Artists

Ruzan Mantashyan, an Armenian-born musician, began piano studies at seven and later studied voice at the Komitas Conservatoire. She further honed her skills at Mirella Freni's Accademia di Belcanto in Modena and the Frankfurt Conservatoire, earning a Master's Degree in 2014. She then joined the Atelier lyrique at the Opéra national de Paris until 2016. Mantashyan has won several awards, including the Special Prize at the Francisco Vinas International Singing Contest and the Toti dal Monte competition. She has performed in numerous prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Opéra de Paris Bastille, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Wiener Staatsoper or the Royal Opera House. Her roles include Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Servilia (La clemenza di Tito), Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) or Mimi (La Bohème), among others.

Following his First Prize triumph at the 2018 Queen-Elisabeth-Competition, Samuel Hasselhorn has quickly established himself internationally as a versatile artist who is equally at home in the genres of opera, Lied, and oratorio. He was a permanent member of the Vienna State Opera‘s ensemble for two years, where he interpreted the title role in Don Giovanni, Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Harlequin (Ariadne auf Naxos) or Schaunard (La Bohème). At the Staatstheater Nuremberg, he made his role debuts as Pelléas (Pelléas et Mélisande) and Ford (Falstaff). He is esteemed internationally as a lied recitalist, and regularly works with renowned pianists such as Helmut Deutsch, Malcolm Martineau, Ammiel Bushakevitz or Joseph Middleton. Recitals have taken him to the Hamburg State Opera, the Hugo Wolf Academy in Stuttgart, the Theater an der Wien, the Schubertíada or the Wigmore Hall.

Born in Darmós, Tarragona, she entered the world of art with dance (classical and Spanish), piano, and choral singing. She graduated from the Liceu Conservatory of Barcelona with a degree in singing and interpretation and made her operatic debut in 2013 at the Rossini Opera Festival as Folleville (Il viaggio a Reims). After receiving recognition in numerous competitions, including the contest Tenor Viñas (2016), where she received eight awards, she has performed in numerous renowned theatres and festivals, including the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Teatro Real, the Teatro Regio, the Teatro Verdi, the Tchaikovsky Theater, the Teatro del Maggio, and the Salzburg Festival, singing the roles of Norina (Don Pasquale), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte) or Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos). She has also a significant concert activity, including symphonic repertoire, oratorio, song, and recital.

Simon Lepper read music at King’s College, Cambridge before studying piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music and later at the Fondation Royaumont. He is Assistant Head of Keyboard (collaborative piano) and a vocal repertoire coach at the Royal College of Music, London. Since 2003 he has been an official accompanist for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Performance highlights included an invitation from the Wigmore Hall to present a three concert project on the songs of Joseph Marx; recital tours with Stéphane Degout; performances of the Schubert song cycles with Gerald Finley and Mark Padmore, recitals with Christiane Karg or an all-Schubert programme with Ilker Arcayürek. Recent highlights include recitals with Masabane Cecilia Rangnawasha, a recital in Santa Fe and his Korean debut with Benjamin Appl as well the complete Messiaen songs with Gweneth-Ann Rand at the Aldeburgh Festival.