STRAVINSKY ’ S THE FIREBIRD
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jonathon Heyward
Jonathon Heyward is forging a career as one of the most exciting conductors on the international scene . He currently serves as Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , having made his debut with BSO in March 2022 in three performances that included the first-ever performance of Shostakovich ’ s Symphony No . 15 . From summer 2024 , Jonathon will become Renée and Robert Belfer Music Director of Lincoln Center ’ s Summer Orchestra . This appointment follows a highly acclaimed Lincoln Center debut with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra in summer 2022 , as part of their Summer for the City festival .
Currently in his third year as Chief Conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie , in summer 2021 , Jonathon took part in an intense , two-week residency with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain which led to a highly acclaimed BBC Proms debut . According to The Guardian , Jonathon delivered “ a fast and fearless performance of Beethoven ’ s Eroica Symphony , in which loud chords exploded , repeating like fireworks in the hall ’ s dome , and the quietest passages barely registered . It was exuberant , exhilarating stuff .”
Jonathon ’ s recent and future guest conducting highlights in the United Kingdom include debuts and re-invitations with the London Symphony Orchestra , BBC National Orchestra of Wales , BBC Symphony , Royal Scottish National Orchestra , The Hallé in Manchester , National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin , and Scottish Chamber Orchestra . In continental Europe , amongst Jonathon ’ s recent and forthcoming debuts are collaborations with the Castilla y León Symphony , Galicia Symphony , Danish National Symphony , Basel Symphony , Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne , Brussels Philharmonic , Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine , Tonhalle Düsseldorf , Hamburg Symphony and MDR- Leipzig Symphony . Across the 2023 – 24 season , Jonathon makes his Australian debut with the Melbourne Symphony and his New Zealand debut with the Auckland Philharmonia .
In 2021 , Jonathon made his Wolf Trap debut conducting the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC , and in 2023 he made his debut with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival . Further significant highlights in the United States include collaborations with the New York Philharmonic ; the Atlanta , Detroit , Houston , Seattle , and St Louis symphonies ; and the Minnesota Orchestra .
Equally at home on the opera stage , Jonathon recently made his Royal Opera House debut with Hannah Kendall ’ s Knife of Dawn , having also conducted a Kurt Weill ’ s Lost in the Stars with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra , as well as the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli ’ s new opera , Wake , in a production by Graham Vick for the Birmingham Opera Company .
Born in Charleston , South Carolina , Jonathon began his musical training as a cellist at the age of ten and started conducting while still at school . He studied conducting at the Boston Conservatory of Music , where he became assistant conductor of the prestigious institution ’ s opera department and of the Boston Opera Collaborative , and he received postgraduate lessons from Sian Edwards at London ’ s Royal Academy of Music . Before leaving the Academy , he was appointed assistant conductor of the Hallé Orchestra , where he was mentored by Sir Mark Elder , and became Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra . In 2023 , he was named a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music ; an honour reserved for Academy alumni .
Jonathon ’ s commitment to education and community outreach work deepened during his three years with the Hallé and has flourished since he arrived in post as Chief Conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie in January 2021 . He is equally committed to including new music within his imaginative concert programs .
Simone Lamsma
Hailed for her “ brilliant … polished , expressive and intense ” ( Cleveland Plain Dealer ) and “ absolutely stunning ” ( Chicago Tribune ) playing , Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma is respected by critics , peers and audiences as one of classical music ’ s most striking and captivating musical personalities .
With an extensive repertoire , Simone has been the guest of many of the world ’ s leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic , Los Angeles Philharmonic , Chicago Symphony Orchestra , London Symphony Orchestra , London Philharmonic Orchestra , Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra , Orchestra dell ’ Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia , Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen , Helsinki Philharmonic , Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin , Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai , MDR Sinfonieorchester , National Symphony Orchestra , Detroit Symphony Orchestra , Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra , Dallas Symphony Orchestra , Oslo Philharmonic , Iceland Symphony Orchestra , Finnish Radio Symphony , Les Siécles , Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg , Belgian National Orchestra , Beethoven Orchester Bonn , Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester , Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra , Seoul Philharmonic , San Francisco Symphony , Hong Kong Philharmonic , Royal Stockholm Philharmonic , City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra , BBC Philharmonic , BBC Symphony Orchestra , Hallé Orchestra , and Sydney Symphony Orchestra .
Simone performed with such eminent conductors as Jaap van Zweden , Antonio Pappano , Paavo Järvi , Gianandrea Noseda , Yannick Nézet-Séguin , Louis Langrée , Gustavo Gimeno , Karina Canellakis , Stanislav Kochanovsky , Marc Albrecht , Stéphane Denève , Vassily Petrenko , Domingo Hindoyan , Michael Francis , Simone Young , François-Xavier Roth , Olari Elts , Duncan Ward , Juraj Valcuha , John Storgards , Omer Meir-Wellber , Edward Gardner , Kent Nagano , Jukka-Pekka Saraste , James Gaffigan , Sir Mark Elder , Daniel Raiskin , Edo de Waart , Andris Poga , Jun Märkl , Kevin John Edusei , Jaime Martin , Jader Bignamini , Petr Popelka , and Mark Wigglesworth .
Highlights of the 2023 – 24 season include Simone being Artist in Residence at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and debuts with the Wiener Symphoniker on tour with Jaap van Zweden , the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at Lincoln Center New York , and the Baltimore Symphony
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