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‹.

British conductor Duncan Ward has established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile conductors of his generation. Recent highlights have included engagements with Finnish Radio Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, London Symphony and a return to Glyndebourne on Tour conducting Massenet’s Cendrillon. He continues to build relationships with Vienna Radio Symphony, Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen and Bamberger Symphoniker.

From 2012-14 he was Conducting Scholar of the Berliner Philharmoniker Orchester-Akademie, to which he was appointed on the recommendation of Sir Simon Rattle. And from 2015-2017, he was Principal Conductor of Sinfonia Viva – one of the UK’s most dynamic ensembles. He also held the post of Associate Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Plans for the 2019/20 season include debuts with the Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Aurora Orchestra, as well as return visits to Gürzenich Orchester, New Japan Philharmonic and conducting the German premiere of Brett Dean’s acclaimed Hamlet at Cologne Opera.

Also an accomplished composer – winner of the 2005 BBC Young Composer of the Year – Duncan is now published by Peters Edition. His works have been performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony, LSO and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Also passionately involved in music charity projects across India, South Africa and closer to home with Streetwise Opera, he had the rare privilege to personally study Indian classical music with the late great sitarist Ravi Shankar.

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.