2026 General Assembly & Forum: Meet our Speakers

Ian Bostridge

Born in London in 1964, tenor Ian Bostridge completed graduate studies in history and philosophy at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, earning a doctorate before turning to a singing career. Since the mid-1990s he has appeared at major music centers worldwide, especially as a lieder singer, serving as artist-in-residence at Vienna's Konzerthaus and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. He made his operatic debut in 1994 as Lysander in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and has since performed with leading opera houses and orchestras across Europe and North America. His repertoire spans Monteverdi to modernism, with a particular focus on Benjamin Britten and contemporary music. In 2004 he was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Geoffrey John Davies

Geoffrey John Davies is an Australian-born, New York-based entrepreneur who founded The Violin Channel in 2009, which has since grown into one of the most influential classical music media providers in the world, reaching over two million viewers worldwide per month. He grew up in Brisbane, attending pre-college studies at the Queensland Conservatorium Music School, and later graduated with a dual Bachelor's degree in Music Performance and Business Communication. Before founding The Violin Channel, he worked in senior advertising and marketing roles in Australia and the UK. He was recently named by Musical America magazine as one of the "30 Most Influential Arts Professionals In The World."

Gediminas Gelgotas

Gediminas Gelgotas is a Lithuanian composer, conductor, and pianist whose bold, genre-defying artistry is captivating audiences across the globe. Celebrated for his contemporary voice and emotional depth, his music has been performed at prestigious venues including the Berlin Konzerthaus, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Paris Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and before audiences as remarkable as the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis. Known for his fusion of minimalism, classical tradition, and modern aesthetics, his 2024 Warner Classics album Consonance presents him in all three of his roles. As a conductor, he regularly leads the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and has debuted at the Zurich Tonhalle and Grand Theatre of Provence.

Pierre- Alain Giraud

Pierre-Alain Giraud is a director of immersive works and films, and co-founder of Novaya, a company developing new forms of mixed reality storytelling. A graduate of Arts et Métiers and the London Film School, he explores the intersection of cinema, music, and immersive technologies. With Stéphane Foenkinos, he co-directed Noire, awarded Best Immersive Experience at Cannes 2024. He also co-directed the music video Victimhood for Björk's album Fossora. His latest work, Playing with Fire, a mixed reality experience with pianist Yuja Wang, opened in November 2025 at the Philharmonie de Paris and was selected for the Immersive Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Raphaela Gromes

Cellist Raphaela Gromes is a defining voice of her generation. An exclusive Sony Classical artist since 2016, her award-winning albums have earned the Opus Klassik, Diapason d'Or, and the German Record Critics' Award. Her 2023 album Femmes, spotlighting works by 24 female composers, made a global impact, followed by Fortissima! in 2025, a double album of rediscovered works by female composers accompanied by a book. Gromes has performed at major halls worldwide, including the Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and London's Royal Albert Hall, and toured across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Since 2012 she has formed a duo with pianist Julian Riem. She is an ambassador for SOS Children’s Villages and the José Carreras Foundation. 

Tisa Ho

Tisa has led the Singapore International Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and helped launch the annual International Piano Festival in Singapore while managing the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Victoria Concert Hall. As Chair of the International Committee, she contributed to TIMF, the contemporary music festival in Tongyeong, South Korea, where she was accorded honorary citizenship. An advocate for regional and international networks, she has played an active role in ISPA, the Association of Asian Orchestras, the Association of Asia Pacific Festivals, and the inaugural Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo. She also established the annual Cultural Leadership Summit at the Hong Kong Arts Administrators' Association.
 

Hyung-Ki Joo

Hyung-ki Joo has devoted his creative energy to making classical music accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, exploring ways to present concerts that fit into the 21st century. On stage, he enraptures audiences with his jovial presence and brilliantly virtuosic performances, taking on roles as pianist, orchestra leader, communicator, arranger, and composer. He has performed as soloist with the London Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Wiener Symphoniker, and Sinfonia Varsovia. Recent highlights include the opening of the 2023 Vienna Festival, appearances at the Salzburg Festival and La Scala with soprano Asmik Grigorian, and their jointly-conceived show A Diva is Born in Riga, Vilnius, and Vienna, followed by solo recitals in Switzerland, Norway, and Singapore.

