Thomas Trotter is one of the most well-known British musicians and an excellent organ virtuoso. He was made Birmingham City Organist in 1983, and is also organist at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey in London and Visiting Fellow for Organ Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. Trotter began his career as Organ Scholar at King’s College Cambridge and later continued his studies in Paris. This instrumentalist has received many awards for his achievements, including the Royal Philharmonic Society Award, the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists ›Performer of the Year Award‹ and the Royal College of Organists’ Medal.

As soloist, this musician has already performed with such artists as Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev, Edward Gardner, Andris Nelsons and Thomas Sondergaard to name but a few. As well as performances in Europe’s most well-known concert halls, Trotter has also been a frequent guest at numerous festivals, from Salzburg via Edinburgh to the BBC Proms in London. He has played with some of the world’s leading ensembles – including the Vienna, Berlin, London Philharmonic Orchestras. His numerous recordings – all appearing on the Regent label – are also considered excellent. For his Liszt recordings for example, Thomas Trotter was awarded the French ›Grand Prix du Disque‹.

In the last few years, Duncan Ward has established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile conductors of his generation. Among last season’s highlights feature his appearance at the Salzburg Festival Opening Ceremony with the Mozarteum Orchestra, which was broadcast live on television as well as his debuts with the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Zurich Kammerorchester. In autumn 2022, this young Brit conducted ›Die Zauberflöte‹ at the Metropolitan Opera New York and in the previous season he gave his debut with a new production of ›Così fan tutte‹ with the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg. He then returned to Cologne Opera in 2019 where he conducted the German premiere of Brett Dean’s ›Hamlet‹. His fortcoming debut with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra is eagerly awaited in the spring of 2023.

This young British conductor has already been collaborating successfully with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen for several years. He conducted the orchestra in the summer of 2021 at the Schleswig Holstein Festival and at the Schweizer Kloster Festival. He has also received regular conducting invitations from orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Radio Symphonieorchester Wien, the hr Sinfonieorchester and the Gürzenich Orchester Köln.

Since autumn 2021, Duncan Ward has been the Chief Conductor of the Philharmonie Zuidnederland, as well as Music Director of the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, a new position which was created by the Aix-en-Provence Festival. In addition, he has been involved in many international community projects since his youth, including in India and South Africa.

Gerald Barry was born in Ireland in 1952 and studied with Stockhausen and Kagel. His early music from 1979 includes „_______“ for ensemble and Ø for two pianos in which both pianos play identical music simultaneously. Barry’s orchestral works performed at the BBC Proms include Chevaux-de-frise in 1988, No other people in 2013 and Canada in 2017.  Canada will receive its US premiere at the 2019 Tanglewood Music Festival. Barry’s Piano Concerto was premiered at the Munich 2013 Musica Viva.

Amongst his operas, The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit (1991), was at the Berliner Festwochen conducted by Thomas Adés. A new staging took place in 2013 at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant was at Theater Basel in 2008 and La Plus Forte (2007) was commissioned by Radio France for the Festival Présences premiered by Barbara Hannigan. The LA Philharmonic premiered The Importance of Being Earnest in 2011 and it received its first staging at Opéra national de Lorraine – Nancy in 2013 followed by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and a US premiere at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic. Earnest received the 2013 Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Large-Scale Composition and the recording, released on NMC, was nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award. A new production by the Nouvel Opéra Fribourg opened in Fribourg and Paris in May 2019. His operas The Intelligence Park and Alice’s Adventures Under Ground will have new productions at Covent Garden in 2019 and 2020.