The Artists

»Batiashvili’s fearless playing is so tonally rich and technically immaculate.« (The Guardian)

Lisa Batiashvili, the Georgian-born German violinist, is praised by audiences and fellow musicians for her virtuosity. An award-winning artist, she has developed long-standing relationships with the world’s leading orchestras, conductors and musicians. As of 2021, Batiashvili has formed and leads the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation, which serves her lifelong dream and commitment in supporting young, highly talented Georgian musicians to thrive in their musical careers.

Batiashvili is the Artistic Director of Audi Sommerkonzerte, Ingolstadt. For the 2021 Festival, she performed Sibelius’ violin concerto under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the motto »Lights of Europe«.

In 2021/22 Batiashvili returns to North America for concerts with the Boston Symphony, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Chicago Symphony orchestras. In winter she embarks on her second recital tour across Europe with trio partners Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Gautier Capuçon, whilst other engagements include Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Lisa Batiashvili regularly appears on stage with orchestras including the Berliner Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Boston Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Recording exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon, Batiashvili’s latest album »City Lights« was released in June 2020. The project marks a musical journey that takes listeners around the world to eleven cities with an autobiographical connection with music ranging from Bach to Morricone, and Dvořák to Charlie Chaplin. At the internationally renowned Concert de Paris on Bastille Day in Paris in 2020 she performed the title track »City Memories« which was broadcast internationally.

Her previous recording – »Visions of Prokofiev« (Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Yannick Nézet-Séguin) – won an »Opus Klassik« Award and was shortlisted for the 2018 »Gramophone Awards«. Earlier recordings include the concertos of Tchaikovsky and Sibelius (Staatskapelle Berlin/Daniel Barenboim), Brahms (Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden/Christian Thielemann), and Shostakovich No.1 (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Esa-Pekka Salonen).

Bastiashvili has had DVD releases of live performances with the Berliner Philharmoniker/Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Bartók Violin Concerto No.1) and with Gautier Capuçon, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Christian Thielemann (Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello).

She has won a number of awards: the »MIDEM Classical Award«, the »Choc de l'année«, the »Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize«, the »Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival's »Leonard Bernstein Award« and the »Beethoven-Ring«. Batiashvili was named »Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year« in 2015, was nominated as »Gramophone’s Artist of the Year» in 2017, and in 2018 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius Academy (University of Arts, Helsinki).

Lisa lives in Munich and plays a Joseph Guarneri »del Gesu« from 1739, generously loaned by a private collector.

is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play a central role in her life. She is a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrument she plays with such poetic expression and peerless technical control. The French artist has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist, a compassionate human rights activist and as a writer.

Grimaud was born in 1969 in Aix-en-Provence and began her piano studies at the local conservatory with Jacqueline Courtin before going on to work with Pierre Barbizet in Marseille. She was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at just 13 and won first prize in piano performance a mere three years later. She continued to study with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until, in 1987, she gave her well-received debut recital in Tokyo. That same year, renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform with the Orchestre de Paris: this marked the launch of Grimaud’s musical career, characterised ever since by concerts with most of the world’s major orchestras and many celebrated conductors.

Between her debut in 1995 with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado and her first performance with the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur in 1999 – just two of many notable musical milestones – Grimaud made a wholly different kind of debut: in upper New York State she established the Wolf Conservation Center. Her love for the endangered species was sparked by a chance encounter with a wolf in northern Florida; this led to her determination to open an environmental education centre. »To be involved in direct conservation and being able to put animals back where they belong,« she says, »there’s just nothing more fulfilling.« But Grimaud’s engagement doesn’t end there: she is also a member of the organisation Musicians for Human Rights, a worldwide network of musicians and people working in the field of music to promote a culture of human rights and social change.

For a number of years, she also found time to pursue a writing career, publishing three books that have appeared in various languages. Her first, »Variations Sauvages«, appeared in 2003. It was followed in 2005 by »Leçons particulières«, and in 2013 by »Retour à Salem«, both semi-autobiographical novels.

