Titulaire d'un master de musicologie (Université Nice Côte d’Azur), Manon mène des recherches dans le but d’améliorer la compréhension du poème symphonique romantique. Altiste et professeur d’éducation musicale, elle participe à de nombreux projets de recherche, radiophoniques et pédagogiques en France et à Monaco. Elle se passionne pour les interprétations historiquement informées.
María Elena Cuenca es estudiante de doctorado en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Anteriormente estudió el grado de Educación Musical en la Universidad de Alicante. También hizo el grado de Musicología en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid y a continuación el Máster en Música Española e Hispanoamericana en el mismo centro. Para su doctorado está investigando sobre “Las misas de Francisco de Peñalosa (ca. 1470-1528), estilo musical y contexto”.
Nacida en Barcelona, se formó musicalmente a una edad temprana y de manera autodidacta. Graduada en Historia del Arte (Universitat de Barcelona) y posteriormente formada en el máster Música como Arte Interdisciplinar (Universitat de Barcelona / ESMUC / Universitat Rovira i Virgili), se especializó en el estudio y creación de nuevos lenguajes escénicos y musicales. Ha llevado a cabo la creación de proyectos dramatúrgicos en torno a la reformulación del mito clásico en las artes escénicas contemporáneas, eje vertebral de sus estudios. En la actualidad, continúa proyectando nuevos discursos y planteamientos sobre la supervivencia del mito en lo social y lo artístico.
Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.
Although they no longer live in the same city, editors (and best friends in real life) Mark and Elisabeth spend almost more time together than when they both worked at Bachtrack's London headquarters! Whether it's at their daily virtual coffee or over a Sachertorte in a Viennese coffee house, they still argue about their musical preferences – Puccini vs. Verdi. One of many things they do agree on, however, is the unbeatable quality of Schnitzel and Viennese opera houses.
A lifelong devotee of classical music, Mark caught the bug after listening to The Planets, The Rite of Spring and Beethoven’s Fifth when he was knee-high to a grasshopper. He has degrees in non-musical subjects and currently works as a Chartered Governance Professional, but these have proved to be mere distractions from the wonders of sonatas, concertos and symphonies. He has been reviewing for Bachtrack since 2016, plays viola and violin (very shakily) and used to sing a bit (even more shakily).
Mark has worked in arts journalism for four decades, both as a writer and as a French-English translator. Nowadays he focuses his energies on reviewing opera and music. Mark also writes for Opera magazine and for Musical America as a correspondent for Europe and the UK.
Mark Vicente hails from Montreal, Canada and has lived in Amsterdam for the last 10 years. He has over 30 years of experience in the arts and entertainment industry. Mark graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School and was in the corps de ballet with The National Ballet of Canada. He also performed in the Toronto production of Disney’s The Lion King and spent two seasons at The Stratford Festival of Canada. Presently, Mark is completing his MA in Comparative Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam. His Substack, Lives After Dark, focuses on creative fiction and reflective essays on Amsterdam’s nightlife scene.
Nacido en una familia de artistas, de madre pianista y padre pintor, a los diez años comenzó a tocar el piano en Italia, país donde nació. Dos años más tarde se trasladó a España y comenzó estudios oficiales de música en el Conservatorio Jesús de Monasterio de Santander. Tras ello, cursó el Título Superior de Piano en Oviedo y a continuación el máster de profesorado. Actualmente realiza el Máster de Musicología en la Universidad de La Rioja, actividad que compagina con sus otras pasiones: la enseñanza y la filosofía.
A professional conductor living in Costa Mesa, California, Matthew received Bachelor of Music and MFA degrees from University of California, Irvine. An avid sports fan, when he’s not conducting or listening to music, he can be found cheering for his hometown San Diego Padres.
