Schedule for Musical Olympus. Concert of the laureates of the international competitions 2022


Orchestra: Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra

Eduard Elgar. Concerto for Cello and Orchestra E minor, op. 85
Soloist: Istvan Vardai, cello (Hungary). First Prize, The Geneva International Music Competition (Switzerland), 2008

Giuseppe Verdi. Final Scene of Rodrigo from the opera Don Carlo
Soloist: Lee Poulis, baritone (USA). First Prize, The Francisco Vinas International Singing Competition, Barcelona (Spain), 2008

Operatic Arias
Soloists: Winners of The Maria Callas Grand Prix, Athens (Greece), 2009

Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Michael Francis (Great Britain). Second prize, The Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, London (Great Britain), 2008

The Musical Olympus International Festival is a 'parade of winners'. It is held annually since 1996 and presents the winners of the biggest and most prestigious international music competitions.
     Pianists, vocalists, strings, percussions, and brass instruments performers as well as composers and conductors take part in the festival concerts. They represent the 'Olympus' of major international music competitions, such as the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, the ARD in Munich, the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki, the Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens, and many others.
     The Musical Olympus provides music-lovers with priceless opportunity to hear the world's best young musicians accompanied by the renowned St. Petersburg orchestras in the city's most elegant halls. The concerts take place in the Grand and Minor Halls of the St. Petersburg Philharmonia and in the Hermitage Theatre.
     The idea of the festival is widely supported by the prominent artists of the world. Among the members of the Honorary Committee of Musical Olympus are Claudio Abbado, Montserrat Caballe, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Paloma O'Shea, Yuri Temirkanov, and Placido Domingo. Some of them perform at the festival concerts (Yuri Temirkanov, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev).
     Within the years of its activities Musical Olympus has gained serious international response and good reputation in the artistic world due to the generally recognized uniqueness of its idea as well as its high aesthetic and organizational standards. From year to year the festival is paid the growing attention of global media and a keen interest on the part of leading music agencies.
     The Musical Olympus became a traditional event in the cultural life of St.-Petersburg. A lot of guests and tourists come to visit the festival from all over the world. The affairs of this kind help the city regain its reputation of a cultural center of Europe.
     The Association of Friends of Musical Olympus was founded in 1996 in Zurich, Switzerland. The members of the Association visit the Musical Olympus concerts every year.