Toni Krein

Toni J. Krein has been President of the Association of Swiss Professional Orchestras – orchester.ch since December 2010. He was Artistic Administrator of the Alte Oper Frankfurt between 1979 and 1986, Senior Dramaturg of the Lucerne Theatre from 1987 until 1991, and Artistic Administrator of the Lucerne Festival from 1995 until 1998. He worked for composer Hans Werner Henze and was Co-CEO and Artistic Director of the European Month of Music Basel 2001. From 2002 until 2011 he was Head of Corporate Cultural Sponsorship at Credit Suisse. He has also served as Vice-President of the DAVOS FESTIVAL Foundation and on the boards of the Tongyeong International Music Foundation TIMF in Korea, the Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus, and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

Shannen Liu

Shannen Liu-Kotow is an international artist manager and co-founder and managing partner of LIU KOTOW Artists, a Germany-based artist management company working internationally. Born in Taipei, she received classical musical training and began her career as a musician. With over 20 years of experience in the classical music industry, she works closely with a select group of international artists, supporting them in building long-term, individual careers across different markets worldwide. Her work is shaped by close collaboration with artists, orchestras, presenters, festivals, and recording labels across Europe, Asia, and North America, with a focus on strategic positioning, international career development, and creating sustainable artistic paths while staying attentive to each artist's individuality.

Sharon Lu

Sharon Lu is the Programme Director of the Cultural Management Office at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She curates and presents concerts and learning events for HKU's flagship MUSE series, which she helped establish in 2013, and oversees the artistic operations of HKU's 800-seat Grand Hall. Before joining HKU, Sharon spent over a decade in the U.S., holding roles at Carnegie Hall, New York Youth Symphony, Tanglewood Institute, JP Morgan Chase, and the New York Philharmonic. She holds a B.Sc. from New York University and an M.A. from Columbia University, and at HKU serves as a Fellow of the Cultural Leadership Academy and teaches arts administration.

 Žibuoklė Martinaitytė

New York-based Lithuanian composer Zibuokle Martinaityte (b. 1973) has earned international acclaim for music that is breathtaking and profoundly moving. Her music bristles with energy and tension and revolves often around the subject of beauty, which she calls both a guiding principle and an aesthetic measure for sonic quality. Martinaitytė studied composition at the Lithuanian Music Academy and took part in composition workshops studying with Brian Ferneyhough, Magnus Lindberg, Tristan Murail, and Jonathan Harvey. Although she began her career in Europe, she gained momentum in the USA, receiving commissions from MATA, Bang On A Can, and others. In 2020 she was granted the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Lithuanian Government Award.

Dominique Meyer

Dominique Meyer (b. 1955, Thann, Alsace) is one of Europe's most respected opera administrators, celebrated for steering major houses through artistic renewal. Trained in economics, he served as General Director of the Opéra de Lausanne and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées before being named General Director of the Vienna State Opera in 2010, where he led the company for a decade. In 2020 he became Superintendent at Teatro alla Scala, guiding the theatre's recovery after the pandemic and strengthening its international partnerships. In July 2024 Meyer returned to Switzerland as Executive Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. Known for commissioning new work and supporting young artists, he is widely regarded for combining strategic management with deep musical commitment.

Noriko Ogawa

Noriko Ogawa gained international recognition following her success at the Leeds International Piano Competition. Celebrated for her "ravishingly poetic playing" (Telegraph), she is widely regarded as a leading Debussy specialist, praised for her complete Debussy series with BIS Records. As an exclusive BIS artist, her discography spans over 30 albums, with highlights including Takemitsu's Riverrun and a complete set of Satie's solo piano music. She is professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Tokyo College of Music. Beyond the concert hall, she has raised over £40,000 for the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Fund, founded Jamie's Concerts for autistic children, and serves as a cultural ambassador for the National Autistic Society.

Nieves Pasqual

Nieves Pascual León studied Piano and Musicology at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Valencia, combining these with a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. She holds a PhD in Music (2015), with a dissertation focused on the pedagogical work of Leopold Mozart. She has worked in artistic management at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia and served as coordinator for Ópera XXI. She was Professor of Musicology at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Valencia and Head of the Music and Performing Arts Department at the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. Since 2024, she is Intendant of the Valencia Orchestra and Deputy Director of Music at the Palau de la Música in Valencia.
 

Tom Philpott

Tom Philpott is an orchestral leader specialising in expanding traditional orchestral programming, with over 15 years' experience shaping artistic strategy at leading UK institutions. He is currently Director of Artistic Planning & Partnerships at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, where he leads on innovative, audience-focused programmes and cross-sector collaborations across a portfolio of over 100 performances annually. Previously, Tom held senior roles at the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, including Acting Co-Director, overseeing artistic planning and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion within repertoire and artist representation. He began his career at HarrisonParrott, managing leading classical artists internationally, and is a trustee of Streetwise Opera, advocating for broader access to orchestral music.

Pamela Rosenberg

Pamela Rosenberg was born in California, raised in Venezuela, and studied at UC Berkeley and the Ohio State University. She found her passion with opera, studying with Wieland Wagner at Bayreuth and graduating from the London Opera Centre. She was a member of Michel Gielen's executive team at the Frankfurt Opera, later serving as Co-General Director during the 1990s. From 2001 to 2006 she was General Director of the San Francisco Opera, followed by General Manager of the Berlin Philharmonic until 2010. She then became Dean of the American Academy in Berlin until her retirement in 2014, since when she has served on multiple boards and music competition juries.

