The 10^th Aram Khachaturian International Competition will be held in Yerevan from June 6 to 14, 2014. This year the Competition is open to pianists of any nationality born between June 6, 1982 and June 6, 1998. Martin Hoffmeister, Board member of the ICMA Jury and Head of Music for the daytime program of German Radio MDR Figaro is a member of the international Jury chaired by Armen Babakhanyan (Armenia). Other Jury member are Alexander Bonduryansky (Russia), Anna Malikova (Russia), Carsten Dürer (Germany), Didier Michel Martin (France), Jong-Hwa Park (South Korea) and Marco Sollini (Italy). Read More →

At the invitation of the ‘Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias’, the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards ICMA held its 2014 General Assembly on February 8 in Oviedo (Spain). During their meeting at the ‘Auditorio Príncipe Felipe’ the Jury members decided upon the Recording of the Year Award 2014 which will be announced on the 12^th of April. Other important topics were the preparation of the upcoming Award Ceremony with the Gala Concert at the Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw and the preparation of  the Awards 2015. Read More →

ICMA winner (2012) Krassimira Stoyanova sings the title role in A tonin Dvoraks opera Rusalka’ at Vienna State Opera, the premiere being on January 26. In the Austrian press Stoyanova said that for her a dream came true.

Located in Bavaria near the Austrian border, the Castle of Elmau is well-known in the world of classical music. Since the 1950s, it has become a famous concert hall, due to the renowned quality of its acoustics. Passing through the region, Benjamin Britten discovered it and instantly fell in love with the site and in 1959, with his partner Peter Pears, he founded a British-German Chamber Music festival there. Read More →

The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) announced today the Awards for 2014. Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit, 78, is honored with our Lifetime Achievement Award. One of the most eminent fortepianists of our time, Andreas Staier, is ‘Artist of the Year’, the young French viola player Adrien Boisseau is ICMA’s ‘Young Artist of the Year ». In total seven Special Awards are listed, among them the one for the ‘SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden und Freiburg’. Read More →

ICMA Board members Remy Franck and Martin Hoffmeister recently visited the ‘Accademia Pianistica Siciliana’ in Catania (Sicily), the institution where ‘Young Artist of the Year 2013’ Alessandro Mazzamuto comes from. The ICMA representatives were able to meet Prof. Epifanio Comis, the driving force at this Academy as well as several students, who played a concert at the institute which is located in an ancient palace of the central Via Etnea, surrounded by a fascinating view of the city and the beautiful Sicilian landscape. Read More →

Renowned Pianist Menahem Pressler celebrates his 90^th birthday today. Pressler who received ICMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, is currently in Amsterdam for concerts with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. For his birthday BIS published a marvelous Beethoven-Schubert-Chopin SACD. The plan for this recording was made during the ICMA festivities in Tampere in 2011. The entire Jury says: Happy Birthday, dear Menahem!