Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

One of today’s most exciting young conductors, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla makes history as she becomes the first female conductor to sign an exclusive long-term contract with Deutsche Grammophon. The Lithuanian musician, who serves as Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), describes her profession as being “a combination of music and communication with musicians”. One of the defining qualities of her work is the ability to project strong and clear musical ideas for performers and audiences alike. For her debut album, a collection of orchestral works by Polish composer Mieczysław Weinberg, Gražinytė-Tyla conducts the combined forces of the CBSO, Kremerata Baltica and violinist Gidon Kremer. She went on to present music by her compatriot Raminta Šerkšnytė with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Vilnius Municipal Choir and Kremerata Baltica, a project she will follow up with an album of works by British composers with the CBSO as the orchestra celebrates it