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Making a magnificent comeback for its 14th edition, the InClassica International Music Festival 2025, presided by Konstantin Ishkhanov, is returning to Dubai, UAE, this coming April, promising a starry lineup of artists, orchestras and spectacular musical performances taking place from the 6th to the 21st of the month.

 

Representing Spain at the historic festival, Tomàs Grau, chief conductor and artistic director of the Franz Schubert Filharmonia, celebrated for the sincerity of his musical readings, will lead two dazzling concerts alongside renowned soloists. With the backdrop of the stunning Dubai Opera, the maestro will be accompanied by 72 talented musicians from the illustrious orchestra on April 8th and 14th, featuring a diverse musical programme spanning seminal masterpieces and contemporary compositions.

 

Ahead of his much-awaited concerts, we spoke to Tomàs Grau about his return to InClassica, his approach to collaborating with new soloists and his thoughts on the festival’s global significance.

 

 

I am very happy to return to the InClassica Festival, this time with Franz Schubert Filharmonia. I was lucky to conduct a concert at the 2023 edition and was impressed by the organisation and the quality of the programme and the festival. Compared to other musical events, the special feature of InClassica is the spectacular lineup of artists that come together in Dubai for two weeks, which you can enjoy night after night playing incredible works accompanied by symphony orchestras of the highest quality. This would be more usual in chamber music festivals but very unusual in symphonic festivals. To be part of this cast again is a great satisfaction for me.

 

 

InClassica’s efforts in bringing world-class artists to Dubai represent a significant advancement for classical music in the GCC region. The initiatives the festival’s president, Konstantin Ishkhanov, is undertaking to support classical music, including organising festivals, competitions, masterclasses and other artistic activities, are truly remarkable. I had the pleasure of meeting Konstantin Ishkhanov a few years ago in Barcelona and have been lucky enough to collaborate on various projects with him in the past few years, and can’t wait to work with him again. It would be wonderful in the near future to establish a symphony orchestra consisting of local musicians that can travel throughout the region, spreading classical music to different corners of the world, along with the possibility of developing a concert hall to serve as the orchestra’s base.

 

 

 

I haven’t collaborated with either Edgar Moreau or Gil Shaham yet, but I have an album recording coming up with Shaham, so by the time we come to the festival, we will have collaborated once. It’s always nice to be able to make music together with new artists, as well as with those with whom you have an understanding on stage. On a human level, you like to be able to repeat and make music together often.

 

 

I’d highlight the two symphonies I will conduct to complement my concerts with Moreau, Shaham and the Franz Schubert Filharmonia. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth is one of my favourite symphonies, which I have conducted many times, with the theme of fate always present and a first movement that is one of the most impressive pages in the history of music. On the other hand, Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ is a completely different symphony, with a rich palette of colours but a devilish last movement.

 

For more information about InClassica, Spanish conductor Tomàs Grau and Konstantin Ishkhanov make sure to visit the Festival’s website at inclassica.com.