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Hannah Stone, former Harpist to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London where she gained a B.Mus. and M.Mus. degree. As part of her Master’s degree, she accepted an Erasmus Exchange place at the Universitat Mozarteum, Salzburg, to study with Professor Helga Storck.
During her studies at the Guildhall Hannah was selected to represent the Guildhall School in collaboration with the Academies Festival Orchestra, Singapore. This project culminated in an opening gala performance for the Singapore Sun Festival at the Esplanade Theatre with Dame Kiri te Kanawa. In 2010 Hannah returned to Wales to further her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, supported by the Victor Salvi Scholarship and graduated in 2012.
A National and International Eisteddfod winner, Hannah was also a major prize winner at the Franz Joseph Reinl Competition in Vienna, the Camac Harp Competition in London and the International Harp Competition in Caernarfon.
Hannah has performed at many notable venues including the Barbican Centre, LSO St Luke’s, St John’s Smith Square, Museum of London, National Concert Hall in Dublin, St David’s Hall and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. In 2010 Hannah was appointed principal harpist with the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra touring Europe. She has performed as guest soloist with orchestras including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Sinfonia Cymru, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra, Istanbul.
Hannah has performed for members of the Royal Family on several occasions including performances during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour of Wales. During the 2014 NATO Conference Dinner at Cardiff Castle, Hannah performed for the NATO delegates who included the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel and former Prime Minister, David Cameron.
She has given recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival, Litchfield Festival, Kings Lynn Festival, Kings Place, London and at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace. Hannah gave the World Premiere of ‘St Asaph’s Dance’ by Karl Jenkins in 2012 and ‘Amaterasu’ by Gareth Glyn in 2015 at the North Wales International Music Festival. Abroad, she has given recitals in Italy, Tokyo and Melbourne.
Broadcasts include ‘Bryn Terfel’s Christmas’, ‘Carols from Llandudno’, ‘Noson Lawen’ and ‘Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol’ for S4C and ‘In Tune’ for BBC Radio 3. Hannah features on Catrin Finch’s ‘Lullabies’ on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
In 2016 Hannah gave recitals in Toronto and Vancouver and recent engagements include performances at the Verbier Festival, Cardiff’s ‘Festival of Voice’, ‘Alison Balsom and Friends’ concert at the Royal Albert Hall and a memorial service for Lord Snowdon at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey.
After studying visual arts and cinema, Arthur Nauzyciel entered the Théâtre National de Chaillot school directed by Antoine Vitez in 1987.
He created his first stage productions in 1999.
He works regularly in the United States and also stages dance and opera. He directed the CDN d’Orléans from 2007 to 2016 and has been director of the Théâtre National de Bretagne since 2017.
Jian Wang began to study the cello with his father when he was four. While a student at the Shanghai Conservatoire, he was featured in the celebrated documentary film From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. In 1981, at 12 years old, Jian made his professional debut playing the Saint Saens cello concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Music Hall. In 1985, with Mr Stern’s encouragement, he entered the Yale School of Music under a special programme where he studied with the renowned cellist Aldo Parisot.
As a soloist, Jian Wang has performed with many of the worlds leading orchestras, including Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, Chicago, Boston and Detroit Symphonies, , London Symphony, the Halle, the BBC orchestras, Zurich Tonhalle, Gothenburg Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic, Santa Cecilia, La Scala, Mahler Chamber, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Czech Philhamonic, and NHK Symphony. These concerts have been with many of the greatest conductors, such as Abbado, Sawallisch, Jarvi, Chailly, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Chung, Gilbert and Gustavo Dudamel. Jian Wang also collaborates frequently with all the major Chinese Orchestras, including Shanghai Symphony, China Philharmonic, China NCPA orchestra, China National orchestra, Guangzhou, Shenzhen symphony orchestras and Hangzhou Philharmonic. These concerts have been with one of his closest musical partners Long Yu, as well as Muhai Tang, Chen Zuo Huang, Lu Jia, Zhang Guo Yong, Yang Yang, Xu Zhong, Lin Da Ye, Jing Huan and Zhang Jie Ming. Jian Wang was appointed as the first ever Artist in Residence by the China National Center for Performing Arts, also by the Shanghai Symphony orchestra. As a jury member, Jian Wang has judged many of the most important competitions, including the Tchaikovsky cello competition, the Queen Elizabeth cello competition, the Weiniawsky Violin Competition, the Isaac Stern violin competition and the Nielsen violin competition. Jian Wang now serves as the International Chair of the Cello for the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He also serves as a member of Artistic committee for the Shanghai Symphony and Hangzhou Philharmonic. Since 2022, Jian Wang is a cello professor at the Shanghai Conservatory.
