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One of today’s most sought-after conductors, acclaimed for his charismatic leadership and inspirational performances in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Sir Antonio Pappano has been Music Director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden since 2002, and Music Director of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome since 2005. Nurtured as a pianist, repetiteur and assistant conductor at many of the most important opera houses of Europe and North America, including at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and several seasons at the Bayreuth Festival as musical assistant to Daniel Barenboim for productions of Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal and Der Ring des Nibelungen, Pappano was appointed Music Director of Oslo’s Den Norske Opera in 1990, and from 1992-2002 served as Music Director of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. From 1997-1999 he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Pappano is in demand as an opera conductor at the highest international level, including with the Metropolitan Opera New York, the State Operas of Vienna and Berlin, the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Théâtre du Châtelet and the Teatro alla Scala. His repertoire at the Royal Opera House has been notably wide-ranging, generating acclaim in productions including Ariadne auf Naxos, Wozzeck, Falstaff, La Bohème, Don Giovanni, Aida, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Il Trittico, Parsifal, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Lulu, Les Vêpres Siciliennes, Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, Norma, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Guillaume Tell, Andrea Chenier, Boris Godunov, The Queen of Spades, Semiramide and Szymanowski’s Król Roger, Birtwistle’s The Minotaur and Turnage’s Anna Nicole. Highlights of the 19/20 season include revivals of Otello, Tosca and Madama Butterfly, a tour of Japan with performances of Otello and Faust, and new productions of Fidelio and Elektra, featuring luminary singers including Jonas Kaufmann, Nina Stemme, Karita Mattila, Gerald Finley, Anna Netrebko and Bryn Terfel.
Pappano has appeared as a guest conductor with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin, Vienna, New York and Munich Philharmonic Orchestras, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Chicago and Boston Symphonies, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras and the Orchestre de Paris. He maintains a particularly strong relationships with the London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and forthcoming highlights include return visits to the Staatskapelle Dresden, Staatskapelle Berlin, London Philharmonic and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and widespread touring with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He also has a strong commitment to nurturing young singers and instrumentalists, and the summer of 2020 will see him deepening his connections with the Aldeburgh and Verbier Festivals, leading concerts and masterclasses.
Pappano has been an exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics (formerly EMI Classics) since 1995, and his discography features numerous complete operas, including Don Carlo, La Rondine, Guillaume Tell, Il Trittico, Werther, Il Trovatore, Tristan und Isolde, and most recently Aida, hailed as “unmissable” (The Sunday Times), “a triumph” (BBC Radio 3), “a magnificent achievement, of rare accomplishment” (Gramophone). His orchestral recordings with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia include Rachmaninov’s 2nd, Mahler’s 6th, Dvorak’s 9th and Tchaikovsky’s 4th, 5th and 6th symphonies, Respighi’s Roman Trilogy, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Petite Messe Solenelle and selected Overtures, Britten’s War Requiem, and Verdi’s Requiem, and his discography also documents his work with other ensembles including the London Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, and the orchestras of the Royal Opera House and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, in music ranging from Pergolesi and Mendelssohn through to Panufnik, Boesmans and Maxwell Davies. Numerous productions from the Royal Opera House have been released on DVD, including Carmen, Les Troyens, Parsifal, Simon Boccanegra, Le nozze di Figaro, and Manon Lescaut. His recordings have received extensive accolades including Classic BRIT, ECHO Klassik, BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone Awards.
As a pianist, Antonio Pappano appears as an accompanist with some of the most celebrated singers, including Joyce DiDonato, Diana Damrau, Gerald Finley and Ian Bostridge. He has also partnered singers and instrumental soloists on disc, including in operatic recitals with Nina Stemme, Placido Domingo, Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann, concerto recordings with soloists including Leif Ove Andsnes, Maxim Vengerov, Janine Jansen, Jan Lisiecki and Beatrice Rana, and chamber recitals with Ian Bostridge, Barbara Bonney and Joyce DiDonato.
Antonio Pappano was born in London to Italian parents, and moved with his family to the United States at the age of 13. He studied piano with Norma Verrilli, composition with Arnold Franchetti and conducting with Gustav Meier. His awards and honours include Gramophone’s ‘Artist of the Year’ in 2000, the 2003 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, the 2004 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, and the Bruno Walter prize from the Académie du Disque Lyrique in Paris. In 2012 he was created a Cavaliere di Gran Croce of the Republic of Italy, and a Knight of the British Empire for his services to music, and in 2015 he was named the 100th recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal, the body’s highest honour. He has also developed a notable career as a speaker and presenter, and has fronted several critically-acclaimed BBC Television documentaries including ‘Opera Italia’, ‘Pappano’s Essential Ring Cycle’ and ‘Pappano’s Classical Voices’.
