David Whelton - Chief Executive of the Philharmonia and Chair of the Jury
David Whelton was born in 1954 and trained as a pianist and organist. Following an early career in education, David joined Yorkshire Arts Association and subsequently Leeds City Council prior to moving to the music department at the Arts Council of Great Britain. In 1988 he was appointed Managing Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra. During his tenure at the Philharmonia, the Orchestra established long term relationships with the world's foremost conductors.
David Whelton initiated and developed the concept of orchestral residencies in the UK, and overseas, most notably in Bedford, Leicester and Paris. During this time the Philharmonia became known for presenting innovative contemporary music series led by Esa Pekka Salonen including "Clocks and Clouds", the music of Gyorgy Ligeti, and "Related Rocks" featuring the music of Magnus Lindberg. In parallel with this the Philharmonia launched the award winning Music of Today series featuring the music of the younger generation of composers. David Whelton was a member of the jury of the 2001 Bescacon conductors competition, is a Director of IMS Prussia Cove, a member of the Mayfield Valley Arts Trust, the Philharmonia Trust and the ABO.
Richard Farnes (Music Director, Opera North)
Richard Farnes studied at Cambridge, the National Opera Studio, RAM and Guildhall. He has worked with all the UK's leading opera companies and is Music Director of Opera North. Recent operatic engagements have included Simon Boccanegra (ROH); The Cunning Little Vixen (ENO); The Magic Flute, L'elisir d'amore, Tosca and a double bill of works by Param Vir (Scottish Opera); Otello and The Makropulos Case (Glyndebourne); La traviata, Albert Herring, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, La Bohème and The Marriage of Figaro (GTO); The Rake's Progress (Dublin); Ariadne auf Naxos, Falstaff, La Bohème and The Barber of Seville (ETO); Bastien und Bastienne and La serva padrona (European Chamber Opera); and Nabucco (New Israeli Opera).
Recent orchestral appearances include engagements with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, ROH Orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North and the Haydn Chamber Orchestra. For Opera North: La traviata, Giovanna d'Arco, Gloriana, Figaro, The Secret Marriage, Eugene Onegin, Manon Lescaut, Don Giovanni, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Hansel and Gretel, Salome, La rondine, Katya Kabanova, Falstaff and Peter Grimes.
Tasmin Little
Photo by Melanie Winning
Tasmin has played with many of the world's greatest orchestras in a career that has taken her to every continent. In addition to her regular solo performances, she now play/directs orchestras such as Norwegian Chamber, Royal Philharmonic, European Union Chamber Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia. In 2007/08 she joined the London Mozart Players as soloist and director in a tour of the UK which also featured her UK conducting debut.
Tasmin was recently the subject of a television documentary by the prestigious South Bank Show, which followed her ground-breaking project The Naked Violin. This ambitious project, which boldly embraced the internet and offered up a free downloadable recital of works for solo violin, achieved phenomenal success after its release in 2008 and was widely hailed as 'revolutionary' and 'inspiring'.
In 2006, Tasmin was Artistic Director of her hugely successful 'Delius Inspired' Festival, which was broadcast for an entire week on BBC Radio 3. In 2008 she began her first year as Artistic Director of the annual Orchestra of the Swan 'Spring Sounds' Festival, which features world premieres alongside firm favourites in the English repertoire.
Tasmin is an Ambassador for The Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts, is a Fellow of the Guildhall of Music and Drama, and has received Honorary Degrees from the Universities of Bradford, Leicester, Hertfordshire and City of London.
Jac van Steen
As one of the Netherlands' most active conductors, Jac van Steen has forged a great many long–term relationships with orchestras in the Netherlands, Germany, and lately, the United Kingdom.
Van Steen has brought a unique brand of energy and eclecticism to his regular appearances with the BBC SO, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, taking up the principal guest conductor post in May 2005.
Following tenures as chief conductor of the Nürnburger Symphoniker and music director of the Neues Berliner Kammerorchester, van Steen became the music director of Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Weimar, and Musikkollegium Winterthur in August 2002.
He guests regularly with the Berliner Sinfonie–Orchester, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Bayrische Rundfunk München and other major orchestras in Germany.
In his native country, van Steen was the music director of Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam until 1994 and has since conducted the Residentie Orchestra of the Hague, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Radio Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras.
Jac van Steen was born in Eindhoven and studied orchestral and choral conducting, as well as music theory, at the Brabants Conservatory of Music. He is currently on the faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Music in the Hague.
Working with young musicians has always had his interest and he is involved in several projects with young people, such as a project with the Royal Northern College of Music and the Chetham School of Music, Manchester.
