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Pablo Sáinz Villegas, born in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain, on June 16, 1977, is a distinguished classical guitarist acclaimed as “the soul of the Spanish guitar” by The New York Times. Since his debut with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, he has performed in over 40 countries with renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National Orchestra of Spain. His performances have graced prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow. Notably, he is the first guitarist in 38 years to perform at the Berlin Philharmonie with the Berlin Philharmonic under Kirill Petrenko.
Sáinz Villegas has collaborated with esteemed artists like Plácido Domingo, recording a duo album and participating in a tribute concert at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. He has also performed on a floating stage on the Amazon River, broadcast to millions worldwide. His discography includes recordings with the National Orchestra of Spain and the album “Americano” under Harmonia Mundi. Currently, he is an exclusive artist with Sony Classical.
A passionate advocate for Spanish classical guitar, Sáinz Villegas has premiered works by composers such as John Williams, Tomás Marco, David del Puerto, and Sergio Assad. He has received over 30 international awards, including the Andrés Segovia, Francisco Tárrega, and Christopher Parkening Prizes. In 2006, he founded the philanthropic project “The Legacy of Music Without Borders,” bringing music to over 32,000 children and youth in Spain, Mexico, and the United States.
Residing in New York City since 2001, Sáinz Villegas continues to inspire audiences worldwide with his expressive performances and dedication to cultural exchange through music.
Regarded as one of the most outstanding violinists of her generation, Clara-Jumi Kang is celebrated for her exceptional musicality, technical mastery, and artistic depth. She has received numerous awards and accolades, including First Prize at the 2010 Indianapolis International Violin Competition, along with five additional special prizes. In the 25/26 season, Kang serves as Artist-in-Residence with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, performing concertos by Lalo, Shostakovich, and Bernstein with Chief Conductor Ryan Bancroft. Other highlights of the season include her subscription debut with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, engagements with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a tour with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra during their Korean tour. She will also make her debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall with a duo recital in their Celebrity Series alongside regular partner Sunwook Kim. Additional performances this season include appearances with the BBC Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Houston Symphony, Hamburg Symphony at the Elbphilharmonie, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, among others. Kang is a frequent guest at major international festivals such as the BBC Proms, the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Salzburg Festival, Verbier Festival, Edinburgh Festival, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo. Recent seasons have included acclaimed performances with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Daniel Harding, the Munich Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic under Lahav Shani, Seoul Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden, New York Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, and NHK Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, she was the soloist on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s major China–Europe tour with Zubin Mehta. Selected as one of the “Top 100 Most Promising and Influential People of Korea” by Dong-A Times in 2012, Kang also received the Daewon Music Award that same year. She has released two recordings for Decca—Modern Solo, featuring works by Schubert and Ysaÿe, and a Brahms–Schumann album with Yeol Eum Son—as well as a complete cycle of Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas with Sunwook Kim in 2021. A dedicated chamber musician, she collaborates with artists such as Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, and Janine Jansen. Born in Germany to Korean parents, Kang began playing the violin at the age of three and entered the Mannheim Musikhochschule a year later as its youngest-ever student. She continued her studies with Zakhar Bron in Lübeck before earning a full scholarship at age seven to attend the Juilliard School, studying with Dorothy Delay. Guided musically by Daniel Barenboim from the age of 11, she was invited to perform with him and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at just 12 years old. She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Korean National University of Arts under Nam-Yun Kim, followed by further studies at the Munich Musikhochschule with Christoph Poppen. Clara-Jumi Kang performs on the 1702 “Thunis” Stradivarius, generously on loan from KIA.
Grammy Award-winning bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green has rapidly established himself as one of the most sought-after artists on the international opera scene. Acclaimed for his powerful portrayal of Jake in Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera — a performance that earned him a Grammy — he has since appeared in leading roles at major houses such as the Met, Wiener Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, and Washington National Opera. His repertoire ranges from Mozart to Verdi to contemporary works by Terrence Blanchard, including signature roles like Colline (La Bohème), Escamillo (Carmen), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), and Fasolt (Das Rheingold).
On the concert stage, Green has performed with top orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His remarkable personal and artistic journey is chronicled in Sing for Your Life (Daniel Bergner, Little Brown, 2016) — a New York Times bestseller that tells the story of his rise from a challenging childhood in Virginia to the Metropolitan Opera stage, praised as “one of the most inspiring stories” by the New York Times and “vital and compelling” by the Washington Post.
