The British cellist Steven Isserlis is world famous for his flawless technique and his phenomenal musicality and creativity. As a soloist, he performs with the most well-known international orchestras. He is a regular guest at Wigmore Hall, at 92nd St in New York and at the Salzburg Festival, where he gives recitals and chamber music concerts, partnering Joshua Bell, Isabelle Faust, András Schiff, Stephen Hough, Olli Mustonen, Connie Shih and Richard Egarr. He compiles his programmes according to particular themes such as the exploration of Czech music, the cello’s affinity with the human voice or, as in ›The Cello in Wartime‹, the music of the First World War.

Isserlis’ greatest passion is historical performance practice. He performs with the leading Baroque orchestras and often directs chamber music performances from the cello. An equally fervent advocate and performer of contemporary music, he has worked together with – and performed numerous works by – composers such as John Tavener, Wolfgang Rihm and György Kurtag. In addition, Isserlis is the author of several children’s books and, as a sought-after teacher, gives masterclasses both at the Kronberg Academy and also in his role as Artistic Director of the International Music Course in Prussia Cove, Cornwall.

Isserlis’ discography has won many prizes and includes the Bach Cello Suites, recordings of the great cello concertos, Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas with Robert Levin, Lieux retrouvés with Thomas Adès and Haydn’s Cello Concerto with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen.

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.