Alice Sara Ott

German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott has established herself as one of the most exciting musical talents of today. As well as high profile engagements with some of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, Ott is becoming increasingly known for her creative collaborations, with artists such as Francesco Tristano and Olafur Arnalds.

The Guardian commented after her performance with the London Symphony Orchestra that she “gave the kind of gawp-inducing bravura performance of which legends are made.”

Ott released her latest album, Nightfall, on Deutsche Grammophon, marking her tenth year as an exclusive recording artist for the label. The deeply personal album features works by Satie, Debussy and Ravel, and is currently being toured by Ott internationally. Alice will release her anticipated next album in 2021.

In addition to a busy season of international appearances, Ott boasts a number of original creative collaborations which showcase her skills as a designer and illustrator. She is creative advisor to German luxury brand, JOST, for whom she has designed a line of premium leather bags featuring origami elements, and has also designed a range of stickers for Japanese messaging service LINE, which has already reached millions of users. Ott has been global brand ambassador for Technics, the hi-fi audio brand of Panasonic Corporation. She also collaborates with the French luxury jewellery house, Chaumet, part of the LVMH group, as well as German couture brand Marc Cain, for whom she was recently the subject of a short film by Vogue Germany.

www.alicesaraott

Barbara Hannigan

Embodying music with an unparalleled dramatic sensibility, soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is an artist at the forefront of creation. Her remarkable performances have been called “astonishing”, “phenomenal” and “fearless”, and she was named “une femme-caméléon” by Le Figaro.

As a singer and conductor, the Canadian musician has shown a profound commitment to the music of our time and has given the world première performances of over 90 new creations. Her artistic colleagues include Christoph Marthaler, Sir Simon Rattle, Sasha Waltz, Kent Nagano, Vladimir Jurowski, John Zorn, Andreas Kriegenburg, Andris Nelsons, David Zinman, Antonio Pappano, Katie Mitchell, Kirill Petrenko, and Krszysztof Warlikowski.

In 2017 Barbara Hannigan created ‘Equilibrium Young Artists’, a mentoring initiative for young professional musicians. Equilibrium launched officially in 2018, with 21 participants hand-selected by Hannigan and with whom she worked intensively on, among other works, Mozart’s Requiem, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, and The Rake’s Progress. The latter saw Hannigan make her debut as an opera conductor.

In 2020 Barbara Hannigan launched the initiative MOMENTUM: Our Future, Now. MOMENTUM supports young, high quality, professional musicians in the first substantial phase of their career, offering them mainstage performance opportunities.

For the 2020 – 21 season, Barbara Hannigan continues her collaboration with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. She also conducts Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, LUDWIG and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and performs with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle. She returns to the Bayerische Staatsoper to reprise her role of Gerda in The Snow Queen, and sings and conducts Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine in a highly original new production which sees Hannigan lead the orchestra in the role of Elle.

Barbara Hannigan’s latest album on Alpha Classics, La Passione, with works by Luigi Nono, Haydn and Gérard Grisey – and which she sings and conducts – was released in March 2020 and received widespread critical acclaim.

www.barbarahannigan.com

www.equilibrium-youngartists.com

MOMENTUM: Our Future, Now

Bryce Dessner

www.brycedessner

Bertrand Chamayou

Bertrand Chamayou is one of today’s most strikingly brilliant pianists, heralded for his revelatory performances at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. He is recognised as a leading interpreter of French Romantic repertoire in particular, shining a new light on familiar as well as lesser known repertoire. At the same time Chamayou possesses a driving curiosity and is deeply passionate about new music, having worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Bruno Mantovani, Thomas Adès, Michael Jarrell and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

In October 2019 Chamayou was awarded the Gramophone Award for Best Concerto Album for his striking Saint-Saëns album, adding to the long list of accolades for his discography.

Chamayou continues to perform at the highest level around the globe during the 2020-21 season, including
National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Hallé Orchestra. Further highlights include his returns to Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, amongst others. He joins Orchestre National de France and Cristian Măcelaru on a tour of China in May 2021.

In autumn 2020 Chamayou released a breathtaking new album of lullabies for solo piano, Good Night!, including an original composition by Bryce Dessner.

www.bertrandchamayou.com

Patricia Kopatchinskaja

Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja is one of the most thrilling artistic forces on the global classical music scene today. A musician of the highest-level artistry, integrity and originality, she is increasingly in-demand for her vital and dynamic performances.

Her recording of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden – interspersed with other music – won the GRAMMY Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble performance in 2018.

www.patriciakopatchinskaja

Víkingur Ólafsson

www.vikingurolafsson.com

Kate Lindsey

Praised for her “luminous and intelligent singing” and electric acting performances, Kate Lindsey continues to redefine the modern opera star in the world of classical music.

The mezzo-soprano who excels in Mozart and Purcell but who grew up listening to the music of Broadway, Kate Lindsey released her debut solo album on Alpha Classics in May 2017. Thousands of Miles is the alchemical collaboration between Lindsey and the award-winning jazz pianist, Baptiste Trotignon. Featuring works by Kurt Weill and other emigré composers, the album was named one of the top 25 classical recordings of 2017 by the New York Times.

In January 2020 Lindsey released her second stunning solo album on Alpha Classics, ARIANNA, this time featuring works by Haydn, Handel and Scarlatti and performed with Jonathan Cohen and Arcangelo, accompanied by a special film by Olly Lambert.

Kate Lindsey joins forces once more with Jonathan Cohen and Arcangelo for their anticipated new album, coming out in 2021.

Kate Lindsey appeared at New York’s Metropolitan Opera from February 2020 as Nerone in the all-star production of Handel’s Agrippina.

www.katelindsey.com

Johannes Pramsohler

The entrepreneurial Baroque violinist Johannes Pramsohler founded his own chamber ensemble, Ensemble Diderot, in 2008. For more than ten years the ensemble has become increasingly recognised for its faithful interpretations and world-premiere recordings of little-known Baroque masterpieces. It dedicates itself to the pioneering exploration and performance of the Baroque trio sonata repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and performs on original instruments.

Pramsohler and Ensemble Diderot’s groundbreaking work shining a light on neglected composers has seen their recording projects met with widespread acclaim, both critical and public. Pramsohler is now developing the label he founded, Audax Records, to sign and develop emerging artists. The latest release on the label features the 2019 winner of the Operalia competition, Adriana González, in her debut recording featuring rare Mélodies by Dussaut & Covatti.

In autumn 2020 Johannes Pramsohler and Ensemble Diderot released the next instalment in their thrilling “cities” series: The Berlin Album, consisting solely of world premiere recordings and offering a rich snapshot of music-making in 18th century Berlin.

www.johannespramsohler
www.ensemblediderot
www.audax-records

Festival de Pâques, Aix en Provence

Every year at Easter time, Aix-en-Provence becomes the centre of classical music, as the Festival de Pâques welcomes the greatest orchestras, conductors and soloists of today. Co-directed by Renaud Capuçon and Dominique Bluzet, the young festival has become a remarkable success story in only eight years, attracting the cream of today’s legendary artists as well as providing a platform for future stars. With almost 30,000 spectators in 2019, it is one of Europe’s most successful cultural events and the largest festival in France wholly supported by private funding.

The 2021 festival (27 March – 11 April) will be broadcast in its entirety 100% free and online from the festival website.

The brand new programme for 2021 features some of today’s greatest artists, including Riccardo Chailly, Maria João Pires, Bertrand Chamayou, Iván Fischer, Nikolai Znaider, Barbara Hannigan, and Les Arts Florissants and William Christie.

www.festivalpaques