Blog

  • San Francisco Classical Voice Spotlights Leif Ove Andsnes

    2012 Music Director and celebrated pianist Leif Ove Andsnes continues his extensive U.S tour. In this recent SFCV web article, he talks about his music and his “big” celebration!

    Leif Ove Andsnes has been in the spotlight for over two decades. His long list of accomplishments includes eight Grammy nominations, five Gramophone Awards, and the prestigious honor of Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. He has performed with the world’s best orchestras on the world’s most famous stages. He has guided countless students into the realm of professional music at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and the Royal Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. His resume is long and awe-inspiring, but when my call was answered at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia, I found the famous Leif Ove not just coming fresh off a performance, but rather a gentle man in love with his piano….”

    Read the entire Q&A here…

  • Thomas W. Morris named one of Persons of the Year by Alex Ross

    Alex Ross, Music Critic for the New Yorker Magazine (and one of the most influential writers on music today) named Persons of the Year — Jane Moss and Ojai Music Festival’s Thomas W. Morris, for their hearteningly inventive programming at Lincoln Center and Spring for Music/Ojai.

    Click here for the direct link 

  • Bent Sorensen Wins BASCA Award

    Danish composer Bent Sorensen’s piano concerto, La Mattina, was presented with a 2011 British Composer Award sponsored by BASCA (British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors), which recognizes contemporary classical music showing “flair, originality and the power of communication.” La Mattina, which was written for Leif Ove by Mr. Sorensen, will receive its West Coast premiere during the Festival’s June 9 evening concert.

    Read more about Sorensen 

  • Leif Ove Andsnes and eighth blackbird Earn Grammy Nominations

    2012 Music Director Leif Ove Andsnes received two Grammy nominations for his recording of Rachmaninov with the London Symphony Orchestra in the ‘Best Classical Instrumental Solo’ and ‘Best Engineered Album’ categories.

    Another Grammy nod goes to composer Steve Mackey’s “Lonely Motel,” which the 2009 Music Director eighth blackbird premiered at the Festival as Slide. The work received nominations both for ensemble performance and contemporary classical composition.

    View the 2012 Festival curated by Leif Ove Andsnes 

    Read the rest of the Classical Music Grammy nominations