Middle East Classical Music Academy Takes Off in Dubai

The Middle East Classical Music Academy (MECMA), organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) and SAMIT Event Group, has officially launched, with the first masterclasses taking place on 4th September at the 5-star Jumeirah Zabeel Saray resort in Dubai. Running until the 26th of the month, the MECMA will comprise three weeks […]

Round Two of Dubai’s Classic Piano Competition Draws to a Close

Yesterday marked the end of the second round of the prestigious Classic Piano International Competition, a Dubai-based venture jointly held between the Malta-based European Foundation for Support of Culture and SAMIT Event Group. The hotly-anticipated event — this year celebrating its second iteration — welcomes prodigious young pianists from around the world to the UAE’s […]

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Collection: Engaging with Beethoven

The International Telekom Beethoven Competition offers a platform and the best possible support to talented young pianists. Applications for this year’s prize in December 2021 are open until May 14. Another goal of the competition is to encourage musicians and audiences to engage intensively with the work of the composer. VAN has some places to […]

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Brian Ferneyhough at 75

Date 12/6/2018 To celebrate the 75th birthday of Coventry-born composer Brian Ferneyhough, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group has invited the pioneering Arditti Quartet to perform his music in the heart of the Midlands. Also featuring Oliver Janes on clarinet and the conductor Emilio Pomarico, a concert on Sunday, December 9 at 4 p.m. will present […]

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Collection: Marx at 200

Date 8/30/2018 200 years since his birth, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Karl Marx Exhibitions Organisation present a series of concerts, soundart installations and events commemorating the life and work of Karl Marx in Trier in Germany and Birmingham and London in the UK. Sergej Newski, a featured composer on the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group’s […]

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Coordinates of Value

As part of our partnership with ricordilab, we spoke with the composer Liza Lim about her duties with this competition and the benefits and limitations of composition competitions in general. VAN: Composers often complain that hyper-complex-looking scores have an advantage in competitions. How much does the way the score looks impact your decisions? Liza Lim: […]