It is, however, through her thoughtful and tenderly expressive music-making that Hélène Grimaud most deeply touches the emotions of audiences. Fortunately, they have been able to enjoy her concerts worldwide, thanks to the extensive tours she undertakes as a soloist and recitalist. A committed chamber musician, she has also performed at the most prestigious festivals and cultural events with a wide range of musical collaborators, including Sol Gabetta, Rolando Villazón, Jan Vogler, Truls Mørk, Clemens Hagen, Gidon Kremer, Gil Shaham and the Capuçon brothers. Her prodigious contribution to and impact on the world of classical music were recognised by the French government when she was admitted into the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (France’s highest decoration) at the rank of Chevalier (Knight).

Hélène Grimaud has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2002. Her recordings have been critically acclaimed and awarded numerous accolades, among them the Cannes Classical Recording of the Year, Choc du Monde de la musique, Diapason d’or, Grand Prix du disque, Record Academy Prize (Tokyo), Midem Classic Award and the Echo Klassik Award.

Her early recordings include »Credo« and »Reflection« (both of which feature a number of thematically linked works); a Chopin and Rachmaninov Sonatas disc; a Bartók CD on which she plays the Third Piano Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra and Pierre Boulez; a Beethoven disc with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Vladimir Jurowski which was chosen as one of history’s greatest classical music albums in the iTunes »Classical Essentials« series; a selection of Bach’s solo and concerto works, in which she directed the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen from the piano; and a DVD release of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Claudio Abbado.

Hélène Grimaud is undoubtedly a multi-faceted artist. Her deep dedication to her musical career, both in performances and recordings, is reflected and reciprocally amplified by the scope and depth of her environmental, literary and artistic interests.

has firmly established himself as one of the world’s leading conductors, whose distinctive and revelatory interpretations receive great international acclaim. He is currently in his 14th season as Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In September 2021, the orchestra announced a six- year extension of his contract, which now runs through the 2027/28 season. Celebrated at home and abroad, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, one of the most frequently toured North American orchestras, serve as cultural ambassadors for the city of Pittsburgh. Guest appearances regularly include Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, as well as the major venues of Europe and festivals such as the BBC Proms, Salzburg Festival, Musikfest Berlin, Lucerne Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, and Grafenegg Festival.

Manfred Honeck's successful work in Pittsburgh is extensively documented by recordings on the Reference Recordings label, featuring works by Strauss, Beethoven, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, and others, and have received a multitude of outstanding reviews and awards, including several »Grammy« nominations. The recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 and Barber's Adagio won the »Grammy« for »Best Orchestral Performance« in 2018. Following Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, released earlier this year in celebration of the orchestra's 125th anniversary season, Brahms's Symphony No 4 and MacMillan's Larghetto have been released in October 2021.

Born in Austria, Manfred Honeck completed his musical training at the University of Music in Vienna. His many years of experience as a member of the viola section in the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera Orchestra have had a lasting influence on his work as a conductor, and his art of interpretation is based on his determination to venture deep beneath the surface of the music. He began his conducting career as assistant to Claudio Abbado and as director of the Vienna Jeunesse Orchestra. Subsequently, he was engaged by the Zurich Opera House, where he was awarded the European Conducting Prize in 1993. He has since served as one of three principal conductors of the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, as Music Director of the Norwegian National Opera, Principal Guest Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and Chief Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm.

