Jean-Yves Thibaudet, London Voices, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Robert Ziegler
Biography Jean-Yves Thibaudet, London Voices, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Robert Ziegler
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Through elegant musicality and an insightful approach to contemporary and established repertoire, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has earned a reputation as one of the world’s finest pianists. He is especially known for his diverse interests beyond the classical world, including numerous collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art. He is a devoted educator and the first-ever Artist-in- Residence at the Colburn School, which awards several scholarships in his name.
A prolific recording artist, Thibaudet has appeared on more than 70 albums and six film scores; his extensive catalog has received two Grammy nominations, two ECHO Awards, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the CHOC du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. His recent recordings include Gershwin Rhapsody, a collection of Gershwin pieces recorded with Michael Feinstein, including four newly-discovered ones; Night After Night, a celebration of James Newton Howard’s scores for the films of M. Night Shyamalan; and Carte Blanche, a collection of deeply personal solo piano pieces never before recorded by the pianist. He is the soloist on Alexandre Desplat’s score for Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch; his playing can also be heard in Desplat’s score for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Dario Marianelli’s scores for Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, and Aaron Zigman’s score for Wakefield.
Robert Ziegler
Acclaimed conductor Robert Ziegler captivates audiences worldwide with his stimulating and imaginative performances. He leads orchestras globally and records with major labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, and Universal. He recently made his debut with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra leading a sold-out performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Ziegler is equally sought after for classical music programs and collaborations with legendary pop and jazz artists.
His diverse discography includes The Disney Book with pianist Lang Lang and Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia (both with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Max Richter’s ballet Woolf Works, and recordings with Ludovico Einaudi, Randy Newman, David Gilmour, and Stewart Copeland. He has contributed to numerous film scores, including those by Howard Shore, Jonny Greenwood, Alberto Iglesias, Max Richter, and Alf Clausen’s iconic music for The Simpsons. Ziegler recently recorded the music of Yupeng Chen for the internationally successful computer game Genshin Impact with the London Symphony Orchestra.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s (RPO)
mission to enrich lives through orchestral experiences that are uncompromising in their excellence and inclusive in their appeal places it at the forefront of music-making in the UK and internationally. Typically performing approximately 200 concerts a year and with a worldwide live and online audience of more than 60 million people, the Orchestra is proud to embrace a broad repertoire and reach a diverse audience. Whilst artistic integrity remains paramount, the RPO is unafraid to push boundaries and is equally at home recording video game, film and television soundtracks, and working with pop stars as it is touring the world performing the great symphonic repertoire with its Music Director Vasily Petrenko.
Susan Lim
is the creator, storyteller, and songwriter of the ALAN Trilogy.
Through her ambitious ALAN Trilogy, she orchestrates a powerful conversation about humanity's future, exploring the intricate dance between societal challenges and the disruptive technologies that define our era.
ALAN isn't just music and animation; it's a thought-provoking exploration of how human ingenuity and AI-enabled Inanimates might collaborate to shape a better tomorrow. From the intimacy of Earth in ALAN I: Fantasy of Companionship, confronting the pervasive issue of loneliness, to the vast expanse of space in ALAN II: Cosmic Rhapsody, seeking solutions to environmental crises, and finally, diving into the mysteries of the ocean in the upcoming ALAN III: Symphony of the Oceans, addressing the growing problem of space debris, Lim's trilogy is a journey through the critical questions of our time.
Dr. Lim brings a unique breadth of experience to her artistic vision. A Cambridge-trained immunologist with a 30-year career as a pioneering surgeon in transplantation and robotics, she seamlessly integrates the rigor of scientific inquiry with the boundless creativity of artistic expression. Inspiration strikes in diverse locales, from the snowy peaks of Courchevel and Deer Valley to the shores of the Mediterranean and rice fields of Bali, reflecting the global nature of the challenges she addresses.
ALAN I introduced us to this unique vision with a seventeen-song pop album, ALAN’s Fantasy (Signum Records, 2022), the orchestral masterpiece Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra recorded with Tedd Joselson and the London Symphony Orchestra, London Voices at Abbey Road Studios (Signum Classics, 2021), and an award-winning animated film Fantasy of Companionship between Human and Inanimate which garnered numerous accolades, including Best Score at the British Short Film Awards 2021, and Best Family / Children Film at the Annual Cannes World Film Festival 2023.
ALAN II: Cosmic Rhapsody launches us on an interstellar voyage. Born from the tumultuous events of 2020 – a world grappling with a pandemic and witnessing the devastation of wildfires, yet inspired by the historic return of NASA astronauts to space aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon– Cosmic Rhapsody captures the spirit of resilience and hope. It began with the poignant song Is Anybody Out There (lyrics by Susan Lim, music by Joi Barua), which was launched as an animated tweet just before the SpaceX Crew Dragon liftoff, and evolved into a full-fledged musical and cinematic experience, co-created with Christina Teenz and the ALAN team, with the orchestral score composed by Manu Martin, and animation by Samudra Kajal Saikia. The world premiere of Lim Cosmic Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra recorded with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ziegler and London Voices at Abbey Road Studios (Decca Classics, May 2, 2025) marks a significant milestone in this ongoing exploration. A 17-song pop album mirroring the orchestral work and an award-winning animated film are also on the horizon.
This exploration of the future takes center stage in the ALAN Trilogy, which is more than just entertainment; it's an invitation. An invitation to ponder the future of humanity, to consider the ethical implications of bio-engineering, and to explore the potential for collaboration between humans and AI. It's a call to action, disguised as a symphony. In Lim Cosmic Rhapsody, the opening act introduces us to the Humanimate, a being with an expanded genetic code, inspired by the cutting-edge research of Steven Benner's NASA lab. These hybrid beings, combining human and inanimate elements, represent a potential future of collaborative evolution.
Dr. Benner himself will be present at the world premiere, witnessing his scientific creation brought to life through the artistry of Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As Dr. Lim’s lyrics for Humanimate proclaim (music by Ron J Danziger, orchestration by Manu Martin): "A cocktail of building blocks /
A,T,G,C (the bases in DNA) - Animate / A cocktail of building blocks / S, B, P, and Z – Inanimate / Forms an eight-letter code / It’s a Hachi-moji / Human and Inanimate combined / A new species defined".
Susan Lim's ALAN Trilogy invites us to imagine – and empowers us to build – that new species, that new future, together.
