Described by the New York Times as one of the »most important artists of his generation«, this Russian-born pianist regularly performs with the world’s leading orchestras. He studied the piano in Hanover and was awarded the highest score in the institute’s history. As a multiple award-winning artist, he was named ›Artist of the Year 2020‹ at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards, followed in November 2020 by a nomination for a Grammy in the category ›Best Classical Instrumental Solo‹. His first recording of all the Beethoven piano sonatas, released in 2019, instantly went to Number 1 in the official classical charts.

Igor Levit played his Beethoven piano sonata cycles at the Salzburg Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Musikfest Berlin, in the Elbphilharmonie and in London’s Wigmore Hall, among others. Additionally, he has regularly given recitals in New York’s Carnegie Hall, in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and also in Vienna’s Musikverein. Concerts for the coming season are planned across the world in metropolises from Tokyo to Los Angeles. In spring 2021, the Lucerne Festival announced the first of a new piano festival curated by Igor Levit, planned for May 2023.

Igor Levit is also well-known for his political commitment for which he was awarded the 5th International Beethoven Prize in 2019. This outstanding pianist has been working together with The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen for many years.

The Estonian conductor and Grammy Award winner Paavo Järvi has served as Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen since 2004. One of the many highlights of this long standing collaboration was the widely acclaimed Beethoven cycle, whose performances were celebrated by critics around the world and honoured with numerous awards, including the Echo Klassik for “Conductor of the Year.” The Beethoven project was followed by an intensive exploration of the symphonic works of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms; both cycles likewise received multiple distinctions. Since autumn 2021, the orchestra has turned its focus to Joseph Haydn’s twelve London Symphonies, followed in 2024 by an in depth engagement with the symphonies of Franz Schubert.

Since the 2019/20 season, Paavo Järvi has also served as Music Director of the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich. Starting with the 2028/29 season, Järvi will assume the position of Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Estonian Festival Orchestra and the Pärnu Music Festival, which he established in 2011. As a guest conductor, he regularly appears with leading orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, Paavo Järvi was named Artist of the Year by both Gramophone magazine (UK) and Diapason (France). This was followed in 2019 by the Opus Klassik award for Conductor of the Year. Further honours include a Grammy Award for his recording of Sibelius’ Cantatas with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the title Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture. In recognition of his commitment to promoting the music of Jean Sibelius, he received the Sibelius Medal in 2015, and in 2012 he was awarded the Hindemith Prize for Art and Humanity. For his dedication to Estonian culture, Paavo Järvi was awarded the Order of the White Star by the President of Estonia in 2013, and in 2024 he received the Bremen Senate Medal for Art and Science.