From 2007 to 2011, Manfred Honeck was Music Director of the Staatsoper Stuttgart, where he conducted premieres of Berlioz's »Les Troyens«, Mozart's »Idomeneo«, Verdi's »Aida«, Richard Strauss's »Rosenkavalier«, Poulenc's »Dialogues des Carmélites« and Wagner's »Lohengrin« and »Parsifal«. Guest performances in opera led him to Semperoper Dresden, Komische Oper Berlin, Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Royal Opera of Copenhagen, the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg and the Salzburg Festival. In 2020, Beethoven’s anniversary year, he conducted a new staging of »Fidelio« (1806 version) at the Theater an der Wien. Beyond the podium, Manfred Honeck has designed a series of symphonic suites, including Janáček’s »Jenůfa«, Strauss’s »Elektra« and Dvořák’s »Rusalka«, arrangements that he recorded with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and regularly performs around the globe.

As a guest conductor, Manfred Honeck has worked with the leading international orchestras around the globe, including Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome and the Vienna Philharmonic. In the United States, he has conducted all major US orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. He has also been Artistic Director of the International Concerts Wolfegg in Germany for more than twenty-five years.

Manfred Honeck holds honorary doctorates from several universities in the United States and also was awarded the honorary title of Professor by the Austrian Federal President. In 2018, the jury of the »International Classical Music Awards« declared him »Artist of the Year«.

is currently in his tenth season as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Additionally, he became the third music director of New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 2018. Yannick, who holds the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair, is an inspired leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra. His intensely collaborative style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times has called him »phenomenal,« adding that »the ensemble, famous for its glowing strings and homogenous richness, has never sounded better.«

Yannick has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most thrilling talents of his generation. He has been artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000, and in 2017 he became an honorary member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He was music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic from 2008 to 2018 (he is now honorary conductor) and was principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic from 2008 to 2014. He has made wildly successful appearances with the world’s most revered ensembles and at many of the leading opera houses.

Yannick signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG) in 2018. Under his leadership The Philadelphia Orchestra returned to recording with 10 releases on that label, including Florence Price Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3, which recently won a »Grammy Award«. His upcoming recordings will include projects with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the Orchestre Métropolitain, with which he will also continue to record for ATMA Classique. Additionally, he has recorded with the Rotterdam Philharmonic on DG, EMI Classics, and BIS Records, and the London Philharmonic for the LPO label.

A native of Montreal, Yannick studied piano, conducting, composition, and chamber music at Montreal’s Conservatory of Music and continued his studies with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini; he also studied choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. Among Yannick’s honors are an appointment as Companion of the Order of Canada; Companion to the Order of Arts and Letters of Quebec; an Officer of the Order of Quebec; an Officer of the Order of Montreal; »Musical America«’s 2016 »Artist of the Year«; »ECHO KLASSIK«’s 2014 »Conductor of the Year«; a »Royal Philharmonic Society Award«; »Canada’s National Arts Centre Award«; the »Virginia Parker Prize«; the »Prix Denise-Pelletier«; the »Oskar Morawetz Award«; and honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec, the Curtis Institute of Music, Westminster Choir College of Rider University, McGill University, the University of Montreal, and the University of Pennsylvania.

For more than 125 years, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been an essential part of Pittsburgh’s cultural landscape and is renowned as one of the world’s finest orchestras. The orchestra is credited with a rich history of engaging the world’s leading conductors and musicians, and a deep commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its people. Since 2008, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been led by Music Director Manfred Honeck, whose unmistakable, distinctive, and revelatory interpretations receive great international acclaim. In September 2021, the Orchestra announced the six-year extension of Manfred Honeck’s contract as Music Director, running through the 2027/28 season. Celebrated both at home and abroad, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra are one of the most frequently toured North American orchestras and are cultural ambassadors for the City of Pittsburgh and the United States.

The Pittsburgh Symphony has a notable history of championing new American works. The Orchestra premiered Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 in 1944, John Adams’ »Short Ride in a Fast Machine« in 1986, and Mason Bates’ »Resurrexit« in 2018 to celebrate Manfred Honeck’s 60th birthday. In the 2021/22 season, Manfred Honeck led five world premieres, with five commissions by the Pittsburgh Symphony including works by Michael Daugherty and David Ludwig. Throughout the 2022/23 season, Manfred Honeck will lead 10 wide-ranging programs on the Orchestra’s classical subscription series, including three world premieres and seven Pittsburgh premieres.

