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The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) is a place like nowhere else, powered by performance, its people, and their passion. Established in 1847 and celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2022, RCS is consistently recognised as a global leader in performing arts education (currently ranked as one of the world’s top three performing arts education institutions by the QS World University Rankings).
With students from more than 50 countries, specialist staff and active partnerships with all of Scotland’s national arts companies, RCS is a centre of performance offering a learning environment which encourages students to create new work, collaborate with peers across disciplines and develop innovative ideas and grow into artists the world needs.

RCS graduates are resourceful, highly employable and members of a dynamic community of artists who make a significant impact across the globe.

At RCS, students develop not just their art but their power to use it.

Simon Trpčeski has been praised not only for his powerful virtuosity and deeply expressive approach, but also for his charismatic stage presence.

Launched onto the international scene twenty years ago as a BBC New-Generation Artist, in an incredibly fast-paced career that encompass no cultural or musical boundaries, Simon Trpčeski has collaborated with over a hundred orchestras on four continents, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Deutsche Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and Dresden Philharmonic, while In North America, he is a frequent soloist with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the Los Angeles and New-York Philharmonic, and the San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, and Baltimore Symphonies. Further afield, he has he has performed with the New Japan, Seoul, and Hong Kong Philharmonics, and the Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, and New Zealand Symphonies.

A much sought-after soloist, the long list of prominent conductors Simon Trpčeski works with includes Marin Alsop, Gustavo Dudamel, Cristian Măcelaru, Charles Dutoit, Jakob Hrusa, Vladimir Jurowski, Susanna Malkki, Andris Nelsons, Antonio Pappano, Vasily Petrenko, Robert Spano, Michael Tilson Thomas, and David Zinman. He has a particularly long-standing relationship with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, further strengthened during the tenure of Vassily Petrenko. Together, they have recorded the monuments of the Russian piano repertoire, all four Rachmaninov piano concertos as well as the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, for Avie, the two Tchaikovsky piano concertos and most recently Prokofiev piano concertos no. 1 and 3 for Onyx Classics.

An acclaimed recitalist, Simon Trpčeski has performed in major halls in New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich, Prague, Hamburg, Bilbao, Istanbul, Dublin, and Tokyo. Since his debut at Wigmore Hall in 2001, he has remained a regular guest of this prestigious venue, including a Residency in 2018, and with two recitals released on the Wigmore Live label. In chamber music, Simon Trpčeski regularly partners cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, and regularly appears as a chamber musician in festivals such as Aspen, Verbier, Risor, Bergen, and the Baltic Sea Festival

A natural music explorer, Simon Trpčeski is also committed to strengthening the cultural image of his native Macedonia. His latest chamber music project Makedonissimo is dedicated to introducing audiences world-wide to the rich traditional Macedonian folk roots. With the collaboration of composer Pande Shahov, it weaves into one unique sound world, the Macedonian folk music tradition with highly virtuoso, jazz-influenced riffs and harmonies. Since its successful premiere in Germany at the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, the project has travelled to Slovenia, UK, Poland, The Netherlands, France, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania with future performances scheduled in Russia, New Zealand and Australia.

Simon Trpčeski’s fruitful collaborations with EMI Classics, Avie Records, Wigmore Hall Live, Onyx Classics, and currently Linn Records has resulted in a broad and award-winning discography. His natural affinity with Russian composers of the 19th and 20th century is featured in seven CDs presenting works by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Scriabine, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. He has also recorded the music of Chopin, Brahms, Poulenc, Bach, Liszt and Debussy. His debut album received both the “Editor’s Choice” and “Debut Album” prizes at the Gramophone Awards in 2002. His Rachmaninov concerto cycle in 2010 and 2011 was Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” and also received a Diapason d’Or. The Wigmore Live CD of 2012 was The Telegraph “Classical CD of the Week.”

With the special support of KulturOp — Macedonia’s leading cultural and arts organization — Simon Trpčeski works regularly with young musicians in Macedonia nurturing the talent of the next generation of artists. In 2009, he received the Presidential Order of Merit for Macedonia, a decoration given to foreign and domestic dignitaries responsible for the affirmation of Macedonia abroad. In 2011, he became the first-ever recipient of the title “National Artist of Macedonia.”

