We were delighted to experience wonderful debuts with Maurice Steger in summer and autumn. The recorder player performed for the first time with Le Consort and Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin, as well as with harpsichordist Justin Taylor, presenting Italian repertoire. Mozart’s *Jupiter Symphony* was at the heart of a magnificent tour with the argovia philharmonic under the baton of Maurice Steger; concerts took place in Croatia together with the Zagrebački Solisti, and at the Varaždin Baroque Evenings Maurice Steger was honoured with the award for Best Performer. Another first: the conductor and recorder player had the pleasure of performing in the historic halls of the Schloss / Ekhof Theatre in Gotha, at the Georgian Theatre in Batumi, and—together with Austrian actor Wolfram Berger and the Chaarts—portrayed the historical figure of Casanova.
And now it’s off to Asia: at the Taiwanese universities of Taichung and Hsinchu, Professor Steger will give masterclasses; in the programme “flying fingers”, the recorder player will present European Baroque music. In Beijing he will teach mainly string players in Baroque and Classical repertoire on period instruments. Furthermore, Steger will serve as jury president of the Taiwan-Japan Recorder Competition and teach young musicians from various Asian countries on site. The highlight and conclusion of the journey will take place in Shanghai, where Steger, together with harpsichordist Sebastian Wienand, will perform a recital at the 7th Early Music Festival Shanghai, interpreting works by J. S. Bach and his Italian predecessors.
