Ulrich Windfuhr, born in Heidelberg in 1960, studied conducting and music at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, followed by further studies in Vienna and Italy on a DAAD scholarship. He worked with Franco Ferrara and attended master classes with renowned conductors including Leonard Bernstein and Carlo Maria Giulini. After early prizes at international conducting competitions, he began his career at Theater Dortmund in 1986 and later held positions in Augsburg, Nürnberg, and Hannover. From 1998 to 2003, he served as Generalmusikdirektor of the Staatstheater Kiel, gaining international recognition for innovative opera productions. His recordings have received distinctions including the Diapason d’Or, Choc de la Musique, and Orphée d’Or. Since 2013, he has held the Chair of Conducting and Orchestral Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.

Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg

The Berliner Symphoniker has been a key part of Berlin’s cultural scene since 1990. Based mainly in the Berliner Philharmonie, the orchestra performs widely across Berlin and beyond, including the Konzerthaus, the University of the Arts, and regional venues like Chorin Abbey. Led by renowned chief conductors, it offers a diverse repertoire from classical masterpieces to contemporary works, with a strong focus on education through school and family concerts. With international tours across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, the Berliner Symphoniker continues to bring high-quality symphonic music to audiences at home and abroad.

Amedeo Ara

Amedeo Ara currently specializes in orchestral conducting at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna with Andreas Stoehr, while pursuing a Master’s Degree in Violin with Lorenza Borrani at the Scuola Di Musica di Fiesole. In 2025, he completed his Master’s Degree in Conducting with highest distinction at the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini, where he studied with Alessandro Pinzauti.In 2026, he led members of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana and the Youth Czech Philharmonic in Prague, in the presence of Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Czech President Petr Pavel. The same year he conducted the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich in Vienna. He is also an active violinist and chamber musician. He graduated in violin with highest honours from the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in 2023 in the class of Eva Erna Szabó, and has attended masterclasses with Ulrike-Anima Mathé, Barnabás Kelemen, and Erich Höbarth. As a chamber musician, he won First Prize in the first edition of the “Farulli 100” Competition with the Quartetto Shaborùz and has performed with artists such as Bruno Giuranna and Alexander Lonquich.As a violinist, he collaborates with the Orchestra Regionale Toscana, the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, the Streicherakademie Bozen, and the project Spira Mirabilis.

Chen Ma

Chen Ma began learning piano from an early age. In 2024, he was admitted to the Conducting Department of Composition and Conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with outstanding grades, studying under professors Zhang Rui, Lin Daye, and Zhang Chengjie.

During his studies, he received guidance from esteemed conductors including Prof. Christian Ehwald, Alpaslan Ertingealp, Kirill Karabits, and Yan Huichang. Since entering the conservatory, he has served as the conductor of the Shiangyin Chamber Orchestra and has collaborated successfully with ensembles such as the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Shanghai Opera House, Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra.

In 2026, he has been invited to France to participate in the 37th Eurochestries International Youth Symphonic Orchestra Festival.

Chenyu Wan was born in China in 2005. In 2024, she graduated from the Middle School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she majored in piano. During her studies, she gave numerous solo performances, was actively involved in chamber music, and won several chamber music prizes. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (HfMT Hamburg). She has collaborated with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, and the Lüneburg Symphony Orchestra. Wan has extensive experience in contemporary music and is also actively involved in opera productions. She has served as Music Director for opera projects featuring works by Ethel Smyth and Amy Beach.

Laetitia Hutt Bonneau

Originally from the south of France, near Toulouse, Laetitia Hutt Bonneau obtained a Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Paris IV Sorbonne, a diploma in orchestral conducting from the Ida Rubinstein Conservatoire in Paris, and a diploma in choral conducting from the Marcel Dadi Conservatoire in Créteil. She benefited from the guidance of Claire Gibault, Matthias Pintscher, Uroš Lajovič and Symeon Ioannidis. In addition to the classical repertoire, Laetitia has built a versatile career as a conductor by branching out into jazz and world music. She has served as co-conductor of the Paris Downtown Big Band and musical director of the Antara Choir, which specializes in the Latin American choral repertoire. In the field of opera, Laetitia has had the opportunity to work as an assistant conductor at the Berlin Opera Academy alongside Valter Borin, at the Saluzzo Opera Academy with William Kelley, and with Cyril Diederich on the production of La Traviata. Deeply committed to music education, Laetitia has conducted instrumental and choral ensembles for children and teenagers. Since 2023, she has been working with the Paris Mozart Orchestra as a guest choirmaster for the Orchestre au Bahut educational programme, aimed at school pupils.

Growing up in a family of musicians, Lorenzo showed great interest in music during his childhood and took his first steps on the piano at age 6. At 15, he was exceptionally admitted to the Conservatorio Benedetto Marcello, where he obtained a master's degree in piano with full honors and distinction under M° Massimo Somenzi, while studying conducting with Giancarlo Andretta. He then earned a conducting degree studying in Italy with Donato Renzetti. In 2020, he won the competition to become korrepetitor in "La Cenerentola" in Cortina. His extensive knowledge of the piano repertoire led to two appointments as guest conductor at the international piano festival in Chioggia, where he conducted major piano concertos from the Classical to the Late-Romantic era. He has conducted a wide range of repertoire with professional orchestras and been mentored by Luciano Acocella, Martin Sieghart, Christian Orosanu, Norbert Baxa, Oleg Caetani, and Neeme Järvi, working with professional orchestras including the Hradec Králové Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Győr Philharmonic, and Bucharest Symphony Orchestra and many others. In Bucharest, he received the "Special Talent" prize at the BMI international conducting competition among 70+ conductors.

