Swedish cellist Antonio Hallongren has been praised in national and international media for his "unusually beautiful and expressive playing." After graduating from the Juilliard School, Antonio enjoys a a diverse career as soloist, chamber & orchestra musician. Highlights of the past season include, among others, soloist debut at Carnegie Hall and chamber music performances at Lincoln Center as well as invitations to prestigious festivals such as Music@Menlo in California and the Kronberg Festival in Germany. He was also appointed the Artist-in-Residence by the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra season 2016-2017. As chamber musician, Antonio has collaborated with some of the world's most respected artists such as Michael Amory, Miguel Da Silva, Robert McDonald, Staffan Scheja, and Philip Setzer & Eugene Drucker from the Emerson String Quartet. As principal cellist of the Juilliard Orchestra and the Swedish National Youth Orchestra, he has collaborated with conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Alan Gilbert, Itzhak Perlman and Ginandrea Noseda. Continuously looking for ways to share his love of chamber music, he is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Lövstabruks Kammarmusikfestival, founded in 2013. Since 2018 Antonio is a permanent member of the National Orchestra of Sweden.