Sollertinsky International Music Festival opens in Vitebsk

The overture to the Sollertinsky International Music Festival in Vitebsk will be a concert by famous American organist Ronald Ebrecht on 2 December, BelTA learned from artistic director of the Vitebsk regional philharmonic Nelly Matsaberidze.

The solemn opening ceremony will be traditionally held on 3 December, the day of van Sollertinsky’s birth. "As always, lovers of classical music will hear a symphony orchestra on this day. This year it will be the International Symphony Orchestra Tavrichesky (Russia) uniting young virtuoso musicians from the CIS and other countries, graduates of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

The two-week festival program is diverse both by the geography of participants (six countries) and by genre. The program includes a music part, scientific readings, art exhibitions and theater performances. Viewers will be offered evening concerts of vocal, jazz, piano and chamber music from the best musicians, virtuosos and vocalists of our time. Among them is Olesya Petrova, the first prize winner of the international vocal competition Radio France in Paris, soloist of the Metropolitan Opera; Alexander Isakov, Lithuanian pianist, laureate of many international piano festivals, and also Inga Berzina quintet (Latvia) and the ensemble of soloists Partita (Belarus).

Traditionally during the festival, professors and students of the Ivan Sollertinsky College of Music will give a concert in the hall of the college.

Scientific readings will feature researchers from Belarus, Russia, and Poland. There will be presentations of two books dedicated to Alexander Sokurov and Boris Tishchenko, and also the Belarusian publication “Composers of Belarus” by Tatiana Mdivani and Vera Kashtalyan.