One of the most revered artists of our time, Mitsuko Uchida is known as a peerless interpreter of the works of Mozart, Schubert, R. Schumann, and Beethoven, as well as a devotee of the piano music of Berg, Schoenberg, Webern, and György Kurtág. She was Musical America’s 2022 Artist of the Year, and is music director of the 2024 Ojai Music Festival and a multi-year Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist. Her latest solo recording, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, was released to critical acclaim in 2022, and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy Award and won the 2022 Gramophone Piano Award.

Ms. Uchida has enjoyed close relationships with the world’s most renowned orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra, with whom she recently celebrated her 100th performance at Severance Hall. Conductors with whom she has worked closely include Bernard Haitink, Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Vladimir Jurowski, Andris Nelsons, Gustavo Dudamel, and Mariss Jansons.

Since 2016, Ms. Uchida has been an artistic partner of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, with which she is currently engaged in a multi-season touring project in Europe, Japan, and North America. She also appears regularly in recital in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, London, New York, and Tokyo, and is a frequent guest at the Salzburg Mozart Week and Salzburg Festival.

Ms. Uchida records exclusively for Decca, and her multi–award-winning discography includes the complete Mozart and Schubert piano sonatas. She is the recipient of two Grammy Awards—for Mozart concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra and an album of lieder with soprano Dorothea Röschmann—and her recording of the Schoenberg Piano Concerto with Pierre Boulez and The Cleveland Orchestra won the Gramophone Award for Best Concerto.

A founding member of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust and director of the Marlboro Music Festival, Ms. Uchida is a recipient of the Golden Mozart Medal from the Salzburg Mozarteum, and the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association. She has also been awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Wigmore Hall Medal, and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. In 2009, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

José Maria Blumenschein currently serves as first concertmaster of the WDR Radio Symphony Orchestra in Cologne after serving as associate concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra for three seasons. During his tenure with WDR Radio Symphony Orchestra, he also took two seasons off to perform as first concertmaster of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic.

A passionate leader, Mr. Blumenschein regularly performs with many orchestras and ensembles that include the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, London Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian State Opera, Staatskapelle Dresden, NDR Radiophilharmonie, and many more.

Mr. Blumenschein is also a founding member of KammerMusikKöln, the first all-year chamber music series in Cologne founded by members of WDR Radio, Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, and Cologne Conservatory.

Born in 1985, Mr. Blumenschein received his first violin lesson at the age of four in Freiburg, Germany, at the Pflüger Institute for Highly Gifted Children. In 1990, he began studies with Vera Kramarowa in Mannheim. In 2001, Mr. Blumenschein was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with conductor and violinist Joseph Silverstein and served as concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra.

The Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO), founded in 1997, has established a distinct sound and independent artistic identity. The orchestra’s philosophy, inspired by founding mentor Claudio Abbado, emphasizes the power of listening and communication both structurally and musically; they call it “the sound of listening.” It allows the orchestra, its musicians, and managing office to operate as a democratic collective. Engaging with artistic partners who include Mitsuko Uchida, Yuja Wang, and Pekka Kuusisto; Conductor Laureate Daniel Harding; Artistic Advisor Daniele Gatti; and Artistic Partner for Immersive Experiences Henrik Oppermann / Schallgeber, the MCO undertakes multiyear projects that explore diverse artistic themes.

With musicians representing 27 nationalities and residing in different parts of the world, the MCO reaches live audiences across 40 countries on five continents. The orchestra maintains residencies at renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall, Southbank Centre, Lucerne Festival, Mozart Week Salzburg, and Festival de Saint-Denis. The MCO is a frequent guest at the Philharmonie Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Musikverein in Vienna, and Beethovenfest in Bonn, and regularly tours to Iberian and Asian regions. Its worldwide presence enables the orchestra to authentically engage with a global audience, fostering connections that resonate across borders and cultures.

The MCO conducts three flagship projects in the realm of outreach and education. The MCO Academy allows orchestra members to share their expertise with the next generation of musicians in collaboration with Orchesterzentrum | NRW and undertake residencies at Konzerthaus Dortmund, Kölner Philharmonie, and Philharmonie Essen. Feel the Music introduces music to deaf and hard-of-hearing children, encouraging a multisensory experience. And in Welcome Home: A Concert About Finding the Place Where You Belong, school groups are invited on a multicultural journey, fostering introspection and contemplation on the theme of belonging. These endeavors highlight the MCO’s commitment to enriching lives through music and promoting inclusivity.

In collaboration with Artistic Partner for Immersive Experiences Henrik Oppermann / Schallgeber, the MCO explores new digital technologies in and beyond the concert hall. The orchestra’s virtual reality series immerses listeners deeper into performances and brings them closer to the music.

Through its vibrant performances, global reach, educational initiatives, and distinct entrepreneurship, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra continues to make a profound impact on the world of classical music.