Ava Bahari - ECHO Rising Star

Johann Sebastian Bach’s music is like a fountain of youth from which every generation longs to drink. Three centuries after his death, the immortal cantor continues to inspire fresh waves of musicians. In this programme, his Partita for Violin No. 2 serves as a clear point of departure. After attending a concert featuring Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, Eugène Ysaÿe had an idea: why not write a new piece that expresses the contemporaneous techniques with virtuosity? Kaija Saariaho makes an even more explicit reference with Frises, a 2012 work for violin and electronics that flows seamlessly from the final notes of the Partita for Violin No. 2. It will be fascinating to hear how Anders Hillborg draws inspiration from Bach in his commission for the Swedish violinist Ava Bahari, who belongs to this season’s ECHO Rising Stars programme. 

Ava Bahari has been named a ‘Rising Star’ for the 2026–2027 season by Konserthuset Stockholm, the Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris and NOSPR Katowice as part of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) network. As well as her performance at Bozar, she will be giving an intimate, acoustic concert for the residents of the Klein Kasteeltje, the reception centre for asylum seekers. After the private concert, there will be time for the artist and the residents to meet, talk and share experiences. In collaboration with Fedasil and Orfeo. With the support of the Van Well van der Snoek Foundation.