Edvard Grieg
The Norwegian pianist and composer Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in Bergen on 15 June 1843. He died on 4 September 1907 in his hometown. In June 2018 the musical world celebrates his 175th birth anniversary.
From the age of six Grieg received regular piano lessons from his mother and began to design his first compositions at the age of nine. On the recommendation of the famous violinist Ole Bull, he studied from 1858 to 1862 at the conservatory in Leipzig. After graduation, he worked as a pianist. Together with other composers he co-founded a Concert Society for new Scandinavian music in Copenhagen. On his numerous trips as a pianist and conductor, he met, among others, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Max Bruch, Clara Schumann and Peter Tchaikovsky.

Carl Michael Ziehrer
The Austrian composer Carl Michael Ziehrer was born in Vienna on May 2, 1843 and died in his native city on November 14, 1922. In May 2018, his birthday marks the 175th time.
Ziehrer, who played piano and wrote small own compositions as a teenager, was discovered by Carl Haslinger, the publisher of Johann Strauss (son). Haslinger promoted the young talent by engaging him teachers for conducting and composing activities. Many compositions of his early work were created in collaboration with his teacher Johann Emanuel Hasel. 1865 Ziehrer received a first engagement as a conductor in Vienna. Later he became conductor of the Reichshallen orchestra in Berlin. In 1885, Ziehrer became conductor of the famous k.u.k. Infantry Regiment Hoch- und Deutschmeister No. 4 and gave concerts throughout Europe, and in 1893 for the World

Marian Anderson
The American opera singer Marian Elina-Blanche Anderson was born in Philadelphia on February 27th, 1897. She died on April 8, 1993 in Portland, Oregon. In April 2018, her death will mark the 25th time.
When Marian Anderson was six years old, she started to sing in a church choir. She received a proper musical education when she was 17 and won the first prize in a singing competition with 300 applicants in 1925. Then, the previously unknown singer was allowed to perform with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and wowed the audience. In the early 1930s, she went on a European tour and sang, among others, concerts conducted by Jean Sibelius, Arturo Toscanini and Bruno Walter. On January 7, 1955 Marian Anderson performed as the first ever African-American singer as a soloist at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Mariss Jansons
The Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons was born in Riga on January 14, 1943. In January 2018 he will be 75 years old.
Jansons studied violin, piano and conducting at the conservatory in Leningrad and went to Austria in 1969, where he continued his education among others under Herbert von Karajan. In 1973 he became assistant conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic. From 1979 to 2000 he was director of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1997 he was appointed chief conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Since autumn 2003 he has been chief conductor of the choir and Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, since September 2004 also chief conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra.