Born in Berlin in 1982, Martin Helmchen has established himself as one of the younger generation’s top pianists. This musician enjoys an international career, working with numerous renowned orchestras such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Orchestre de Paris, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He studied at Berlin’s ›Hanns Eisler‹ College of Music as well as at the College of Music, Drama and Media in Hanover and his mentors are William Grant Naboré and Alfred Brendel. Martin Helmchen has been Associate Professor of Chamber Music at the Kronberg Academy since 2010.

Chamber Music is a particular passion for this pianist. He performs regularly with partners such as Julian Prégardien, Veronika Eberle and Christian Tetzlaff. Alongside this year’s concert with The Deutsche Kammer­philharmonie Bremen, there are also engagements planned with the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, with the WDR Sinfonieorchester, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Stockholm Philharmonic and with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo.

Martin Helmchen is an exclusive artist for Alpha Classics. In Beethoven’s jubilee year 2020 he will be releasing all of Beethoven’s piano concertos with Andrew Manze and the Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin.

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.