Cellist Patrick Demenga received his early training on the instrument at Switzerland's Bern Conservatory under the tutelage of Johannes Bühler -- winning the Tschumi Prize for the best solo diploma in 1983. Soon after, he became the main cellist with the City of Wintherthur Orchestra and the famous string quartet Neues Züricher Quartett, appeared regularly at numerous European festivals, became the artistic director of the concert series Vier Jahreszeitsen in Blumstein, Switzerland, and was eventually asked (and accepted) to serve on the faculty of the Bern Conservatory. In addition to these accomplishments, Demenga has given the honor of premiering pieces by such renowned composers as Isang Yun, Alexander Knaifel, Barry Guy, Sally Beamish, Heinz Holliger, and Gerhard Schedl. ~ Greg Prato