The Austrian Thomas Gansch is not only one of the most versatile trumpeters of his generation but also an entertainer through and through. Born in 1975 in St. Pölten into a family of musicians, he first learnt to play the trumpet from his father, the composer Johann Gansch. At the age of 15, Thomas Gansch enrolled at the Vienna College of Music and Performing Arts to study trumpet as a concert instrument. Whilst still a student in 1992, he founded the group Mnozil Brass together with fellow students; a seven-piece brass ensemble known for its humorous performances and its wide-ranging repertoire, spanning traditional brass music, pop, jazz and pop music, right through to opera and operetta.

In 1997, Thomas Gansch left the conservatoire and turned his attention more fully to his great love – jazz. From 1998 to 2006, he also played in the legendary Vienna Art Orchestra. Furthermore, the trumpeter has collaborated with countless musicians from all over the world, including Patti Smith, Bob Brookmeyer, Igudesman & Joo and many others. He has performed in almost 50 countries and, in addition to Mnozil Brass, composes for a wide variety of other ensembles. Thomas Gansch is appearing at ›Summer in Lesmona‹ for the first time.

Cuban-born Cosette Justo Valdés is one of the rising stars of the international music scene. Following her successful six-year tenure as Resident Conductor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Canada, she is currently the Artistic and Musical Director of the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia. Through her innovative programming with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, she also inspires audiences to engage with rarely heard historical works, with a particular passion for the works of native Canadian and native American composers. In recent seasons, Cosette Justo Valdés has made several highly acclaimed debuts in Canada, the USA and Europe.

Her most significant projects to date include an acclaimed production of Mozarts ›Così Fan Tutte‹ at the Edmonton Opera, which she conducted from the harpsichord, world premieres of works by native Canadian composers and four uniquely staged and theatrical performances of Handel’s ›Messiah‹ with four different orchestras. She also maintains close ties with her homeland of Cuba where she is celebrated as honorary conductor of the renowned Orquesta Sinfónica de Oriente in Santiago, the musical heart of Cuba. Another of her passions is bridging the worlds of jazz and symphonic music. Cosette Justo Valdés is making her debut with the Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen.

Born in Mainz and raised in Hesse, the presenter Anna Novák now lives in Hamburg. After working as an editor for the classical music magazine crescendo and the multi-media programme ›U21‹ at Bayerischer Rundfunk, Anna Novák moved to Norddeutscher Rundfunk in 2016. There, she can be heard presenting on NDR Kultur’s radio station and also as content creator and host of the social media site ›Matsch und Muse‹ , which she developed.

As an events MC, she has hosted the OPUS KLASSIK award winners‘ concert in Berlin on several occasions and regularly presents for the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. At the Weilburg Schloss Concerts, she welcomes musicians to special words-and-music evenings in her concert series ›Ganz Privat‹ (Completely Private) and has hosted a full-length talk show at the Konzerthaus Berlin. In addition to her work in the cultural sector, she has also taken on corporate roles including hosting premium customer events for a renowned credit card company.

Anna Novák studied Music and Communication Arts, frequently hosts bilingual events in German and English and speaks fluent Luxembourgish.