Esa-Pekka Salonen, music director and conductor
Esa-Pekka Salonen is renowned as both a composer and conductor. He was recently named Creative Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, effective 2026–27, and Creativity and Innovation Chair of the Philharmonie de Paris and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris, effective 2027–28. He is the Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and formerly served as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. He is a faculty member at Los Angeles’s Colburn School, where he founded and directs the Negaunee Conducting Program. Salonen co-founded, and until 2018 served as the Artistic Director of, the annual Baltic Sea Festival.
LA Phil New Music Group
The idea for a new music ensemble dedicated to introducing Los Angeles audiences to rising composers was a dream of Ernest Fleischmann’s. Since the first concert in 1981, the LA Phil New Music Group has performed works by some of the sharpest minds in composition. [Visit LA Phil’s Website]
Colburn Orchestra
Now in its 22nd season, the Colburn Orchestra is the flagship ensemble of the Colburn Conservatory of Music. Under the direction of Music Director Yehuda Gilad, the Colburn Orchestra performs across Southern California. Dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community, the Colburn Orchestra performs for schools in neighboring communities every year, giving five concerts in a one-week period to school children of all ages. [Learn more at Colburn’s Website]
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Clarinetist Anthony McGill, praised for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (The New York Times), is one of classical music’s most recognizable and multifaceted figures. He serves as Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic—the first African-American principal in the orchestra’s history—and enjoys a dynamic solo and chamber music career. [Read more on Anthony McGill’s Website]
Leila Josefowicz, violin
Leila Josefowicz’s passionate advocacy of contemporary music for the violin is reflected in her diverse programms and enthusiasm for performing new works. A favorite of living composers, Josefowicz has premiered many concertos, including those by Colin Matthews, Luca Francesconi, John Adams, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, all written especially for her. [Read more on Leila Josefowicz’s Website]
Attacca Quartet
The Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet is recognized as one of today’s most versatile and forward-thinking ensembles. From classical masterworks to contemporary collaborations, they redefine what a string quartet can be. [Read more on Attacca Quartet’s Website]
Jay Campbell, cello
Jay Campbell is a cellist actively exploring a wide range of creative music. He has been recognized for approaching both old and new music with the same curiosity and commitment, and his performances have been called “electrifying” by The New York Times and “gentle, poignant, and deeply moving” by the Washington Post. [Read more on Jay Campbell’s Website]
Conor Hanick, piano
Pianist Conor Hanick is regarded as one of his generation’s most inquisitive interpreters of music new and old whose “technical refinement, color, crispness and wondrous variety of articulation benefit works by any master,” (The New York Times). [Read more on Conor Hanick’s Website]
Geneva Lewis, violin
New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis has forged a reputation as a musician of consummate artistry whose performances speak from and to the heart. Lauded for “remarkable mastery of her instrument” (CVNC) and hailed as “clearly one to watch” (Musical America). [Read more on Geneva Lewis’ Website]