Jan Ickert started his musical education at Dr. Hochs Konservatorium in Frankfurt with Maike Kunstreich and continued his studies at musical colleges in Wuppertal, Berlin and Frankfurt with Susanne Müller-Hornbach, Andreas Greger, Michael Sanderling and Joseph Schwab. In 2002 he founded the Chagall Quartett Berlin, which won prizes at international competitions. He also participated at international festivals such as the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Mozartfest Würzburg and the Rheingau-Musikfestival.

Since his time as a student he has been a sought-after principal cellist and chamber musician in Germany and abroad and played in renowned orchestras such as the Kammerorchester Spira Mirabilis, Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie, Kölner Kammerorchester, Kremerata Baltica, hr-Sinfonieorchester and Opernorchester Frankfurt.

His greatest passion is passing on his knowledge to his students in teaching activities at various institutes: From 2008 until 2018 he was musical director and teacher for cello and chamber music at the Emanuel-
Feuermann-Konservatorium. After many years of teaching at the conservatories in Mannheim and Frankfurt, the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt appointed him professor for violoncello in 2017.

He conducts master classes in Germany and abroad, for example as artistic director at Cello-Tage Schlitz, at Talent Music Masterclasses (Brescia, Italy), at Forum Musikae Madrid, the International Summer Academy for chamber music Frenswegen and the Musiksommer Leutkirch. His students have won numerous prizes at national and international competitions and are employed by renowned orchestras.

Born in Sendai, Japan, she received her first piano lessons at the age of five. From 1995 to 1999 she studied piano in her hometown of Sendai. After completing her studies, Tomoko Ichinose was accepted into a remedial course and continued her studies there until 2001. From October 2002, Tomoko Ichinose completed postgraduate studies with Prof. Catherine Vickers at the University of Music and Performing Arts Frankfurt am Main, and from 2004, in parallel, the solo repetition course with Prof. Eugen Wangler, which she completed with a master’s degree in 2009. In 1996, she was named a finalist in the Tohoku Chopin Competition. Since 2005, Tomoko Ichinose has been a regular accompanist with, among others, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Young German Philharmonic, the cello master courses at the Hesse State Music Academy and the Leutkirch Summer Academy.

She is a sought-after pianist and chamber musician and performs in various ensembles at home and abroad and has teaching positions at the Emanuel Feuermann Conservatory of the Kronberg Academy and at the University of Music and Performing Arts Frankfurt am Main.