A graduate of the Hartt School of Music and Florida State University, and an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ryan Speedo Green stands as a defining voice of his generation — an artist whose talent, resilience, and authenticity continue to inspire audiences worldwide.
Born in Weimar, pianist Daniel Heide is widely recognized as one of the most sought-after Lied accompanists of his generation, while also developing a strong profile as a solo pianist. A graduate of the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar, he considers himself an autodidact and explorer, deeply inspired by recordings and performances of the great pianists of the past.
He has appeared in leading venues across Europe, Asia, and the Americas — including the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London, and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan — collaborating with singers such as Andrè Schuen, Konstantin Krimmel, Christoph and Julian Prégardien, Katharina Konradi, and Patrick Grahl, as well as instrumentalists like Tabea Zimmermann and the Mandelring Quartet.
Founder of Der lyrische Salon – Liederabende auf Schloss Ettersburg, he has performed over a hundred recitals within the series. With more than 30 recordings to his name, Heide has received multiple Opus Klassik Awards and the German Record Critics’ Award, notably for Schwanengesang with Andrè Schuen and Die schöne Müllerin with Konstantin Krimmel. He also pursues an active solo career focused on Beethoven and Schubert sonatas, and leads an ambitious complete recording project of Franz Liszt’s songs.
Born in Bremen, Germany in 1970, Claudio Martínez Mehner began piano studies at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid with Amparo Fuster, Pedro Lerma, and Joaquín Soriano, while also playing viola, violin, and harpsichord in various ensembles. He continued his training at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Reina Sofía School of Music, Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, Fondazione per il Pianoforte in Como, and Peabody Conservatory, studying with Dmitri Bashkirov, Vitali Margulis, and Leon Fleisher, and attending masterclasses with leading musicians.
He was a finalist at the Santander International Piano Competition and won first prizes at Chimay, Pilar Bayona, and Dino Ciani competitions. In 1992, he received a diploma from Queen Sofía as the most outstanding student.
As a soloist, he has performed worldwide with orchestras including Munich Philharmonic, Moscow Philharmonic, Teatro Alla Scala Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic, and most major Spanish orchestras. He has taught at the Reina Sofía School, conservatories in Salamanca and Aragón, and currently teaches at the Hochschule für Musik Basel and Cologne, while leading courses internationally.
Grammy Award-winning Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley is one of the most revered and influential artists of our time, with celebrated performances at the world’s major opera and concert venues and recordings on CD and DVD with major labels in a wide variety of repertoire. His extensive career is devoted to the complete spectrum of vocal art, encompassing operatic, orchestral and song repertoire, collaborating with the greatest composers, orchestras and conductors.
His career initially focussed on the music of Mozart; his Don Giovanni and Count Le nozze di Figaro have been heard live and broadcast throughout the world. His ever expanding repertoire soon encompassed major Wagner and Verdi repertoire as well roles including Bluebeard, Guillaume Tell, J. Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams’ Dr. Atomic, and Jaufré Rudel in Saariaho’s L’amour de loin. He created Harry Heegan in Mark Anthony Turnage’s The Silver Tassie.
Finley’s 2025/26 season begins with a new production of Tosca at the Royal Ballet & Opera for their season opening; his debut at Teatro alla Scala as Don Alfonso Così fan tutte; Golaud Pelléas et Mélisande at Opéra de Monte-Carlo; Amfortas Parsifal at Wiener Staatsoper; Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro and the title role in Macbeth at Bayerische Staatsoper. On the concert platform, Finley will perform Handel’s Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Brahms’ Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestra; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Orchestre de Paris and Klaus Mäkelä; and a concert at Teatro Real with Leo Hussain.
Last season began with a concert performance of Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at Norwegian National Opera under the baton of Edward Gardner, which was released by Decca Classics; Scarpia Tosca at Staatsoper unter den Linden; and a double appearance as the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth at the Wiener Staatsoper and Bayerische Staatsoper. Further highlights include the New York premiere of Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra at the Metropolitan Opera and the world premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s new opera Festen at the Royal Ballet & Opera. On the concert platform, Finley performed Brahms’ Requiem with the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin; and performed a recital tour with acclaimed pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.
Other recent engagements saw Finley as Hans Sachs in Laurent Pelly’s new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in Madrid; Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra at the Liceu and San Francisco Opera; Amfortas Parsifal, Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro and Iago Otello at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Don Alfonso Così fan tutte and Wolfram Tannhäuser at the Royal Ballet & Opera; Scarpia Tosca and Count in Netia Jones’ new production of Le nozze di Figaro at the Opéra national de Paris; Der fliegende Holländer at Staatsoper Berlin; the title role in Bluebeard’s Castle and Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera; the title role in Falstaff at the Vienna State Opera and in a new production at the Salzburg Festival.
