Basel, Switzerland
On 18 October, the I Tempi Chamber Orchestra performs at the renowned Stadtcasino Basel in Basel, Switzerland, for an evening devoted to the elegance and charm of Mozart’s clarinet repertoire. Under the direction of Gevorg Gharabekyan, the orchestra is joined by acclaimed clarinetist Sharon Kam, whose artistry brings warmth, brilliance, and timeless beauty to this enchanting musical journey.
Gevorg Gharabekyan understands his artistic work as a continuous journey of discovery – a search for depth, meaning and expressive power. He is guided by the principles of historically informed performance practice and a profound respect for the works and intentions of the composers. To realise this artistic vision, Gharabekyan founded the chamber orchestra I TEMPI in 2013, together with fellow musicians. Since its founding, the ensemble has released three CDs as well as various live recordings. Gharabekyan is currently in the process of performing all of Beethoven's symphonies as part of the subscription concert series at the Stadtcasino Basel.
Gharabekyan received his conducting training at the Lucerne University of Music with Ralf Weikert. Formative influences include his participation in the American Academy of Conducting and masterclasses with Riccardo Muti, Neeme and Paavo Järvi, Tugan Sokhiev, David Zinman, Daniele Gatti, and Jorma Panula, who described him as a "hyper-musical conductor." He has conducted ensembles such as the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Read MoreBorn in Armenia, Gharabekyan began his musical career as a violinist. He studied the violin with Rainer Kussmaul in Freiburg im Breisgau – at the time concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic – and with Adelina Oprean in Basel, with additional studies in baroque violin under Chiara Banchini. He has served as concertmaster and chamber musician in various ensembles in Switzerland and Germany.
Since her orchestral debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta at the age of 16 and later winning the ARD International Competition at the age of 21, she has performed with renowned orchestras around the world, including The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Kurt Masur, Tokyo, Berlin and Czech Philharmonics, Chicago Symphony, KBS Symphony Orchestra Seoul, numerous radio orchestras and chamber orchestras such as Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Camerata Salzburg.
As part of Mozart’s 250th birthday celebrations at the National Theatre in Prague, her interpretation of the Mozart concerto was televised live in 33 countries and is available on DVD.
As a passionate chamber musician, Sharon Kam regularly works with artists such as Christian Tetzlaff, Enrico Pace, Julian Steckel, Leif Ove Andsnes, Antje Weithaas, Liza Ferschtman, Christian Poltera and the Schumann Quartet. She is a frequent guest at festivals in Rheingau, Risør, Edinburgh, Heidelberg, Verbier and Stavanger, as well as the Schubertiade. For 25 years she has been a regular guest at the Spannungen Festival in Heimbach, Germany.
Read MoreAn active performer of contemporary music, she has premiered many works, including Krzysztof Penderecki’s Concerto and Quartet and concertos by Herbert Willi (at the Salzburg Festival), Iván Erőd, Thorsten Encke and Peter Ruzicka (at Donaueschingen). She has worked closely with composers like Brett Dean, Thomas Larcher, Manfred Trojahn, Donghoon Shin and Huw Watkins. In July 25 she premiered the clarinet concerto FINTango by H.K. Gruber with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Highlights of the 2025/2026 season include performances with orchestras in Turku, Brno, Munich, Zurich and Bregenz. Also, a new trio program with renowned soprano Chen Reiss and pianist Yael Kareth brings her to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Tonhalle Zürich, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele and Villa Musica. Her collaboration with the Schumann Quartett extends and will include Mátyás Seiber Divertimento in addition to Mozart, Brahms and Weber clarinet quintets. She will perform in the Gulbenkian hall in Lisbon, Prinzregententheater in Munich and the Glocke in Bremen, to name a few.
Sharon Kam’s recordings have been highly praised by critics and awarded many prizes including the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik, Diapason d’or and the Echo and Opus prizes. In addition to recording the complete standard repertoire for clarinet, she has extended the instrument’s repertoire by revealing and recording unknown treasures and creating new arrangements. Her most recent recordings include Hindemith's Clarinet Concerto, Quartet (for Clarinet, Violin, Cello) and Piano and Sonata, clarinet concertos by Carl Maria von Weber and his contemporaries Karol Kurpiński and Bernhard Henrik Crusell, which she recorded together with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Gregor Bühl and a trio album "Contrasts", which she recorded together with her long-term partners Ori Kam (viola) and Matan Porat (piano).
Since 2022, Sharon Kam has been working as a Professor of Clarinet at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.
With compelling interpretations, infectious musical energy and richly varied programmes, the chamber orchestra I TEMPI has established itself as an ensemble that inspires and engages its audiences. Under the direction of its conductor Gevorg Gharabekyan, the musicians of I TEMPI devote themselves with passion and curiosity to an artistic journey in search of expressive depth, tonal colours and the deeper messages of music. Repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the present day is approached with great stylistic sensitivity, with historically informed performance practice serving as an essential guiding principle, particularly in the interpretation of earlier works.
Internationally acclaimed soloists such as Ronald Brautigam, Giuliano Carmignola, Viviane Chassot, Teo Gheorghiu, Ilya Gringolts, Rudolf Lutz, Diemut Poppen, Oliver Schnyder, Midori Seiler, Christian Tetzlaff and Pieter Wispelwey, as well as outstanding young talents, have enriched I TEMPI’s programmes.
Read MoreThe orchestra has appeared at festivals including the Lenzburgiade, Musikwoche Braunwald, Muri Kultur and Schaffhausen Klassik.
In collaboration with Radio SRF and the label GENUIN classics, I TEMPI has released three CDs that have been broadcast by radio stations worldwide and praised by leading music magazines. Numerous live recordings can also be discovered on the YouTube channel “Kammerorchester I TEMPI”.
