Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza completed four years with the Komische Oper Berlin in 2020, collaborating with renowned director Barrie Kosky on four critically acclaimed new productions: Pelléas et Mélisande, La Bohème, Weinberger’s Frühlingsstürme and Candide. Debuts include Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas at the Chicago Lyric Opera and Don Giovanni at the Opernhaus Zürich in the 2021-2022 season and previous appearances with numerous renowned orchestras worldwide. Recent highlights include Die Zauberflöte at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec in a programme including Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Symphony and his debut at Garsington Opera with the Philharmonia Orchestra in a new staging of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. Born in Toronto, Jordan studied conducting at McGill University and made his conducting debut at 20 in Bach’s St John Passion. Since then, his repertoire has never ceased to grow and diversify, embracing opera, the orchestral repertoire and choral music.

Francesco Piemontesi is a pianist of exceptional refinement and consummate technique, acclaimed for his readings of Mozart and the early Romantic repertoire and exquisite musical insights. This season, he inaugurated new concert halls (Ankara, Istanbul) with the London Philharmonic and fulfilled multiple engagements with leading European symphonies. He gave recitals in festivals and venues including the Klavierfestival Ruhr, Wiener Konzerthaus, and Schubertiade Schwarzenberg. Piemontesi is the first resident artist of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and recently made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. He appears in chamber music concerts with Leif Ove Andsnes, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Leonidas Kavakos, Christian Tetzlaff, and the Emerson Quartet among others. His discography includes the recent Schubert Last Piano Sonatas (Pentatone). Winner of several major competitions, Francesco Piemontesi studied with Brendel, Perahia, Ousset and Weissenberg. Since 2012, he is Artistic Director of the Settimane Musicali di Ascona.