Biographies

Maxim Emelyanychev

Born in 1988, Maxim Emelyanychev studied in Nizhny Novgorod and at the Moscow State Tchaikowsky Conservatory, where he studied conducting with Gennady Rozhdestvensky and the fortepiano and harpsichord with Maria Uspenskaa. He made his conducting debut at the age of 12. In 2013 he became Chief Conductor of the Nizhny Novgorod Soloists Chamber Orchestra and Chief Conductor of Il Pomo d”Oro which he has led in a wideranging concert and opera repertory. He was appointed Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 2019. Since then they have toured Europe and the USA and performed together at the BBC Proms and at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2021 and 2022.

In addition to numerous productions with Il Pomo d’Oro, his opera engagements include Don Giovanni in Seville, Die Enführung aus Serail in Zurich, Rinaldo at Glyndebourne, Agrippina for the Royal Opera, La clemenza di Tito in Geneva and Le nozze di Figaro in Toulouse.

Last season’s symphonic debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Deutsches Sinfonie Orchester Berlin have led to returns to both orchestras in 2023 / 24 and 2024 / 25. Other engagements include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. His 2022 / 23 season sees him making his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Czech Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic orchestras. His recordings include two Gramophone Award-winning discs with Joyce DiDonato, an awardwinning disc of Mozart piano sonatas; and a recording of works by Beethoven and Brahms with the Nizhny Novgorod Soloists Chamber. In 2013 he won the Golden Mask as the fortepianist in Le nozze di Figaro in Perm, and in 2019 he received the Newcomer Award at the International Opera Awards.

Steven Isserlis

Acclaimed worldwide for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, British cellist Steven Isserlis enjoys a uniquely varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster. He appears with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, and gives recitals in major musical centres. As a chamber musician, he has curated concert series for many prestigious venues, including London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92nd St Y, and the Salzburg Festival. Unusually, he also directs chamber orchestras from the cello in classical programmes.

He has a strong interest in historical performance, working with many periodinstrument orchestras and giving recitals with harpsichord and fortepiano. He is also a keen exponent of contemporary music and has given many premieres of new works, including John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil and many other works, Thomas Adès’ Lieux retrouvés, three works for solo cello by György Kurtág, and pieces by Heinz Holliger and Jörg Widmann.

Steven’s wide-ranging discography includes J S Bach’s complete solo cello suites (Gramophone’s Instrumental Album of the Year), Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, concertos by C P E Bach and Haydn, the Elgar and Walton concertos, and the Brahms double concerto with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Since 1997, Steven has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, Cornwall. He also enjoys playing for children, and has created three musical stories, with the composer Anne Dudley. His two books for children, published by Faber & Faber, have been translated into many languages; his latest book for Faber is a commentary on Schumann’s Advice for Young Musicians, and a book about the Bach suites was published in 2021. He has also devised and written two evenings of words and music, one describing the last years of Robert Schumann, the other devoted to Marcel Proust and his salons, and has presented many programmes for radio, including documentaries about two of his heroes – Robert Schumann and Harpo Marx. The recipient of many awards, Steven’s honours include a CBE in recognition of his services to music, the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau, the Piatigorsky Prize and Maestro Foundation Genius Grant in the U.S, the Glashütte Award in Germany, the Gold Medal awarded by the Armenian Ministry of Culture, and the Wigmore Medal.

Steven plays the ‘Marquis de Corberon’ Stradivarius of 1726, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.

James McVinnie

James McVinnie’s work as a performer encompasses music from the 16th Century to the present day. He has collaborated with many leading figures in new music including Philip Glass, Tom Jenkinson /  Squarepusher, Angelique Kidjo, Nico Muhly, Martin Creed, Richard Reed Parry, Bryce Dessner, Darkstar, Hildur Guðnadóttir, David Lang, Sarah Davachi many of whom have written large scale works for him.

James is a member of Icelandic record label Bedroom Community. Cycles, his debut recording of music written for him by Nico Muhly, was released on this label in 2013 to widespread critical acclaim. An album of music by Philip Glass, ‘The Grid’, was released on Orange Mountain Music in 2018. All Night Chroma, an album of works by Tom Jenkinson / Squarepusher was released on Warp Records in September 2019.

This season’s highlights include the first performances of Philip Glass’ Symphony No.12 (‘Lodger’) with Angekique Kidjo and the Los Angeles Philharmonic under John Adams and in London with the London Contemporary Orchestra at the Southbank Centre, Messiaen recitals in Lieu Unique Festival, performances of Nico Muhly’s organ concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra, an eveninglength collaboration with electronic duo Darkstar for the SPCO’s ‘Liquid Music’ series. He also appears in recital at Paris Philharmonie and London’s Southbank Centre and the Barbican.

James was Assistant Organist of Westminster Abbey between 2008 and 2011. Prior to this appointment, he held similar positions at St Paul’s Cathedral, St Albans Cathedral, and Clare College, Cambridge where he studied music. His teachers were Sarah Baldock, Thomas Trotter and Hans Fagius. He made his debut at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in March 2014, giving one of the six reopening recitals on the refurbished iconic 1954 Harrison & Harrison organ. He made his solo debut in the Salzburg Festival at age 26 performing with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra under Ivor Bolton.

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In 1986, a group of inquisitive London musicians took a long hard look at that curious institution we call the Orchestra, and decided to start again from scratch. They began by throwing out the rulebook. Put a single conductor in charge? No way. Specialise in repertoire of a particular era?

Too restricting. Perfect a work and then move on? Too lazy. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was born.

And as this distinctive ensemble playing on period-specific instruments began to get a foothold, it made a promise to itself. It vowed to keep questioning, adapting and inventing as long as it lived. Residencies at the Southbank Centre and the Glyndebourne Festival didn’t numb its experimentalist bent. A major record deal didn’t iron out its quirks. Instead, the OAE examined musical notes with ever more freedom and resolve.

That creative thirst remains unquenched. The Night Shift series of informal performances are redefining concert formats. Its former home at London’s Kings Place has fostered further diversity of planning and music-making. The ensemble has formed the bedrock for some of Glyndebourne’s most groundbreaking recent productions.

In keeping with its values of always questioning, challenging and trailblazing, in September 2020, the OAE became the resident orchestra of Acland Burghley School, Camden. The residency – a first for a British orchestra – allows the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to live, work and play amongst the students of the school.

Now more than thirty years old, the OAE is part of our musical furniture. It has even graced the outstanding conducting talents of Elder, Rattle, Jurowski, Iván Fischer and John Butt with a joint title of Principal Artist. But don’t ever think the ensemble has lost sight of its founding vow. Not all orchestras are the same. And there’s nothing quite like this one.

Andrew Mellor