Baku Arts Festival: Julian Sitkovetsky 100 – Tribute from Baku
This gala concert, dedicated to the centenary of Julian Sitkovetsky, brings together outstanding musicians from around the world. A special event within the festival, it serves as a musical tribute to one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century - an artist of exceptional depth, whose brilliant career was cut tragically short but left an indelible mark on musical history.
The evening will feature his son, Dmitry Sitkovetsky — violinist, conductor, and one of the most versatile musicians of our time. Dmitry was born in Baku, into a renowned musical family. His mother, Bella Davidovich, is one of the most acclaimed pianists of her generation and a laureate of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. This concert is a deeply personal return to his roots, filled with emotion and cultural resonance.
Baku Arts Festival: Closing Concert
The festival's closing gala concert is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Polad Bulbuloglu — an outstanding composer and cultural figure of Azerbaijan, whose name is closely associated with the flourishing of the country’s musical and civic life.
The concert will be performed with the Baku State Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Fuad Ibragimov.
Special guest of the evening - world-renowned violinist and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky.
The program includes works by the jubilarian, reflecting the breadth and richness of his compositional voice:
Concert Waltz
Symphonic Dances:
– Girls’ Dance
– Oriental Dance
– Yalli
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra:
– Agitato – Allegro
– Lento
– Vivo
Bringing the festival to a close, this evening will stand as a musical tribute of respect and gratitude to the legacy of a master who has inspired generations.
Concert Spirituel in Vienna – Grande Musica 21.11
After the great success in 2019, you can now look forward to the next edition of the concert series CONCERT SPIRITUEL – inspired by a tradition that dates back to the 18th century. The Concert spirituel (“Spiritual Concert”) is one of Europe’s first public concert series and significantly shaped the musical taste of that era. The first series began in 1725 in Paris and soon inspired further series in cities such as Vienna and London.
The Minoritenkirche, a Gothic masterpiece in the heart of Vienna, provides a unique setting for unforgettable classical concerts. With its stunning architecture and exceptional acoustics, it transforms every performance into a magical experience. Here, history and music merge into a harmonious unity as world-renowned musicians interpret masterpieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and many others with the utmost perfection.
These concerts are a feast for the senses: the rich sound of the strings, virtuosic solos, and masterful interpretations of great works illuminate the church in a truly special way. Thanks to its outstanding acoustics, every note comes to life—delicate pianissimo fill the space with intimacy, while powerful forte passages resonate majestically.
Performers:
Les Orpheistes Orchestra
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Violin and Conductor
Amira Abouzahra, Violin
Mariam Abouzahra, Violin
Program:
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Five Songs without Words
(arranged for string orchestra by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)J. S. Bach: Concerto for Three Violins and Orchestra in D Major
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto grosso in D minor for Two Violins and Cello
Arvo Pärt: Fratres for Violin, Strings and Percussion
Béla Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances for Violin and String Orchestra
(arranged by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)
Concert Spirituel in Vienna – Grande Musica 22.11
After the great success in 2019, you can now look forward to the next edition of the concert series CONCERT SPIRITUEL – inspired by a tradition that dates back to the 18th century. The Concert spirituel (“Spiritual Concert”) is one of Europe’s first public concert series and significantly shaped the musical taste of that era. The first series began in 1725 in Paris and soon inspired further series in cities such as Vienna and London.
The Minoritenkirche, a Gothic masterpiece in the heart of Vienna, provides a unique setting for unforgettable classical concerts. With its stunning architecture and exceptional acoustics, it transforms every performance into a magical experience. Here, history and music merge into a harmonious unity as world-renowned musicians interpret masterpieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and many others with the utmost perfection.
These concerts are a feast for the senses: the rich sound of the strings, virtuosic solos, and masterful interpretations of great works illuminate the church in a truly special way. Thanks to its outstanding acoustics, every note comes to life—delicate pianissimo fill the space with intimacy, while powerful forte passages resonate majestically.
Performers:
Les Orpheistes Orchestra
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Violin and Conductor
Amira Abouzahra, Violin
Mariam Abouzahra, Violin
Program:
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Five Songs without Words
(arranged for string orchestra by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)J. S. Bach: Concerto for Three Violins and Orchestra in D Major
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto grosso in D minor for Two Violins and Cello
Arvo Pärt: Fratres for Violin, Strings and Percussion
Béla Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances for Violin and String Orchestra
(arranged by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)
Moments of Memory – NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra
One of the most recognisable Ukrainian composers today is undoubtedly Valentin Silvestrov. On St Andrew’s Eve, we will hear his new work, co-commissioned by the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra. Silvestrov’s works are renowned for drawing listeners to the treasure troves of the past and the arsenals of memory. We will visit these places, listening to compositions by such masters as Bach, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. The entire performance will be directed by the distinguished Dmitry Sitkovetsky.
