René Jacobs is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera.
The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and referred to as the Oscars for classical music. They are widely regarded as the most influential and prestigious classical music awards in the world. According to Matthew Owen, national sales manager for Harmonia Mundi USA, "ultimately it is the classical award, especially worldwide."
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson was an American mezzo-soprano. She was noted for her performances of both Baroque era and contemporary works. Her career path to becoming a singer was unconventional – formerly a professional violist, Lieberson did not shift her full-time focus to singing until she was in her thirties.
Elisabeth Sara "Elly" Ameling is a Dutch soprano, who is particularly known for lieder recitals and for performing works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Performing with distinguished pianists and ensembles around the globe, she was awarded various honours and recording prizes.
Andrew Manze is a British conductor and violinist, noted for his interpretation of Baroque violin music.
Ian Charles Bostridge CBE is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer.
Magdalena Kožená, Lady Rattle is a Czech mezzo-soprano.
The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has also given concerts in other German cities such as Aschaffenburg, Essen, Halle, Oldenburg, and Wiesbaden.
Bejun Mehta is an American countertenor. He has been awarded the Echo Klassik, the Gramophone Award, Le Diamant d’Opera Magazine, the Choc de Classica, the Traetta Prize, and been nominated for the Grammy Award, the Laurence Olivier Award, and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Writing in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Michael Stallknecht called him "arguably the best counter tenor in the world today."
Susan Gritton is an English operatic soprano. She was the 1994 winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award and has sung leading roles in a wide-ranging repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Britten, Janáček and Strauss.
Dame Sarah Patricia Connolly is an English mezzo-soprano. Although best known for her baroque and classical roles, Connolly has a wide-ranging repertoire which has included works by Wagner as well as various 20th-century composers. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to music.
Joyce DiDonato is an American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano. She is notable for her interpretations of operas and concert works in the 19th-century romantic era in addition to works by Handel and Mozart.
The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Amsterdam.
Marc Albrecht is a German conductor who lives in The Netherlands. He was chief conductor of the Dutch National Opera, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra from 2009 to 2020.
Julius Drake is an English pianist who works as a song recital accompanist and chamber musician.
Christian Gerhaher is a German baritone and bass singer in opera and concert, particularly known as a Lieder singer.
Hermine Haselböck is an Austrian mezzo-soprano in opera, concert and lied.
Maria Riccarda Wesseling is a Swiss-Dutch operatic mezzo-soprano who has appeared in lead roles at international opera houses and festivals. She created the title role in Henze's last opera, Phaedra, at the Staatsoper Berlin, repeated at La Monnaie in Brussels and in the Barbican Centre.
Sunhae Im is a South Korean soprano. She has been described as a bright and versatile lyric soprano with lightness and coloratura. She first gained her reputation in the field of early music and now performs a wide range of classical and non-classical music.
Sophie Karthäuser is a Belgian operatic soprano. She has performed internationally, especially in roles by Mozart such as Ilia in Idomeneo and Pamina in The Magic Flute. She is also a recitalist, performing and recording for example the complete songs by Mozart and lieder by Hugo Wolf.