Ken Noda studied with Daniel Barenboim and went on to perform as soloist with such orchestras as the Berlin, Vienna, New York, Israel, and Los Angeles Philharmonics to name a few. He is closely associated with the Marlboro Music Festival and taught at the Renata Scotto Opera Academy at the invitation of Miss Scotto. Since 2009, he has been a regular guest coach and performer for The Song Continues at Carnegie Hall at the invitation of Marilyn Horne. From 1991 to 2017, Ken was Musical Assistant at the Metropolitan Opera to former Music Director James Levine. In 2019, he retired from his position as a full-time coach for the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program and now continues to guest coach young singers there under the title of Musical Advisor.
Musical America’s 2020 Vocalist of the year, renowned Swedish baritone Peter Mattei will the season of 2023/24 sing the title roles of Don Giovanni at the Opéra National de Paris and Wozzeck at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Peter will also appear at the Royal Swedish Opera as Amfortas in Parsifal. The previous season included Rodrigo in Don Carlo and in the title role in a new production of Don Giovanni, both at the Metropolitan Opera.
Peter Mattei’s international breakthrough came with the title role in Peter Brook’s staging of Don Giovanni at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1998 and he has since then had the privilege to work with many of the worlds’ foremost conductors and directors on stages across Europe and in the U.S.
Peter Mattei has been a frequent guest at the Metropolitan Opera, where he has been seen in roles such as Amfortas in Parsifal, Wolfram in Tannhäuser, the title role of Eugen Onegin, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Il Conte in Le nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La Bohème, Yeletsky in Pique Dame, Shishkov in From the House of the Dead and in 2020, he made his much-acclaimed role debut in the title role in Wozzeck. Some of Peter Mattei’s other roles include Billy Budd (Oper Frankfurt and the Göteborg Opera) and Don Fernando in Fidelio (Teatro alla Scala).
With one of his favorite roles, Don Giovanni, Peter Mattei has had the pleasure to work with directors such as Peter Brook and Michael Haneke. He has delighted audiences at Opéra National de Paris, the Royal Opera House in London, Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, Palau de les Arts Valencia, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Semperoper Dresden, the Royal Swedish Opera and the Norwegian Opera as well as the prestigious festivals of Salzburg, Verbier, Aix-en-Provence, Lucerne and Tanglewood.
His discography includes DVDs of Don Giovanni (Aix-en Provence), Le nozze di Figaro (Opéra National de Paris), Eugene Onegin (Salzburg) and Parsifal (Metropolitan) and CDs of Mahler’s 8:th Symphony under the baton of Chailly, Berlioz’ Les Troyens with Sir Colin Davis (winner of two Grammy Awards), Fidelio with Abbado as well solo CDs such as Once in My Life (Naxos), Great Baritone Arias, Schubert’s Winterreise (BIS Records) and most recently the recording of Allan Pettersson’s Complete Songs (BIS Records).
Peter Mattei studied at the Royal Academy of Music and at the University College of Opera in Stockholm. He made his debut in 1990 as Nardo in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera at the Drottningholm Court Theatre and made a sensational Royal Swedish Opera debut as Pentheus in Daniel Börtz’ The Bacchae (directed by Ingmar Bergman) in 1991.
Peter Mattei is appointed Court Singer and has been awarded the medal Litteris et Artibus by H.M. the Swedish King for his outstanding achievements as an artist.
November 2023
Founder and guide of Cherries of Cherries Walks, Cherries is a Swiss-American botanist and certified International Mountain Leader (IML) with over a decade of experience guiding in the Alps. Based in the Val d’Anniviers and trained across all four seasons, Cherries brings deep knowledge of alpine flora, fauna, glaciology, geology, and hydrology to her walks—along with expertise in orienteering, mountain safety, and even igloo-building. Her walks are more than just scenic hikes; they are immersive journeys into the natural and cultural landscape of the mountains. With a passion for storytelling and curiosity-led exploration, Cherries creates experiences that are intellectually rich, physically engaging, and emotionally grounding. Whether you’re traversing wildflower meadows, tracing glacial paths, or simply learning the name of a moss underfoot, a walk with Cherries opens up the mountain in unexpected ways—layered, vibrant, and alive with meaning.