The commission, Moments of Memory VI, was created through the collaboration of several institutions, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, with which the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra collaborated last season. This is the sixth work in a series whose aim, as with all of this artist’s work, seems to be to bring to life music rarely heard today. Among the crumbs of things heard a long time ago were waltzes, mazurkas, and serenades. We don’t yet know where Silvestrov will take us this time, but distant times and memories will certainly come alive again thanks to music imbued with a sense of loss and emptiness.
Other elements of the programme will also serve as vehicles for remembrance. Arrangements of Felix Mendelssohn’s famous Lieder ohne Worte, authored by Dmitry Sitkovetsky, will transport us to a world of Romantic sentiment. Born in Baku and educated in Moscow and the United States, this master of playing/directing will lead the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra. Sitkovetsky also arranged Johannes Brahms’s String Sextet No. 2. Although this work dates back to the formative period of the composer of A German Requiem, it is already marked by haunting maturity. The furthest thing we can take you back in time is Johann Sebastian Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor – one of only two known works of this genre written by the Köthen Kapellmeister.
Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra | Concert
Renowned violinist, conductor, and arranger Dmitry Sitkovetsky arrives in Klaipėda with a program that blends classical elegance with a distinctive creative vision. Thanks to the maestro’s artistry, masterpieces by world-class composers—Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Johannes Brahms—originally composed for soloists or small ensembles, are reborn in this concert as arrangements for chamber orchestra.
This is a wonderful opportunity to hear rarely performed and delicately reimagined musical gems, masterfully brought to life by the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra.
Closing Concert – Berlinsky 100
Performers
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin
Mikhail Kopelman, violin
Loïc Rio, violin
Laurent Marfaing, viola
François Kieffer, cello
(members of the Quatuor Modigliani)
Grigory Kovalevsky, double bass
Ludmila Berlinskaya, piano
Guest Star, piano
Special Feature
Screening of a short film on Valentin Berlinsky
Program
Schubert
Quintet in A major, D. 667 “The Trout”
Intermission
Shchedrin
Diptyque pour violon seul : 1. Amoroso
Glinka
Grand Sextet in E-flat major for Piano and Strings
Presented by Clément Rochefort and Maria Matalaev
Festival Berlinsky 100
Valentin Berlinsky (1925–2008): Celebrating a Cello Legend and the Spirit of the Borodin Quartet
A century after his birth, the music world pays tribute to Valentin Berlinsky (1925–2008) — an exceptional cellist, influential teacher, founding member, and guiding spirit of the legendary Borodin Quartet, which he led for more than sixty years. His daughter, pianist Ludmila Berlinskaya, has envisioned a festival as a living homage to his legacy.
For four days, Paris’s Salle Cortot will come alive with concerts, masterclasses, a film screening, and the presentation of a newly expanded edition of Le Quatuor d’une Vie.
The festival will bring together an extraordinary roster of artists, including the Quatuor Danel, Quatuor van Kuijk, Quatuor Kazakh, François Kieffer and Laurent Marfaing of the Quatuor Modigliani, Boris Andrianov, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Mikhail Kopelman, Nicolas Baldeyrou, cellists from the Gautier Capuçon Foundation, as well as other distinguished musicians and surprise guests.
President of Jury: Dvořák Prague Festival | Concertino Praga 2025
Concertino Praga – the Dvořák Radio International Competition for Young Musicians – has announced the results of the first round of its 2025 edition. The line-up of eight finalists, each representing a different instrument and hailing from six different countries, is unprecedented in the competition’s history. Selected from nearly sixty applicants from three continents, these young musicians have earned their place in the finals.
12 September
Concert, Concertino Praga, final round of wind category – Bethlehem Chapel.
13 September
Concert, Concertino Praga, final round of solo category – Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum
Concertino Praga – the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians – has been held each year since 1966. The mission of this multidisciplinary competition is to find extraordinary talents up to age 15 or 16. It is jointly organised by the Academy of Classical Music and Czech Radio. Candidates in two categories – solo and chamber music – are judged by an international jury of experts. In the first round, the jury evaluates the candidates anonymously on the basis of submitted recordings. The finals are held in public as a concert of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival. In 2021, the competition is open to contestants in both categories. The solo category will be held for violin, cello, piano, harpsichord, harp, accordion, guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, and trombone. The chamber music category is open to ensembles ranging from duos to sextets.
The winners will receive a scholarship in the amount of up to EUR 5,000. Laureates will also have the opportunity to make a professional radio recording at Czech Radio and to appear at the South Bohemia Festival Concertino Praga.
Since 1988, Concertino Praga has been a member of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY). It is held under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), of which Czech Radio became an active member in 1993.