Svetlin Roussev

Since winning first prize at the first Sendai International Competition, along with the audience prize and best Bach concerto performance, violin virtuoso Svetlin Roussev has enjoyed a prestigious international career. A regular guest soloist across the USA, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, he has performed under conductors such as Myung-Whun Chung, Leon Fleisher, Yehudi Menuhin, and François-Xavier Roth, with orchestras including the Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Seoul Philharmonic, and Tokyo Philharmonic. A child of violinists, Roussev began playing at five and entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris at 15, where in 2008 he succeeded his teacher Jean-Jacques Kantorow as one of the youngest professors in the school's history.

Muza Rubackyte

Born in Lithuania, Mūza lives between Paris, Vilnius, and Geneva. After studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, she won the All Union Competition in St. Petersburg and the Grand Prize at the Budapest Liszt-Bartók International Piano Competition. Having joined the Lithuanian resistance, she was deprived of her passport until 1989. Upon her arrival in Paris, she won First Prize at the international competition Les Grands Maîtres Français. Her international career has taken her to major stages and festivals across five continents. In 2009, she founded the Vilnius International Piano Festival, for which the City of Vilnius honored her with its highest award, the St. Christopher's Award.

Yeoul-Eum Son

Born in Wonju, South Korea, in 1986, Yeol Eum Son received her first piano lessons at the age of three-and-a-half. She attracted international attention when she won second prize and the Best Chamber Music Performance at the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition, and secured her position among the most gifted artists of her generation at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, where she won the Silver Medal. She studied at Korea National University of Arts and with Professor Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. Known for her refined artistry and breathtaking technical control, she is in high demand worldwide as recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician, collaborating frequently with many of today's leading conductors.

Victoria Tafferner

Victoria Tafferner is a digital strategist and cultural manager with extensive experience in classical music communication, storytelling, and audience development. As Head of Social Media at Berlin Phil Media, she is responsible for shaping the public voice of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall across global platforms. Drawing on her background as a professional musician and her deep understanding of cultural communication, Victoria plays a key role in driving the strategic integration of digital storytelling and participation into the orchestra’s broader public engagement efforts — continuously shaping its global presence in close collaboration with marketing and artistic teams.

Andreas Vierziger

Music curator and strategist Andreas Vierziger has worked with prominent clients including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Vienna Burgtheater, Welsh National Opera, Budapest Spring Festival, Grafenegg, David Lynch's Silencio Club in Paris, Vivienne Westwood, and the Vienna State Opera. As a music supervisor and consultant, he has worked on internationally acclaimed movies and series awarded BAFTA, Emmy, and Academy Awards. He has been invited to more than 40 international music competition juries and has been an ongoing jury member of the German Record Critics' Award since 2023. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Ricordi Berlin and has lectured at music universities across Tokyo, Zurich, Stockholm, Vienna, and Paris-Sorbonne, among others.

Neringa Valuntonytė

Lithuanian pianist Neringa Valuntonytė holds an Art Doctorate in Music (2025) and a Master’s from Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (2020). She transforms recitals into storytelling, artistic experimentation, and emotional journeys, integrating audiovisual elements to explore identity and self-reflection. She has performed solo and chamber programs across Germany, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Austria, and Lithuania, collaborating with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Vilnius University Chamber Orchestra, Panevėžys Musical Theatre Symphony Orchestra, Lviv Chamber Orchestra “Akademia,” and the Szczecin Philharmonic, and with conductors including Modestas Jankūnas and Modestas Pitrėnas. In 2019 she won Third Prize at the M. K. Čiurlionis Competition.

vision string quartet

Adam Koch and  Daniel Stoll, violins; Sander Stuart, viola; Leonard Disselhorst, cello

Since 2012 the vision string quartet has redefined the modern quartet, fusing classical mastery with original compositions informed by folk, pop, rock, funk, and minimal music. Equally at home in concert halls and experimental formats, they perform memorized programs and site-specific events to deepen audience engagement. They have appeared at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berlin Philharmonie, and Wigmore Hall, and toured Japan, Australia, and Korea. As Warner Classics artists, their recordings include memento (Opus Klassik 2020) and Spectrum. Winners of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition and Concours de Genève, in 2025/26 they are ensemble-in-residence at Tonhalle Düsseldorf.

Margaret Yang

Having worked as an arts administrator in Hong Kong and London — at the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Hong Kong Arts Festival, and HarrisonParrott International Arts Management, Margaret Yang is now CEO of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, a position she took up 21 years ago after pursuing a career as a solicitor specialising in Intellectual Property. A music graduate of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, she holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Management from City University of London and a law degree from the University of Cambridge. In 2009, she became the first Hong Kong fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme UK.