La Maestra is an international competition open to women conductors at the Philharmonie de Paris with the Paris Mozart Orchestra.The last four contenders have reached the final. Each conductor must present a work from the classical repertoire and a contemporary piece.

Guercœur, the knight and a freedom fighter, meets with an early death and ends up in heaven. But his soul is unable to rest and begs to be returned to earth. At the Opéra national du Rhin, Stéphane Degout plays the title role under the direction of Ingo Metzmacher, while Christof Loy’s staging explores the boundaries between the two worlds.

Pianist Vanessa Wagner joins forces with circus artist Chloé Moglia, choreographer Kader Attou, dancers from the Accrorap company and set designers from Collectif Scale to bring Philip Glass's Piano Etudes to life.

From Juilliard pianist to composer of Star Wars, Jaws, and Jurassic Park

Soprano Ana Vieira Leite and the Concerto 1700 ensemble perform Handel's German Arias.

The Hradec Králové Philharmonic , an orchestra which specialises in Central European music, gives its debut at La Folle Journée festival in Nantes, France. The Czech ensemble performs music by Johannes Brahms and Antonin Dvořák, conducted by Stanislav Vavřínek.

In a production by Andrea Breth and under the musical direction of Daniele Rustioni, the Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho brings Puccini's Japanese tragedy to life at the Théâtre de l'Archevêché in Aix-en-Provence.

They were pioneers, inspired and often forgotten: The Venetian composers of the Seicento are finally back in the spotlight in a vibrant programme performed by Camille Poul and the ensemble L'Assemblée, conducted by harpsichordist Marie van Rhijn.