Closing Concert: Nelli Shkolnikova Academy
Final concert of the Academy with the laureates as soloists and the Academy string orchestra under the direction of Dmitry Sitkovetsky.
Winners' Concert: Nelli Shkolnikova Academy
The young musicians from around the world, currently in residency, invite you to discover great musical works, with the support of their professors.
Professors' Concert: Nelli Shkolnikova Academy
Professors' Concert
Chamber music with piano
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Gulia Gurevich, Yuriy Bekker – violins
Federico Hood, Sasha Gurevich – viola
Israel Fausto, Sébastien Hurtaud – cellos
Pamela Hurtado, Jessica Osborne – piano
August 9 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Dmitri Shostakovich. To commemorate this event, Dmitry Sitkovetsky and the faculty of the Shkolnikova Academy will perform Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet, preceded by Mahler’s Piano Quartet.
Masterclasses: Nelli Shkolnikova Academy
‘The renowned violinist NELLI SHKOLNIKOVA taught for many years at Indiana University, Bloomington. Her unique style of teaching is recognized worldwide and produced many wonderful musicians. In homage to Nelli Shkolnikova, her former students continue her legacy by inviting talented and motivated violin, viola, cello and piano students aged 14-26 to an intensive string and chamber music retreat at the Chateau de La Flocellière in France from August 4 - 14, 2025’
Concerto Grosso: Slovenska filharmonija
Dmitry Sitkovetsky is a renowned and versatile musician, celebrated as a violinist, conductor, arranger, and recording artist. His rich solo career is documented in over forty recordings, showcasing an exceptionally diverse repertoire.
At the 73rd Ljubljana Festival, he will appear as conductor with Ensemble Dissonance, a group of internationally acclaimed musicians based in Ljubljana, dedicated to performing and advancing chamber music at the highest artistic level.
The ensemble will feature two of its own members as soloists: Benjamin Ziervogel, a distinguished chamber musician, concertmaster, and soloist, and Janez Podlesek, a professor at the Ljubljana Academy of Music and a committed interpreter of Slovenian composers.
Concert: Blackmore’s Berlins Musikzimmer
Kammermusikabend
Dmitry Sitkovetsky – Violine
David Geringas – Violoncello
Mikhail Mordvinov – Klavier
Tatjana Geringas – Klangregie
Blackmore Academy Masterclass in Berlin
BLACKMORE'S - Berlins Musikzimmer has a chamber music hall and three more classrooms where participants can practice during the master class or longer, except during concerts. The opening hours will be announced in the invitation to the master class together with the schedule.
Concert: 19th Malta Spring Festival
Malta Spring Festival Academy Orchestra
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin solo
Brian Schembri, conductor
Fiorini | Pentimenti
Shostakovich | Symphony for Strings op.110a
Pärt | Fratres
Tchaikovsky | Serenade for Strings
19th Malta Spring Festival
Founded in 2005 by its artistic director Karl Fiorini, The Malta Spring Festival is an annual classical and contemporary music festival known for its innovative programming and commitment to new orchestral and chamber works.
The festival takes place in different venues in Valletta, capital city of Malta..
Bydgoszcz Concert
Programme:
Quartet for 4 Violins (Gażyna Bacewicz)
Octet for Strings (Felix Mendelssohn)
NES Academy in Residence at Château de la Flocellière
New European Strings (NES) Chamber Orchestra was founded by Dmitry Sitkovetsky in 1990 at the Korsholm Festival in Finland.
The NES brings together the most respected string players from top European ensembles. They have toured throughout Europe. Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s transcription for string orchestra of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) was recorded by the New European Strings for Nonesuch Records and was released to tremendous critical acclaim in the summer of 1995. In February 1997, they made their first USA tour performing in 14 cities from Los Angeles to New York. The New Yorker, in a review of this recording, wrote: “The New European Strings Chamber Orchestra combines interpretive insight with exemplary playing; even suspicious purists will hear contrapuntal felicities that keyboard players can only suggest.”
2–9 March: Château de la Flocellière
Concert in Szeged
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
Artistic Director: István Várdai
Concertmaster: Peter Tfirst
Soloist: Abouzahra Amira, Abouzahra Mariam (violin)
Conductor and solist: Dmitry Sitkovetsky (violin)
Programme:
Bach: Concerto for Three Violins in D major, BWV 1064R
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D minor
Interval
Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988-re-arranged for violin and string orchestra by Dmitry Sitkovetsky
At the concert of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra's Liszt Academy Series, the opening piece, Bach's Triple Concerto, reveals live a connection between today's master musician and his students: Dmitry Sitkovetsky, one of the greatest violinists of our day, will take to the stage of the Liszt Academy with the Abouzahra sisters, Amira and Mariam. The achievement of the famous child stars of the Virtuosos talent show is now recognised with several international competition awards, and they are performing on the most prestigious stages around the globe. Together with their mentor, they will now once again give beautiful minutes to the Budapest audience. Then, Amira gets the lead role, as Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in D minor, written early in his career, will be played with her solo.