Born in Macedonia in 1979, Simon Trpčeski is a graduate of the School of Music at the University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje, where he studied with Boris Romanov. He was BBC New Generation Artist 2001-2003 and in 2003, was honoured with the Young Artist Award by the Royal Philharmonic Society.

James Conlon, one of today’s most versatile and respected conductors, has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic, and choral repertoire. Since his 1974 debut with the New York Philharmonic, he has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra. Through worldwide touring, an extensive discography and videography, numerous writings, television appearances and guest speaking engagements, Mr. Conlon is one of classical music’s most recognized figures.

Mr. Conlon is Music Director of LA Opera, where since 2006 he has led more performances than any other conductor in the company’s history—to date, more than 400 performances of over 60 different operas. This season he conducts Verdi’s Il Trovatore , Wagner’s Tannhäuser ; Verdi’s Aida , and a ballet adaptation of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion . He is also Artistic Advisor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He has been Principal Conductor of the Paris Opera; General Music Director of the City of Cologne, Germany, where he was Music Director of both the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and the Cologne Opera; Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra Nazionale Della RAI in Torino, Italy. He has served as Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, summer home of the Chicago Symphony; and is now Music Director Laureate of the Cincinnati May Festival, where he was Music Director for 37 years. As a guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, he has led more than 270 performances since his 1976 debut.

In an effort to call attention to lesser-known works of composers silenced by the Nazi regime, Mr. Conlon has devoted himself to extensive programming of this music throughout Europe and North America. For his efforts, he was awarded the Roger E. Joseph Prize at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (2013); a Crystal Globe Award from the Anti-Defamation League (2007); and the Zemlinsky Prize (1999). His work on behalf of suppressed composers led to the creation of The OREL Foundation and the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn School.

Mr. Conlon is an enthusiastic advocate of public scholarship and cultural institutions as forums for the exchange of ideas and inquiry into the role music plays in our shared humanity and civic life. At LA Opera, his immensely popular pre-performance talks draw upon musicology, literary studies, history, and social sciences to contemplate the enduring power and relevance of opera, and classical music in general. His appearances throughout the country as a speaker on a variety of cultural and educational topics are widely praised.

Mr. Conlon’s extensive discography can be found on the Bridge, Capriccio, Decca, EMI, Erato and Sony Classical labels; and his recordings of LA Opera productions including Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles released on PentaTone and Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny on EuroArts have received four Grammy® awards. Mr. Conlon was named Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana by Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic, and Commandeur de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture. In 2002, he received France’s highest honor, the Legion d’Honneur from then-President of the French Republic Jacques Chirac.

NYOS Symphony Orchestra (The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland) is the flagship orchestra of NYOS. Founded in 1979, it is a symphony orchestra for musicians aged 25 and under.

Following its two residential courses the ensemble performs during spring and summer in a variety of high profile venues and festivals as part of the orchestra’s annual national and international tours.

Auditions for entry to NYOS orchestras are held annually, throughout Scotland, attracting over 500 applicants each year. The musicians are of the highest calibre and many past students have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the musical profession. Alumni include Dame Evelyn Glennie, Colin Currie, Helen Grime and Rory Macdonald.

Kerem Hasan commences his third season as chief conductor of the Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, after starting this position in September 2019. In Summer 2017, the young British conductor laid the foundations for a very promising international career by winning the Nestlé and Salzburg Young Conductors Award. Prior to this, he had already attracted attention as a finalist in the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London and as Associate Conductor of the Welsh National Opera.

Apart from his concerts with the Tiroler Symphonieorchester, Kerem also returns to the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck to conduct Rossini’s “L’italiana in Algeri“ and Mozart‘s “Die Zauberflöte“. Further highlights of his 2021/22 season include opera productions at the English National Opera (“Così van tutte“) and in Glyndebourne (“The Rake’s Progress“) as well as concerts with the Tonkünstlerorchester Niederösterreich, Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra and Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore, Hasan debuts with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia and returns to the ORF Radio Symphonieorchester Wien, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Noord Nederlands Orkest. June 2022 sees him making his US debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra followed by concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra and at the Aspen Music Festival.

Hasan’s previous engagements include opera performances in Glyndebourne (“Die Zauberflöte”), with the Welsh National Opera (“La Forza del Destino”) and at the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck (“Samson et Dalila”, “Rigoletto”, “The Rape of Lucretia”). He has conducted concerts with the Concertgebouworkest, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, SWR Symphonieorchester, MDR Sinfonieorchester, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Filarmonica Teatro La Fenice and New Japan Philharmonic. In masterclasses, he received valuable advice from David Zinman, Edo de Waart, Gianandrea Noseda and Esa-Pekka Salonen. On the invitation of his mentor Bernard Haitink, he assisted him with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouworkest and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

In the summer of 2016, Kerem Hasan first attended the Conducting Academy of the Aspen Music Festival, where he worked with Robert Spano. In 2017, he returned to the festival as Conducting Fellow and was subsequently awarded the Aspen Conductor Prize. As Assistant Conductor, he was in Aspen again in summer 2018.

Kerem Hasan, born in London in 1992, studied piano and conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Later, he continued his education at the Zurich University of the Arts with Johannes Schlaefli.

Louis Schwizgebel has been described as “a genuine virtuoso, a spirited young genius with real depth” (Fono Forum) and an “insightful musician” (The New York Times). He is praised repeatedly for his poise, elegance, imagination, expressive lyricism and crystalline articulation. He performs regularly in recital, with the finest orchestras across the globe and has received critical acclaim for his recordings.

Schwizgebel’s 2019:20 season includes debuts with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony and Bern Symphony orchestras in Europe, with Cincinnati Symphony, Omaha Symphony and Louisiana Philharmonic orchestras in the US and further afield with the Tasmanian Symphony and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestras.

In recent seasons, highlights have included performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, National du Capitole de Toulouse, Danish National Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, City of Birmingham Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Utah Symphony, Nagoya and Shanghai Philharmonic orchestras. Conductors he has worked with include Edward Gardner, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Emmanuel Krivine, Nicholas Collon, Thierry Fischer, Charles Dutoit, Fabio Luisi, Lahav Shani, Robin Ticciati, Louis Langrée, John Wilson, James Gaffigan, Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Fabien Gabel amongst others.

In solo recital and chamber music, Schwizgebel performs regularly at the major festivals and halls including most recently London’s Wigmore, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Rheingau Festival, Klavierfest Ruhr, Lille Piano Festival and Singapore International Piano Festival, with artists such as Benjamin Beilman, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Renaud Capuçon and Alina Ibragimova.

Schwizgebel performs frequently in his native Switzerland; he has played in the major festivals such as Verbier, Lucerne Progetto Martha Argerich and Menuhin Festival Gstaad and in 2019:20 makes his debut in the Meisterinterpreten series in Zurich. In 2014 he made his BBC Proms debut with an electrifying televised performance of Prokofiev Piano Concerto No1 and in 2018 at the Festival de Radio France in a televised performance of Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue.

Schwizgebel records for Aparté and his latest recording of Schubert Sonatas D845 and D958 was described as an “album of extraordinary precision” by Le Figaro. Previous releases include Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos No2 and 5 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, described as “gorgeously singing and wonderfully delicate” by BBC Music Magazine, and Beethoven Piano Concertos No1 and 2 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra hailed as a “beautifully nuanced account” by Gramophone.

Schwizgebel was born in 1987 in Geneva. He studied with Brigitte Meyer in Lausanne and Pascal Devoyon in Berlin, and then later at the Juilliard School with Emanuel Ax and Robert McDonald, and at London’s Royal Academy of Music with Pascal Nemirovski. At the age of seventeen he won the Geneva International Music Competition and, two years later, the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. In 2012 he won second prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition and in 2013 he became a BBC New Generation Artist.