Midday classical concert in the Merode Salon

Lia Manchon started her musical studies at the age of 5 at the Conservatory of Badalona, where she was born. From that moment on, she knew she wanted to be a musician. She started playing the violin at the age of 7 and the piano at the age of 9. She also loves composing and created her first work at 10 years old. In 2018, she completed the Bachelor at ESMUC in Barcelona with Vera Martinez-Mehner. After that, she studied for 2 years violin and piano in a special way: violin with Sergey Fatkulin in Madrid and piano with Xavier Barbeta in Barcelona. In 2021, she was accepted in the class of Aki Saulière in the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles where she finished the master's degree in 2024. In 2024, she started her new adventure as a violinist in the Ensemble Satellite which won the Supernova competition this year.

Tina Zhao is a double bassist with a cross-cultural journey that began at the age of four, when she first studied the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument. By the age of ten, she had already passed the national 10th grade exam in China. Her encounter with Western classical music came at eleven, when she picked up the double bass—a turning point that set her on a new artistic path. At eighteen, Zhao was admitted to the Conservatory of Toulouse, where she earned her Diplôme d’Études Musicales with distinction in 2021. Driven by a deep love for her instrument and a desire to push her creative limits, she continued her training at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Belgium under the mentorship of Adrien Tyberghein. During her time in Belgium, Zhao has performed with leading Brussels ensembles including Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Chamber Ensemble, and Orchestre Brume. In June 2024, she was appointed as an academician of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège. Her musical vision is both personal and expansive. Equally at home in classical, jazz, and contemporary repertoires, Zhao explores the full expressive range of the double bass, including its role as a solo instrument. In March 2024, she performed the Chinese double bass concerto Wolf Totem with the Bruoscella Symphony Orchestra to wide acclaim. Zhao is committed to bridging Eastern and Western musical traditions, using her instrument as a medium for dialogue and cultural exchange. She performs on a four-string double bass crafted in 2009 by Belgian luthier Laurent Demeyere.

Catherine Treinen was born in Luxembourg in 2003. She started playing the clarinet at age 7, first under the supervision of her father, then after she entered the Conservatoire de Musique of the city of Esch-sur-Alzette, she continued her studies with Romain Gross, and took additional classes in chamber music, analysis, sight reading, music theory and bass clarinet. After graduating high school in 2022, she entered the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles in the class of Ronald Van Spaendonck, where she is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2025. She has participated in multiple competitions since a young age, most notably winning the ‘Jonke Soliste Präis’ (Young Soloist’s Price) of the Luxembourgish association ‘Union Grand-Duc Adolphe’ in 2019, a price that is rewarded to especially promising young musicians. She has also been able to gain experience as an orchestral musician with professional Orchestras by participating in projects with the Luxembourg Military Band as well as the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Born into an artist’s family, Dominique Corbiau became involved in music at the age of four, playing piano, flute, and cello. However, it was through singing that he found his preferred form of expression. Drawn to the baroque period early on, the decision to develop his countertenor voice came naturally. After singing in the Children’s Choir of Belgian Radio and Television, he was admitted to the Royal Conservatories of Liège, Mons, and Brussels, where he graduated in Concert Singing, Opera Singing, and Chamber Music. Since then, Dominique Corbiau has performed in renowned venues across Belgium and abroad, accompanied by numerous prestigious ensembles and orchestras. Although his repertoire is primarily composed of works written for castrato voices, he also embraces romantic art songs and contemporary music, and has recorded several albums spanning diverse musical styles. In addition, he has cultivated the creative dimension of his profession by designing visually captivating performances that often forge connections between different forms of artistic expression. In this spirit, he founded his own company, Sferartefact, as well as the early music ensemble La Camerata Sferica, which represents the culmination of several years of musicological research exploring lesser-known masterpieces of the 17th and 18th centuries.