In the second part of the concert, we can hear one of the most exquisite transcriptions of the season. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, written upon the request of the insomniac Count Keyserlingk, with the undisguised intention that the music should bring relief to the count, were originally composed for a keyboard instrument (harpsichord). Sitkovetsy, the principal soloist and conductor of the concert, has been a recognised and innovative composer of the chamber music repertoire for decades. As a violinist, he dreamed up a successful transcription for violin solo and strings, which will now be performed for the first time in Hungary.
Concert with Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra in Budapest
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
Artistic Director: István Várdai
Concertmaster: Peter Tfirst
Soloist: Abouzahra Amira, Abouzahra Mariam (violin)
Conductor and solist: Dmitry Sitkovetsky (violin)
Programme:
Bach: Concerto for Three Violins in D major, BWV 1064R
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D minor
Interval
Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988-re-arranged for violin and string orchestra by Dmitry Sitkovetsky
At the concert of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra's Liszt Academy Series, the opening piece, Bach's Triple Concerto, reveals live a connection between today's master musician and his students: Dmitry Sitkovetsky, one of the greatest violinists of our day, will take to the stage of the Liszt Academy with the Abouzahra sisters, Amira and Mariam. The achievement of the famous child stars of the Virtuosos talent show is now recognised with several international competition awards, and they are performing on the most prestigious stages around the globe. Together with their mentor, they will now once again give beautiful minutes to the Budapest audience. Then, Amira gets the lead role, as Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in D minor, written early in his career, will be played with her solo.
In the second part of the concert, we can hear one of the most exquisite transcriptions of the season. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, written upon the request of the insomniac Count Keyserlingk, with the undisguised intention that the music should bring relief to the count, were originally composed for a keyboard instrument (harpsichord). Sitkovetsy, the principal soloist and conductor of the concert, has been a recognised and innovative composer of the chamber music repertoire for decades. As a violinist, he dreamed up a successful transcription for violin solo and strings, which will now be performed for the first time in Hungary.
Gala-Concert in Baku
Concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of People's Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan, composer, singer and professor Polad Bulbuloglu
Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli
Conductor: Murtuza Bulbul
Soloists:
Dmitry Sitkovetsky (violin, UK)
Samir Jafarov (tenor)
Ramil Kasimov (tenor)
Programme:
Rhapsody
Azerbaijani folk song "Noleydi"
Azerbaijani folk song "Khumar oldum"
Piece "Dolalai" for orchestra
Azerbaijani folk song "Beri bakh"
Azerbaijani folk song "Gara tellar"
Suite from the ballet "Love and Death"
Waltz-concert
Symphonic dances:
"Dance of the girls"
"Oriental dance"
"Yalli"
“Winter Tale” International Music Festival: Concert with Farhad Badalbeyli in Gabala
Gabala Festival: Concert with Farhad Badalbeyli, festival director and President of the Baku Music Academy
With the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, and the Baku Music Academy, Azerbaijan's Gabala city will host the inaugural "Winter Tale" International Music Festival from February 7 through February 10, 2025. The festival will continue the tradition of the Gabala International Music Festival, held annually since 2009, and bring together art enthusiasts from around the world. The "Winter Tale" festival will feature globally renowned musicians, conductors, and musical ensembles from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Russia, in addition to Azerbaijani performers.
Opening Concert Section Violoncello: II. Grunewald International Music Competition
Concert Programme:
Franz Schubert – Quintet in C Major for Two Violins, Viola, and Two Cellos, D 956, Op. Post. 163
Allegro ma non troppo
Adagio
Scherzo: Presto – Trio
Allegretto
Performers:
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin
Latica Honda-Rosenberg, violin
Hartmut Rohde, viola
David Geringas, cello
Andrei Ionita, cello
Chairman of the Jury (Violin): II. Grunewald International Music Competition 2024
The second international music competition "II. Grunewald International Music Competition 2024" will take place in the former Mendelssohn family palace in the middle of Berlin's Grunewald, idyllically located in a large park, on December 2nd - 22nd, 2024.
Opening Concert: II. Grunewald International Music Competition
Concert Programme:
Johannes Brahms – Quintet in G Major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, Op. 11
Allegro non troppo, ma con brio
Adagio
Allegretto
Allegro assai
Performers:
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin
Mariam Abouzahra, violin
Hartmut Rohde, viola
Amira Abouzahra, viola
Valentin Radutio, cello