Jian Wang has made many recordings, his latest releases being the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He has also recorded an album of short pieces for Cello and Guitar titled Reverie, the complete Bach Cello Suites and a Baroque Album with the Camerata Salzburg, Brahms Double Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado and Gil Shaham, the Haydn Concerti with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under Muhai Tang, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time (with Myung-Whun Chung, Gil Shaham and Paul Meyer) and Brahms, Mozart and Schumann chamber music with Pires and Dumay. His instrument is graciously loaned to him by the family of the late Mr. Sau-Wing Lam.
Jing Huan currently serves as Principal Conductor of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra. She also serves on the boards of the China Musicians Association and Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI). In August 2022, she participated in the 2022 National Outstanding Young Artists (Conductors) Showcase organized by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Musicians Association. On that occasion, she was selected among the “Top Ten Young Conductors of China.”
A graduate of Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music who received her training with Professor Xu Xin, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting in 2009 at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) under the tutelage of Mark Gibson, where she was awarded a full scholarship to continue her doctoral studies, concurrently serving as the Conductor Assistant of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), including the CSO’s May Festival (2011–2013). During the same period, she was also Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Artaria Chamber Orchestra.
In June 2012, Jing Huan was one of two prizewinners at the inaugural Li Delun National Conducting Competition held in Qingdao, China. In the same year, she participated in the Campos do Jordão International Festival in São Paulo, where her outstanding performance led to an invitation by Maestra Marin Alsop to serve as Assistant Conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony’s 2013 music season. That same year, Jing Huan and her work with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra attracted the attention of Maestro Long Yu, which led to her appointment at the GSO.
In December 2013, Jing Huan made her critically-acclaimed debut concert as the Resident Conductor of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, leading soloist Maxim Vengerov in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Since then, she has received invitations and collaborated with such orchestras as the China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, Shenzhen Symphony, Hangzhou Philharmonic, Guiyang Symphony, Ningbo Symphony, Xi’an Symphony, Qingdao Symphony, Sichuan Symphony, Shaanxi Symphony, Xinjiang Symphony, Kunming Nie Er Symphony, Shenyang Symphony, Macao Orchestra,Macao Chinese Orchestra and Tianjin Julliard Symphony during their music seasons, garnering much praise. She has collaborated with such renowned soloists as Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Rudolf Buchbinder, Vadim Repin, Gil Shaham, Midori, Robert Blocker, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Jian Wang, Lü Siqing, Li-Wei Qin, Zhang Haochen, Chen Sa, Warren Mok, Liao Changyong, Liang Ning and Huang Ying.
In 2014, Jing Huan was appointed as Music Director of the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO). Under her leadership, the orchestra charted remarkable progress and made their first tour to Europe, appearing at the Berlin Philharmonie under the auspices of Young Euro Classic in August 2015. Jing Huan’s achievements at the helm of the GSYO attracted the attention of Jeunesses Musicales International, and she was elected to serve on JMI’s Board in July 2016.
In October 2016, Jing Huan presented a concert entitled “In Love with Shakespeare” at the Beijing Music Festival to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. In January 2017, she was appointed Secretary-General of the Artistic Committee of Youth Music Culture Guangdong (YMCG) and conducted its critically-acclaimed opening concert.
In May 2017, Jing Huan conducted the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra on their European tour to Italy and the United Kingdom. Three months later, she led the GSYO on their Asia tour to Sydney, Jakarta and Singapore for cultural exchange. In late July 2018, she returned with the GSYO to Europe, performing in Lyon (France), Prague (Czech Republic) and the Musica Riva Festival, Lago di Garda (Italy). In July 2019, she led the GSYO on tour to Japan, performing at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and the Fukuoka Symphony Hall, the latter as part of a cultural exchange commemorating the 40th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Guangzhou and Fukuoka.
Born in Timișoara (Western Romania) in 1988 to a family of classical musicians, Dinu Mihailescu is a Romanian pianist who lives in Switzerland since 2009. He studied at the Haute Ecole de Musique (HEM) in Geneva. In 2021 he received his PhD in Music at the University of the West in Timișoara. Dinu has performed as a soloist with the main orchestras of Romania as well as with the Orchestra of the HEM of Geneva and the Orchestra of the Festival of Gijón-Candás. He has taken part in various international competitions and festivals such as the Millennium 30 Piano Festival of Gijón (Spain), Puplinge Classique (Switzerland), Les Estivales de Megève (France), and the Geneva International Piano Competition (2012).
In Switzerland he has performed in important venues such as the YehudiMenuhin Forum in Bern, the Ansermet Studio of the Swiss Radio and Television (Geneva) and the Franz Liszt Hall of the Conservatoire de Musique, among others. In 2020 he made his debut at Victoria Hall in Geneva in a concert for a 2-piano duo called OXY MORE, with the Swiss pianist Philippe Boaron.
