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).

Hailed in The New York Times as “a performer of near-superhuman technical prowess,” pianist Marc-André Hamelin is esteemed worldwide for his unrivalled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique. His performances of established works and his intrepid explorations of lesser-known rarities have earned him the status of piano icon. In the 2019-2020 season, Hamelin gives world premieres of Ryan Wigglesworth’s Piano Concerto at the BBC Proms and of his own Piano Quintet with the Alexander String Quartet at San Francisco Performances’ 40th Anniversary Concert. An exclusive recording artist for Hyperion Records, Mr. Hamelin’s latest releases this season include a solo album, as well as an album with the Takács Quartet. A composer throughout his career, Mr. Hamelin has nearly 30 works to his credit, including the Toccata on L’homme armé, which was performed live by all 30 competitors. The majority of his compositions are published by Peters Editions. Mr. Hamelin is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the German Record Critics’ Association and has received seven Juno Awards and eleven GRAMMY nominations. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier of the Ordre du Québec and a member of the Royal Society of Canada.