18th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival 2018

Acknowledged all over the world as Cyprus’ most important annual classical music event, the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival is also recognised as one of Europe's preeminent music festivals, having gained an unequalled reputation for the quality of its concerts as well as its enchanting atmosphere and settings. Inaugurated 18 years ago, the Pharos Festival was the first festival of chamber music to be established in Cyprus and it has so far attracted numerous of the world’s finest and most celebrated musicians, while it has garnered thousands of enthusiastic music lovers from all over the world, who visit the island especially to be part of this exceptionally uplifting music experience. The International Pharos Chamber Music Festival also maintains a strong tradition of community service, having made chamber music more accessible to the general public and giving the unique opportunity to students of public schools, as well as young instrumentalists from all over the world, to benefit through its educational activities at absolutely no cost!

THE 2018 EDITION:

Organised between 31 May and 6 June 2018, the 18th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival welcomes to Cyprus some of the most remarkable artists on the international music scene, for an extensive week of music-making. The Festival will open its doors at the Royal Manor House in Kouklia – one of the finest surviving monuments of Frankish architecture in Cyprus and a UNESCO World Heritage site – for five consecutive concerts (31 May – 4 June) with 16 internationally renowned soloists joining forces in an unparalleled programme of chamber music. The Festival will host, amongst others, Sergei Babayan – one of the most notable names of the great Russian piano school and winner of such prestigious competitions as the Cleveland, the Hamamatsu and the Busoni piano competitions; the sensational Yevgeny Sudbin, hailed by The Telegraph as ‘potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century’; the extraordinarily compelling and Royal Philharmonic Society award winner, pianist Simon Trpčeski; the brilliant student of David Oistrach and Semyon Snitkowsky, Pavel Vernikov, who has evolved into one of the finest violin virtuosos of our times; the remarkable “Giant of the Nordic Viola” – Lars Anders Tomter and Paul Meyer, who is unanimously recognised as one of the world’s most outstanding clarinettists.

On the occasion of the Pharos Arts Foundation’s celebration of its 20th anniversary, the 18th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival will culminate, on Wednesday 6 June 2018, in a grand orchestral finale, at the Pharos Arts Foundation’s open-air venue, The Olive Grove, in Delikipos. The concert will mark the inaugural appearance of the Dakapp Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Wilson Hermanto, and it will present a varied and exciting programme by the Festival’s soloists. The Dakapp Chamber Orchestra comprises some of the most promising and talented young professional musicians from all around Europe, who have successfully participated in the DakAdemy’s intensive series of masterclasses – many of which have been organised in collaboration with the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival over the last three years. A former protégé of Sir Colin Davis, Carlo Maria Giulini and Pierre Boulez, the electrifying Wilson Hermanto has conducted such renowned orchestras as Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken, Prague Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, NDR Radio Philharmonie Hannover, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Symphony Silicon Valley in San Jose, Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra with pianist Lang Lang,Moscow Symphony Orchestra at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and Mariinsky Orchestra at the invitation of Valery Gergiev, as well as all major orchestras including Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National de Lorraine, Orchestre Symphonique de l’ Opéra de Toulon, Orchestre National d’ Île de France.

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE:

Thursday 31 May – Monday 4 June @ Royal Manor House, Kouklia:
Five chamber concerts with some of the world’s most renowned soloists in an exciting and wide-ranging programme.

Wednesday 6 June @ The Olive Grove, Delikipos:
A grand orchestral finale with the inaugural appearance of the Dakapp Chamber Orchestra under the direction of conductor Wilson Hermanto and Festival’s soloists – pianist Sergei Babayan, violinists Pavel Vernikov, Boris Brovtsyn, Svetlana Makarova and Levon Chilingirian, and cellists Alexander Chaushian and Tim Park

**Concerts start at 8.30pm

THE PROGRAMME:
Click here to download the full programme

THE VENUES:

The Royal Manor House, 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 Olive Grove, Delikipos is a world-class, open-air concert venue, which aims to deliver relaxed and informal events so that intimacy is developed between the artists and the audience. The venue is surrounded by the idyllic forest of Delikipos and is adorned with wooden decks, shallow pools of water, zen landscaping and a uniquely atmospheric lighting. The audience can relax on the chairs, blankets and pillows with a glass of wine.

THE ARTISTS:
Piano: Sergei Babayan, Yevgeny Sudbin, Simon Trpčeski
Violin: Pavel Vernikov, Boris Brovtsyn, Svetlana Makarova, Levon Chilingirian
Viola: Lars Anders Tomter, Diemut Poppen, Léa Hennino, David Abrahamyan
Cello: Alexander Chaushian, Tim Park
Double-Bass: Nabil Shehata
Clarinet: Paul Meyer
Horn: José Vicente Castelló
Dakapp Chamber Orchestra under the direction of conductor Wilson Hermanto

INFORMATION & TICKETS:
Tickets: €15 / €10 (Concessions, Members of the Pharos Arts Foundation)
Box Office: www.pharosartsfoundation.org or tel. +357 22663871 (Monday - Friday 10:00am-3:00pm)
Tickets also available from: Kyriakou Fullpage Bookshops: 30 Ellados Ave., 8020 Paphos, Tel:26822850