ACCENTUS Music

Label

ACCENTUS Music was founded by Paul Smaczny after 20 years at EuroArts. Drawing on the experience of a wealth of producers and editors, ACCENTUS Music creates high quality operatic, concert and documentary DVDs. Highlights have included a recent critically acclaimed production of Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra performing Bruckner's 5th Symphony, which won a Gramophone Award in 2012. WildKatPR manage a press and marketing campaign across Europe, working alongside the world-class artists producing DVDs with the company, including major forthcoming releases with Riccardo Chailly and a documentary on Daniel Barenboim.

Andrew Staples

Tenor

Andrew Staples was a member of the Benjamin Britten International Opera School at the RCM. In concert he has appeared with the Rotterdam Philharmonic with Yannick Nézet Séguin, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Swedish Radio, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Harding and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. He made his Royal Opera House debut as Jacquino (Fidelio) and sang Belfiore (La Finta Giardiniera) for La Monnaie in Brussels and the National Theatre, Prague. In 2013 he returns to the Royal Opera House to sing Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. He is also the founder of the innovative Vignette Productions and co-founder of Opera for Change, which will see a team of musicians tour a festival of stories and songs from Nairobi to Cape Town.

Anika Vavic

Pianist

“extraordinarily gifted” pianist Anika Vavic made her performance debut at Vienna's Konzerthaus in 2003 where she continues to perform frequently. She works regularly with orchestras such as the Mariinsky Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic and the MDR Orchestra Leipzig and performs at festivals, including the "White Nights" festival in St. Petersburg, the Istanbul Music Festival and Valery Gergiev's Mikkelli Festival in Finland. Her latest recital disc featuring works by Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin and Prokofiev has been released to great acclaim. Her upcoming performance highlights include concerts with the Mariinsky Orchestra in July 2013, her debut performances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the BBC Proms and at the Enescu Festival in August 2013 and her return to the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2014.

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Augustin Dumay

Violinist and conductor

Augustin Dumay is one of the greatest classical musicians of his generation. His career has seen astonishing breadth of accomplishment in both fields of chamber music and orchestra, where he has distinguished himself as a world-class soloist and conductor. He is Musical Director of the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie and Musical Director of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka. WildKat PR will be managing a European-wide campaign covering Dumay’s latest CD releases with Onyx Classics. His latest release is Franck and Strauss Violin Sonatas with pianist Louis Lortie.

Christopher Monks

Artistic Director

Conductor and keyboard player Christopher Monks is the founder and Artistic Director of Armonico Consort – an arts organisation which has won widespread acclaim for its engaging programming that brings classical music to new audiences. With the Consort, Christopher has founded the AC Academy, a nationwide education initiative, which has brought choral music to more than 100,000 children in the UK and sees over 700 children sing in an AC Academy choir each week. He has also created a programme which has created scores of new choirs and choir leaders in schools in London, Coventry, Telford, the Midlands and Warwickshire. On 10th March, 1,500 young singers from AC Academy choirs will perform at a gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Daniel Harding

Conductor

Daniel Harding began his conducting career assisting Sir Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado and is now Music Director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and Music Partner of the New Japan Philharmonic; as well as Artistic Director of the Ohga Hall in Karuizawa, Japan and Conductor Laureate of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. His upcoming engagements include an international tour with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, with a performance at the BBC Proms.

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Daniel Hope

Violinist

Daniel Hope is renowned for his musical versatility and creativity and for his dedication to humanitarian causes. Raised and educated in England, Hope earned degrees at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with renowned Russian pedagogue Zakhar Bron. Named by the Observer as “the most exciting British string player since Jacqueline du Pré“, Daniel Hope has shared the stage with all the world’s major orchestras and conductors and regularly directs chamber orchestras from the violin. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2007, Hope has earned numerous Grammy nominations, a Classical BRIT award, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and five ECHO Klassik Prizes. Hope has an impressive catalogue of albums, including the recent “Recomposed by Max Richter” release.

Daniel Hope is Associate Music Director of the Savannah Music Festival and Artistic Director at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Summer Festival in Germany. He has also published three bestselling books. WildKat PR will be managing Daniel’s communications and media strategy across Europe, with a particular emphasis on the UK, where he will be performing at the BBC Proms on 29th July.