Born in Latvia, Mischa Maisky has the distinction of being the only cellist in the world to have studied with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. Truly a worldclass musician and a regular guest at many major International Festivals, he has collaborated with the most outstanding conductors. His long and illustrious career has brought him many honours and awards, just some of which include: the 46th Istanbul Music Festival Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, the title of Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music in 2019, Accademico Onorario of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and the Honorary Fellow Award of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Maisky’s recordings have enjoyed world-wide critical acclaim and have been awarded several prizes. In June 2021 a set of complete recordings on DG with over 40 CDs was released.
Of Bulgarian-Chinese heritage, Zlatomir Fung began studying the cello at the age of three, then leapt to international attention in 2019 as both the first American in four decades and the youngest musician ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition Cello Division. Fung has since been fast establishing a reputation for boundless virtuosity, exquisite sensitivity and impeccable technique across the repertoire range, and also for his insight into contemporary repertoire. Further awards include a 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant. At the beginning of the 2021/22 season, he made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall. Other season highlights include Bravo! Vail with violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Shai Wosner, and European recital tours performing in cities including Dresden, Ostrava, Rome, Florence and Turin. He plays an W.E. Hill and Sons cello from 1905.
Cellist LiLa began her musical journey at the age of seven under the guidance of Professor Min Cao in Shanghai. In 2016, she transitioned to the Juilliard School Precollege division where she studied with Professors Richard Aaron and Sieun Lin. Since 2018, LiLa has continued her studies at Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson. She plays a 1690’s Giovanni Grancino Cello on loan through the Beare’s International Violin Society and has received numerous accolades, including first prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Osaka International Music Competition, ‘Antonio Janigro’ International Cello Competition, and the Tchaikovsky International Competition for Young Musicians. LiLa previously attended the Verbier Festival Academy in 2019 and has collaborated with esteemed orchestras such as Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra, Prague Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestra Sinfonietta di Roma under conductors including Christoph Eschenbach and Valery Gergiev. As a chamber musician, she has shared the stage with artists including Steven Isserlis, Christian Tetzlaff, and Gidon Kremer.
From a very young age, Raphaël Merlin displayed an innate desire for diversity in music. Cello, piano, piano-jazz, writing, composition, analysis, conducting, orchestration, chamber music, arrangement, teaching … each of these disciplines generating an intense musical activity.
He began his musical training at the CNR of Clermont and quickly developed a love of polyphony and improvisation, which will naturally lead him to jazz and his first compositions; sometimes escaping from his studies accompanying a choir to the guitar, writing a few songs, infiltrating a big band or even founding a quartet of jazz … Some composition contests later, his first diplomas in conservatory in the bag and 15 years old, he moved to Paris and contracted the virus of orchestra’s conducting. The teachings of Igor Kiritchenko, Xavier Gagnepain and Philippe Müller for the cello, Hortense Cartier-Bresson for chamber music and Janos Komives for the conducting, trained him to interpretation, and he brilliantly completed his studies at the CNSM in Paris in 2005.
Chamber music, initially practiced with his family growing up, occupies a central part in Merlin’s work today. This has intensified since joining the remarkable Quatuor Ebène in 2002. The Quartet garnered a First Prize in 2004 at the international ARD competition in Munich, and now performs regularly throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia in such prestigious venues as the Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall in London, Konzerthaus Vienna, , the Library of Congress in Washington, Carnegie Hall in New York, Philharmonie, Châtelet and Champs-Elysées theatres in Paris… The Quartet counts amongst its esteemed advisors Gabor Takacs, Eberhard Feltz, Gyorgy Kurtag and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Musical collaborators have included Mitsuko Uchida, Nicholas Angelich, Menahem Pressler, Natalie Dessay, Renaud Capuçon, Gary Hoffman, Martin Fröst, Michel Portal. The Mirare label produced two discs, devoted to Haydn and Bartok, before the quartet signed an exclusive deal with Virgin Classics (now Erato/Warner) : Debussy, Fauré and Ravel (Gramophone of the year), Brahms, Mozart, Mendelssohn quartet albums followed, along with several arrangements and self compositions albums : “Fiction”, “Brazil”, “Eternal Stories” (2017). Recently a Schubert record featuring Gautier Capuçon and Matthias Goerne (songs arranged by Raphaël Merlin) received the Choc by Classica and the Edison prize 2016.
