Highlights of Bell’s 2024–25 season include the release of two new albums: Thomas De Hartmann Rediscovered, featuring the world premiere recording of De Hartmann’s Violin Concerto, and an album of Mendelssohn piano trios recorded with longtime collaborators Jeremy Denk and Steven Isserlis. An avid recitalist, Bell tours internationally and performs his popular Voice and the Violin program with soprano Larisa Martínez throughout North America. He also appears as guest soloist with leading orchestras in the U.S. and Europe while continuing his dual role as conductor and soloist with the Academy.

Bell has served as Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields since 2011, following a relationship with the orchestra that began in 1986. A champion of new music, he has commissioned and premiered works by leading contemporary composers, and his GRAMMY®-winning recording of Nicholas Maw’s Violin Concerto is among more than forty acclaimed albums for Sony Classical.

Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Bell studied with Josef Gingold, debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 14, and made his Carnegie Hall debut at 17.

Isserlis collaborates with many of today’s foremost musicians and curates imaginative chamber music series for major venues and festivals such as Wigmore Hall, the Salzburg Festival, and New York’s 92nd Street Y. His programming often explores historical, literary, and personal themes, ranging from Schumann and Czech music to the relationship between the cello and the human voice.

A leading exponent of historically informed performance, Isserlis performs and records regularly on period instruments, with projects including acclaimed recordings of Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin using original or replica instruments. He is also a passionate advocate for contemporary music, having premiered works by composers including John Tavener, Thomas Adès, György Kurtág, Wolfgang Rihm, and Stephen Hough.

Beyond performance, Isserlis is an accomplished writer, broadcaster, and educator. He is the author of several widely translated children’s books about classical composers, a frequent contributor to major publications and BBC Radio, and since 1997 has served as Artistic Director of the International Musicians’ Seminar at Prussia Cove.

The recipient of numerous international honors, including a CBE, Steven Isserlis performs on the 1726 Marquis de Corberon Stradivarius, generously loaned by the Royal Academy of Music.

In the 2024–25 season, Denk continues his close collaborations with Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis, appearing together at the Tsindali Festival and Wigmore Hall, following his recent multi-concert residency there. He returns to the Lammermuir Festival for multiple projects, including performances of the complete Ives Violin Sonatas and a solo recital spotlighting music by women composers from past to present. Denk also continues touring his solo programs across the United States and deepening his exploration of Bach, with ongoing performances of the complete Partitas.

Renowned for his interpretations of Charles Ives, Denk marks the composer’s 150th anniversary with an upcoming Nonesuch Records release of his Ives recordings. Recent highlights include the premiere of a new piano concerto by Anna Clyne, co-commissioned by major orchestras in the U.S. and U.K.

Denk has appeared frequently at Carnegie Hall and with leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony, as well as at major European venues and festivals. His acclaimed recordings include Mozart piano concertos and a chart-topping Goldberg Variations.

A gifted communicator, Denk’s writing is praised for its wit and insight, most notably in his memoir Every Good Boy Does Fine.

Recent highlights include appearances at Wigmore Hall with artists such as Martha Argerich, Joshua Bell, and Jeremy Denk; debuts with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe; performances at the Verbier Festival with Janine Jansen; and multiple collaborations with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist, she has worked with ensembles including the Dresdner Philharmonie, Sinfonia Varsovia, and Kremerata Baltica, under conductors such as Maxim Emelyanychev and Michael Sanderling.

An avid chamber musician, Duval performs widely at major venues and festivals across Europe and beyond. Her recent recordings include Fauré and Friends on Capriccio, with a third album forthcoming. She plays a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, kindly loaned by Beare’s International Violin Society.

A former member of Switzerland’s Quatuor Terpsycordes, Engstroem performs widely at festivals throughout Europe and Asia and is a regular soloist at the Verbier Festival. She is a founding member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, which tours internationally under Gábor Takács-Nagy. Serving as the ensemble’s concertmaster and current principal violist, she performs on a Maggini viola generously loaned by a private benefactor.