Through elegant musicality and an insightful approach to contemporary and established repertoire, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has earned a reputation as one of the world’s finest pianists. He is especially known for his diverse interests beyond the classical world, including numerous collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art. He is a devoted educator and the first-ever Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School, which awards several scholarships in his name.

A prolific recording artist, Thibaudet has appeared on more than 70 albums and six film scores; his extensive catalog has received two Grammy nominations, two ECHO Awards, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the CHOC du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. His recent recordings include Khachaturian, a celebration of the Armenian composer’s works including his Piano Concerto and several solo piano pieces; Gershwin Rhapsody, a selection of Gershwin pieces recorded with Michael Feinstein, including four newly discovered ones; and Carte Blanche, a collection of deeply personal solo piano pieces never before recorded by the pianist. He is the soloist on Dario Marianelli’s recently reissued score for Pride & Prejudice; his playing can also be head on Marianelli’s score for Atonement, Alexandre Desplat’s scores for The French Dispatch and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and Aaron Zigman’s score for Wakefield.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies at age five and made his first public appearance at age seven. At 12, he entered the Paris Conservatory to study with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. Among his numerous commendations is the Victoire d’Honneur, a lifetime career achievement award and the highest honor given by France’s Victoires de la Musique. In 2010, the Hollywood Bowl honored Thibaudet for his musical achievements by inducting him into its Hall of Fame. Previously a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Thibaudet was awarded the title Officier by the French Ministry of Culture in 2012. In 2020, he was named Special Representative for the promotion of French Creative and Cultural Industries in Romania.

Praised by Opera News for her “unusually rich and resonant” voice, contralto Sara Couden is a premier interpreter of operatic, orchestral, chamber, and song repertoire. Her 2025–26 season includes a debut with Detroit Opera as Rita in Poul Ruders’s The Handmaid’s Tale; a debut with the Houston Symphony in selections from La vida breve; a role and house debut as Ježibaba (Rusalka) with Pacific Northwest Opera; Die Hexe/Die Mutter (Hänsel und Gretel) with Lakes Area Music Festival; and appearances with the St. Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Tucson Symphony as the Alto Soloist in Händel’s Messiah.

Couden’s latest triumphs include her San Francisco Opera debut as Rita (The Handmaid’s Tale), a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Mrs. Sedley (Peter Grimes), her debut appearance in recital at the Manchester Music Festival, and a role debut as Baba the Turk (The Rake’s Progress) with Lakes Area Music Festival; as well as company debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra as Mother/Chinese Cup/Dragon Fly (L’Enfant et les sortilèges), the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as the Alto Soloist in Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, the Seattle Symphony in Händel’s Messiah, and the California Symphony in songs by Mahler. Couden also recently released her debut solo album, the Complete Vocal Works of Artur Schnabel, on the Steinway & Sons label.

Highlights from previous seasons include her debut with the Metropolitan Opera as Tetka (Jenufa) and Albine (Thaïs), as well as returns to Carnegie Hall as the Alto Soloist in Karl Jenkins’s Stabat Mater and to the Met to cover Erste Magd (Elektra) and Marta and Pantalis (Mefistofele). She also made role debuts as Ottavia (L’Incoronazione di Poppea) and Nurse in Dukas’s Ariane et Barbe-Bleue with West Edge Opera, Juno (Semele) and Marquise de Berkenfeld (La Fille du Régiment) with St. Petersburg Opera, Israelitish Man (Judas Maccabaeus) with Philharmonia Baroque, Ormindo (Ermelinda) with Ars Minerva, Dejanira (Hercules) at the Staunton Music Festival, and Testo in Stradella’s La Susanna with Heartbeat Opera and Opera Lafayette.

Gonzalo Farias, Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony, is an imaginative and engaging orchestral leader, award-winning pianist, and dedicated educator. Praised for his “clear, engaging style with a lyrical, almost Zen-like quality,” he is recognized as “a focused, musical artist who knows what he wants and how to get it—with grace and substance.”

He has held conducting posts with the Kansas City Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. As Music Director of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra, he strengthened community connections through innovative programming, pre-concert lectures, and bilingual collaborations, including a narrated performance of Bizet’s Carmen.

Recent and upcoming appearances include the Nashville Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Buffalo Philharmonic, Tallahassee Symphony, and the Houston Symphony, where in 2024 he conducted the world premiere of Arturo Márquez’s Guitar Concerto with Pablo Sainz-Villegas.

He was one of six conductors chosen for the prestigious Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, presented by the League of American Orchestras, and was appointed by the National Endowment for the Arts as a grant review panelist.

Born in Santiago de Chile, Farias began piano studies at age five. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and continued his education at the New England Conservatory, studying under Wha-Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. He has won prizes at the Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition, Maria Canals, and Luis Sigall competitions. His conducting mentors include Donald Schleicher, Marin Alsop, Larry Rachleff, and Otto-Werner Mueller.

Beyond performance, Farias is committed to reimagining music as a force for personal growth, dialogue, cooperation, and community-building. His doctoral dissertation, Logical Predictions and Cybernetics, examines Cornelius Cardew’s The Great Learning to explore music-making as a self-organizing system. Influenced by Zen Buddhist practice and second-order cybernetics, he views music as a shared space where performers and audiences co-create meaning, reflecting on our shared human condition.