Ukraine's largest classical music festival, "Odessa Classics" will continue outside Ukraine due to Russian aggression.
The festival's pre-concert will take place on March 9 in Mustpeade House in Tallinn, and the artistic director of the festival, pianist Alexey Botvinov, Estonian violinist Hans Christian Aavik and pianist Karolina Aavik will perform there.
The official opening of the main program of "Odessa Classics Tallinn" will take place on May 25 in Estonia Concert Hall, after which concerts can be enjoyed in Viimsi, Laulasmaa, and Tartu.
The sponsor of the pre-concert of the festival is GO Group. The festival is organized in Estonia for the second year in a row by Kultuuripartnerluse SA and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.
According to Meelis Kubitsa, head of Kultuuripartnerluss SA, organizing the festival is to preserve this tradition.
"Estonian concert audiences and entrepreneurs have extended a helping hand to preserve the tradition of one of Ukraine's best-known cultural brands, and therefore Tallinn stands proudly next to Zurich, Bonn, Thessaloniki, Vilnius, and other cities where the festival's concerts are held in exile for the second year already. The founders of GO Group, who played a big role during the year, also agreed to support the pre-concert of the festival," said Kubits.
The first concerts of "Odessa Classics Tallinn" in 2023 will take place on March 9 in Mustpeade House, and the festive opening of the festival, which will bring one of the world's most famous violinists Daniel Hope to Tallinn for two concerts, will take place on May 25 and 26 in Estonia Concert Hall. The festival will also take place in Viimsi Artium, the Arvo Pärt Center and the Heino Eller Music School in Tartu. At the final concert of "Odessa Classics Tallinn" on June 7, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and pianist Alexey Botvinov will perform under the direction of Olari Elts in the Estonia Concert Hall.
"Odessa Classics" is a classical music festival founded in 2015, which has been closely connected with Estonian musicians, concertgoers, and supporters since the beginning. After the war against Ukraine started, it was decided to temporarily transfer the festival's activities to Tallinn, after which several other European countries offered to host the festival.