Michael Daugherty (b. 1954, Cedar Rapids, Iowa) first came to international attention when the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Zinman, performed his Metropolis Symphony at Carnegie Hall in 1994 and the Houston Grand Opera premiered his opera Jackie O in 1996. Since that time, his music has entered the orchestral, band, opera and chamber music repertory and made him, according to the League of American Orchestras, one of the ten most performed living American composers. In addition to being one of the most performed, commissioned and recorded composers on the American concert music scene today, Daugherty is Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Thomas Hampson is a singer, actor, scholar and teacher. Born in Elkhart, Indiana, he was raised in Spokane, WA. He began his professional career as a voice student of Sr. Marietta Coyle, and at the age of 19 first appeared in an opera production - portraying a youthful father of the two title characters in Humperdinck's "Hänsel und Gretel." In 1980 he went to Europe and had his first permanent engagement at Düsseldorf's Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Hampson's encounter with Leonard Bernstein had a strong impact on his life and career and led the way to his becoming one of today's leading interpreters of the music of Gustav Mahler. Mr. Hampson's passion for the lied repertoire extends well beyond Schubert and Richard Strauss - he has devoted himself especially to American composers. His musical versatility has allowed him to be equally successful in opera, operetta, oratorio and musical theater. He has made appearances at the world's major opera houses including the Zurich Opera, New York's Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Opéra National de Paris, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Vienna State Opera.  Eckart Preu has been Music Director of the Spokane Symphony since 2004. He also serves as music director of the Stamford (Conn.) Symphony. Previous posts include Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony and Resident Conductor with the American Symphony Orchestra. A native of Germany, Preu came to the United States as winner of the National Conducting Competition of the German Academic Exchange Service (1996) for graduate studies with Harold Farberman at the Hartt School of Music. In Germany he earned a masters degree in conducting from the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar studying under Gunther Kahlert and Nicolas Pasquet. He also studied under Jean-Sebastien Bereau at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in France.The Spokane Symphony, the regional professional orchestra for the Inland Northwest, has been presenting concerts since 1945. Since 2007, the Spokane Symphony has made its home in Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, a recently renovated exciting performing arts center that blends 1930's ambiance with 21st century technology and acoustics. Under the direction of Music Director Eckart Preu, the 70-piece orchestra performs for more than 150,000 listeners each season and provides a wide variety of exceptional educational experiences. The orchestra presents critically acclaimed performances featuring some of the world's most respected soloists.