15th Ιnternational Pharos Chamber Music Festival

This year the most long-lived and internationally renowned music event in Cyprus celebrates its 15th anniversary!!!

The International Pharos Chamber Music Festival has established itself as the most important annual classical music event on the island, and has gained an international reputation for its quality concerts and magnificent settings. Guided by a visionary spirit and dedicated to artistic excellence and innovation, the Festival attracts over 2.000 visitors every year. It also maintains a strong tradition of community service, with educational concerts organized for students of public schools and a number of master-classes for young instrumentalists.

Organized between 20 May and 2 June 2015, the 15th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival welcomes to Cyprus some of the most remarkable artists on the international music scene for nine concerts in the Royal Manor House in Kouklia – one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture in Cyprus and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and The Shoe Factory, a contemporary recital venue situated in Ermou Street near the buffer zone in Nicosia.

The 15th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival will open at The Shoe Factory, on Wednesday 20 May 2015, for an intimate recital with the twice Grammy-nominated Amy Dickson, considered to be one of the most important saxophonists of our time and recognized widely for her remarkable and distinctive tone and exceptional musicality. Two days later, on Friday 22 May 2015, The Shoe Factory will host a much anticipated solo recital by the celebrated pianist Alessio Bax. With his lyrical playing, insightful interpretations, and dazzling facility, Bax will undoubtedly offer a ravishing listening experience in works by Beethoven, Scriabin and Mussorgsky.

From Monday 25 until Saturday 30 May 2015, the 15th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival moves to the west of Cyprus, to the Royal Manor House of the ancient village of Kouklia near Paphos, which is specifically transformed by the Festival to a first class recital hall. For six days, a number of internationally renowned soloists will join forces in an impressive array of works. Along with the Festival’s regular guests – distinguished cellist and artistic director of the Festival Alexander Chaushian, Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Daishin Kashimoto, the impressive violinist Boris Brovtsyn, violinist Levon Chilingirian, violist Diemut Poppen, and the “endlessly fascinating” pianist Ashley Wass – this year’s Festival will also host pianists Alessio Bax and Vanessa Benelli Mosell who has been praised by musicians such as Karlheinz Stockhausen for her virtuosity and musical insight; Grammy-nominated violist and conductor Maxim Rysanov who has established himself as one of the world’s most vibrant and charismatic musicians; violinist/violist Yura Lee – celebrated internationally for he musical integrity and compelling artistry; the exciting Marc Coppey – one of the leading cellists of today; the charismatic double-bass player Hayk Khachatryan; one of the greatest flutists of our time, the Italian Massimo Mercelli; leading horn-player Radovan Vlatković, and the talented Cypriot soprano Margarita Elia.

The 15th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival will end as it started, at The Shoe Factory, Nicosia, on Tuesday 2 June 2015, with a piano recital by the sensational Vadym Kholodenko – Gold Medallist of the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in 2013. Praised for his powerful, exhilarating performances which show “the guts of a true super-artist”, Kholodenko will perform works by Liszt, Brahms, Balakirev, Medtner, and Vladislava Buchko.

The 15th anniversary of the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival is certain to be a very special experience. Join us in a leisurely exploration of the history and cultural heritage of Cyprus and enjoy an unparalleled range of recitals and chamber concerts.

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE:

Wednesday 20 May @ The Shoe Factory:
An intimate recital with saxophonist Amy Dickson

Friday 22 May @ The Shoe Factory:
Piano Recital with Alessio Bax

Monday 25 – Saturday 30 May @ Royal Manor House:
Six chamber concerts in the Royal Manor House in Kouklia

Tuesday 2 June @ The Shoe Factory:
Piano Recital with Vadym Kholodenko

**Concerts start at 8.30

Click here to download the full programme

THE VENUES:

The Royal Manor House in Kouklia is one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture on the island and an unparalleled venue for intimate chamber music performances. The building also houses an archaeological museum, which records the rich history of human activity in the region from about 2800 BC to the present day. The Royal Manor House, which is part of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s “Aphrodite’s Cultural Route”, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Palaipaphos, or Old Paphos, was a city-kingdom of Cyprus and one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centres of the ancient Greek world. It was the site of a famous sanctuary of Aphrodite, the oldest remains of which date back to the 12th century BC. Join us in a leisurely exploration of the history and cultural heritage of the western region of Cyprus.

The Shoe Factory is situated in the old part of Nicosia, near the buffer zone. Through it, the Pharos Arts Foundation is helping to revitalize this beautiful and historic section of the capital city by attracting a wide and diversified younger audience. All concerts are characterized by a unique feeling of intimacy and music is performed in an exceptionally inspiring setting: a modern venue decorated with contemporary art by mainly local artists; a venue situated in the “run down” part of Nicosia that offers the audience the unique opportunity to sit within an amazing proximity to world famous artists and experience performances in a venue like no other.

THE ARTISTS:
Piano: Alessio Bax, Vadym Kholodenko, Vanessa Benelli Mosell, Ashley Wass
Violin: Daishin Kashimoto, Boris Brovtsyn, Levon Chilingirian, Yura Lee
Viola: Yura Lee, Maxim Rysanov, Diemut Poppen
Cello: Alexander Chaushian, Marc Coppey
Double-Bass: Hayk Khachatryan
Flute: Massimo Mercelli
Horn: Radovan Vlatković
Saxophone: Amy Dickson
Soprano: Margarita Elia

TICKETS:
Tickets: €15 / €10 Concessions & members of the Pharos Arts Foundation
Box Office: Directly from the Foundation’s website www.pharosartsfoundation.org/Tickets_online.htm or Tel. 9666-9003 (Monday - Friday 10:00am-3:00pm
Tickets also available from: Kyriakou Fullpage Bookshops: 30 Ellados Ave., 8020 Paphos, Tel:26 822850
***Please note: tickets will be available as of mid-April