David Finkel and Wu Han

Musicians and Artistic Directors

David Finckel and Wu Han are an incredibly unique pairing in the classical music industry. They are both established and celebrated soloists and chamber musicians: David is a distinguished cellist, who played in the Emerson String Quartet as well as his role as Professor of Cello at the Julliard School, honouree and Artistic Director of the Mendelssohn Fellowship in Korea; Wu Han is a world-renowned pianist who has enjoyed an illustrious performance career as well as being a musical entrepreneur in partnership with David. They were both selected as Musical America's Musicians of the Year 2012.

As Artistic Directors they have created festivals around the world such as Music@Menlo in California and Chamber Music Today in South Korea, and since 2004, they have led The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York. Together they launched ArtistLed in 1997, the world’s first record label for classical music run by musicians and based online.

Guy Johnston

Cellist

Guy Johnston enjoys a career as an international soloist, chamber musician and educator. He has appeared as a soloist with some of the world's leading orchestras and at festivals including the BBC Proms and is a founding member of the Aronowitz Ensemble, with whom he has performed internationally. Guy is patron of a number of performing arts charities, including Future Talent, and he will be working with Music First who provides opportunities for musical education for young people of all backgrounds. In 2012 Guy launched the Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival, dedicated to bringing outstanding musicians to beautiful venues in Hertfordshire. (Image credit: Jack Liebeck)

Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival

Festival

Under the guidance of Artistic Director Guy Johnston and Patron The Marquess of Salisbury, the Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival aims to bring together internationally renowned musicians to perform a rich and varied programme of chamber music. Performers at the inaugural festival included Jack Liebeck, the Aronowitz Ensemble and The Sixteen. Also in 2012 the festival's outreach event for school children: 'Bows and Arias', which was developed in association with Wigmore Hall, saw hundred's of local children participate in workshops with world-class musicians.

Katherine Bryan

Flautist

Flautist Katherine Bryan made her concerto debut at the age of just 15 with Daniel Harding and the Orchestra of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, and later made her US concerto debut at the Lincoln Center with The Juilliard Orchestra after being awarded a full scholarship to study at The Juilliard School, New York. At the age of just 21, Katherine was appointed Principal Flute with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra - a position she holds today in addition to appearing as concerto soloist with leading orchestras worldwide. This May, Katherine releases her second album, a disc of Flute Concertos by Rouse, Ibert and more.

Klara Min

Pianist and Entrepreneur

South Korean Klara Min is one of the most prodigious pianists of her generation, and has performed extensively both in solo recitals and with orchestras across the world. She made her New York recital debut in 2002 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and her Alice Tully Hall debut in 2012. In April 2013 Klara will make her Wigmore Hall debut in London. Klara releases her next album, a recording of Chopin Mazurka's on the Delos label in March 2013. Her first CD, ‘Ripples on Water’ (Naxos, 2011) met with enthusiastic praise: “her dynamic control is out of this world…a top-notch artist in my book”.

Lionel Bringuier

Conductor

From the 14/15 season, Lionel Bringuier has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich is currently in his sixth and final season as Resident Conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has conducted many of Europe and America's most important orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

The National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain

Orchestras

The National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain was formed in 1978 by Vivienne Price MBE. It provides young people with a world-class foundation for orchestral performance and musicianship, bringing together hundreds of 7-14 year old like-minded, talented musicians from across the country to be guided by top professional artists and as a result, offer them a life-changing experience. They have performed in a wide variety of concert venues, from the Royal Albert Hall in London to the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. The NCO is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year with a spectacular gala concert for all age-banded orchestras at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. WildKat PR will be working with NCO on their upcoming events and projects.

Orchestra Musica Romantica

Orchestra

Violinist Jörg Hammann of the London Symphony Orchestra, has recently founded the Orchestra Musica Romantica, and will be conducting this exciting new ensemble. With musicians from a number of professional orchestras, such as the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin's, and regular extras from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble also introduces several students from some of London’s most prestigious music colleges.

With a diverse range of musical experience, from period to symphonic ensembles, and through his encounters with orchestras from across Europe, Jörg Hammann promises an extensive variety of music with the Orchestra Musica Romantica. Jörg will also be raising both money and awareness for support for ACTION Medical Research: a charity which funds some of the best medical research worldwide for pregnancies, infants, and children.

