apotheosis of the dance

Annemarie Federle horn
Euan Shields conductor

28 March 2026 7.30 pm

Mozart Symphony no 38 'Prague'
Strauss Horn Concerto
Beethoven Symphony no 7

A joyous work, Wagner described Beethoven’s seventh symphony as “the apotheosis of the dance; dance in its most exalted form”. Tonight we welcome to the SSO Euan Shields to conduct this exhilarating work alongside the Strauss Horn Concerto with Annemarie Federle and Mozart’s Prague Symphony.

We are delighted to be introducing two musicians to Stockport who are on stellar career paths.  Annemarie Federle is well on the way to becoming a star among the world’s French horn players. In 2020 she was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician Competition. Three years later, still at the Royal Academy of Music, and just 20, she was appointed Principal Horn of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and is now also principal with the Aurora Orchestra and performing with many of the major UK orchestras, as well as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich.

Raised in Japan and the USA, in 2023, Euan Shields captured global attention by winning the prestigious Siemens Hallé International Conducting Competition and is now in his second season as assistant conductor at the Halle.

Tickets

Our Finalists

trombone
Jan Van de Watering

Jan van de Watering was born in 2006 in Kalmthout Flanders. At the age of 9 he started trombone lessons at the regular music academy and after just a few years he was introduced to a wide repertoire and varying styles. When, as a 15-year-old, he was given
the opportunity to play as a second trombonist with Brassband Willebroek, a leading orchestra at international level, the spark burst into flame.

Jan won major prizes in soloist competitions, including 1st prize at the Belgian Championship Sonatina Competition and 1st prize at the Willebroek Solo Contest and he
was a finalist during the National Semi-Final of the Princess Christina Competition. Jan followed masterclasses with Ian Bousfield and Kris Garfitt, among others.
Currently Jan studies at the Royal Conservatory at The Hague.

cello
Wojciech Prażuch

Wojciech Prażuch, born in 2001 in Cracow, Poland, is currently studying cello with Isang Enders at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin. 

He is a laureate of several prestigious competitions, including the Zdzisława Bieńczycka
National Cello Competition in Bydgoszcz and the Juliusz Zarębski International Music Competition in Warsaw.

Wojciech had lessons with renowned cellists such as Nicolas Altstaedt, Karine Georgian, Troels Svane and Miklos Perenyi. He has received scholarships from the
Minister of Culture and the National Children’s Fund.

Wojciech plays an Andrea Amati cello replica by Wojciech Topa and regularly performs internationally.

piano
Anna McCargow

Anna McCargow, 23, is an award-winning British pianist based in Germany.

Anna started playing piano at the age of five. She has received a broad musical education.

Since 2021 she has been studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz,
Cologne, in the class of Prof. Andreas Frölich. She has also been involved in musical projects in the Talent Music Master Courses at the University of Music in Brescia, Italy.

Passionate about classical music, Anna is actively pursuing a career both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. She regularly performs with orchestras in Italy and Germany.

Her active repertoire includes piano concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg and Schumann.