Dinu Mihailescu was awarded numerous prizes, including the 2nd Prize at the Béla Bartók International Piano Competition (Hungary, 2017), the 2nd Prize at the Nice International Piano Competition (France, 2016), and the Rotary Club Award for Excellence for his participation in Art and Culture in Romania (Timișoara, 2018). Since 2017 Dinu has been teaching piano at the Popular Conservatory of Music, Dance and Theater in Geneva (Switzerland) and the Music School of Lausanne, and he is increasingly dedicated to mixing classical, modern and contemporary piano repertoires.
To that end, his most recent projects include an audio-video recording of Max Richter’s piano music complemented by piano works from the romantic era (Fr. Schubert, F. Chopin, and R. Schumann).
Alessandra Cossu wears many hats at the Verbier Festival, serving as both Manager of Volunteers and Manager of Press. With a background in communication and a deep passion for human connection, she plays a key role in shaping the Festival’s spirit on and off the stage. Outside of Verbier, she is the founder of Poetic Yoga, where she explores the intersection of movement, breath, and creativity.
Theresa Leonard is a highly sought-after audio professional with extensive expertise in all aspects of music production, including audio post-production and broadcast. Her impressive portfolio of work comprises hundreds of high-profile, award-winning, and nominated recording projects, with a diverse range of international artists such as the Gryphon Trio, The St Lawrence String Quartet, The Dover String Quartet, Pacific Opera Victoria, Victoria Symphony, and The National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada). Leonard has received international recognition for her commitment to excellence in audio training and research, which she demonstrated during her tenure as Director of Audio at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Through her leadership, she has provided unparalleled educational opportunities for multiple generations of audio engineers, both through the Banff mentorship program and her presidency and fellowship with the Audio Engineering Society. As a result, she has been instrumental in shaping the careers of future leaders in the field, preparing them for major positions in the music technology and audio industries. Leonard’s expertise extends beyond production and engineering, as she continues to serve as a consultant, director, and/or faculty, with several international music festivals and academic institutions, including Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and the Verbier Festival Academy. Theresa holds a Master of Music degree in sound recording from McGill University and bachelor’s degrees in both music and education.
Renowned for his work alongside Peter Jackson and Howard Shore on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mark Willsher moves seamlessly between roles as producer, sound engineer, mixer, and supervising music editor. His expertise spans a wide range of genres, from film to classical, folk, and hip-hop. Recent projects include Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim by New Line Cinema (Composer: Stephen Gallagher), Netflix’s animated feature Ultraman Rising (Composer: Scot Stafford), and the San Francisco Symphony’s recording of Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho (Music Director: Esa-Pekka Salonen), which earned him a Grammy® Award for Best Opera Recording as mixing engineer.
Alongside his production work, Willsher is actively involved in audio education as both a guest lecturer and visiting faculty. He has lectured at The Peabody Institute, MIT, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was guest faculty in audio at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada for seventeen years. Since 2023, he has been a guest faculty member at the Verbier Festival Academy. He is also part of the panel of immersive audio experts for the ECHO Project, a collaborative research initiative on 3D microphone array techniques for orchestral recording, supported by major industry sponsors.
With a background in music performance and a deep understanding of all technical aspects of the recording process, Willsher’s guiding philosophy is to create recordings that allow listeners to be fully immersed in the emotional experience—free from awareness of speakers, microphones, editing, or mixing. His personal studio is a fully equipped immersive mixing space with a hybrid analogue/digital workflow.
Since 2016, Mark Willsher has lived in North London with his wife, violinist Cecily Ward, and their two Portuguese Water Dogs, Francie and Lando.
Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, pianist and cellist. She has a phenomenal mastery for seamlessly crossing the boundaries of classical, jazz, reggae, soul and R&B, to imprint her unique musical signature with her virtuosic tap, strum and bow with her cello into her sound and vibe.
“As a second-generation Jamaican born in Britain, my music is a body of work that represents, celebrates and pays homage to my ancestral heritage, culture and identity,” explains Ayanna.
An acclaimed and celebrated performer, Ayanna has collaborated with many stellar artists, including Anoushka Shankar, Nitin Sawhney, Andrea Bocelli and Jools Holland. She has also toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the US.
After graduating with a first-class degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Manhattan School of Music, Ayanna participated in the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik Young Composers Scheme. Soon after, as Emerging Artist in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre, Ayanna performed as a featured artist with Courtney Pine’s Afropeans: Jazz Warriors. Later, whilst studying in the USA at New York’s Manhattan School of Music, she became the only non-American to win ‘Amateur Night Live at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem, NYC.
