Vital Signs of The Planet

American conductor Emil de Cou is currently the music director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet and has appeared with some of the country’s leading orchestras, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Saint Louis, and the Boston Pops. Emil was also conductor of the American Ballet Theatre for eight seasons.

After Emil’s debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in 2000, he joined the orchestra as associate conductor, and has remained a regular figure at the Kennedy Center since his first performances there in 1988. His innovative concerts have included the world premiere screenings of The Wizard of Oz with the score performed by live orchestra, the first-ever live-tweeted program notes (Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony), and a live, in real time podcast for a concert called Fantastic Planet. In 2006 he led the NSO in the Wolf Trap premiere of NASA’s images with Holst’s The Planets narrated by Leonard Nimoy.

With NASA, he has conducted several successful collaborations, including Human Spaceflight: The Kennedy Legacy, in honour of the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s declaration to land a man on the moon, and in 2019, a concert to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11 on the lunar surface.

Learn more about Emil de Cou

Ever since her Grammy-nominated multi-platinum solo debut in 2004, British-born Natasha Bedingfield has been one of the world’s most inspiring and innovative female singer-songwriters.

With three albums under her belt and a diverse set of collaborations with artists such as Nikki Minaj, Big Sean, Brandy, Rascal Flatts, Lifehouse and Lang Lang, her artistic breadth is unmatched.

Hits like Unwritten, These Words and Pocketful of Sunshine, Single, Soulmate and Love Like This topped international charts. Natasha has had more than 20 of her songs used in films, which says a lot about her versatility. As a dynamic performer with a powerfully soulful voice, Natasha has toured extensively around the globe and has performed at numerous, distinguished events including the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, the Dalai Lama’s Common Ground for Peace and the White House’s The Motown Sound.

Natasha co-wrote and collaborated with artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and others on a project called Love Song to the Earth, a song to raise awareness of the problem of Climate Change.

She was asked to perform the song at the UN General Assembly in front of many world leaders and also during the Pope’s visit and address on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Most recently her song Unwritten has had a revival as the trending summer song of Tiktok. Inspiring a huge amount or engagement from a new generation. Also her collaboration with influencers on this platform earned her a VMAs nomination and put her in Tiktoks front page as someone to follow.