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Estonian conductor and clarinettist Erle Kont is recognized for her passionate advocacy of mental health and community-building through music. She regularly guest-conducts major Finnish orchestras including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Tapiola Sinfonietta. Erle completed her Master’s in conducting at Sibelius Academy under Sakari Oramo. Also a distinguished clarinettist, she has received numerous awards in international competitions and performed extensively across the Baltic and Nordic regions. Erle is founder and Artistic Director of Tartu Sound, a contemporary music organization dedicated to innovative musical experiences and cultural engagement.
Costa Rican conductor Luis Castillo-Briceño is a 2024/25 Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, working closely alongside Music Director Gustavo Dudamel and distinguished guest conductors. Previously, he served as Conducting Fellow with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner, making his UK debut at the Brighton Dome in 2023. Upcoming debuts include performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, and Philharmonie Luxembourg, as well as conducting engagements on the LPO’s U.S. tour in 2024. In June 2024, Luis was named Designate Winner at the International Conducting Competition Rotterdam. Fluent in English, Spanish, French, and German, Luis currently resides in Zurich.
Kosma Standera is a sound engineer and musician whose interests span electronic music, spatial sound, and electroacoustic performance. He studied piano, harpsichord, and electric guitar before pursuing formal training in sound engineering at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where he is currently completing his master’s degree. Kosma has collaborated with the contemporary music ensemble Hashtag Ensemble since 2023 and was awarded the Koryfeusze Muzyki Polskiej prize for co-creating the AżTak Festival 2024. He has worked on concert recordings and live sound at festivals including Warsaw Autumn (2022–2024) and the Ad Libitum Festival. His work emphasizes precision, creative sound design, and cross-genre collaboration.
Marcelina Peek began her music education as a pianist, completing both levels at the School of Music before turning to sound directing. She is currently studying at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where she specializes in sound direction. Marcelina has collaborated with a range of artists and ensembles, including Trebunie Tutki, Immortal Onion, Sinfonia Varsovia, Piotr Pawlak, Maciej Wieczorek, and Daniel Mieczkowski. Her training has included placements at the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and other cultural institutions, as well as work at the Warsaw Autumn Festival.
Aoqi Deng received his undergraduate and graduate education in Tonmeister programmes at the Communication University of China and McGill University, respectively. During his undergraduate studies, he won first prize in the Chinese Student Recording Competition for two consecutive years. In 2024, he was awarded a bronze medal in the AES Student Recording Competition in Madrid. Aoqi focuses on music recording, particularly in the field of classical music. He has worked as an assistant recording engineer at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China and, since 2023, has served as a concert recording engineer at McGill University’s music production department. He also teaches recording and mixing, and has led workshops as an instructor at the Tsinghua University High School Summer Music Camp.
Henry Armfield is completing his final year of the Audio Sciences Master’s programme at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he is the first student to hold the department’s head Graduate Assistantship for two consecutive years. A self-taught oboist, he earned his Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance and Recording Arts from Peabody in 2024, studying with Nick Stovall, principal oboist of the National Symphony Orchestra. He is a recipient of the Evergreen House Foundation Scholarship and, in 2023, represented Peabody in the Audio Engineering Society’s Student Recording Competition, earning a ‘Silver’ award for his recording of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. His recording interests span classical and contemporary genres, with a focus on live acoustic performance. Henry is passionate about concert production and brings a strong work ethic and commitment to musicality to his work as a young audio engineer.
Sophie Trobos is an Austrian violinist and the founder and director of the inn.wien ensemble. She studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Christian Altenburger and completed an Erasmus exchange at the CNSMD Lyon with Marianne Piketty. Sophie has served as concertmaster with orchestras including the Austrian Jeunesse Orchestra and the Webern Symphony Orchestra. She regularly performs in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy, and has collaborated in chamber music with artists such as Reinhard Latzko, Christian Altenburger, and Jasminka Stancul. Alongside her performance career, she is involved in artistic management and production, including roles with the LOISIARTE Festival and the Kufstein Masterclass, which she founded.
British Franco-Chinese violinist Laure Chan has performed at major venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, recently making solo debuts with the BBC Concert Orchestra and at the Berlin Philharmonie. A passionate composer, she blends her classical background with diverse styles and cultures, releasing recordings of both the standard repertoire and original music. Named a BBC Music Magazine Rising Star and featured on Classic FM’s 30 Under 30, Laure has won international prizes in Paris, Berlin, and New York, as well as the Oxford Philharmonic Music Director’s Award and first prizes at the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music. She earned her Bachelor, Master, and Artist Diploma at the Royal College of Music, studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky, Radu Blidar, and Gabrielle Lester. Laure has received mentorship from Maxim Vengerov, Nicola Benedetti, Isabelle van Keulen, and Pinchas Zukerman.
British bass-baritone Ossian Huskinson is an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Music, where he was a Bicentenary Scholar, studying with Mark Wildman and Iain Ledingham.
Operatic engagements have included Sciarrone (Tosca), and Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen) for English National Opera where he was a Harewood Artist; Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte) and Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) for Dorset Opera Festival; Zaretsky (Eugene Onegin), Truffaldino (Ariadne auf Naxos), and Jupiter (Platée) for Garsington Opera. He made his international debut at Deutsche Oper, Berlin, singing Second Armed Man (Die Zauberflöte) and Pietro (Simon Boccanegra).
He is a member of the Jette Parker Artists Programme at The Royal Ballet and Opera, London. His roles this season include Marquis d’Obigny (La Traviata), Wagner (Faust), Mandarin (Turandot) and Angelotti (Tosca).
Ossian Huskinson’s continuing professional development is supported by Mascarade Opera.
Edward Birchinall is a member of the Royal College of Music Opera Studio, where he studies with Russell Smythe. His roles there include Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) and Don Iñigo Gomez (L’heure espagnole). A keen recitalist, he has performed across the UK and Europe, including at Wigmore Hall and Snape Maltings, where he is a Britten Pears Scholar for the 2024/25 season. His prizes include First Prize at the Edinburgh University Tovey Memorial Competition, the Anne Wyburd Prize for Lieder, and Third Prize at the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards. Edward is grateful to be supported by the Derek Butler Scholarship, Help Musicians UK, and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. This summer, he joins the Glyndebourne Chorus and will cover the role of Leporello (Don Giovanni) at the Da Ponte Festival in Vittorio Veneto.