In concert, he performed Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia; Mendelssohn Elijah with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Antonio Pappano; Bluebeard Bluebeard’s Castle at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Oslo Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, with Against the Grain Theatre in London and Toronto, l’Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Symphoniker and Gotherburg Symphony Orchestra; Beethoven Symphony No.9 conducted by Bernard Haitink in Munich and at the Salzburg Festival with Riccardo Muti; the opening gala concert at the Paris Opera with Gustavo Dudamel; as well as a recital tour with Julius Drake in London, Strasbourg, Vienna, Madrid, Luxembourg and Valencia.
His other notable successes include Hans Sachs at the Glyndebourne Festival and Opéra de Paris; AmfortasParsifalat the Royal Ballet & Opera, in Baden-Baden with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle ans the Bavarian State Opera; Wolfram at the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Verdi’s Falstaff at the Canadian Opera (for which he won a DORA Award) and the Salzburg Festival; as a “peerless” IagoOtello with Sir Colin Davis and the LSO (LSO Live) Royal Ballet & Opera in Japan, and Bavarian State Opera, and Canadian opera; and in the title role in Rossini’s William Tell with Accademia di Santa Cecilia and Sir Antonio Pappano (EMI) and at the Royal Ballet & Opera Covent Garden. His other important roles include Scarpia, Golaud, Eugene Onegin and Nick Shadow. In contemporary opera, Finley has excelled in creating leading roles, most notably J. Robert Oppenheimer in John Adams’ Doctor Atomic (New York Met, ENO London, San Francisco, Chicago and Amsterdam); Harry Heegan in Turnage’s The Silver Tassie at ENO; Howard K. Stern in Turnage’s Anna Nicole at Covent Garden; Jaufré Rudel in Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin; and Mr Fox in Tobias Picker’s Fantastic Mr Fox at L.A. Opera. In 2012, the DVD release of Doctor Atomic in which Gerald Finley appeared as J. Robert Oppenheimer was awarded the Grammy for ‘Best Opera Recording’.
Finley’s concert work is a vital part of his flourishing career with recent appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic the London Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He was the star of the 2018 Last Night of the Proms and a rediscovered version of Shostakovich’s “English Poets” along with that composer’s orchestral cycle, Michelangelo Sonnets, was recorded by Finley and the Helsinki Philharmonic on the Ondine label and received international critical acclaim. Modern day composers have written extensively for him and include Peter Lieberson (Songs of Love and Sorrow with the Boston Symphony and recorded by Ondine with the Helsinki Radio Orchestra), Mark Anthony Turnage (When I woke with the LPO and Vladimir Jurowski), Huw Watkins, Julian Philips, Kaija Saariaho (True Fire with the L.A. Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel), and Einojuhani Rautavaara (Rubáiyát with the Helsinki Philharmonic).
As a celebrated song recitalist, he works regularly with pianist Julius Drake. Their many appearances throughout the world include the Schubertiade, a residency at the Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie-Zankel Hall and lauded appearances at the festivals of Salzburg, Edinburgh, and Tanglewood. He has also performed with Sir Antonio Pappano, Malcolm Martineau, Simon Lepper and Michael McMahon.
Finley’s many solo recital CD releases have been devoted to complete songs of Barber, Britten, Duparc, Ives, Liszt, Ravel and Schumann song cycles Dichterliebe and Liederkreis Op. 24 & 39. With a continuing partnership with Julius Drake on the Hyperion label, all have been critically acclaimed, including an unprecedented three Gramophone Awards in the Solo Vocal category. Their release of Schubert Winterreise won a Canadian Juno Award in 2015 and last season saw the completion of their Hyperion Schubert trilogy with the release of Die schöne Müllerin. Most recently the London Symphony Orchestra released a recording of Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Finley in the title role.
As part of his dedication to preserving and enhancing the singing tradition, he gives masterclasses throughout the world most recently at the Juilliard School of Music, and continues to work with the Jette Parker Young Artists’ Program at the Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden, the National Opera Studio, and the Lindemann Program at the Met.
