Three to look out for…

Josephine Stephenson Composer Born: Les Lilas, France Career highlight: Creating the opera Les Constellations – Une Théorie was the most ambitious, inspiring and liberating collaborative project. I was even able to be on stage and play the electric guitar. Musical hero: Singer-songwriter and composer Julia Holter has a bold and uncompromising approach to songwriting, attention to detail and combination of solemnity and lightness.

Dream concert: I run a concert series called Listenpony, which presents music from all genres outside of concert halls. My dream concert would be a maxi-listenpony, where I bring together talented friends from musical traditions and present my own music. Daumants Liepi Pianist

Born: Ogre, Latvia

Career highlight: Winning two major competitions, getting a management contract and releasing my debut album of works by Rachmaninov and Zemzaris.

Musical hero: When I was young I used to listen to Arcadi Volodos’s performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 a lot. Since then, his playing has become an internal standard for me of how the piano should sound. More recently, Leonard Bernstein’s radiant personality and ability to make music alive and relevant has inspired me in my musical journey.

Dream concert: One in which there is complete unity between the performer, the audience and the music, with everyone breathing in the same rhythm.

Sheila Maurice-grey Trumpeter Born: Reading, UK

Career highlight: Touring with KOKOROKO in

2019 and into 2020 was my first experience of travelling and performing intensely with a band. We performed at Glastonbury alongside the likes of Kamasi Washington, Roy Ayers and Fatoumata Diawara.

Musical hero: For the breadth and diversity of his career, I’d have to say Miles Davis. Dream concert: To perform in Rio de Janeiro again with KOKOROKO and as a solo artist. It’s one of my favourite places and is the setting of one of my best-loved albums, Live in Rio by Earth, Wind and Fire.