PALKO & Co’s TOSPANN autumn project brings a duo concert and masterclasses to Kulturbruk 44/4. Pianist and artistic director Benedicte Palko shares the stage with some of Europe’s finest musicians. This year’s Tospann project welcomes Spanish cellist Salvador Bolón, LSO, a much-loved musician among audiences at several JUNI-Happening events.
Young musicians can take part in free masterclasses with Palko/Bolón from 10–14 November (information and registration...)
Concert programme – 13 November, 19:00
L. van Beethoven: Variations “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen”, Op. 66, F major
F. Bridge: Sonata for Cello and Piano, D minor, H.125
Z. Kodály: Adagio
I. Stravinsky: Suite Italienne
N. Myaskovsky: Sonata No. 1, D major, Op. 12
Cellist Salvador Bolón
Salvador Bolón, from Valencia, has been Associate Solo Cellist with the London Symphony Orchestra since 2024. He previously served as principal cellist with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia.
He studied with Ivan Monighetti, Sol Gabetta and Frans Helmerson at the Hochschule für Musik Basel and Reina Sofía School of Music, as well as with Asier Polo at Musikene.
Salvador has appeared as a guest soloist with orchestras including the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Cannes, the Basque National Orchestra and the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. Since 2023, he has also collaborated as principal cellist with Solistes Européens de Luxembourg.
Salvador has received prizes at numerous national and international cello and chamber music competitions, including first prize in the Juventudes Musicales de España national competition and the Primer Palau competition in Barcelona.
He studied string quartet performance at the CRR in Paris under Luc-Marie Aguera and the Ysaÿe Quartet. He regularly collaborates with musicians including Sol Gabetta, Ferenc Rados, Bengt Forsberg, Philippe Graffin, Joan Enric Lluna and Gregor Horsch.
His particularly close artistic partnership with Norwegian pianist Benedicte Palko is especially noteworthy.
Teaching and artistic leadership
Alongside his performing career, Salvador is deeply committed to education. Since 2025, he has been a professor at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón.
He is regularly invited to coach cello sections and orchestral repertoire in leading youth ensembles, including the Barenboim-Said Foundation, Joven Orquesta Nacional de España and the Basque National Youth Orchestra.
He also serves as a mentor on the London Symphony Orchestra’s String Experience programme and is regularly invited to lead sectional rehearsals at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Since 2021, he has been the founder and artistic director of the Calderona de Serra Chamber Music Festival.
Salvador plays an 1811 cello made by Vincenzo Panormo, on loan from the London Symphony Orchestra.
Pianist Benedicte Palko
Benedicte was born in Stavanger to Norwegian-Hungarian parents and has lived in Seville, Spain, since 2002. She is a musical architect who carefully chooses projects that align with her artistic convictions, driven by a deep passion for chamber music.
Benedicte is renowned for her technical brilliance and melodic sensitivity. Her sincere musicianship captivates both audiences and critics, and her dedication has earned her membership of the Norwegian Society of Musicians.
Her musical journey was shaped by her teachers José Ribera and the legendary pianist György Sebök.
As a sought-after chamber musician, Benedicte is celebrated for her empathetic collaborations with renowned artists and for mentoring young Spanish and international musicians. She is an inspiring educator and regularly leads masterclasses at prestigious institutions across Europe. She is Professor of Chamber Music at Musikene in the Basque Country.
Beyond the concert stage, Benedicte is the founder and artistic director of the international Joaquín Turina Chamber Music Festival in Seville.
In 2019, she also launched PALKO & Co in Stavanger, an annual project combining music with literature, nature and gastronomy.
Her career spans several continents, with performances across Scandinavia, Europe, the USA and Asia. In 2025, she returned to South Korea for the third time.
