Amanda Majeski
Internationally renowned American soprano Amanda Majeski is rapidly garnering critical acclaim for a voice of “silvery beauty” (Musical America), with the Financial Times remarking that “Majeski’s well-rounded soprano ... is so warm and glorious, the singing so outstanding, that she leaves no emotions unstirred.” Having established herself as a celebrated interpreter of Mozart, Strauss, Wagner and Handel, Majeski added a new dimension to her career with her breakthrough performance as the title role in Janáček Káťa Kabanová at Royal Opera, Covent Garden in 2019, which won Best New Opera Production at that year’s Olivier Awards.

During the 2023/24 season, Majeski returns to the Teatro Real Madrid as Marta The Passenger and performs Katja at the Semperoper Dresden. In 2022/23 she debuted the title role Salome for the Madison Opera and sang Katja in concert with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Other recent performances include: her house debuts at the Dutch National Opera, as Donna Elvira Don Giovanni, and Opéra de Paris, as Vitellia La clemenza di Tito; a return to the Teatro Real Madrid as 3rd Norn and Gutrune Götterdämmerung; Katya in concert at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw; an appearance with the Madison Opera for the return of its wildly popular Opera in the Park concert; and virtual performances with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Harris Theater.

Majeski’s 2019/20 season commenced with her debut with the Nürnberger Symphoniker bringing her Straussian expertise to his Vier letzte Lieder conducted by Kahchun Wong. She then returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago, the company that launched her international career, for her house role debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, followed by Hugo Wolf Italienisches Liederbuch at the 92nd Street Y, alongside bass-baritone Philippe Sly and pianist Julius Drake. ...

Katarina Dalayman
first enjoyed a long and prestigious international career as a soprano, building a reputation as a performer of strong dramatic interpretation and impeccable musicianship. Now focused on a mezzo-soprano repertoire, Dalayman has made many widely-praised role debuts in recent seasons including as Klytämnestra (Elektra) in Francesca Zambello’s production at Washington National Opera under Evan Rogister, as Herodias (Salome) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden under Alexander Soddy, as Amneris (Aida) and Fricka (Die Walküre) for Royal Swedish Opera and Jezibaba (Rusalka) at Teatro Real Madrid in a new production by Christof Loy.

At Bayerische Staatsoper, where Dalayman previously appeared extensively in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, she recently created several characters in the world-premiere of Hans Abrahamsen‘s The Snow Queen, conducted by Cornelius Meister, and in Berlin’s Philharmonie she joined Kirill Petrenko as La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica) in a special project with Akademie of Berliner Philharmoniker. Dalayman made her debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Kabanicha (Kát’a Kabanová) under Music Director Robin Ticciati, going on to repeat this role at Het Concertgebouw as part of NTR ZaterdagMatinee series with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis and with London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Hall under Sir Simon Rattle. ...

Sir Simon Rattle
originally learnt the piano and violin but his first work in the orchestral world, appropriately enough given his surname, was as a percussionist.

He soon moved onto conducting though and was talent spotted and signed up to an agent in the year he graduated. In 1980 he became the Principal Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. With Rattle aged just 25, this was a massive gamble for the Orchestra, but it paid off – the hugely successful partnership with the Orchestra took them to new heights.

In 1987 he made his debut with us, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducting Mozart’s opera Idomeneo, a massive undertaking for us at the time as the Orchestra had only formed a year before. ‘It was an unforgettable time’, Rattle says, ‘In many ways it changed my life. We really could help each other: I learnt an enormous amount from them, and they needed someone who could make them into an orchestra’.

Meanwhile, Simon had made his debut with the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic (also in 1987) and when he left Birmingham he went on to get what is probably the top job in the classical world – Principal Conductor of Berlin Philharmonic until 2018. He is now Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra.

During this time, Simon (who became Sir Simon in 1994) has worked with us regularly and was instrumental (excuse the pun) in getting the OAE hired by the world-famous Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where we still play each summer.

He’s currently one of our six Principal Artists. In 2019, we toured his staging of Bach’s St John Passion, created in collaboration with Peter Sellars.