ZERMATT FESTIVAL ACADEMY: 2nd – 17th SEPTEMBER 2023
The village of Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn offers peace and relaxation in one of the most beautiful places in the world. This unique atmosphere in the middle of a breath-taking natural landscape, enchanted Pablo Casals who regularly spent his summer holidays here in the 1950s and 60s. Together with Franz Seiler, General Manager of the Seiler Hotels Zermatt at that time, Casals founded the Zermatt summer concerts and master classes, to which he invited almost all of the famous musicians of his day as chamber music partners and teachers.
This tradition was revived in 2005 with the creation of the Zermatt Music Festival. Chamber music and orchestral concerts are performed by the Scharoun Ensemble and other soloists of the Berliner Philharmoniker in the beautiful Pfarrkirche St. Mauritius and the Riffelalp Kapelle, located at 2’222 meters above sea level, as well as at other locations in Zermatt.
Each year, highly gifted students are invited to take part in the Zermatt Festival Academy where they take lessons with members of the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin and perform alongside them in the Zermatt Festival Orchestra. Working intensively with these members of the Berliner Philharmoniker provides a unique educational experience at the highest possible level. After successfully participating in their first year of the academy, students have the opportunity to return for a second edition. By renewing this experience, they can continue to build on what they learnt the previous year.
This year, Zermatt Festival Academy 2023 students will have the opportunity to perform in the run-up to the Zermatt Festival by accompanying the finalists of the Clara Haskil Piano Competition under the direction of Gábor Takács-Nagy in Vevey (30.8. – 2.9.2023). Participation in this special project would be desirable but is not a requirement (please see CLARA HASKIL COMPETITION appendix).
PROFESSORS
Wind Section: Jonathan Kelly, oboe - Alexander Bader, clarinet - Markus Weidmann, bassoon - Stefan de Leval Jezierski, French horn
String section: Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin - Wolfram Brandl, violin - Christophe Horak, violin - Rachel Schmidt, violin - Micha Afkham, viola - Claudio Bohorquez, cello - Peter Riegelbauer, double bass
SOLOISTS
Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin
Wolfram Brandl, violin
Andriy Dragan, Piano
David Philip Hefti, Composer in Residence and conductor
Christiane Karg, soprano
Jonathan Kelly, oboe
TARGET GROUP
The Zermatt Festival Academy is designed for excellent young musicians and chamber music ensembles who in general are members of the following institutions: European Union Youth Orchestra Academy, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker, or any other renowned orchestra academies. It is also possible to apply without being a member of any of these institutions. Scholarship holders should still be students and should not have a permanent job already.
TERMS
Lessons, accommodation and food are all provided free of charge by the festival. The student however should pay travel expenses. Students will be selected by members of the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin by May 15th 2023.
For any questions, please contact Anna v. Lüneburg, Director of Zermatt Festival Academy: academy@zermattfestival.com, +49 (0) 177 589 7271
Do you want to apply also for the Clara-Haskil-Competion-project (30.8. – 2.9.2023)?
Videos sind Voraussetzung (Details unten) und ersetzen das Live-Probespiel.
Mozart oboe concerto: Exposition of the first and second movement
(Piano accompaniment is not mandatory)