ARCHIVED - Dmitry Yablonsky: “Fantastic” Projects of Konstantin Ishkhanov Set to Continue

The special 10^th anniversary edition of the InClassica International Music Festival is soon set to land in Dubai, organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) in partnership with SAMIT Event Group.

Ranging from the 15^th of August to the 26^th of September, the 2021 edition of this event will mark the first time that the Festival shall be held in the Middle East, forming part of the EUFSC’s endeavour to spread the celebration of classical music to all corners of the world. Two of the most awe-inspiring venues in Dubai have been chosen to house the multitude of concerts that are scheduled to take place, with the Dubai Opera and Coca-Cola Arena splitting hosting duties for the festival’s duration.

In all, there shall be dozens of internationally-renowned soloists performing in many of the festival’s daily concerts, with a line-up including names like pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, soprano Danielle De Nies, violinist Maxim Vengerov, cellist Steven Isserlis, pianist Denis Matsuev, and violinist Gil Shaham, to name a few.

These shall be performing alongside a range of acclaimed orchestras from all around the world, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK), Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (Israel), Russian National Orchestra (Russia), and Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz (Germany), among others, who will be playing under the batons of a raft of celebrated composers, with masters like Dmitry Yablonsky (Israel/USA/Spain), Sergey Smbatyan (Armenia), Mikhail Pletnev (Russia), Gergely Madaras (Hungary), and Daniel Raiskin (Russia/Netherlands), all travelling to Dubai for the festival.

“To be invited to appear as part of the upcoming InClassica Festival is of course a great honour, and I cannot wait to conduct concerts at this event that is iconic for so many reasons, especially due to the prestigious location chosen this year. I’ve worked with the EUFSC’s president, Konstantin Ishkhanov, on a number of fantastic musical projects in the past, and have no doubt that this stunning upcoming festival will be no different.” — Dmitry Yablonsky, leading Spanish conductor and cellist

The concert programmes have also been carefully selected, with the result that audiences can expect to be treated to music from a vast variety of composers spanning the classical and romantic period, as well as works from contemporary composers, such as those of Composer-in-Residence Alexey Shor.

Moreover, the 2021 edition of InClassica is also noteworthy for including not just one, but two additional classical music events, which shall both be taking place during the festival’s duration. The first is the grand finale of the EUFSC’s Classic Piano International Competition, which shall feature winners of 14 preliminary competitions testing their abilities against each other over four stringent rounds. The second, meanwhile, is the inaugural edition of the Middle East Classical Music Academy, a three-week event full of masterclasses and lectures in the schools of piano, strings, and wind, combined with a series of daily daytime concerts that will allow select Academy students the opportunity to perform alongside international orchestras and musicians.

(Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of European Foundation for Support of Culture)

“I am extremely proud to be bringing the InClassica Music Festival to Dubai for its 10^th anniversary edition. Our aim for 2021 has been to make InClassica bigger and grander than ever before, and this wonderful city is the best place to make sure that goal is reached. A multitude of artists and musicians are about to descend on Dubai, and together we shall turn the entire city into a festival of classical music. Six weeks of concerts, masterclasses, and competitions await, and I truly look forward to welcoming you all to what shall be a momentous occasion, and one which I am sure shall be an unforgettable experience for all those who will be lucky enough to join us” – Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of the EUFSC.