Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

In September 2017 Pietari Inkinen became Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbruecken.  In 16/17 he took up the role of Chief Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, having held the role of Principal Guest since 2009.  Inkinen also holds the titles of Chief Conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Chief Conductor of the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele, posts he took up in 2015.

As a guest conductor Inkinen has worked with the Staatskapelle Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, La Scala Philharmonic, Orchestra of Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Vienna Radio Symphony, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Spanish National Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Orchestra Verdi Milan and Oslo Philharmonic as well as the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Leipzig Gewandhaus.   

Last season Inkinen’s guest engagements included his debuts with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the RSB Berlin and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.   Highlights of the 17/18 season include his debuts with the Gurzenich Orchestra in Cologne and NDR Hamburg, a Finnish Independence Day 100th Anniversary Gala followed by a production of Madame Butterfly with the Finnish National Opera, returns to the BBC Philharmonic and Finnish Radio Symphony orchestras and the continuation of a complete Ring Cycle in concert with the Japan Philharmonic.  Also this season he will feature several recent Finnish works including the world premieres of Rautavaara’s final completed symphonic work “In the Beginning” and a new work by Olli Vertaperko.

In autumn 2016 Inkinen returned to Melbourne to conduct a revival of Opera Australia’s acclaimed 2013 production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen directed by Neil Armfield.  This is the production which in August 2014 inspired Australia’s Helpmann Awards, recognising artistic excellence throughout Australia’s vibrant performing arts scene, to vote Inkinen as the award winner for Best Music Direction for Opera Australia’s Ring Cycle.  The 2016 revival garnered Inkinen a further Green Room award for Best Conductor (Opera).

Other opera engagements have included the Finnish National Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, Staatsoper in Berlin and the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich.  He has conducted Wagner’s Walkure and Das Rheingold in Palermo's Teatro Massimo for which he was awarded Italy’s National Association of Music Critics’ Franco Abbiati Prize for “Best Show” for Das Rheingold.  He also conducted performances of a highly successful new production of Eugene Onegin at the Dresden Semperoper.

From 2008 to 2016 Pietari was Music Director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra where he now holds the title of Honorary Conductor.  During his tenure, the orchestra rose to new levels with a highly acclaimed European tour, as well as the recording of a complete cycle of Sibelius Symphonies for Naxos.  This, and other recordings for Naxos, including the premiere recording of Rautavaara’s Manhattan Trilogy and a further live Sibelius Cycle recorded with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in Suntory Hall, have been widely acclaimed.   Inkinen has a large number of other recording credits, including Wagner arias and orchestral pieces with Simon O’Neill and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for EMI, which earned a rare double five-star review from BBC Music Magazine, and the Shostakovich Cello Concerto and Britten Cello Symphony with Johannes Moser for Haenssler.

Also an accomplished violin soloist, Inkinen studied at the Cologne Music Academy with Zakhar Bron, winning various awards and prizes for his solo work, before taking further studies in conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.  He continues to enjoy play-directing and performing chamber music with his regular musical partners.

Beatrice Rana has been shaking the international classical music world, arousing admiration and interest from concert presenters, conductors, critics and audiences internationally.

Beatrice performs at the world’s most esteemed concert halls and festivals including the Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London, Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, KKL Lucerne, Cologne Philharmonie, Munich’s Gasteig, Prinzregententheater and Herkulessaal, Frankfurt’s Alte Oper, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Tonhalle Zurich, Philharmonie de Luxembourg, Milan’s Società dei Concerti, BBC Proms, Ferrara Musica, Verbier Festival, Rheingau Festival, Bad Kissinger Sommer, Klavier Festival Ruhr, Lugano’s LAC, Stresa Festival, La Roque d’Anthéron Festival, Rencontres Musicales d’Evian, Bucarest Enescu Festival, Mostly Mozart, Boston’s Symphony Hall and  Celebrity Series, Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Hall and Hollywood Bowl, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

She collaborates with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Antonio Pappano, Manfred Honeck, Klaus Mäkelä, Gianandrea Noseda, Jaap van Zweden, Lahav Shani, Jakub Hrusa, Gustavo Gimeno, Fabio Luisi, Riccardo Chailly, Paavo Järvi, Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, Vladimir Jurowski, Dima Slobodeniouk, Karina Canellakis, James Gaffigan, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Susanna Mälkki and Zubin Mehta. 

Betarice is the guest of such orchestras as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Bayerische Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Symphoniker, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI, Filarmonica della Scala, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tonkünstler Orchester, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, or the St Petersburg Philharmonic. 

In the 2023/24 season, Beatrice will be touring in Europe with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Antonio Pappano, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, She will debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Cleveland Orchestra with Lahav Shani and will return to the New York Philharmonic with Manfred Honeck.

Beatrice Rana records exclusively for Warner Classics. In 2015, her first album featuring Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2 and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia di Roma received international acclaim including the prestigious Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice and BBC Music Magazine’s Newcomer of the Year  Award. The year 2017 will remain a milestone in her career with the release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The recording was praised by reviewers worldwide and was crowned by two major awards: “Young Artist of the Year” at the Gramophone Awards and “Discovery of the year” at the Edison Awards. In June 2018, she was chosen as Female Artist of the Year at the Classic BRIT Awards at the Royal Albert Hall for her recording of the Bach. Beatrice also recorded Bernstein Symphony No.2 ‘Age of Anxiety’ as part of Antonio Pappano’s recording of the composer’s complete symphonies, which also garnered her high critical acclaim. Her latest solo album was released in October 2019, featuringworks by Stravinsky and Ravel and was awarded several top prizes incuding Diapason d’Or de l’Année and Choc de l’Année Classica in France. A Chopin album was released in September 2021 and also received many awards. In 2023 Beatrice presented her 5th album featuring Clara and Robert Schumann’s concertos with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

In 2017, Beatrice started her own chamber music festival « Classiche Forme » in her native town of Lecce, Puglia. The festival has become one of Italy’s major summer events. She also became artistic director of the Orchestra Filarmonica di Benevento in 2020.

In June 2013, Beatrice Rana won Silver (2nd Prize) and the Audience Award at the prestigious Van Cliburn competition. She had attracted international attention at 18, winning 1st Prize and all special prizes at the Montreal International Competition in 2011. A recipient of an impressive number of first prizes in national and international piano competitions, such as “Muzio Clementi” Competition, “International Piano Competition of the Republic of San Marino” and “Bang&Olufsen PianoRAMA Competition”.  Born to a family of musicians in 1993, Beatrice Rana made her debuts as a soloist with orchestra at the age of 9, performing Bach Concerto in F minor. Beatrice began her musical studies at four and achieved her Piano Degree under the guidance of Benedetto Lupo at the Nino Rota Conservatory of Music in Monopoli, where she also studied composition with Marco della Sciucca. She then studied with Arie Vardi in Hannover and again with Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. She is based in Rome.