Finley was born in Montreal, began singing as a chorister in Ottawa, Canada, and completed his musical studies in the UK at the Royal College of Music, King’s College, Cambridge, and the National Opera Studio. He is a Fellow and Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music. In 2014 he climbed Kilimanjaro for the charity Help Musicians UK. In 2024, Finley was honoured as a Kammersänger of the Bayerische Staatsoper for his outstanding artistic achievements and his long connection to the opera house. He was appointed Commander of
the Order of the British Empire in 2017 and had previously been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. Finley also features on a Canadian stamp celebrating Canadians in opera.
Violinist Stephen Waarts has captivated audiences worldwide with his innate musicality and poetic voice.
In the 2024/25 season, Waarts will make debuts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing Brahms’ Violin Concerto under Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, the Oregon Symphony with Hannu Lintu performing Barber, Orchestre de Picardie under Johanna Malangré performing Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, and the Israel Camerata with Marc Minkowski performing works by Bach and Mozart. He also returns to the Hallé Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and Szczecin Philharmonic, collaborating with Thomas Adès, Markus Poschner, and Sir András Schiff.
Recent highlights include performances with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Berner Symphonieorchester, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Fort Worth Symphony, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, under conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Sir András Schiff, Marin Alsop, Constantinos Carydis, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Dalia Stasevska, Robert Spano, Maxime Pascal, Markus Stenz, and Elim Chan
Tenor Giovanni Sala is recognized as a ‘revelation’ and ‘vocally flawless’, establishing himself as one of the leading tenors of his generation with regular appearances at top opera houses worldwide. In the 2025/26 season, he will make his Royal Opera House debut as Alfredo (La Traviata), return to Teatro alla Scala as Ferrando (Così fan tutte), and sing Macduff (Macbeth) at Teatro Regio di Torino.
Recent highlights include Alfredo (La Traviata) at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Tito (La Clemenza di Tito) at the Edinburgh Festival and Monte Carlo Opera, F.L. Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria at La Scala, and a tour of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with Riccardo Muti. He has also performed Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Teatro Massimo Palermo, Nicias (Thaïs), Prunier (La Rondine), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Alfredo (La Traviata), and Fenton (Falstaff).
Sala is equally in demand for concert repertoire, performing Haydn’s Paukenmesse under Pablo Heras-Casado, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Riccardo Muti and Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and Mozart’s Requiem at Festival l’Offrande Musicale. Born in Lecco, he studied at Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Como and at Accademia Teatro alla Scala with Luciana d’Intino and Marcelo Álvarez. Awards include Second Prize at the Queen Sonja Competition (2017) and the AsLiCo Competition (2014).
Baritone Konstantin Krimmel, of German-Romanian descent, began his musical training with the St. Georgs Chorknaben in Ulm and studied voice under Prof. Teru Yoshihara, graduating with distinction in 2020. He is currently mentored by Tobias Truniger in Munich.
Krimmel has a strong passion for Lieder and concert repertoire, having won numerous awards including the 2019 German Music Competition, first prize at the International Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition, second prize at the International ‘Das Lied’ Competition in Heidelberg, and the Gian Battista Viotti International Music Competition. He performs internationally at venues such as the Cologne Philharmonie, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Konzerthaus Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, Heidelberger Frühling, Wigmore Hall in London, and Lied festivals in Spain and Austria.
In oratorio, he has performed Brahms’ Requiem under Raphael Pichon, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Nederlands Kamerkoor, and St. Matthew Passion with Philippe Herreweghe. From autumn 2021, he joined the Bavarian State Opera, performing roles in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos (Harlekin), Britten’s Peter Grimes (Ned Keene), and Haas’ Thomas. Future engagements include major Mozart roles, including Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro). An exclusive artist with Alpha Records since 2019, he has released Handel’s Brockes-Passion and his first Lieder album Saga, praised for his interpretive depth and technical mastery.
Soprano Johanna Wallroth has quickly gained international recognition, with notable debuts at major opera houses including the Wiener Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, as well as concert performances at iconic venues such as the Berliner Philharmonie, Wiener Musikverein, and Philharmonie de Paris. Following her acclaimed debut as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding, she was named Swedish Radio’s Artist in Residence for two consecutive seasons.
The 2025/2026 season marks a series of significant debuts for Wallroth: Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) in Simon McBurney’s production at Theater Basel, Governess (The Turn of the Screw) with Den Norske Opera conducted by Antonio Méndez, Bellezza (Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno) in Robert Carsen’s production at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma conducted by Gianluca Capuano, and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) in concert with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra under Tobias Ringborg. On the concert stage, she will perform with The Cleveland Orchestra under Barbara Hannigan (Knoxville: Summer of 1915) and with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in a Mozart arias program conducted by Karina Canellakis