On March 4 at 3PM, the Musical Olympus Foundation will introduce this year’s young international classical superstars in the International Musical Olympus Festival Concert, taking place in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Under the direction of President Irina Nikitina, Musical Olympus provides an opportunity to listen to winners and laureates of international competitions. This year’s program features saxophonist Ashu, 2008 First Prize winner, “The International Salon de Virtuosi Career”, New York, performing Ibert and Piazzolla; cellist Christoph Croisé, 2010 winner of Grand Prix, The IBLA Foundation Grand Prize Competition, Ragusa, Sicily, performing Tchaikovsky; tenor Mario Chang, 2011 First Prize winner of The Francisco Vinas International Singing Competition, Barcelona, Spain, performing Puccini and Verdi; and pianist Alexej Gorlatch, 2011 First Prize winner, The ARD International Music Competition, Munich Germany, performing Beethoven, with Stilian Kirov conducting the Musical Olympus Orchestra.
“The Musical Olympus Festival is truly a preview of the future of international classical music in formation,” says Ms. Nikitina. “I am honored to present five of the most promising musicians of their generation to the New York Audience. If classical music is to remain a vital, relevant art form that can attract fresh, young audiences, it needs the musicianship and passion of these five artists. They, together with their esteemed musical colleagues, are poised to reinvigorate audiences around the world using the universal language of music.”
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Stilian Kirov, Conductor
Stilian Kirov is currently the Associate Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program. In 2011-12 Season he also joins the conducting staff of the Seattle Symphony for four weeks of residency. He previously served as Music Director and founder of the Art Symphony Orchestra in New York and has conducted major orchestras in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, United States and in his native country of Bulgaria. Mr. Kirov was awarded numerous prizes and merits including Third Prize and the Orchestra Preference Award at the 2010 Mitropoulos Conducting Competition, The Charles Schiff Conducting Award for outstanding achievement at the Juilliard School, I distinction (equal 4th place) at the V Witold Lutos?awski International Contest for Young Conductors and the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. Mr. Kirov has been awarded France’s "Young Conducting Talent" 2010 prize from ADAMI, culminating in a showcase concert at the Salle Gaveau with Orchestre Colonne in October, 2010. Following the successful performance, Mr. Kirov was re-invited to conduct the orchestra's 2011-12 Season Opening Concert in Paris. 2011 marks Mr. Kirov's debut at the prestigious Musical Olympus International Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Christoph Croisé, cello
Christoph Croisé was born in 1993 in Germany and started playing the violoncello at the age of 7 with Katharina KühneSchwarz. Since 2008, his teacher is the cellist Alexander Neustroev, principal-cellist at the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. Since 2009 he has participated in master classes by C. Starck, W. Grimmer, M. Löhr, D. Geringas, W.-S. Yang and Y. Chiffoleau. In June 2010 he was invited by the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth to participate in the “Stars of
Tomorrow Tour 2010” with concerts in Germany and Austria. In July 2010 Christoph Croisé he performed as a soloist with the Budejovice Philharmonic Orchestra. Christoph is several First Prizes winner at the Swiss Music Competition for Youth. In 2009, he won the first prize in Solo-Cello at the 14th International Competition for Young Musicians „Petar Konjovi?“ in
Belgrade, Serbia. Christoph was also the top prize winner and won the Tchaikovsky award and the Costanza Arezzo Giampiccolo di Donnafugata of the World music competition “IBLA grand prize” in 2010, in Ragusa, Sicily.
Ashu, saxophone
Concert saxophonist Ashu has continually defied conventions and won numerous major international and national competitions. He made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall in New York City and, at age 16, made his concerto debut at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Since then, concerto and recital performances have taken him to such
locations as France, Austria, Portugal, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, the West Indies, and throughout the USA, and with upcoming concerts this season in South Africa, Poland, Montreal, London, New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan, Virgin Islands, and Finland. Born and raised in California, Ashu graduated from Northwestern University and is currently based in Chicago.
Ashu has won First Prizes at competitions including the International Heida Hermanns, International Kingsville Wind Instrumentalist, National Federation of Music Clubs, National Midland-Odessa, National Alliance for Excellence, National George S. Howard, America Opera Society, and Houston Symphony Concerto Competitions. His latest victory was the First Prize at “The International Salon de Virtuosi Career” in New York (USA) in 2008.
