Juraj Valcuha is chief conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Torino. The Slovakian studied composition, conducting, and cymbalon at the Bratislava Conservatory; he spent two years in St. Petersburg, where he studied conducting with Ilya Musin, and then moved to Paris where he studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur with Janos Fürst. Mr. Valcuha served as assistant music director of the Orchestre et Opéra National de Montpellier from 2003 to 2005; during this time he made debuts with the Orchestre National de France (with whom he recorded the Alaleona's Opera Mirra) and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France.

Mr. Valcuha has conducted the Orchestre National de France in a double-bill of Debussy's La Chute de la Maison Usher and Chapochnikov's Le Jardin Empoisonné; Puccini's La Bohème in Paris and at Teatro Comunale Bologna; and Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle and Poulenc's La Voix Humaine at the Opéra de Lyon. He has also led the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Rotterdam Philharmonic, London's Philharmonia Orchestra, Dreden Staatskapelle, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Oslo Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestra di Santa Cecilia Rome, the Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia London, Florence's Orchestra del Maggio Musicale, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Milan's Orchestra Verdi, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh, Houston, and National (Washington D.C.) symphony orchestra. He made his debut with the Bavarian Staatsoper in Munich and Deutsche Oper Berlin with Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and led a Verdi Gala with the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice Venice in the first "Abu Dhabi Classics" season.

In the 2012-13 season Mr. Valcuha is scheduled to return to the National Symphony Orchestra, London's Philharmonia, Pittsburgh Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, and Milan's Filarmonica della Scala.

Pianist André Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his New York Philharmonic debut in a Young People's Concert that was broadcast nationwide. Two weeks later Bernstein asked him to substitute for the ailing Glenn Gould with the New York Philharmonic in performances of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, thus launching his career. More than 45 years later Mr. Watts remains one of today's most celebrated and beloved superstars.

Mr. Watts is a regular guest with American orchestras and at major summer music festivals including Ravinia, the Hollywood Bowl, Saratoga, Tanglewood, and the Mann Music Center. Recent and upcoming engagements include appearances with the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the St. Louis, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Cincinnati, Houston, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Seattle, and National symphon orchestras. In celebration of the Liszt anniversary in 2011, Mr. Watts played all-Liszt recitals throughout the U.S., while recent and upcoming international engagements include concerto and recital appearances in Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, and Spain.

Numerous television appearances have included performances with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His 1976 New York recital, aired on Live From Lincoln Center, was the first full-length recital broadcast.

André Watts's extensive discography includes recordings of works by Gershwin, Chopin, Liszt, and Tchaikovsky for CBS Masterworks; recitals of works by Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, and Chopin for Angel/EMI; and the concertos of Liszt, MacDowell, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens for Telarc. He is also included in the Great Pianists of the 20th Century series for Philips.

Mr. Watts received the Avery Fisher Prize in 1988. He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl of Fame in 2006, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his professional debut (with The Philadelphia Orchestra).