The Classical Bridge International Music Festival, featuring 21 world-class performers, is set to open with a grand celebration.
The festival is a classical music event launched in 2018 by Korean pianist Clara Min, who has built her career primarily abroad. It has been held in major cities around the world, including Bordeaux and Paris in France and Seoul. Now in its sixth edition, Classical Bridge will present seven performances from the 4th to the 12th at the Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, and Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center in Gyeonggi Province.
At a press conference held at the Seoul Shilla Hotel on the 2nd, Artistic Director Clara Min said, "The name 'Bridge' carries the meaning of becoming a platform that connects generations, cultures, and artists." The event is also pursuing expansion into a platform that combines art, business, and technology, going beyond a simple music festival. "We are not just offering concerts. We aim to create a venue for cultural communication where art and business converge," Min said. "Building the future through relationships is what matters." A business summit will be held alongside next year's event in Cannes, France. She also outlined plans to host a touring series of mini-festivals in several cities, including Seoul, in the years that follow.
This year's festival features world-class performers including cello master Mischa Maisky, widely known as the mentor of cellist Han-Na Chang, pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev, violinist Augustin Dumay, and cellist Gautier Capuçon. Violist Lyda Chen, the eldest daughter of pianist Martha Argerich, will also take the stage.
Mischa Maisky will headline the opening performance on the 4th. He will perform a family ensemble program with his son Sascha (violin) and daughter Lily (piano), presenting "An Evening of Lieder," which reinterprets Schubert songs for cello and piano, along with Brahms's Piano Trio No. 1. "I feel most at ease when performing with young musicians," Maisky said at the press conference. "The most important piece of advice is to stay young." He added, "'Live long, die young' is the wish of my life."
In the Chamber Concert Series running from the 5th through the 7th, Augustin Dumay will present three programs centered on Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms. On the 10th, a joint recital will be held by David Chen and Luka Sich, the grandsons of Martha Argerich.
The highlight of the festival will be the first Korean tour by Mikhail Pletnev and the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra on the 11th and 12th. "Rachmaniana," an orchestral suite composed by Pletnev himself, will receive its Korean premiere.
Korean musicians, including violists Kim Sang-jin and Yoon Jin-won and clarinetist Cho Dong-hyun, will also join the lineup, performing alongside the international artists.
