CLASSICAL MUSIC IS NOT FOR KIDS? FORTISSIMO PROVES OTHERWISE
“I want classical music to reach every child in Bulgaria.”
By combining classical music by Bulgarian and foreign composers, favorite tunes from musicals, gospel, jazz, film music, Bulgarian folk melodies, and Romani rhythms, Fortissi- mo overcomes borders and barriers, challeng- es stereotypes, and builds a kind of cultural bridge between genres and nations, between young audiences and classical music. The Fortissimo suite of musical programs in- cludes Fortissimo Fest, the country’s largest classical music festival over the past decade; Fortissimo Class, the first children’s program for modern classical music education; and the family concert series Fortissimo Family. Today Fortissimo is a fixture in the Sofia Phil- harmonic’s event calendar, and Fortissimo Family concerts are performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra at Bulgaria Hall, the country’s leading classical concert venue.
Renowned Bulgarian conductor Maxim Esh- kenazy’s vision was a distant dream 15 years ago. In partnership with the newly established America for Bulgaria Foundation, he created the Fortissimo program, whose mission is to instill in children a love of classical music and to give a platform to talented young musi- cians, allowing them to perform alongside established names in the music industry. Over the years, the program with the power- ful name — “fortissimo” is a musical direction meaning “very loudly” — has amplified clas- sical music’s presence on stages nationwide, bringing it closer to tens of thousands of Bul- garian children and their families.
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