On October 14 concert and presentation of the Musical Olympus International Festival took place at the Tonhalle Concert Hall in Zurich.

The sophisticated Zurichaudience celebrated the talent and mastery of the young artists with loud applause and many curtain calls. The listeners enjoyed the poignant performance of the Russian pianist Varvara (I prize winner of the Géza Anda competition, Zurich, 2012); got a positive energy charge from a vivid and emotional performance of the US saxophonist Ashu (I prize winner of the International Salon de Virtuosi Career, New York, 2008); and Solenne Paidassi, a violoniste from France (I prize winner of the international Long-Thibaud Competition, Paris, 2010) impressed the audience with her inspiring and sensuous play.

“Varvara is an outstanding pianist, it is a pleasure to see such accomplished young Russian artists, says Irina Nikitina, President of the Musical Olympus Foundation. - Solenne Paidassi is also a brilliant musician. She has already participated at the Musical Olympus concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as in France and Azerbaijan. And Ashu’s performance was a revelation for those who did not believe that saxophone can be a classical concert instrument”.

The young musicians performed Ballades No. 3 and 4 by Frederic Chopin, Divertimento for Violin and Piano, as well as piano pieces from “Petrushka” ballet by Igor Stravinsky, Concertino da Camera by Jacques Ibert, Andante from Cello Sonata Op.19 by Sergei Rachmaninov arranged for saxophone, and sonata for saxophone and piano (Op. 19) by Paul Creston.

Since 2004 the Musical Olympus Foundation and the Friends Association of the Musical Olympus International Festival in Switzerland organize annual concerts in Zurich to support young talented musicians at the beginning of their artistic career, the main criteria for the musicians’ selection being their expertise and talent.

The Musical Olympus Festival broadens its scope every year (Zurich, New York, Berlin). In 2011 the Festival gave the first concert at Esplanade Theater in Singapore, and this year the Festival participants performed for the first time in France and Azerbaijan.