Philipp von Steinaecker

Conductor

Philipp von Steinaecker is a critically acclaimed German conductor and cellist, responsible for founding Musica Saeculorum; an international period instrument orchestra based in Italy. Having extensively played and conducted a wide range of classical music, he has developed a distinct and profound understanding of the repertoire that has lead him to work with leading conductors including Rattle, Gardiner, Harding and Jurowski. This season sees him work with the Orchestra della Toscana, the Gustav Mahler Academy Orchestra, the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, New Japan Philharmonic as well as his debut in the Kölner Philharmonie with his own Musica Saeculorum.

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Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel

Centre of Excellence for Artistic Training

The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel was a founded by Eugene Ysaye in the early 20th century, and was inaugurated by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium herself on the 12th of July 1939. The training of its pupils is based on three pillars: Openness, Flexibility and Excellence. The school welcome students from all around the world, tailoring the experience to each one individually and hosts some of the world’s most revered musicians as its Masters in Residence. Set in a stunning location not far from the city of Brussels, the beautiful architecture of the school is set to be expanded in 2014, in order to accommodate even more students to shape into world-class musicians.

WildKat PR will be running international campaigns for all of the Chapel's upcoming engagements.

Rachael Young

Conductor

Rachael Young began her conducting career in 2007 after having studied in her native New Zealand, the United States and the UK. She is trained in the Russian system of conducting and has been mentored by Maestro Leonid Grin – Paavo Järvi’s former teacher and former assistant to Leonard Bernstein.

Since 2007 Rachael has conducted the St Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra, the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, the South Bohemian Chamber Orchestra, the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra and the English Sinfonia.

Rachael will conduct a series of concerts with the Russian Virtuosi of Europe at London’s Cadogan Hall in the 2012/2013 season.

Website

Rustem Hayroudinoff

Pianist

Described by Lazar Berman as 'a serious artist and master, whose emergence in today's atmosphere of pseudo-artistic and shallow music-making is especially valuable and welcome', Russian pianist, Rustem Hayroudinoff, has performed to great critical acclaim worldwide, most recently making his debut in New York performing with the Czech Philharmonic under the great Marin Alsop. Rustem has recorded for NAMI records, Decca and Chandos and has been selected amongst the best CDs of the year by BBC Music and Classic FM magazines.

Website

Tarisio Auctions

Internet Auction House

Tarisio is one the world’s leading sources of fine and rare stringed instruments. Launched in 1999, it combines the services of a traditional auction house with the efficiency and accessibility of online sales. Offering first-class expertise and guaranteed cataloging, Tarisio quickly earned the respect of musicians, collectors, restorers and members of the trade the world over. It now sells over 2,000 violins, viola, cellos and bows each year, with offices in New York and London. In 2011 Tarisio sold the “Lady Blunt” Stradivari violin on behalf of the Nippon Foundation for $15.9m.

Thomas Kemp

Conductor

Thomas Kemp has established himself as one of Britain’s leading musicians working internationally as a conductor: a versatile artist who is equally acclaimed for his interpretation of classical repertoire as well as music of 20th and 21st Century. He is the founder and music director of Music@Malling Festival and music director of Chamber Domaine. A highly acclaimed artist, his dynamic commitment and virtuosic performances combined with innovative and ground breaking programming have received wide-spread critical praise. He has worked worldwide as a concertmaster and chamber musician and in 2012 he made his debut with London's Opera Holland Park to great acclaim.

Whitgift School

Independent Boys School and International Music Competition

Whitgift is one of Britain’s leading independent schools for boys, with an outstanding reputation for academic, sporting and musical excellence. In 2013, Whitgift’s inaugural International Music Competition will offer young string musicians the opportunity of a scholarship to study at the School, as well as unique performing opportunities with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Whitgift also launches boarding in September 2013, opening up its state-of-the-art facilities to UK and international pupils.

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William Berger

Baritone

Baritone William Berger's innovative approach to story telling saw him achieve great critical acclaim for his debut recital disc, Insomnia: A Nocturnal Voyage in Song, which was released on Delphian Records in 2012. The narrative, devised by William for his debut at the Lucerne Festival in 2011, leads the listener on an imaginary voyage through the night. Also in 2012 William made his debut in the title role of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo with La Nuova Musica, made his return to Garsington Opera for their production of Vivaldi's L'Olimpiade and toured Scotland with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Upcoming highlights include the release of his new disc of arias by Mozart, Haydn and Cimarosa with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Linn Records in 2013.