Christian Thielemann has been one of the great German conductors of our time for years. Born in 1959 in what was then West Berlin, he began his professional career in his native city at the Deutsche Oper under none other than Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989). Via various stations in Karlsruhe and Düsseldorf, among others, he moved to Nuremberg in 1988 as - at that time - the youngest General Music Director. Nine years later, Thielemann returned to Berlin to the Deutsche Oper, then led the Munich Philharmonic from 2004 to 2011, in each case also in the positions of general music director. Thielemann has been involved with the Bayreuth Festival since 2010. In 2015, he was appointed music director there. In the 2012/13 season, he moved to Dresden to join the Sächsische Staatskapelle, and in 2013 he additionally took on the position of artistic director at the Salzburg Easter Festival. Christian Thielemann maintains close ties with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras.
Thielemann has received numerous awards and honors for his achievements, including his honorary doctorate from the Hochschule für Musik ´Franz Liszt` Weimar, the Richard Wagner Prize, the Prize of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Semper Opera, and honorary membership of the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Gustav Mahler Association Hamburg.

Michael Volle (*1960) is one of the most internationally renowned baritone singers. The singer, who comes from southern Germany, was a permanent ensemble member of Zurich Opera House from 1999 to 2007 and subsequently moved to the Bavarian State Opera (until 2012). To this day he is a regular guest in both houses. Further guest engagements have taken Volle to the leading opera and festival stages, including the Salzburg Easter Festival/Festival, the Bayreuth Festival, the Vienna State Opera, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, the New York Met as well as the Deutsche Oper and the Berlin State Opera.
Full role repertoire includes numerous title and leading roles, including the parts of Beckmesser and Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Graf Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Marcello (La bohème), Guillaume Tell, Amonasro (Aida), Wozzeck, Jochanaan (Salome), Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Wotan and Scarpia (Tosca).
In addition to his work on the opera stage, Michael Volle is also active as a lieder and concert singer. In the course of his engagements Volle has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Bernard Haitink, Philippe Herreweghe, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Antonio Pappano and Franz Welser-Möst.