Kerstan was Hans Werner's assistant for several years.  He holds a doctor's degree in cultural ciences and has been artistic director of the Jugendmusikfest Deutsch-landsberg (Austria), the Junge Kultur in Hallein and the KulturRegion Stuttgart; as stage director he did the Italian premiere of Henze's "Phaedra" at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; he is member of the El Cimarrrón-Ensemble, together they realized numerous world premieres, and he published (together with Clemens Wolken), among others, a book about Hans Werner Henze (Komponist der Gegenwart, Berlin 2006).

Composer Peter Ruzicka (see, among others, his operas "Celan", Dresden 2001 and "Hölderlin", Berlin 2008) is also a highly appreciated conductor, artistic director with a PHD in law, professor at the University of Music and Theater in Hamburg, member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste and of the Freie Akademie der Künste, Hamburg. He was artistic director of the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Staatsoper Hamburg and the Hamburg Philharmonic, the Münchener Biennale für Neues Musiktheater (as successor of Hans Werner Henze) and the Salzburg Festival.

Lawyer (Hans Werner Henze's lawyer since 1963); he was director and general manager of the GEMA (composer's association for royalties), legal advisor of the VG Wort (writer's association for royalties), furthermore he was on the board of trustees of the Ernst von Siemens-foundation, on the foundation board of the Richard Wagner-Foundation (Bayreuth) and on the director's board of the Richard Strauss-Association. Kreile was member of the Bundestag (German parliament) for the CSU, holds a chair at the Munich University for Television and Film and was president of the international unions of collecting societies CISAC and BIEM, Paris and co-founder and editor of the monthly magazine "Zeitschrift für Urheber- und Medienrecht" (Journal for copy and media rights).

Antje Tumat, Professor of Historical Musicology at the University of Paderborn/ Academy of Music Detmold. Doctorate on Hans Werner Henze's Prinz von Homburg (awarded the Ruprecht Karls Prize of the University of Heidelberg and the Walter Witzenmann Prize of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities), habilitation on music and language in 19th century drama music, professorships at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media and the University of Greifswald. 2017 appointment to Greifswald and Detmold/Paderborn. Publications on the early modern period and on music of the 18th to 20th centuries, especially on Hans Werner Henze. Further research interests: Music and theatre, Heidelberg Romanticism, gender research, music for radio and film.

The conductor made his debut at the Frankfurt Opera in 1999 with Henzes „Boulevard Solitude“. From 2001 – 2008 he stayed there as pianist, coach, and assistant conductor. As a guest he conducted the orchestras at Deutsche Oper Berlin, English National Opera London, Bayerische Staatsoper München, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Lincoln Center New York, the Ensemble Modern; he appeared at Festivals in Schwetzingen (World premiere of Sciarrino's „MacBeth“) and Spoleto (staged premiere of Henze's „Gogo No Eiko“). In 2009 he was appointed Music Director of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.

Certified public accountant, tax consultant and specialist consultant for international tax law. After graduating with a degree in business administration in Nuremberg, he took up a permanent position in Munich, passed the tax consultant exam in 1986 and the auditor exam in 1991. In 1997, Wagner took over the company where he was employed. His focus of interest has always been on advising and supporting non-profit organisations. He has been in charge of the Hans Werner Henze Foundation since 2009. After giving up his office for reasons of age, Michael Wagner was elected to the board of the Hans Werner Henze Foundation in 2023.