Max Lima is a Brazilian author, music critic and programme annotator based in the Netherlands. Over the past 10 years, he has collaborated with orchestras, concert halls and artists across Brazil and Europe, having written over 100 programme notes for the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra alone. He holds a Master's in Brazilian Literature with a thesis on music and poetry, and has published a poetry collection as well as work in literary magazines. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano and painting, though not as much as spending time with his cats.
Mengguang Huang is a Hamburg-based project manager in the construction industry. With a strong passion for classical music, he was introduced to the world of early music during his time in the UK, where he developed a particular fondness for renaissance and Baroque vocal music. Driven by his love for this genre, he now makes it a priority to attend major Baroque opera productions and concerts across Western Europe whenever possible, continuing to deepen his appreciation for this rich musical tradition.
Michael Roddy is a freelance journalist based in Ireland who formerly covered the arts and entertainment world, as well as general and economic news, for Thomson Reuters. He has interviewed many of the world's leading conductors, singers and composers and has covered and reviewed operas, concerts and festivals throughout Europe.
Michael Vieth ist Physiker und hat viele Jahre in der Zentralen Forschung der Siemens AG in Erlangen und München an magnetischen Speichern und Sensoren gearbeitet. Auch von klassischer Musik magnetisiert, singt er seit seinem Studium in Göttingen in großen Kantoreien und Chorprojekten; eine besondere Vorliebe hat sich zu Motetten der Renaissance und der Moderne entwickelt. Daneben faszinieren ihn Auftritte und Programme kleiner Vokal-Ensembles.
Michelle Assay is a pianist, Music and Shakespeare scholar, critic, and broadcaster. She is the principal investigator of the Marie Curie/UKRI project, “Women and Western Art Music in Iran” at King’s College London and University of Toronto in partnership with UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage centre in France. She is a regular contributor to Gramophone and has been a music critic and cultural correspondent in Ukraine, Canada, France and UK. Born in Tehran and graduated as a pianist from Kyiv and Paris Conservatoires, she holds a PhD from the Sorbonne and University of Sheffield. She is the author of several prize-winning publications and the chair and founder of the Shakespeare and Music Study Group and the Music and Mental Health Group. She is the co-author of a major forthcoming volume on Polish- born composer, Mieczysław Weinberg, and regularly appears in concert.
Miquel Martínez es Profesor Superior de percusión por el Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona, y cursa el Postgrado en la Musikhochschule de Würzburg. Es también Máster en Música como Arte Interdisciplinario por la Universitat de Barcelona (UB). Colabora con orquestas españolas como la Sinfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, la Orquesta de Navarra o la Orquestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu. En la actualidad es músico invitado para las temporadas 13/14 y 14/15 en la Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia. Apasionado por el repertorio orquestal, la música contemporánea y la ópera, ha diseñado programas para la dinamización y difusión de la música clásica.
Miriam studierte Musik, Germanistik und Philosophie in Köln, Paris und St. Louis. Jetzt promoviert sie am Forschungskolleg "Schreibszene Frankfurt" an der Goethe-Universität über Gegenwartsliteratur. Miriam schreibt für Print und Online über Musik, über Literatur und über ihr ungestümes Erleben von beidem.
Monique ten Boske is a opera critic and writer based in the Netherlands. She studied Theatre Studies and Law at Utrecht University. After a 25-year career in finance as a director, manager and lawyer, she retired early to devote more time to music and culture. She writes numerous opera articles and reviews in Dutch, including for Operamagazine.nl. She programmes classical vocal music and opera introductions for ‘Huis de Pinto’ in Amsterdam. As a lifelong opera enthusiast, she combines her passion for the performing arts with her experience in law, management and cultural organisations.
Nahoko is a UK-based Japanese music journalist with a background in musicology. She writes regularly for various Japanese media including Ongaku no tomo and Mostly Classic magazines.
