On October 14, 2012 the traditional concert and presentation of the Musical Olympus International Festival participants will take place in Zurich (Switzerland), one of the world’s cultural and music capitals.

The concert will feature Varvara Nepomnyashchaya (pianist from Russia, winner of the Géza Anda competition, Zurich, 2012); Solenne Paidassi (violoniste from France, I prize winner of the international Long-Thibaud Competition, Paris, 2010) and Ashu (saxophonist from the USA, I prize winner of the International Salon de Virtuosi Career, New York, 2008). At the concert that will take place at the Tonhalle Concert Hall in Zurich the young musicians will perform the works by Chopin, Stravinsky, Ibert, Rachmaninov, Creston and Piazzolla.

Varvara Nepomnyashchaya participates in a Musical Olympus concert for the first time. She will perform solo and in ensemble with Solenne Paidassi and Ashu. In June this year Varvara has already conquered the Swiss audience with her excellent performance and received not only I prize of the Géza Anda 2012 international competition, but also the Audience prize.

“Winning the Géza Anda competition was a big surprise for me. To say more – it came as a shock, says Varvara. “I did not think I would win and didn’t have any expectations regarding this competition. It was just interesting for me to fulfill the artistic tasks I had – to perform an extensive and versatile programme, to play three concerts with the orchestra”.

According to Varvara, she plans to further develop her musical career without participating in contests. “My life has now changed in its form – I’m not going to participate in any more contests in future, but it hasn’t changed in its content – I’ll continue to work as I did before. I’ll do my best to seek and find – and play concerts, play music”, says Varvara. In 2013 the young pianist will also participate at the Musical Olympus Festival that is held in St. Petersburg every spring.

Beginning with 2004 the Musical Olympus Foundation and the Friends Association of the Musical Olympus International Festival in Switzerland organize annual concerts in Zurich, supporting young talented musicians at the beginning of their artistic career. The main criteria for the musicians’ selection are their expertise and talent.

“We continue to foster the Musical Olympus Festival traditions, comments Irina Nikitina, President of the Musical Olympus Foundation. “The upcoming concert is a special sign of appreciation from the Friends Association of the Musical Olympus International Festival in Switzerland that has supported us for all these years”.

The Festival broadens its scope every year and the participants get a unique opportunity to perform at the world’s most prestigious venues: Carnegie Hall in New York, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Esplanade Theater in Singapore. This year Rennes (France) for the first time hosted the Musical Olympus concert featuring young musicians playing with the Brittany Symphony Orchestra at the annual summer music festival. And at the end of September this year young talented musicians have given concerts in Azerbaijan’s capital – Baku as part of the III Uzeyir Hajibeyov International Music Festival.