The event is organized to support the restoration of the Odessa Secondary Special Music School, named after Stolyarsky, a long-standing partner of the Bern Conservatory. The school was significantly damaged due to rocket attacks, with shattered windows. Interestingly, the school hall still houses chairs from the Bern Conservatory, and a first-class concert grand piano appeared there thanks to donations from the Legato Association. The school needs to be restored so that young musicians can return to their studies.
The organizers invite all enthusiasts of quality contemporary music to the event.
All proceeds from the project will be donated to the school.
Gilles Apap's "Concert for Peace" is a unique blend of a masterclass and performance, including musical improvisation. It will take place at the Yehudi Menuhin Forum, a place deeply appreciated by Gilles due to his close association with Yehudi Menuhin.
About the artist and his work:
"For me, Gilles Apap is an example of a 21st-century musician. He embodies the direction in which music should develop: on the one hand, cultivating valuable classical repertoire, and on the other, embracing contemporary music, including popular genres, and its creative aspects, not only in improvisation but also in interpretation," said Yehudi Menuhin.
Gilles Apap is a renowned Californian artist of French origin, known for his exceptional virtuosity and unique approach to music. He ignites joy in every concert hall he performs. His musical style combines classical works with elements of jazz and folk music worldwide. Gilles skillfully interprets various musical genres, from American bluegrass and country to gypsy, Romanian, traditional Indian, and Irish violin music, with the same passion he invests in performing works by Bach, Mozart, Ravel, or Enescu. The result is a unique program that blurs the boundaries between different musical directions.
Gilles Apap received his quality musical education in France and the USA. After completing the Curtis Institute, he became the concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony.
As a soloist, he has performed with powerful symphony orchestras, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Hamburg, Boston, and Israeli Philharmonic orchestras.
Gilles engages in chamber music with his quartet "The Colors of Invention," combining classical works by Vivaldi, Ravel, and Bartók with traditional folk melodies. He is part of the ethno-jazz ensemble "Meduoteran" and created the crossover group "The Transylvanian Mountain Boys," with whom he released three albums for Sony Classical.
In 1985, Gilles won the First Prize for contemporary music at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in Paris, beginning their friendship and collaboration.
Renowned French director Bruno Monsaingeon, who made two films about Gilles Apap, noted that the violinist's art presents music in its utmost purity.
In addition to performing, Gilles is actively involved in education. His teaching philosophy is closely linked to cultural diversity and the freedom of interpretation through improvisation. He conducts masterclasses worldwide and is an invited teacher at the Menuhin School in London.
More about the artist can be found on the website
Event date: August 29, 2023, at 7:30 PM.
Venue: YEHUDI MENUHIN FORUM BERN, Helvetiaplatz 6, Bern
Seating: Free choice
Event details
