"AMATIS proves the best things come in threes" -MusicOMH

“Truly breathtaking, unbuttoned at full voltage, storm and passion to the fore. With a meticulous ear for colours and nuances, which brought the music’s inventions into sharp focus,” wrote British magazine The Strad about a performance of AMATIS.

Founded in 2014 and based in Salzburg, AMATIS rapidly earned a place at the forefront of the international chamber music scene with their extraordinary energy, artistic freedom, and distinctive sound. Early recognition as BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists in 2016 and ECHO Rising Stars in 2018 was soon followed by prestigious prizes such as the Dutch Kersjesprijs and the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

But AMATIS is more than a classical piano trio. German violinist Lea, British cellist Sam and Dutch pianist Mengjie, are passionate about building bridges – between tradition and the present, between music and other art forms, between stage and audience. Their concerts invite audiences into new worlds, where music becomes storytelling, the familiar meets the unexpected, and programmes unfold like carefully crafted journeys.

Driven by curiosity and creativity, AMATIS constantly explores new ways to make classical music more accessible. The three musicians therefore develop specially curated concerts for children and experiment with interdisciplinary projects, such as Humanity in War with Thomas Quasthoff or AMATIS-Journeys, creating innovative concert formats.

The ensemble is also committed to contemporary music, having commissioned 15 new works to date, including Andrea Tarrodi’s triple concerto “Moorlands and Beyond,” premiered in Edinburgh in 2024.

Their festival performances include the BBC Proms, Verbier Festival, Salzburg Mozartwoche and the Edinburgh International Festival. The trio regularly appears at venues such as the Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. As sought-after soloists they also perform with renowned orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Museumsorchester Frankfurt.

With an extensive touring schedule having taken them to 48 countries worldwide, including their recent Japan debut in 2025, AMATIS will return to the Salzburg Mozartwoche in early 2026, following which they embark on tours in the UK, Spain, and China. With genre-crossing projects such as “Catch-As-Catch-Can” with jazz pianist Michael Wollny, and “Clouds” with Ib Hausmann, AMATIS continues to push the boundaries of traditional concert formats. In April 2026, the ensemble will realize a long-held dream with its own festival in Bad Reichenhall, Germany, supported by the Deutsche Orchesterstiftung.

Their debut album, released in 2018 on CAvi/Deutsche Grammophon, features works by Britten, Enescu, and Ravel. A second recording – Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps, with clarinetist Ib Hausmann – was nominated for the Opus Klassik and hailed by the Aachener Zeitung as “one of the most important chamber music releases of recent times.”

Shaped by musicians such as Rainer Schmidt, Lukas Hagen, Wolfgang Redik, Hatto Beyerle, Claus-Christian Schuster, Ferenc Rados and Menahem Pressler, the trio members are alumni of the European Chamber Music Academy, the Hanns Eisler University in Berlin, and the Mozarteum Salzburg.

As guest professors at the University of Cambridge, the trio is devoted to sharing their knowledge and experience with the next generation of musicians. They frequently teach masterclasses at universities worldwide and collaborate with institutions such as the Mehli Mehta Foundation in India, bringing classical music to children and young musicians there.

Lea Hausmann plays a violin by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, generously loaned by the Beares International Violin Society, whilst Samuel continues his search for the cello of his dreams.