The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester  was founded in 1986 on the initiative of the famous Italian conductor Claudio Abbado, who served as its artistic director for many years. His aim was to unite young musicians from Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia and thus break down, at least on this level, the political barriers of the ‘Eastern Block’. Then starting in 1992 the orchestra opened to musicians up to twenty-six years of age from all countries of Europe. During annual auditions an expert jury chooses new members from among 2,500 candidates. Today the orchestra is considered one of the foremost musical ensembles of the world; in 2007 it won a prestigious award from the European Cultural Foundation. Repertoire extends from music of the Classical period through works from the twentieth century, with emphasis on composers of the Romantic and Late Romantic periods. The orchestra works with many topflight conductors including for example Herbert Blomstedt, Pierre Boulez, Christoph Eschenbach, and Mariss Jansons, and appears in the most important concert halls and music festivals such as the Musikverein in Vienna, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Salzburg Festival.

Renowned German conductor Ingo Metzmacher holds diplomas in piano, music theory, and conducting from Hannover, Salzburg, and Cologne. He launched his international career in 1988 conducting a new production of Franz Schreker’s opera Der ferne Klang at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, by which he anticipated his long-term focus: he has become one of the foremost promoters of symphonic and operatic music of the twentieth century. In 1997 he became general music director of the Hamburg State Opera, where during eight years he conducted many highly-acclaimed opera productions. Later he served as chief conductor of the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam, and artistic director and chief conductor of the German Symphony Orchestra in Berlin. He appears regularly with renowned orchestras like the Vienna Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, L’Orchestre de Paris, and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He has already appeared several times in Prague, leading the Bamberg Symphony, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, and the Czech Philharmonic.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet ranks among the most sought-after pianists of the present time. A native of Lyon, he began learning to play the piano at the age of five and only two years later gave his first public performance. He graduated from the conservatoire in Paris as a pupil of Lucette Descaves, a former friend and collaborator of Maurice Ravel. During his career of more than three decades he has appeared on the most prestigious concert stages of the world and recorded more than fifty albums. His playing is prized for its rare combination of outstanding technique and intelligent expression. His greatest affinity is for music from around 1900, especially from France. Apart from his own activities in concerts and recordings he devotes himself intensively to educating new talents. He has won many prestigious prizes including the Diapason d'Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, a Gramophone Award, an Echo award, and an Edison Prize. In 2001 he was made a knight of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, and in 2012 the French Minister of Culture even elevated him to an officer in this order. He appeared in the Dvořák Prague Festival already in 2012 with a programme of music by Debussy.