As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been broadcast coast-to-coast, receiving increased national attention in 1982 through its series of network radio broadcasts by Public Radio International, produced by WQED-FM 89.3 in Pittsburgh. Starting with the release of its first commercial recording in 1941, the Pittsburgh Symphony discography has hundreds of critically acclaimed recordings, released by prestigious labels including Pentatone, EMI, EXTON, Angel, CBS, Philips, MCA, New World, Nonesuch, Sony Classical, Telarc and Deutsche Grammophon. Since 2013 Manfred Honeck's successful work with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been captured in thirteen recordings released by Reference Recordings on the PittsburghLive! series. After several »Grammy« Award nominations, the recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 and Barber's Adagio was awarded two Awards in January 2018: Best Orchestral Performance and Best Engineered Album Classical. The recordings of Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 and No. 9 also received multiple »Grammy« nominations. The two most recent recordings released are Brahms Symphony No. 4/MacMillan Larghetto for Orchestra (October 2021) and Beethoven Symphony No. 6/Stucky Silent Spring (June 2022). In 2021/22, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra celebrated the 50th anniversary of Heinz Hall as the home of the Orchestra. The acoustically outstanding performing arts center is in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, and the cornerstone of the city’s Cultural District.

now in its second century, remains one of the world’s most sought-after musical ensembles. Thanks to the virtuosity of its players, its sonic elegance and diversity of colours, as well as its perfect ensemble playing, »The New York Times« has declared it »the best in America«, »practically perfect«, and »one of the best in the country (if not the world)«.

Founded by Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra played its first concert in December 1918. By the middle of last century, thanks to decades of growth and long-term support, it became one of the most renowned orchestras in the world. In the last decade, growing numbers of young people have been attending concerts, bringing new publicity to the legendary sound and exciting programming of The Cleveland Orchestra.

The orchestra has recently launched several daring digital projects, including Internet broadcasts of the concert series entitled »In Focus«, the podcast »On a Personal Note«, and its own recording label.

The 2022/23 season is Franz Welser-Möst’s twenty first year as music director. During this time, the ensemble has won exceptional acclaim around the world, thanks to which it became the first American orchestra to serve as orchestra-in-residence for a series of concerts at Vienna’s Musikverein. The orchestra has also received recognition for its productions of various opera works most recently including Verdi’s »Otello« (2022), Strauss’s »Ariadne auf Naxos« (2019), Debussy’s »Pelléas et Mélisande« (May 2017), Bartók’s »Miraculous Mandarin« and »Bluebeard’s Castle« (April 2016), and Janáček’s »Cunning Little Vixen« (2014 and 2017).

Since 1918, there have been seven different music directors at the orchestra’s helm – Nikolay Sokolov, Artur Rodziński, Erich Leinsdorf, George Szell, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst – who have led the orchestra and shaped its technical quality and sound. Thanks to concerts at home, tours abroad, broadcasts, and a catalogue of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is today attracting an ever-growing number of listeners around the world.

The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the world’s preeminent orchestras. It strives to share the transformative power of music with the widest possible audience, and to create joy, connection, and excitement through music in the Philadelphia region, across the country, and around the world.Through innovative programming, robust educational initiatives, and an ongoing commitment to the communities that it serves, the ensemble is on a path to create an expansive future for classical music, and to further the place of the arts in an open and democratic society.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin is now in his 10th season as the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. His connection to the ensemble’s musicians has been praised by both concertgoers and critics, and he is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra, audiences, and the community.

»Your« Philadelphia Orchestra takes great pride in its hometown, performing for the people of Philadelphia year-round, from Verizon Hall to community centers, the Mann Center to Penn’s Landing, classrooms to hospitals, and over the airwaves and online.

