Since Julia Lezhneva caused a sensation at the Classical Brit Awards in 2010 with Rossini’s aria Fra il padre and achieved her final international breakthrough at the Salzburg Mozart Week, the soprano, who was born in 1989 on the island of Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East, has been one of the absolute greats in the baroque and classical field. Although her parents, both geophysicists, would have preferred a career in the natural sciences, they encouraged their daughter musically at an early age. When Lezhneva was seven, the family moved to Moscow. It is said that Cecilia Bartoli’s CD Vivaldi album finally enraptured the 11-year-old, and since then she has been determined to become an opera singer. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa supported her on her way, as did Marc Minkowski, who helped her to final fame at the aforementioned Mozart Week.
Lezhneva’s great success is based on her crystal-clear voice and perfect breathing technique. The likeable soprano, who works with all the renowned orchestras and conductors of our time, will hopefully remain with the classical music world for a long time to come.

Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor, born in Bombay on April 29, 1936. Trained at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, he then led an international career, conducting several orchestras, including the Philharmonic Orchestra from Israel. Zubin Mehta is particularly famous for his interpretations of neo-romantic symphonic music such as that of composers like Anton Bruckner, Richard Strauss or Gustav Mahler. Its conductor is renowned for its flamboyance and power.

German soprano Diana Damrau was born in Günzburg, Bavaria in 1971. Her career began in 1995 in Würzburg with the role of Barberina in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. Then, Diana Damrau performed at the Frankfurt Opera and the Nationaltheater in Mannheim. Diana Damrau continues to expand her repertoire by performing works from the German repertoire such as Ariane à Naxos by Richard Strauss and works from the light lyrical repertoire of Italian opera singing Donizetti with Les Puritains at the Théâtre de Genève, Linda di Chamounix at Liceu in Barcelona, ​​Lucia di Lamermoor in Japan ...

Rolando Villazón (*1972) is probably one of the most spirited opera singers and directors of our time. The Mexican-born singer became known to a worldwide audience in 2005 with his role as Alfredo Germont alongside Anna Netrebko in "La traviata" at the Salzburg Festival.
The tenor began his international career in 1999 with his European debut in Genoa as Des Grieux in Jules Massenet’s Manon. This was followed by further successful performances at some of the world’s great opera houses, including the Opéra Bastille Paris, the Bavarian State Opera, the Vienna State Opera and the New York Met. His roles include classics such as Rodolfo (La Bohème), Alfredo (La traviata), Roméo (Roméo et Juliette) and Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor).
After vocal cord problems and a corresponding operation, Villazón returned to the stage in March 2010 and debuted as an opera director at the Opéra de Lyon one year later with a production of Jules Massenet’s Werther. The versatile artist, who is also active as a writer and presenter, has been the artistic director of the Mozartwoche Salzburg since 2017.
Rolando Villazón has had French citizenship since 2007, is married and has two sons.