Naomi is a blogger living in Tokyo and travels frequently to see ballet. She is a law graduate of Waseda University and a former film publicist, film critic and IT business researcher/strategist. She blogs at La Dolce Vita in Japanese. She tweets about ballet as @naomip_86. and takes ballet class regularly
Néstor Castiglione is a freelance music critic, program note annotator, translator, and lecturer born and raised in Los Angeles. Aside from classical music, he also writes and lectures on the culture and popular music of early Shōwa Japan (1925 – 1945). His website is Echorrhea and you can also follow him on Instagram @echorrhea.
Nick has an MA in Music, specialising in performance and repertoire. His particular passions are choral music, chamber music and opera, with a particular interest in early music. He sings in a number of choirs in the south east of England, plays the piano and occasionally dusts off the violin. He writes about music here.
Nick studied under Denis Matthews at Newcastle University in the 1970s. He has had a busy and varied career, working in classical music, musical theatre and jazz. As an educator he taught on the staff of ArtsEd London, GSA and LCM, and has been a visiting tutor at RADA, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Oxford School of Drama. After working in London for many years he took up a teaching post at the Conservatoire de la Dordogne in 2007. On returning to the UK he settled in the north-east of England. He teaches and is an accompanist at the Centre for Advanced Training at The Glasshouse ICM, Gateshead (formerly Sage Gateshead), and has recently retired as a lecturer and musical director at the Institute of the Arts, University of Cumbria. He is in demand as a choral and instrumental accompanist across the region.
Norman ist Münchner, absoluter Reisefanatiker, Blogger und Opernliebhaber seit frühester Kindheit. Besonders begeistert er sich für progressive Inszenierungen und Stücke des 21. Jahrhunderts. Nach seinem Studium der Allgemeinen Sprachwissenschaften orientierte er sich neu und arbeitet nun als Produktmanager im Börsenumfeld. Das ist sein Blog: www.annees-de-pelerinage.com
No'a L. bat Miri is a multilingual writer and educator. Her main interests include sacred and ritual music in secular settings, contemporary American opera and political music. She attends performances globally, with an emphasis on Finland, Japan and the United States. Outside of consuming classical, she is hard at work on her first libretto, actively participates in the scent art community, and can't really say “no” to a walk along the beach or hunting for berries. No'a holds an MFA and is currently pursuing rabbinical studies.
A university student in Budapest, currently pursuing a degree in Aesthetics, Orsolya is an opera fan, particularly interested in the works of Mozart and Wagner.
Pablo Sánchez Quinteiro es un apasionado de toda la música clásica, pero muy especialmente de la obra y de la personalidad de Gustav Mahler. Su estudio y su disfrute han llenado y llenan su vida, hasta el punto de que una autoridad como José Luis Pérez de Arteaga lo ha calificado como "fabuloso estudioso mahleriano". Actualmente es coeditor de la principal web en castellano dedicada a dicho compositor (gustav-mahler.es). Profesionalmente, enseña e investiga neuroanatomía animal en la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela.
Pratiquant le piano (puis l’alto) dès l’enfance, Patrice Lieberman - après un passage par le Conservatoire d’Anvers - combine sa passion pour la musique, les langues et la littérature en étudiant la musicologie et la philologie slave à l’Université Libre de Bruxelles, avant de se perfectionner aux universités de Pennsylvanie et Yale. Après avoir été pendant près de vingt ans critique au défunt hebdomadaire anglophone bruxellois The Bulletin, il collabore depuis 2014 à Crescendo Magazine (crescendo-magazine.be). Il a également régulièrement signé des notes de programme et des traductions pour différentes organisations culturelles, dont le Festival de Flandre et l’Orchestre national de Belgique.
Patrick Maxwell is a writer and journalist, based as a historian at New College, Oxford. He regularly reviews books for The Big Issue in Scotland, writes editions of Russian literature for Warbler Press in New York and on news and culture for the online magazine The Article in London. A chorister at Westminster Abbey, he sings in the Choir of New College, and is the Conducting Scholar of Schola Cantorum. Patrick divides his time between Oxford and London.
