Kent Nagano is acclaimed as an outstanding conductor for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. He has been General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg since September 2015. In addition, he serves as Artistic Director of the Wagner Readings, a project that aims to revisit Wagner's Tetralogy from a performance practice perspective, in collaboration with the Concerto Köln Chamber Orchestra and the Dresden Festival Orchestra. Kent Nagano is a patron of the Herrenchiemsee Festival, and was appointed Honorary Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (2006), of the Concerto Köln (2019), and of the OSM (2021). The many highlights of Kent Nagano’s collaboration with the OSM as Music Director from 2006 to 2020 include the inauguration of the Orchestra’s new concert hall, the Maison symphonique de Montréal in September 2011. Nagano and the OSM have toured in Canada including Northern Quebec, and internationally in Japan, South Korea, Europe (latest tour in 2019), Latin America and the USA. In July 2018, Kent Nagano conducted Krzysztof Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion with the OSM on the occasion of the Salzburg Festival opening concert. Maestro Nagano's recent recording releases include a 3-CD box set of works by Olivier Messiaen (BR Klassik label, 2021). He also published his second book, 10 Lessons of my Life (Berlin Verlag, 2021) in which he recalls ten highly personal encounters in his life, each bringing important lessons that transcend his career path. Previously, in 2015 Kent Nagano published Erwarten Sie Wunder! (Berlin Verlag), a passionate appeal for the relevance of classical music in today’s world. This book was also published in English (Expect the Unexpected, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019) and in French (Sonnez, Merveilles, Éditions du Boréal, 2015).

One of the most influential brass players of our time, now a soloist, conductor and pedagogue, Ian Bousfield has been at the top of his profession for over 35 years, having formerly been principal trombone of the Vienna Philharmonic and London Symphony in an orchestral career that spanned thirty years. As a soloist he has appeared with, among others, Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Neville Marriner and Kent Nagano with the Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony, London Philharmonic and the BBC Philharmonic. He has recorded for EMI, Chandos and Camerata. In recent times his conducting career has taken off, seeing Ian regarded as one of the world’s foremost brass conductors. Ian is also professor of trombone at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern and the Royal Academy of Music in London. His book and videos, “Unlocking the Trombone Code” have met with great critical acclaim. He is a brass coach for the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and a regular coach of the New World Symphony, two things that lie very close to his heart. He was awarded the ITA award in 2012, a lifetime honor from the International Trombone Association.

James Box has held the position of Principal Trombone with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2001. He has also held the position of Principal Trombone with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Canton Symphony Orchestra (Ohio), Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (West Virginia), and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Nuevo León (Mexico). A native of Ripley, Tennessee, James first studied trombone with his father and maternal grandfather. He holds a B.M. magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University, and a M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His major teachers include Marta Hofacre, John Kitzman, James DeSano, and Steve Witser. He has held the position of Assistant Professor of Trombone at McGill University since 2003. James has made solo appearances with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s Own), the McGill Wind Symphony, among others. He has also performed chamber music at the Edinburgh Festival and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. In 2001, he presented a solo recital that was broadcast nationally by CBC/Radio-Canada. James exclusively plays Stanley W. Matras Custom Trombones, and he is currently contributing to the design of a new series of professional model trombones.