The son of a French teacher and enthusiastic former pupil of Xavier Gagnepain, Raphaël is passionate about teaching, and maintains lasting links with his former and current pupils. Regular cello teacher at Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory, he gives regular master classes in chamber music at the CNSM Paris, American Arts Schools in Fontainebleau, at Universities of Stuttgart, Freiburg, Houston and at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. Merlin also performs as soloist with the Tchaikovsky Conservatory Orchestra in Moscow, the Massy Orchestra, Sostenuto, Ut 5è, Orchestre d’Auvergne . He recorded Brahms trio, Fauré sonatas and trio, Hersant trio, a tango album “Café 1930”. He remains a prolific arranger of classical, Jazz, Tango, and traditional music arrangements. From 1997 to 2002 he was the pianist in the Wildflower Quartet, and still sometimes plays jazz concerts from the piano.
As a conductor, he has led the Orchestre du Lycée Racine, the Orchestre des lauréats du Conservatoire, the Ostinato orchestra, Opus 93. In 2014, he founded “Les Forces majeures”, a chamber musicians orchestra : this energetic and versatile ensemble (traditional repertoire, contemporary, jazz…) instantaneously got an international success for its Rossini recording (Aparté label) with famous mezzo-soprano Karine Deshayes, released in 2016. Concerts with Nicholas Angelich, Edgar Moreau, Sayaka Shoji, Sarah Nemtanu, Inva Mula, Florian Sempey, Amel Brahim-Jelloul, Marc Mauillon… got interest by the French radios such as Radio Classique, who broadcasted live a French program including Fauré’s Requiem at Invalides Cathedral. An album recorded with Les Forces Majeures and cellist Edgar Moreau, including Gulda and Offenbach’s Concertos, was released in December 2018 (Erato / warner classics label). He also recently conducted the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen for the project “Création habitants”, shared with choreographer Alban Richard, director of the CCN de Caen.
In 2011 he received his first commission as a composer, a concerto for string quartet and orchestra, for Cracow and Munich, with the Ebène String Quartet and the Klangforum Mitte Europa. Cellist Nicolas Altstaedt created his duet for violin and cello (2014, Concertgebouw Amsterdam) and a cello and string concerto (Lockenhaus Festival 2016).
Hailed by Le Monde as belonging to ‘the French cello elite’ and by La Croix as ‘a young man who already ranks among the masters of the cello’, Christian-Pierre La Marca has, in the space of a few years, distinguished himself by his radiant presence in the world’s leading concert halls and his recordings, all of which have won awards. After making his debut in Aix-en-Provence, he studied in Paris with Jean-Marie Gamard and Philippe Muller, before continuing with Frans Helmerson in Cologne and Steven Isserlis in London. He rounded off his training with masterclasses under Mstislav Rostropovich, Heinrich Schiff, Anner Bylsma and Gary Hoffman, and benefited from the advice and encouragement of such musical personalities as Itzhak Perlman, Philippe Jaroussky, Thomas Quasthoff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Maria João Pires, the Artemis Quartett and Seiji Ozawa. His trajectory was crowned with success at international competitions in Osaka, Frankfurt and London (Philharmonia), and he has several times been invited to appear at the Victoires de la Musique Classique.
He maintains a highly active presence on the French and international scenes, and is a regular guest in the world’s major musical centres, from the Philharmonie de Paris to the Oji Hall in Tokyo, the Vienna Musikverein, the Southbank Centre in London, the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, 92nd Street Y in New York, and the Verbier, Ravinia and Trondheim festivals, among others.
Christian-Pierre La Marca is much sought after by his colleagues and shares a varied repertory with a whole range of exceptional artists of all generations and every instrument and voice. He performs regularly as a duo with the pianist Lise de la Salle. In the concerto repertory, he appears as a soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Brussels Philharmonic and Les Siècles, but also with Le Concert de la Loge and Les Ambassadeurs. An ardent advocate of contemporary music, he collaborates with many composers, among them Jörg Widmann, Pēteris Vasks, György Kurtág, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Hersant and Nicolas Bacri. His particularly inventive discography reflects his special interest in the voice, his curios- ity for all types of music and his passion for the great works of the classical repertory. His recordings have invariably received unanimous acclaim from press and public alike. Cello 360 is his first album on the naïve label, with which he has signed an exclusive agreement.
Christian-Pierre La Marca is a socially committed artist who initiated the ‘Concert for the Planet’ with the GoodPlanet Foundation and Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a solidarity event intended to raise funds for the environment. He is also joint artistic director with his brother, the violist Adrien La Marca, of the Forez Festival in France, and teaches at cello masterclasses for the Philippe Jaroussky Music Academy at La Seine Musicale in Paris.