Rising stars: ten to watch in 2024–25

Ten artists to watch in 2024–25

Tabita Berglund

Quatuor Agate

Elisabeth Brauß

Anastasia Kobekina

María Dueñas

Dani Howard

Ben Glassberg

Huw Montague Rendall

Hongni Wu

Beth Taylor

By Mark Pullinger, 20 September 2024

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Jessica Duchen, 6th April

The Royal College of Music offers an enviable nurturing ground for the next generation of operatic talent. Audrey Hyland, head of the Vocal and Opera faculty, talks about what makes the department special.

Ben Glassberg on depression and a journey back to music

Elisabeth Schwarz, 16th January

Elisabeth Schwarz sits down with the British conductor to talk about his history of mental illness, his coming out and his journey back to the joy of music.

All in the family: Flanders Symphony’s new chief Martijn Dendievel

Lawrence Dunn, 15th January

The young Belgian conductor has had a long association with the Flanders Symphony – and this January he takes the chief’s baton from departing Kristiina Poska, who reaffirmed the orchestra’s crisp, classical sound.

Bryce Dessner in Prague: new landscapes in a living tradition

Thomas May, 11th December

Bryce Dessner enters the Czech Philharmonic’s living tradition with electric guitars, a new cello concerto and a composer’s ear for landscape, history, collaboration and renewal.

Cosmopolitan new season from Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony

Bachtrack, 18th November

With a remarkably extensive season featuring a slew of major guests, and the cream of Japanese classical music talent, the TMSO has an uncanny ability to switch between musical styles on a dime.

Stars of the future: ten dance talents to watch in 2025–26

Deborah Weiss, 2nd September

Bachtrack’s Dance Editor Deborah Weiss picks ten young dancers who made a deep impression last season, and what to expect from them in 2025–26.

Mark Pullinger

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.