Rachel Helleur-Simcock (b. 1980) [1] is a British cellist and member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. [2] [3] [4]
Born in Ipswich, [2] [3] Rachel studied cello at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and later in Berlin at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". She finished her official training at the Berlin Philharmonic Academy. [2] Helleur then went on to play as a guest musician with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. [2] In 2009 she joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. [4] [2]
Since 2009, Rachel Helleur-Simcock has been a permanent member of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and was previously a member of their Karajan Academy. A portrait from the series "The Berliner Philharmoniker and their instruments" shows the musician in symphony concerts and at work with her string quartet. Helleur-Simcock also describes her 18th-century Italian instrument whose sound she associates with wood and honey. [5]
Sir Simon Denis Rattle is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018, and music director of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2023. He has been chief conductor of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra since September 2023. Among the world's leading conductors, in a 2015 Bachtrack poll, he was ranked by music critics as one of the world's best living conductors.
The Berlin Philharmonic is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Emmanuel Pahud is a Franco-Swiss flautist.
Claudio Abbado was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna State Opera, founder and director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, founder and director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, founding artistic director of the Orchestra Mozart and music director of the European Union Youth Orchestra.
Sarah Chang is a Korean American classical violinist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. She enrolled at Juilliard School to study music, graduated in 1999, and continued university studies. Especially during the 1990s and early to mid-2000s, Chang had major roles as a soloist with many of the world's major orchestras.
Anne-Sophie Mutter is a German violinist. Born and raised in Rheinfelden, Baden-Württemberg, Mutter started playing the violin at age five and continued studies in Germany and Switzerland. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan and made her orchestral debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1977. Since Mutter gained prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, she has recorded over 50 albums, mostly with the Deutsche Grammophon label, and performed as a soloist with leading orchestras worldwide and as a recitalist. Her primary instrument is the Lord Dunn–Raven Stradivarius violin.
Iván Fischer is a Hungarian conductor and composer.
Tabea Zimmermann is a German violist who has performed internationally, both as a soloist and a chamber musician. She has been artist in residence of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, Zimmermann founded the Arcanto Quartet, a string quartet that performed until 2016. Several composers have written music for her, including György Ligeti, and she has made her own version of Bartók's Viola Concerto from the composer's sketches.
This is the discography of Simon Rattle and other produced works by the English conductor.
Brian James Large is a television director and author. He is among the world's foremost TV directors specializing in opera and classical music.
Rainer Seegers is a German percussionist, former principal timpanist of the Berlin Philharmonic, tutor of the European Union Youth Orchestra and guest professor at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". Seegers is also a timpani soloist who has championed the unusual repertoire for timpani and orchestra.
Yuja Wang is a Chinese pianist. Born in Beijing, she began learning piano there at age six, and went on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Anna Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir is an Icelandic composer. She has been called "one of Iceland's most celebrated composers", and was the 2012 winner of the Nordic Council Music Prize. Her music is frequently performed in Europe and in the United States, and is often influenced by landscapes and nature.
Daishin Kashimoto is a Japanese classical violinist. Since 2009, he has been the first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Iwona Sobotka is a Polish soprano and Grand Prix Winner of the Queen Elizabeth Music Competition.
Sarah Elizabeth Peel Willis is an American-born British-American French horn player. She is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic, and is a presenter of TV and online programs about classical music.
Seong-Jin Cho is a South Korean pianist. He was the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, the first from his country. Since then, he has regularly performed as a soloist with the world's foremost orchestras.
The Karajan Academy is a music academy in Berlin, Germany, associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, that trains young orchestral musicians.
Diana Tishchenko is a Ukrainian born classical violinist and the winner of the International Long Thibaud Crespin Competition in Paris 2018. Named "Rising Star" by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) in 2020, she has performed at the leading concert halls of Europe.
The Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is a Ukrainian national youth orchestra founded by conductor Oksana Lyniv in 2016. She has conducted the orchestra in major concerts halls and festivals in Europe.