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.

Jérémie Rhorer is one of the most versatile and intellectually ambitious conductors of his generation. As the founder and Artistic Director of the orchestra Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, the Frenchman continues in the tradition of artist-innovator, exploring the repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries using period instruments. A winner of the Prix Pierre Cardin, Rhorer is also a well-respected composer. For over 10 years, Jérémie Rhorer has developed a close relationship with the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, where he has conducted a broad spectrum of standard, rarely-performed and contemporary operas. Rhorer has also conducted some of the most distinguished international orchestras, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester, the Orchestre de Paris and the Czech Philharmonic.

In demand as an opera conductor, Rhorer has conducted performances at the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and has also guest conducted at some of Europe’s most prestigious international festivals. Highlights of the current season include his debuts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Bordeaux-Aquitaine and at the Opernhaus Zürich with a new production of Offenbach’s seldom-performed opera Barkouff. In recent years, Jérémie Rhorer and Le Cercle de l’Harmonie have initiated an innovative residency at Le Grand Théâtre de Provence in Aix-en-Provence, which includes an educational programme dedicated to new audiences. The exciting conductor enjoys a long-standing collaboration with The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen.