Classical Music Signings: September

Conductors

HarrisonParrot and Polyarts have announced the global classical management of French composer and conductor Alexandre Desplat. Revered for his extraordinary career as a composer of film music, Desplat has created original scores for over 130 films and received numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, three César Awards, two Golden Globes, and two GRAMMY awards. As a conductor of his own works, Desplat has regularly worked with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Wiener Symphoniker. More recently, he has composed new works for Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Emmanuel Pahud, and his first opera, En Silence, premiered in 2020. Desplat has also collaborated with choreographer Alan Lucian Øyen on two staged works: The American Moth (2021) and a new work premiered by the Norwegian National Ballet (2023). 

Only Stage management has announced the addition of Japanese conductor Junichi Hirokami to its roster. Born in Tokyo, Hirokami graduated from Tokyo College of Music, initially studying piano and composition before focusing on conducting. From 2008 to 2022, he served as Chief Conductor and Music and Artistic Advisor of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, with both Hirokami and the orchestra being awarded the prestigious Suntory Music Award in 2015. Currently, Hirokami is Artistic Leader of Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Artistic Advisor at Japan Philharmonic, and Friendship Conductor at Sapporo Symphony.

Instrumentalists

HarrisonParrott has signed violinist Alena Baeva to its roster for worldwide general management. Baeve, who boasts a repertoire of over 50 violin concertos, has performed with leading orchestras including New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. She also has a long-standing relationship with the Orchestra of the XVIII Century, performing and recording on period instruments, and regular chamber music engagements. Earlier this year she and her recital partner, Vadym Kholodenko, released their album Fantasy on Alpha Classics.

Only Stage management has announced the addition of Russian-born pianist Boris Petrushansky to its roster. Petrushansky graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1975, having already distinguished himself in major international competitions, including the Leeds, Munich and Terni competitions. Petrushansky’s performances have seen him collaborated with renowned orchestras such as the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Berlin Staatskapelle, and the Orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia,. Petrushansky, who resides in Italy, is also a sought-after jury member for the Busoni, Leeds, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin piano competitions, among others.