Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider is a regular guest conductor of the world’s leading orchestras. He inaugurated his first season as Music Director of the Orchestre national de Lyon in September 2021. In 2019, following his triumphant The Magic Flute at the Dresden Semperoper, Szeps-Znaider immediately returned to conduct Der Rosenkavalier. Since then, he has made his debut at the Royal Danish Opera conducting a new production of The Magic Flute, among other achievements in opera. Szeps-Znaider maintains his reputation as one of the world’s leading violinists, with a busy calendar of concerto and recital engagements. He is passionate about supporting the next generation of musical talent, and is President of the Nielsen Competition, which occurs every three years in Odense, Denmark. Szeps-Znaider plays the “Kreisler” Guarnerius “del Gesu” 1741 loaned to him by The Royal Danish Theatre through the generosity of the VELUX Foundations, the Villum Fonden and the Knud Højgaard Foundation.

Universally hailed as one of the world’s greatest living string players, GRAMMY Award winner Maxim Vengerov has performed with the world’s most eminent orchestras and has given solo recitals in every major city in the world. A child prodigy, he began his career at five and made his first recording at ten. He performs both as a soloist and conductor with many major orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony. He crisscrosses the globe every season with an extraordinarily eclectic repertoire. An annual festival in Tokyo bears his name. Vengerov has held various teaching positions internationally and is currently Ambassador and visiting Professor of the Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland and Menuhin Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He became the first classical musician to be appointed International Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF and launched his own recording label, Vengerov Music Vision (VMV). Maxim Vengerov plays the ex-Kreutzer Stradivari (1727).