The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. Its primary venue is the concert hall De Doelen. The RPhO is considered one of the Netherlands' two principal orchestras of international standing, second to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. In addition to symphony concerts, the RPhO performs as the opera orchestra in productions at De Nederlandse Opera, as do other Dutch ensembles.
Southern Savonia or, officially, Etelä-Savo is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of Pohjois-Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total area of Southern Savonia is 18,768.33 km2, with a population of 153,738 (2011).
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. Through most of the Soviet era, it was known as the Kirov Theatre. Today, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera and Mariinsky Orchestra. Since Yuri Temirkanov's retirement in 1988, the conductor Valery Gergiev has served as the theatre's general director.
Alexander (Lexo) Toradze is a classical concert pianist, best known for his classical Russian repertoire, with a career spanning over three decades. He was a professor of piano at Indiana University South Bend from 1991 to 2017.
Ossetia is a region located on both sides of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. The folk music of Ossetia began to be collected and recorded in the late 19th and early 20th century. After the Revolution of 1917, professional music appeared in Ossetia and in the following decades, a number of symphonies, ballets, operas and other institutions were formed. There is an Ossetian State Philharmonic. The first Ossetian opera was Kosta, by Christopher Pliev. Ilya Gabaraev is a famous Ossetian composer.
Yuri Abramovich Bashmet is a Russian conductor, violinist, and violist.
Prague Autumn International Music Festival (1991–2008) was the second largest classical music festival in Prague held annually in September. It was organised under the auspices of Václav Klaus, president of the Czech republic and was co-produced by the City of Prague.
Tolib-khon Shakhidi or Tolib Shahidi is a Tajik, Russian, and Soviet composer who was born in the city of Dushanbe, Tajik SSR. He is a son of the founder of Professional Tajik Academic Music – Ziyodullo Shakhidi.
Denis Leonidovich Matsuev is a Russian classical pianist.
Bernarda Fink Inzko is an Argentine mezzo-soprano. Born in Buenos Aires to Slovene parents who escaped from the communist takeover of Slovenia, Bernarda Fink studied at the "Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón" in Buenos Aires. She won First Prize at the Nuevas Voces Líricas competition in 1985 and moved to Europe. She lives in the southern Austrian province of Carinthia and is married to the current High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Valentin Inzko. Her brother is Marcos Fink, Slovenian classical music singer.
The Ravenna Festival is a summer festival of opera and classical music held in the city of Ravenna, Italy and the surrounding area each June and July.
On April 21st, the sky completely dark ends. Organised by the Saint Petersburg City Administration, the festival begins in May 11 with the "Stars of the White Nights" at Mariinsky Theatre and ends in July 31. However, some performances connected to the festival take place before and after the official dates. On August 21st, the sky completely dark starts again.
Svetlana Smolina is a Russian pianist.
Behzod Abduraimov is an Uzbek pianist. A former student of Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist Stanislav Ioudenitch, he was described by The Independent as "the most perfectly accomplished pianist of his generation". Abduraimov won the London International Piano Competition in 2009 at the age of 18, which launched his career. He continues to perform internationally in solo recitals, chamber music performances, and as soloist with leading orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under such conductors as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Manfred Honeck, Vasily Petrenko, James Gaffigan, Jakub Hrůša, Thomas Dausgaard and Vladimir Jurowski.
The Pacific Music Festival (パシフィック・ミュージック・フェスティバル) is an international classical music festival held annually in Sapporo, Japan. It was founded in 1990 by Leonard Bernstein, along with the London Symphony Orchestra, with the original plan of holding the festival in Beijing. The original artistic directors were Leonard Bernstein and Michael Tilson Thomas.
Narek Hakhnazaryan is an Armenian cellist who won the gold medal for cello at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Seppo Erkki Sakari Heikinheimo was a Finnish musicologist, music journalist, writer and translator.
Sergey Aleksandrovich Musaelyan is a Russian pianist.
