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Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was an Italian composer whose operas, including 'La Boheme', 'Tosca', 'Madame Butterfly', are among the most frequently performed. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, stemming from the late-Baroque era. Some of his arias, such as 'O Mio Babbino Caro' from 'Gianni Schicchi', 'Che gelida manina' from 'La Boheme', 'Nessun Dorma' from 'Turandot', have become part of pop culture. 'His operas often showcase his wonderful ability to unite music, words and drama into a single moment.' - OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY Get updates & news from Giacomo Puccini Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Giulio Caccini (1551 – 1618) was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the very late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre of opera, and one of the single most influential creators of the new Baroque style. He was also the father of the composer Francesca Caccini. "it occurred to me to introduce a kind of music in which one could almost speak in tones, employing in it ... a certain noble negligence of song, sometimes passing through several dissonances while still maintaining the bass note..." - Giulio Caccini Get updates & news from Giulio Caccini Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Antonin Leopold Dvorak (1841-1904) was a Czech composer of romantic music, who employed the idioms & melodies of the folk music of his native Bohemia & Moravia in symphonic, oratorial chamber & operatic works. Dvorak's first set of 'Slavonic Dances' were published in 1878 & he is perhaps best known for his Symphony, No.9 'From the New World' which is now generally referred to as 'The New World Symphony'. Antonin has been described as "arguably the most versatile... composer of his time". Read more about Antonin Dvorak Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Carl Orff (1895 – 1982) was a 20th-century German composer, most famous for the 'Carmina Burana' (1937). Orff was born in Munich and came from a Bavarian family that was very active in the German military and whilst his association with the Nazi party has been alleged, it has never been conclusively established. Right from the beginning, Orff concentrated exclusively on textually related music. His aim was to combine theatre, music, dance and acting to form a single unified whole in which the rhythmical organisation of language frequently provided the compositional framework. 'Orff created incredibly dynamic music combining archaic harmony and pulsating dance-like rhythms.' - OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY Read more about Carl Orff Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Vincenzo Bellini (1801 – 1835) was a Sicilian opera composer. Known for his flowing melodic lines, Bellini was the quintessential composer of Bel canto opera. Having learned from his grandfather, Bellini left provincial Catania in June 1819 to study at the conservatory in Naples. He achieved success with his greatest works 'La Sonnambula', 'I Puritani' and most famously 'Norma' which features the famous aria 'Casta Diva'. Bellini’s music was praised in his lifetime for its long, expressive melodies and sensitive word-setting, and his operas remain astonishing showcases of vocal virtuosity. Giuseppe Verdi :"...praised the broad curves of Bellini's melody: 'there are extremely long melodies as no-one else had ever made before'." Read more about Vincenzo Bellini Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German composer and virtuoso pianist and remains one of the most respected and influential composers of all time. Beethoven studied in Vienna with the famous composer Joseph Haydn (who wrote 'The Creation') but began to lose his hearing at just 26. Despite this he composed a vast catalogue of inspiring works including the opera 'Fidelio', his violin concertos, the famous 'Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor' and 'Moonlight' piano sonatas and his stunning 'Ninth Symphony'. Mozart said about Beethoven: "Keep your eyes on him; someday he will give the world something to talk about.” Read more about Ludwig van Beethoven Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Samuel Barber II (1910 – 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral and piano music. His Adagio for Strings became his most famous composition and is widely considered a masterwork of modern classical music. The piece has been used in numerous television programmes and films but is perhaps best know for it's use in Oliver Stone's 1986 Vietnam film, 'Platoon'. Barber's music was championed by a remarkable range of renowned artists, musicians, and conductors including Vladimir Horowitz, John Browning, Martha Graham, Arturo Toscanini, Dmitri Mitropoulos, Jennie Tourel, and Eleanor Steber. "Samuel Barber's music, masterfully crafted and built on romantic structures and sensibilities, is at once lyrical, rhythmically complex, and harmonically rich.” - Official biography Read more about Samuel Barber Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Robert Prizeman (1952 - 2021) became choirmaster of the choir at St. Philip’s Church (Norbury, South London) in 1970 at the age of 18. He has been a musical advisor to the BBC in the UK working on programmes such as 'Songs of Praise' since 1985. He has composed & arranged numerous works for the all boy choir 'Libera' including 'Voca Me'. He has been a musical advisor to the BBC in the UK working on programmes such as 'Songs of Praise' since 1985. Read more about Robert Prizeman Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Joseph-Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) was a Basque French composer and pianist of Impressionist and Expressionist music. Ravel's piano compositions, such as 'Jeux d'eau', 'Miroirs' and 'Gaspard de la Nuit', demand considerable virtuosity from the performer. Ravel is probably best known for his orchestral work, 'Bolero' used in the 1979 Dudley Moore and Bo Derek film comedy '10'. Read more about Maurice Ravel Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese musician, composer, producer and actor. His cinematic accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy, a BAFTA, and two Golden Globe awards. “Working on a film is like a journey to an unknown place,” Sakamoto once said. He attended university as Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where he earned a B.A. in music composition and an M.A. with special emphasis on both electronic and ethnic music. Sakamoto recorded his first solo album in 1978, which included the songs 'Thousand Knives' and 'The End of Asia'. Around the same time, Sakamoto became a member of the internationally successful Japanese synth-rock/synth J-Pop trio 'Yellow Magic Orchestra', along with co-founders Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. The character of his method of composition is highly mathematical, influenced by Olivier Messiaen and Iannis Xenakis, using graph theory and mathematical logic. “What I want to make now is music freed from the constraints of time.” - Sakamoto Get updates & news from Ryuichi Sakamoto Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Philip Glass is a three-time Academy Award-nominated American composer and is considered one of the most influential composers of the late-20th century. Glass's music is frequently described as minimalist, though he has distanced himself from that description, calling himself a composer of "music with repetitive structures." His compositions have been used in numerous films from Reggio's 'Qatsi Trilogy' (1982-2002), Peter Weir's 'The Truman Show' (1998), 'The Illusionist' (2006) and 'Notes on a Scandal' (2006). Read more about Philip Glass Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians

Sacha Puttnam is a British film composer, classically trained musician and was a member of British indie band 'Bush'. He released a highly original album of classical music for a new generation of listeners and a musical collaboration with DJ Chris Coco. Sasha is also the son of the famous film producer Sir David Puttnam who's film 'Chariots of Fire' was scored by Vangelis and won an Oscar for best soundtrack. Read more about Sacha Puttnam Thanks for supporting Concerto musicians