INTERNATIONAL JURY
The competition will be judged by a distinguished international jury
Paul Agnew (UK/FR)
An artist of international renown and an accomplished teacher, British tenor and conductor Paul Agnew is Musical Co-Director of Les Arts Florissants. As a singer, he made his mark on all the main international stages as a specialist in the music of the 17th and 18th centuries and as the performer of choice for the high-tenor roles of the French Baroque. He has conducted Les Arts Florissants in productions from Rameau’s Platée (Theater an der Wien, Paris’s Opéra Comique and New York’s Lincoln Center), to a new production of L’Orfeo as part of the celebration of Claudio Monteverdi’s 450th anniversary, and concerts such as the recent series "Bach, A Life in Music" at the Philharmonie de Paris.
He is also a guest conductor for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle, Dresden, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, among others. He is codirector of Le Jardin des Voix, Les Arts Florissants’ academy for young singers. This interest in the training of new generations of musicians has led him to conduct the Orchestre Français des Jeunes Baroque, the European Union Baroque Orchestra and the European Baroque Academy in Ambronay.
Veerle Declerck (BE)
Veerle Declerck is Artistic Coordinator at Concertgebouw Bruges, where she supports the development of innovative projects in the early music scene. With over two decades of experience in the classical music sector, she previously served as Chair of REMA (the European Early Music Network) and was Festival Director of Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen for 15 years. At BOZAR in Brussels, she held the position of Deputy director classical music, curating major international productions and fostering collaborations between artists, institutions, and audiences.
Her career reflects a deep commitment to artistic excellence, strategic thinking, and cultural policy. Veerle is particularly passionate about guiding young ensembles in articulating their artistic identity and positioning themselves effectively within the professional music landscape. Her insights are grounded in both artistic sensitivity and a thorough understanding of the dynamics between creators and presenters.
Philip Hobbs (UK)
Philip Hobbs (UK) is Chief Producer for Linn Records Ltd. He has worked as a recording engineer and producer for more than 30 years. He has recorded many of the world’s leading artists and ensembles, from Jon Lord and Sir Paul McCartney to Richard Rodney Bennet and Kenny Barron, but a great deal of his work has been in the area of historically informed performance. He has enjoyed long collaborations with many renowned ensembles including The Dunedin Consort, The Tallis Scholars and Phantasm.
His recent projects include Handel’s La Resurrezione with The English Concert under Harry Bicket, Bach Cantatas BWV 32,82 & 106 with John Butt and The Dunedin Consort and Das Wohltemperierte Klavier book II with Trevor Pinnock. In 2020 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Recording at the Royal Academy of Music.
Anna Danilevskaia (FR)
Artistic director of Sollazzo Ensemble Anna Danilevskaia specialises on two rare instruments, the vielle and the vihuela de arco. She was born into a family of musicians and grew up in Metz, France, surrounded by the sounds of early music. Very early on, she became fascinated with the repertories of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, repertories that she now considers her natural musical language.
After working with different early music ensembles, she founded Sollazzo Ensemble in 2014. With Sollazzo, Anna explores different ways to approach her chosen repertoire, which allows her to develop a musical language that critics have called “unique, daring and yet respectful.” Sollazzo Ensemble was awarded first prize, audience prize and Cambridge Early Music Price at the York Competititon in 2014, was a laureate of the eeemerging program, and has since maintained an active schedule of concerts and recordings. Sollazzo’s recordings have been awarded distinctions such as the Diapason d’Or de l’Année or Editor’s Choice of Gramophone.
Anna is Artist in Residence at the Concertgebouw Bruges in the realm of “The Makers,” and Sollazzo is in residence at the Arsenal in Metz.
Kati Debretzeni (UK)
Kati Debretzeni is a violinist and, since 2008, one of the leaders of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Born in Romania, Kati studied the violin with Ora Shiran in Israel, and the Baroque violin with Catherine Mackintosh and Walter Reiter at the Royal College of Music in London. Between 2000-2024, she led the English Baroque Soloists.
Kati has recorded numerous chamber music CDs with the ensembles Florilegium (Chanel Classics), Ricordo (Linn Records) and Trio Goya (Chandos). She features as a soloist on two versions of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, one with the European Brandenburg Ensemble under Trevor Pinnock (Avie Records - Gramophone Award 2008), and the other with the English Baroque Soloists (SDG). She appears regularly with the OAE in the UK, Europe and the US, and she currently teachers at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.
Steven Devine
Steven Devine (Master of Ceremonies for the competition) combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series.
On the concert and opera platform he has directed and played with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Trondheim Barokk, the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, the Victoria Baroque Players, British Columbia, and Arion Baroque Ensemble, Montreal, among others. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made many solo recordings, including a critically acclaimed recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records).
