Didier Lockwood
Didier Lockwood, both as a composer and an improvisator, has distinguished himself on the international jazz scene with his own very personal and unique sound. Born in 1956 in Calais, France, his father, a violinist, transmitted his own passion for the instrument to his son. Towards the end of his classical studies at the Academy of Music, he discovered the freedom of improvisation. At the age of 17, he moved on to the progressive rock scene with the mythical group Magma; then at 21 he turned to jazz where he was discovered by Stephane Grappelli. In 2004 he celebrated his 30-year career filled with memorable encounters, during which time he recorded over 30 albums in Europe and the United States, and gave more than 3000 concerts in the most prestigious festivals and concert halls around the world. His many awards include awards from the SACEM (Societe d’Auteurs, Compositeurs et Musiciens), the Victoire de la Musique, a Gold Album, the Charles Cros Prize, the Blue Note Award, 3 stars at Down Beat, Jazzman de Choc, the Gold Diapason, Fip Selection etc. He was also honored with the title of Officer of Arts and Letters, then was elevated to Knight of the Legion of Honneur. Inspired by a wide range of music, Didier Lockwood has always remained true to jazz, showcased with his many multi-ethnic musical colors in his album “Globe Trotter” (Universal Jazz label). In 2004 he received the Maurice Yvain prize (SACD) for the entire body of his symphonic work (concerti for violin, for piano, two operas and a cycle of melodies for voice and orchestra). He composes both for the cinema and for contemporary dance and has continued to transmit his passion for improvisation at the CMDL (the International School of Music Didier Lockwood) that he created in 2001, which is situated at Dammarie-les- Lys, France.
www.didierlockwood.com

Maxim Vengerov
At thirty-two years of age Maxim Vengerov is recognised as one of the world’s most exciting violinists. He gave his first recital at the age of five and, after studying with Galina Tourchaninova and Professor Zakhar Bron, he went on to win the First Prize in the Junior Wieniawski Competition when he was ten years old. In 1990, aged fifteen, he won the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, confirming his reputation as a musician of the very highest order. In May 2000 Maxim Vengerov signed an exclusive contract with EMI Classics. Vengerov’s awards and prizes have included Gramophone Young Artist of the Year, and Ritmo (Spain) Artist of the Year in 1994; Gramophone Record of the Year, Grammy Award nominations for Classical Album of the Year and Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra in 1996; the Edison Award for Best Concerto Recording in 1997, Gramophone Artist of the Year in 2002 and Edison Award winner and Grammy Award winner in 2004 for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra) for the Britten: Violin Concerto/Walton: Viola Concerto. In 1997 Vengerov was the first classical musician to be appointed Envoy for Music by UNICEF. In this role Vengerov has met and performed for disadvantaged children in Uganda, Harlem, Thailand, and those on both sides of the Kosovan ethnic divide. This work has afforded him the opportunity both to inspire children worldwide and inspire others to raise funds for UNICEF assisted programmes. Another passion of Vengerov’s life is his involvement with young people through giving masterclasses. One such event was recorded by Channel Four Television as part of a documentary on Vengerov called ‘Playing by Heart’ shown at the Cannes Television Festival in 1999. Since October 2000, Vengerov has been a Professor of Violin at the Musikhochschule des Saarlandes. Maxim Vengerov appears regularly with all the major orchestras and eminent conductors, has performed as both soloist and conductor, made his debut on the baroque violin accompanied by Trevor Pinnock, and has recently taken up the viola. His extensive concerto, solo and duo recital tours have taken him regularly around the globe. Vengerov opened the 2004/05 season with the New York Philharmonic and the London Symohony Orchestra. He toured the Far East and Europe until the end of 2004 with a new programme of Virtuosi pieces, a programme which was also recorded and released by EMI. The year 2005 was a sabbatical year in which Vengerov studied improvisation with Didier Lockwood and tango dance, and prepared for an explosive new viola concerto written for him by Benjamin Yusupov. The world premiere took place with the NDR Orchestra in Hanover in May 2005. In 2006 Vengerov reassumed his usual concert work with tours worldwide of the Mozart concertos with the UBS Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and a recital tour with works by Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. He is currently in the process of recording the complete Mozart Violin Concertos and the Sinfonia Concertante (with viola soloist Lawrence Power) for EMI Classics, the first CD of which will be released in early 2007 to coincide with a worldwide tour with the UBS Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.
www.maximvengerov.net

Jean-François Zygel
Pianiste et compositeur, Jean-François Zygel improvise régulièrement en concert, pour le cinéma muet, le théâtre ou la danse (Théâtre du Châtelet, Forum des Images, Opéra Bastille, Festival d'Avignon, Auditorium de Lyon, Musée du Louvre, Musée d'Orsay…) ainsi que pour la radio (France Musique) et la télévision (Mezzo, France 2). En compagnie de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, il présente chaque mois les œuvres du grand répertoire au jeune public salle Pleyel et à la maison de Radio France. Il y est également chargé d'une émission hebdomadaire publique et en direct, « Le cabaret classique de Jean-François Zygel », diffusée sur France Musique le dimanche de 18h à 19h. Il crée en 2006 pour France 2 et Mezzo une série d'émissions intitulée « La Boîte à musique de Jean-François Zygel » consacrée aux grands compositeurs. On peut aussi le retrouver en DVD dans la « La leçon de musique » (déjà parus : Mozart, Chopin, Fauré, Ravel, Bartok, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Franck, Chostakovitch) et dans « Les Clefs de l'orchestre » (déjà parus :  la 103ème symphonie de Haydn et le Boléro de Ravel) ou dans son disque d'improvisation solo (parution : mars 2008). Jean-François Zygel est professeur d'écriture et d'improvisation au Conservatoire de Paris. Il a remporté en 2006 une Victoire de la Musique Classique. Ses disques et ses DVD sont édités chez naïve.
www.jeanfrancoiszygel.com