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 recently released her new 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.

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, Reinbert de Leeuw, 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.

Barbara Hannigan’s 2019-20 season marks the beginning of her role as Principal Guest conductor at Gothenburg Symphony. She also has engagements with London Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra, and will be artist in residence at Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France for three years from this season. Hannigan recently performed the role of Gerda in Bayerische Staatsoper’s production of Hans Abrahamsen’s The Snow Queen. She also continues with Equilibrium in the current season with partner orchestras including Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Barbara Hannigan’s next 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 has already received widespread critical acclaim.

www.barbarahannigan.com

www.equilibrium-youngartists.com

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 he 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 2019-20 season, including his residency at Gstaad Menuhin Festival and a tour with Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, plus debuts with Munich Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Chamayou’s next anticipated album will be released on Erato in autumn 2020.

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

Mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, the opera star who excels in Mozart and Purcell but who grew up listening to the music of Broadway, 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 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, with a special film by Olly Lambert.

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. Over 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 has seen their recording projects met with widespread acclaim, both critical and public. The ensemble’s recent album, out in February 2020 and featuring entirely world premiere recordings, is of the remarkable violin sonatas by Pieter Hellendaal [1721-1799], the star violinist and composer who performed during the intermissions of Handel’s operas in London.

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 release 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 Easter, Aix-en-Provence becomes the centre of classical music, welcoming 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 seven 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 looks set to be another world-class edition, with dates and full programme information to be announced later this year.

www.festivalpaques