InClassica Festival
Konstantin Ishkhanov Welcomes Acclaimed French Soloists to Dubai to Perform at Stunning InClassica Festival
This August and September sees the UAE’s Dubai host the renowned InClassica International Music Festival, in a historic move by the European Foundation for Support of Culture and SAMIT Event Group in bringing their flagship cultural event to the Middle East for the first time in its ten-year history. This special anniversary edition of InClassica welcomes acclaimed French soloists to Dubai, alongside other world-renowned artists, conductors and orchestras, for what promises to be a riveting series of concerts, and will feature music by distinguished European composers including works by the event’s Composer-in-Residence, Alexey Shor. In addition, iconic classical music video platform, Medici.tv, has been confirmed by the organisers as official media partner for the event.
This year’s InClassica festival will take place from 15th August to 26th September, with performances taking place at the city’s Dubai Opera and Coca-Cola Arena, in a bold display of cultural entrepreneurship on the part of the organisers as the world’s artistic sectors struggle to recover from the serious challenges posed by the last year and a half. In addition, not only does InClassica offer audiences a unique opportunity to witness performances by some of the world’s most prolific and respected classical musicians, but also includes various educational and competitive elements, providing both additional artistic value as well as raising the profile of this already prestigious cultural event.
Various revered stars of the classical music world are billed to perform as part of InClassica, including five of France’s most respected practitioners: Winner of the 1986 Rostropovich International Competition in Paris and BMG (RCA), Sony and EMI recording artist, cellist Gary Hoffman (France/Canada/USA); First Prize winner in the Rome Piano Competition and prizewinner of various other international competitions including the Grand Prix of the Montecarlo World Piano-Masters and F. Busoni Competition, recording artist for labels including EMI Classics and Dinemec Classics, pianist Roustem Saitkoulov (France/Russia); Recording artists for Sony Classical, Universal, Cyprès, Mirare and Capriccio, multiple award-winners including Choc of the year (Le Monde de la Musique), Editor’s Choice (Gramophone), CD of the month (Fono Forum and BBC Music Magazine), Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Midem Classical Award, Victoire de la Musique (“Best Instrumental Ensemble of the year” 1997, 2000 and 2009), recipients of the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et Lettres), ARD (Munich, 1988) and Fischoff Chamber Music (1990) competition winners, Trio Wanderer.
In a continuation of the EUFSC and SAMIT Event Group’s ongoing efforts to promote high quality musical education, this year’s InClassica will also include the inaugural edition of the Middle East Classical Music Academy (MECMA), taking place from the 4th to 23rd September. This remarkable educational initiative, taking place in parallel with InClassica, will feature a programme of lectures, discussions and open masterclasses with renowned professors from around the world, including performers scheduled to perform as part of InClassica, including acclaimed violinist, Maxim Vengerov.
In addition to both InClassica and MECMA, this summer programme of events also features the highly anticipated and prestigious Classic Piano International Competition, taking place 15th August to 4th September. This momentous project is the culmination of over two years of work by the event’s competitors and organisers, with the closing stage in Dubai the grand finale of a series of fourteen competitions to have taken place since 2018 in Germany, Austria, USA, China, Israel, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, South Korea, UK, Belgium, Russia and Armenia. For each of the preceding competitions (the ‘14 Ways to Dubai’ project), the top five ranked participants were selected to compete in the final stage in the UAE, in essence creating a ‘competition of winners’ to close the event.
When one considers these three projects scheduled to take place this summer in Dubai, it is clear that the EUFSC and SAMIT Event Group stand poised to deliver phenomenal cultural value to the Middle East, continuing their proven track record of presenting notable and unique artistic projects. Those interested in attending would be well advised to book tickets as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce our trio of spectacular cultural projects taking place this summer in Dubai, and I cannot wait to welcome our valued audiences and artists to the UAE for what promises to be an engaging and creatively stimulating series of events.” — Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture.
For further information about InClassica, the Middle East Classical Music Academy or the Classic Piano International Competition, please visit the official website.