Matsumi Yasumoto

A versatile artist and researcher, Matsumi Yasumoto began her musical journey in Osaka, Japan. She majored in piano ensemble and earned a bachelor’s degree from Osaka University of Arts, then completed a master’s program in music education at Osaka Kyoiku University. Driven by a deep interest in the profound impact of the arts on society, she pursued advanced Master’s and Doctoral studies in Psychology at Hyogo Kyoiku University, focusing her research on the intersection of music and contemporary Japanese social issues. As a conductor, Yasumoto has honed her craft under the mentorship of renowned maestros Hideki Motoyama and Tatsuya Shimono. This summer, she is expanding her global artistic horizons through intensive studies in Berlin, collaborating with and learning from esteemed pedagogues and elite orchestra musicians. This past July, Yasumoto composed and released “Suite for Harpsichord and Noh Flute—From Old Melodies,” a piece for harpsichord and Noh flute that is extremely rare on a global scale.

Described by Chilean newspaper El Centro as “a bright young talent,” Patricio Gutiérrez is an emerging conductor and cellist whose work combines musical authority with collaborative sensitivity. Drawing on his experience as a performer, he brings clarity, energy, and a refined musical perspective to the podium. Gutiérrez has conducted and performed throughout Canada, the United States, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. He currently serves as Assistant Conductor of the Lewisville Lake Symphony and Abilene Philharmonic in Texas, contributing to orchestral leadership, education, and community engagement.Deeply committed to music education, Gutiérrez has worked with youth orchestras in Chile and Dallas–Fort Worth area, helping young musicians develop technical and artistic skills. He is also active as an arranger for cello ensembles and string orchestras. Born in Santiago, Chile, Gutiérrez began studying classical guitar at age eight before switching to cello at ten. He earned degrees from Universidad de Talca (Chile), The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada), and Southern Methodist University (United States), where he completed master's degrees in Cello Performance and Orchestral Conducting. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at University of North Texas under the guidance of David Itkin.

Selena Sz Tsit Liu

Selena Liu had started studying piano at 3, recorded her first solo album at Guangzhou China Record Company at the 8, and held her first solo piano recital in Qingdao. She was invited by the Italian record company LIMEN music to record a Bach album CD+DVD. In 2018, she held solo concerts at the Guiyang Grand Theater, the United States and the United Kingdom. During her studies, she has won international competitions in China, South Korea, Bulgaria, Spain, Europe, Greece, Italy, the United States, etc., and cooperated with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, the Italian I SOLISTI FILARMONICIITALIANI (ISFI) Orchestra, the San Marino National Symphony Orchestra, the Guizhou Symphony Orchestra, and the China Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra,etc. She has conducted the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra, Harbin ICE Chamber Orchestra, China Film Philharmonic, Korea Daegu Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Strings Orchestra.She has been interviewed by Hong Kong TVB, Jiangxi Radio, Jiangsu Radio, China National Radio, Wuhan TV, Sing Tao Daily, Europe Italy, Hungary Kszeg and other media.

Soojin Lee, DMA, is a Korean American conductor, violist, and educator based in Dublin. She has served as Music Director of the University of Findlay Orchestra and KCC String Chamber Orchestra and has been a faculty member at Columbus Academy. Her conducting experience includes leading the Collegiate Wind Ensemble and University Band at The Ohio State University and teaching with the Columbus Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, Dr. Lee served as Assistant Conductor for Wagner’s Die Walküre and Holst’s The Planets at the Miami Music Festival. She was also selected as an opera conductor for Realizing Rossini at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. As a violist, Dr. Lee performed with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and was awarded First Prize in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, leading to a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Dr. Lee earned a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music in Conducting from The Ohio State University. She also studied orchestral performance at Korea National University of Arts.

WuChun Liau

Wu-Chun Liau is a Taiwanese conductor and violist currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at National Taiwan Normal University under the guidance of Professor Chia-Hong Liau. In 2025, he was selected to participate in the prestigious Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, contributing to its production of Verdi’s La Traviata.

His artistic development has been shaped by extensive studies and masterclasses with internationally renowned conductors, including David Zinman, Jun Märkl, Andreas Delfs, Shao-Chia Lü, Wen-Pin Chien, Mei-Ann Chang, Yu-An Chang, Sharon Choa, Toshiaki Murakami, and Yoshinao Kihara. In 2022, he received a scholarship for an exchange program in Japan, where he was recognized for his musical insight and interpretive maturity.

Liau currently serves as Assistant Conductor of the Taipei Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Taipei Century Youth Orchestra. His repertoire spans symphonic, operatic, chamber, jazz, and contemporary music, reflecting a versatile artistic profile and a thoughtful approach to musical leadership.