©Barbara Luisi

Born in Genoa, Italy, Fabio Luisi is one of the leading opera and concert conductors in the world. He received his piano diploma from the Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini and later studied with the Italian pianist Aldo Ciccolini in Paris. While working with Leyla Gencer and Rudolfo Celletti as an accompanist, he decided to become a conductor. In 1983, he graduated from the Music Conservatory in Graz with the "highest distinction" in conducting and started working at the Grazer Oper the following year. Since embarking on his international career in 1987, Luisi has conducted the Staatstheater Stuttgart, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Opéra National de Bordeaux, the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and the Wiener Staatsoper. In 1990, he founded the Grazer Symphonisches Orchester and remained its Artistic Director until 1995. He has also served as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tonkünstler-Orchester in Vienna, Musical Director and Artistic Director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, General Music Director of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, and Chief Conductor of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. His American debut was in 2000 with the New York Philharmonic, immediately followed by his opera debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 2005, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut. Luisi works on a regular basis with orchestras such as the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; and with opera houses and festivals such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, the Hamburgische Staatsoper, the Lucerne Festival, and the Festival Gstaad. He was the Artistic Director of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) in Leipzig from 1996 to 2007, and he became Chief Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker in 2005. He will become Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera from the 2010-11 season and GMD (Music Director) of the Zurich Opera from 2012. Luisi was decorated with the "Cavaliere Ufficiale" order of the Italian Republic in 2006 and was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Arts and Sciences and the "Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana" in 2008. He appeared at PMF as Guest Conductor in 2004 and as Principal Conductor in 2008. He will serve as Artistic Director of PMF from 2010.

Born in Marl, Germany, Alexander Bülow started studying piano at an early age. After studying bassoon, he studied vocal and chorus and orchestra conducting. While studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, he learned conducting under Fabio Luisi, Harald Knauff, and Martin Braun and performed with the Jenaer Philharmonie, Westsächsisches Symphonieorchester, and Erzgebirgischen Sinfonieorchester Aue. He also studied chorus conducting with Roland Börger and conducted the GewandhausChor, Hallenser Madrigalisten, and Leipziger Vocalensemble. Bülow was assistant to Fabio Luisi for the performance of "The Magic Flute" at the Theater an der Wien in 2006. After he graduated in 2007, he has been serving as Solorepetitur and conductor and assistant to the General Music Director in Theater Lübeck. He often performs with Lübecker Kammerorchester.