As a composer, Ayanna has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Güerzenich Orchester, Ligeti Quartet, Kronos Quartet and The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company to name but a few. She was also selected as an arranger/orchestrator for the London Symphony Orchestra (Hugh Masekela, Belief) and the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Urban Classic).
Ayanna has released three EPs (‘Truthfully’, ‘Black Panther’ & ‘Ella, Reuben & Ay’) and put out her debut album ‘Road Runner’ in 2019, with its two subsequent singles’ Nothing Less’ and ‘Crossroads’, via her own independent record label (Hill and Gully Records). Ayanna has worked with producers Marc Mac (4Hero), James Yarde (Terri Walker, Jamelia, Eric Benet) and recorded with featured artists, including pianist Robert Mitchell and rapper Akala.
With her January 2021 surprise-released EP ‘Rise Up, Ayanna again combined reggae, classical, jazz and R&B to celebrate black culture and identity to uplift and inspire the next generation. The stunning collection of three tracks and videos featuring Akala on ‘Rise Up’, Cleveland Watkiss on ‘Declaration Of Rights’ and the ‘Rise Up Riddim’ have received a huge amount of critical acclaim.
Ayanna said, ‘In ‘Rise Up’, I created a song with a strong message specifically influenced by my Jamaican heritage. The starting point was a dancehall riddim that informed the main cello riff. Lyrically, I challenged myself to create something uplifting with an uplifting message, and it just flowed. I wrote the song for the next generation in the black community to remember they are the key to the future. To celebrate their culture and to be proud of it. Now is not the time to give up on your dreams. No matter how hard things seem, Rise Up, embrace our history and claim our birth rights of freedom and joy.”
Many of Ayanna’s remarkable tracks have received airplay on radio stations, including BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, 2, 3, 4, 6, BBC Radio London, BBC Manchester, Jazz FM and Scala Radio. Her TV credits include BBC One, London Live, Channel 4 (Sing It Loud: Black and Proud), BBC Proms and a stunning performance on Later…with Jools Holland (BBC One).
Despite the challenges of 2020, Ayanna took it all in her stride and continued to create music. She performed a special Livestream for Royal Albert Hall, took part in Trinity Laban’s Virtual Orchestra and picked up an AIM Award nomination for ‘Best Live Act’. In addition, she presented two shows at Wigmore Hall, appeared on BBC Radio 3’s ‘This Classical Life’ podcast, co-wrote and featured on Anoushka Shankar’s Grammy single ‘Those Words’ from the Grammy-nominated Love Letters EP. Ayanna also collaborated with and featured on Nitin Sawhney’s stunning single ‘Movement Variation II’ taken from his acclaimed recent album ‘Immigrants’.
2021 was a stellar year for Ayanna. Collaborating with Solem Quartet as part of their Beethoven Bartok Now series, she has also had her song ‘Draw the Line’, commissioned by The Hermes Experiment, and featured on their sophomore album ‘Songs’. Ayanna also featured on the track called ‘Flow My Tears’ with John Aram, the arranger for Phil Collins. The song is a slick, modern-day reimagining of English composer John Dowland’s 400- year-old music. That year saw Ayanna return to the live stage, headlining at London’s iconic Jazz Café and Kings Place. She made additional performances supporting Nubiyan Twist on their UK tour, participating in ‘Jazz Voice’ (the opening of the London Jazz Festival) at the Royal Festival Hall and a 22-date US tour with Opera superstar Andrea Bocelli.
Now in 2022, Ayanna continues her composition work with several commissions for ensembles and orchestras, including a Royal Philharmonic Society Commission for the Philharmonia Ensemble. Her talent has seen her compose for the sold out, hit theatre production, ‘The Collaboration’, at London’s Young Vic Theatre, and compose for the renowned documentary ‘Hostile’ whilst working on her sophomore album.
With two headlined shows at London’s Purcell Rooms, and a headlined show at Wigmore Hall featuring guest artists, Ayanna’s continues to inspire with her composition ‘FAIYA!’ performed by the LSO in Trafalgar Square (conducted by Sir Simon Rattle), and collaborating on a number of live performances with ‘Solem Quartet’ of her composition ‘Island Suite’, which was originally commissioned by them as part of their ‘Beethoven Bartok Now Part IV’ series.
Venturing into new territories, Ayanna has been cast in a cameo role in the new Amazon Prime series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Anansi Boys’, alongside greats such as Whoopi Goldberg, which airs in 2023.
Ayanna is a performer of extraordinary versatility, due to her musical prowess, mesmerising vocals, non-compromising lyrics, and ability to deftly reinterpret songs on the cello. Her must-see live shows are intimate journeys that chronicle her experience as a female artist in the 21st century.
Ayanna Witter-Johnson is the very definition of eclectic soul.