Leila Josefowicz’s passionate advocacy of contemporary music for violin is reflected in her diverse programmes and her enthusiasm for performing new works. A favourite of many contemporary composers, she has premiered numerous concertos, all of which were written especially for her. These include works by Colin Matthews, Luca Francesconi and Esa-Pekka Salonen, as well as John Adams’ ›Scheherazade.2‹ which she premiered with the New York Philharmonic. In the 2023/24 season, Josefowicz is Artist in Residence with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, with whom she will perform Helen Grime’s Violin Concerto with Daniel Bjarnason, among other works. In May 2024, the violinist will also present the world premiere of Jüri Reinvere’s Concerto for Violin and Harp with Trina Struble and the Cleveland Orchestra. Highlights of recent seasons include Matthias Pintscher’s ›Assonanza‹ with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Steven Mackey’s ›Beautiful Passing‹ as well as performances with the Berlin Philharmoniker, the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, the Royal Concertgebouworkest, the orchestras of Oslo, Helsinki and Los Angeles and many others.

Leila Josefowicz has also released several recordings. She received Grammy Award nominations for her recordings of Adams’ ›Scheherazade.2‹ with the St. Louis Symphony conducted by David Robertson and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. This violinist was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 2018 for her excellent performances and received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2008, which connects her with prominent representatives of science, literature and music.

Matthias Pintscher is one of the leading composers of our time. His works are regularly performed by major symphony orchestras around the world. In 2021, his compositions took centre stage at the Suntory Hall Summer Festival with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In addition, ›neharot‹ celebrated its world premiere – a work jointly commissioned by the Staatskapelle Dresden, among others, which has also appointed him Kapelle Composer. In the 2016/17 season, Pintscher was the first Composer in Residence at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. He has also held this position at the Salzburg Festival and the Lucerne Festival. For the past ten years, Pintscher has been Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the legendary Parisian ensemble for contemporary music founded by Pierre Boulez. Pintscher has also been professor at the Julliard School since 2014.

Matthias Pintscher is also a sought-after guest conductor and has conducted several opera productions at the Berlin State Opera (Wagner‘s ›Lohengrin‹ und ›Der fliegende Holländer‹), at the Vienna State Opera (Olga Neuwirth’s ›Orlando‹) and at the Théatre du Châtelet in Paris. In the 2023/24 season, he will be Creative Partner with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for the fourth year, where he will conduct a new work by Inti Figgis-Vizueta and an immersive video concert of Olivier Messiaen’s ›Des Canyons aux étoiles‹. Pintscher is on tour as a conductor with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, where he is Composer in Residence. In addition, he returns as a guest conductor to Milano Musica: Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester Hamburg, Indianapolis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Barcelona Symphony, Lahti Symphony, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala and the Boulez Ensemble Berlin as well as for Beat Furrer’s ›Violetter Schnee‹ at the Berlin State Opera. In autumn 2024, this conductor-composer will take up his new position as Chief Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. Matthias Pintscher continues to enjoy a long collaboration with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen.