Iván Cherednichenko Carrillo & Benji Lock
Cello/Piano Duo
About the musicians
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Iván Cherednichenko Carrillo
Iván Cherednichenko Carrillo is a cellist from Cardiff studying at the Royal College of Music with Gemma Rosefield.
He began his musical studies at age six in the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where he studied cello with Andrew Elliott and Kyle Patterson, won the concerto competition, received second place in the Intercollegiate Piano Trio Competition, and was awarded the Principal’s Prize for his contributions to the College. Iván studied at The Purcell School during his sixth form, where he was supported by the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme and studied cello with Pal Banda and Dr. Richard Jenkinson. There he was awarded the Prize for Contemporary Performance and won the School’s sonata competition. During this period, he also studied at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he held principal cellist positions, appeared in the Lutine Prize final in 2023 and 2024, and received the Strings Prize in his final term.
Recent successes include winning the title Gregynog Young Musician of the Year 2023, performing in a chamber music recital at Wigmore Hall, and being awarded top prizes at the 7th New Talent Festival, Scarborough Concerto Competition, Rickmansworth Young Musician 2025 and Pendine Young Musician of Wales 2025, his performance in which was broadcast on BBC Radio Cymru. As a concert soloist Iván has received engagements from the RWCMD Symphony, Chorleywood, Cardiff Baroque, Dorset County and Scarborough Symphony Orchestras.
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Benji Lock
Sponsored by Sir Elton John on a full scholarship, Benji Lock is a third-year pianist at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he studies with Tatiana Sarkissov and Florian Mitrea. Born in Port Talbot, Benji began playing on a second-hand piano before attending the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Junior Department, where he became an ABRSM Scholar.
In 2017, he won a scholarship to the Purcell School for Young Musicians, studying with Caterina Grewe and Florian Mitrea, and won 1st Prize at major competitions including the Wales International Piano Competition and the Purcell School Concerto Competition.
He has recently been shortlisted for the Vienna International Music Competition 2025 and the Norah Sande Award 2025, and has appeared several times as a concerto soloist with the London Firebird Orchestra, performing a wide range of concerto repertoire including Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, and Mendelssohn. Benji has performed widely across the UK and Europe, with appearances at leading venues such as Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, and Sledmere House, as well as at major festivals including Budleigh Salterton and Bloomsbury.
His artistic development has been further shaped through masterclasses with world-renowned pianists and teachers such as Natalia Trull, Dmitri Alexeev, Peter Nagy and Ji Liu. An accomplished composer, Benji was shortlisted for the BBC Young Composer Award in 2019 and has a particular interest in film composition.
Upcoming concerts
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Ensemble type
Cello/Piano Duo
