Ludwig van: Nicolas Namoradze: ‘Life Is Full Of Surprises’
“Life is full of surprises,” Nicolas Namoradze a.k.a. “Nico” says of his impressive win of the top prize at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition. The triennial Calgary-based competition has helped launch international performance and recording careers for a galaxy of classical music stars.
After taking the bold move of stepping out of the limelight for four years before entering the competition, the then 26-year-old pianist dazzled with virtuosic technique, matched by unconventional repertoire. His program included a lengthier choice of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B♭ major, Op. 83 for the finals, and his own Etudes he described as “fearsomely challenging”.
Ludwig van
Holly Harris
Spend an hour chatting with the brilliant musician Nicolas Namoradze, and it’s abundantly clear this is not your typical pianist.
“Life is full of surprises,” Nicolas Namoradze a.k.a. “Nico” says of his impressive win of the top prize at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition. The triennial Calgary-based competition has helped launch international performance and recording careers for a galaxy of classical music stars.
After taking the bold move of stepping out of the limelight for four years before entering the competition, the then 26-year-old pianist dazzled with virtuosic technique, matched by unconventional repertoire. His program included a lengthier choice of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B♭ major, Op. 83 for the finals, and his own Etudes he described as “fearsomely challenging”.
“You can get into trouble with things like that,” Namoradze states calmly of his program choices. “I made decisions that went against the grain because I knew that this wasn’t the kind of competition where I should be thinking about competition strategy. Brahms 2 was simply my favourite concerto, and I love playing it.”
Read more here.
Ludwig van: Azrieli Foundation Announces New Call For Proposals From Orchestras
The Azrieli Foundation has announced a call for proposals for a brand new funding stream within its Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) program.
The Azrieli Music Prizes Performance Fund (AMP-PF) is a new and annual funding stream that offers support for professional ensembles to prepare and perform works that have won the Azrieli Music Prize. Orchestras that receive funding would perform the AMP winning works in their 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.
Ludwig Van
Anya Wassenberg
The Azrieli Foundation has announced a call for proposals for a brand new funding stream within its Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) program.
The Azrieli Music Prizes Performance Fund (AMP-PF) is a new and annual funding stream that offers support for professional ensembles to prepare and perform works that have won the Azrieli Music Prize. Orchestras that receive funding would perform the AMP winning works in their 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons.
According to a media release, the AMP-PF has been established to provide performance opportunities for the works that have won the Azrieli Music Prize, representing an important next step for new compositions.
The Foundation is accepting proposals from orchestras to request support ranging from $5,000 CAD to $25,000 CAD. The funding is intended to help orchestras with the nuts and bolts of preparing for a performance, including score rentals, soloist fees, rehearsal time, and promotions. Funding can also be requested in order to host the AMP Laureates at the concerts of their own prize-winning works.
To read more about AMP’s new call for proposals, click here.