahms double concerto as a soloist with the Sachsen-Anhalt youth orchestra under the baton of Michael Wendeberg.


SHAI NAKASH

Shai Nakash was born in France in 1995 and studied violin in Israel with M. Ziskin, I. Svetlova, I. Konovalov. He participated in masterclasses in Austria, Italy, Germany. Winner of many international competitions, Shai is a permanent member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the baton of maestro Daniel Barenboim, performing at the prestigious concert halls world-wide.
Shai has participated in the Mozarteum summer-academy in Salzburg with Zakhar Bron, as well as the Keshet Eilon International Summer Course and Seminars with Vadim Gluzman, Sergey Ostrovsky, Itshak Rachkovski, and Annie Shnarch.
Shai also took part in the Iclassical Academy Project in Italy where he participated in masterclasses with Rudolf Koelman. He further participated in master classes with Haim Taub Hagai Shaham Grigory Kalinovsky and Miriam Fried.
Shai participated in the “Violins of Hope” project with Shlomo Mintz.
Winner of the FLAME International competition in Paris, the Aviv Competition in Raanana the “UNO” National Competition in Jerusalem and the Raanana's national competition, Shai is also recipient of the America-Israel Foundation excellence Scholarship.


KATRIN SPIEGEL

Katrin Spiegel, born in Israel in 1995, started playing the violin at the age of five in the class of Marina Ziskind at the Conservatory of Herzliya. In 2011 she began playing viola at the Raanana music centre, and later – in Jerusalem music and dance academy. In 2017 she was accepted to the Barenboim Said Akademie in the class of Yulia Deyneka, graduating in 2021. Katrin participated in numerous projects of Boulez ensemble and in many festivals. Katrin is a winner of many scholarships. From 2011 to 2014 she played in the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and the David Goldman Program for outstanding young musicians.
She is a member of the Western Eastern Divan orchestra under the guidance of Maestro Daniel Barenboim and of the Perlman music program.
Between the years of 2014-2016 Katrin served in the Israel Defense Force as an outstanding musician in the IDF Quartet and as a music teacher.


HALLEL TUTTER

Israeli violinist Hallel Tutter began her violin studies under the guidance of Michael Geisler, and Chaim Taub, and she is currently studying with Prof. Mihaela Martin at the Barenboim-Said Akademie Berlin. Hallel has taken part in many international festivals and music programmes, and she has been a scholarship recipient of The America-Israel Cultural Foundation and the Varon – Jerusalem Foundation since 2009.
Hallel performed chamber music at the Kennedy Center Washington, the UN General Assembly in New York and in many concert halls in London, Brussels, Budapest and in Germany and Israel. As a soloist, she has performed with several orchestras including the polyphony orchestra and the youth JAMD orchestra. Since 2016 Hallel is a member of the West Eastern Divan Orchestra conducted by Maestro Daniel Barenboim.