In March 2020, in response to the cancellation of concerts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Orchestra launched the Virtual Philadelphia Orchestra, a portal hosting video and audio of performances, free, on its website and social media platforms. In September 2020 the Orchestra announced »Our World NOW«, its reimagined season of concerts filmed without audiences and presented on its Digital Stage. The Orchestra also inaugurated free offerings: HearTOGETHER, a series on racial and social justice; educational activities; and »Our City, Your Orchestra«, small ensemble performances from locations throughout the Philadelphia region.

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s award-winning educational and community initiatives engage over 50,000 students, families, and community members of all ages through programs such as PlayINs, side-by-sides, PopUP concerts, Free Neighborhood Concerts, School Concerts, the School Partnership Program and School Ensemble Program, and All City Orchestra Fellowships.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador. It performs annually at Carnegie Hall, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Bravo! Vail Music Festival.The Orchestra also has a rich touring history, having first performed outside Philadelphia in its earliest days. In 1973 it was the first American orchestra to perform in the People’s Republic of China, launching a five-decade commitment of people-to-people exchange.

The Orchestra also makes live recordings available on popular digital music services. Under Yannick’s leadership, the Orchestra returned to recording, with 10 celebrated releases on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label, including the »Grammy Award«-winning Florence Price Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3. The Orchestra also reaches thousands of radio listeners with weekly broadcasts on WRTI-FM and SiriusXM.

is among today’s most distinguished conductors. The 2022/23 season marks his 21st year as music director of The Cleveland Orchestra. With the future of their acclaimed partnership extended to 2027, he will be the longest-serving musical leader in the ensemble’s history. »The New York Times« has declared Cleveland under Welser-Möst’s direction to be »America’s most brilliant orchestra,« praising its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion.

With Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra has been acclaimed for its inventive programming, its ongoing support for new musical works, and for its innovative work in presenting semi-staged and staged operas. An imaginative approach to juxtaposing newer and older works has opened new dialogue and fresh insights for musicians and audiences alike. The Orchestra has also been hugely successful in fostering a new and, notably, a young audience. To date, the Orchestra and Welser-Möst have been showcased around the world in 19 international tours together. In 2020, despite shutdowns caused by the global pandemic, the ensemble launched its own recording label – and new streaming broadcast performances with the »In Focus« series – to continue and extend sharing their artistry globally.

In addition to his commitment to Cleveland, Mr. Welser-Möst enjoys a particularly close and productive relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic as a guest conductor. He has been selected three times to conduct their celebrated New Year’s Concert, and regularly leads the orchestra in subscription concerts in Vienna, as well as on tours in Japan, China, Australia, and the United States. Highlights of appearances in recent seasons include performances of Strauss’s »Die Aegyptische Helena« at Teatro alla Scala, as well as concerts with the New York Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He is a regular guest at the Salzburg Festival, where his work leading a series of opera performances has been widely admired. These have included »Rusalka«, »Der Rosenkavalier«, »Fidelio«, »Die Liebe der Danae«, Aribert Reimann’s »Lea«r, and Strauss’s »Salome« and »Elektra«. At the 2022 Salzburg Festival, he lead performances of Puccini's »Il Trittico« and the Camerata Salzburg in a program of music by Schubert.

From 2010 to 2014, Franz Welser-Möst served as general music director of the Vienna State Opera. His partnership with the company included a wide-ranging repertoire, including a series of critically praised new productions. Mr. Welser-Möst had earlier led the Zurich Opera across a decade-long tenure, conducting more than 40 new productions.

Franz Welser-Möst’s recordings and videos have won major international awards and honors. With The Cleveland Orchestra, his recordings include a number of DVDs on the Clasart Classic label, featuring live performances of five Bruckner symphonies and a multi-DVD set of major works by Brahms. A number of his Salzburg opera productions, including »Der Rosenkavalier«, have been released internationally on DVD by Unitel.