Pacific Music Festival

The Pacific Music Festival (PMF) is a music education festival that was founded in 1990 and has since taken place annually from July to August in Sapporo ( Japan ) .

history

The original idea of a festival went back to the Chinese-born New York music professor Chou Wen-chung , who in 1978 asked Leonard Bernstein whether he would like to take part in one in the future. Originally an indispensable date, Bernstein planned a tour with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) for the summer of 1990 . From 1987 the event planning for Beijing , Shanghai and other cities began by the Center for United States-China Arts Exchange (Center) at Columbia University, which was established by Chou . In addition to Bernstein and Chou, the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China was also involved. An all-China youth orchestra was to be set up for the festival.

In the course of the Tian'anmen massacre on June 4, 1989 in Beijing, Bernstein decided, his management, the LSO, sponsors and the center as well as other parties to move the festival to the Japanese island of Sapporo . The event was named Pacific Music Festival and the concept was completely revised. It was no longer a Chinese, but a Pacific youth orchestra (from all over the region) that was planned. Chou used his contacts and a network of conservatories, youth orchestras, etc. was consulted. The organizers also integrated the Pacific Composers Conference into the festival.

PMF Academy

Orchestral musicians (aged 18 to 29) from all over the world are trained in the PMF Academy . The teachers come from top international orchestras.

Artistic Directors and Chief Conductors

Leonard Bernstein (1990)
Michael Tilson Thomas (1990-2000, 2009)
Christoph Eschenbach (1991, 1993–1998, 2009, 2019)
Charles Dutoit (2000-2002)
Fabio Luisi (2004, 2008, 2010–2012)
Valery Gergiev (2004, 2006, since 2015)
Bernard Haitink (2003)
Nello Santi (2005)
Riccardo Muti (2007)
Jun Märkl (2013, 2015, 2017)
Marin Alsop (1990, 2019)

Web links

Pacific Music Festival website

Individual evidence

↑ Glossary of Terms . In: Yayoi Uno Everett, Frederick Lau (Ed.): Locating East Asia in Western Art Music . Wesleyan University Press, Middletown 2004, ISBN 0-8195-6661-6 , p. 288.
^ ^A ^b Mark A. Radice: Chou Wen-chung: a biographical essay . In: Mary I. Arlin, Mark A. Radice (Eds.): Polycultural Synthesis in the Music of Chou Wen-chung . Routledge, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-28864-5 , pp. 17–85, here: pp. 54 f.

[1] Glossary of Terms . In: Yayoi Uno Everett, Frederick Lau (Ed.): Locating East Asia in Western Art Music . Wesleyan University Press, Middletown 2004, ISBN 0-8195-6661-6 , p. 288.

[Radice-2] A ^b Mark A. Radice: Chou Wen-chung: a biographical essay . In: Mary I. Arlin, Mark A. Radice (Eds.): Polycultural Synthesis in the Music of Chou Wen-chung . Routledge, New York 2018, ISBN 978-1-138-28864-5 , pp. 17–85, here: pp. 54 f.