Website: http://www.operalaspalmas.org

Date: February 27 to June 24, 2012
Country: Spain


Established in 1927 as a tribute to the internationally distinguished Spanish tenor, the festival is held on the Canary Islands every year. Taking place at Kraus’ birth place, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria’s warm sun, blue sea and exceptional historic legacy are unfolded before guests. The first-class opera productions featuring world renowned artists inside the grandeur of concert halls are well-matched by the city’s unique multi-ethnic culture outside opera houses.

The curtains of the 2012 edition will be lifted upon Bizet’s Carmen, with soloists Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Aquiles Machado and more. Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi will be jointly presented by Daniela Barcellona, Yolana Auyanet and more artists. The spotlight will also be on Verdi’s Rigoletto and Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles, featuring Alberto Gazale, Nino Machaidze, Juan Diego Florez and many more international musicians.

Website: http://www.chncpa.org/

Date: April 3 to June 28, 2012
Country: China

Following the opening of the National Centre for Performing Arts in 2008, the festival is organized annually to provide opera performances of world-class quality. In addition to selections of the classical repertoires, it also features traditional Chinese operas and new commissioned works by local artists so as to promote the diverse ethnic music of the country.

In 2012, the programme includes a wide variety of classical and modern operas. Sun Xiuwei, Cellia Costea, Aquiles Machado and Renzo Zulian will join the China NCPA Orchestra and NCPA Chorus to perform Puccini’s Tosca under the baton of Lu Jia. The Korea National Opera will present Puccini’s La Boheme conducted by Myung-Whun Chung, other highlights include commissioned operatic works by Chinese composers.

Website: http://www.frenchmay.com/

Date: April 12 to June 24, 2012
Country: China

Ever since its inception in 1993, Le French May has staged numerous events of the highest international caliber and is now one of the largest French arts festivals in Asia. It offers audiences a rich cornucopia of French culture, covering a broad array of artistic disciplines including visual arts, classical and contemporary music, dance, multi-arts performance and cinema. Besides, the festival also runs Le French Fashion May, as well as Le French GourMay, which is a stand-alone programme dedicated to the culinary arts.

The 2012 edition will open with Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s performance of Fauré’s Requiem, Op 48. Bizet’s Carmen will be performed by Shanghai Opera House Orchestra under Philippe Arlaud’s baton, staging soloists Rinat Shaham, Jean Pierre Furlan, Isabelle Cals, Jean-Luc Ballestra and many more. Jean-Claude Pennetier will collaborate with Hong Kong Sinfonietta to play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K466. The spotlight will also be on François Chaplin, Daishin Kashimoto, Le Quatuor Bordeaux and many more artists.

Website: http://www.festivalmichelangeli.it/

Date: April 26 to June 13, 2012
Country: Italy


Established in 1964 as a tribute to the great pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, the event is considered one of the most important festival dedicated to pianism. Located in Michelangeli’s birth place Brescia, guests will be seated with enjoyment in the grandeur of the Teatro Grande in Brescia and the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo. With an aim to achieve greater diffusion of musical culture among the public through a wide variety of concert repertoires, the festival sets its programmes under a specific theme every year.

The 2012 edition sets its theme upon Brahms’ works. The festival will open with Riccardo Muti conducting Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Violinist Ray Chen will collaborate with Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra under Riccardo Frizza’s baton. Mischa Maisky will also be on stage performing works by Sarasate. Grigory Sokolov, Yuja Wang, Benedetto Lupo and many more will also be under the spotlight.

Website: http://www.schwetzinger-festspiele.de

Date: April 27 to June 16, 2012
Country: Germany

Founded in 1952, the festival is held annually in the historical town of Schwetzinger in southwestern Germany. Situated in the Schwetzingen Castle, a beautiful 250-year-old palace and park near Heidelberg, concerts are mainly presented in the historic Schlosstheater Schwetzingen. The event is well-known for its world premiere of both new opera productions, as well as rediscovered operas from former centuries performed on period instruments. Apart from renowned artists such as Gidon Kremer and Cecilia Bartoli, the SWR stage has also witnessed the rising of artists including Barbara Hendricks, Fritz Wunderlich and Teresa Berganza.

The 2012 stage welcomes a glamourous cast of musicians, featuring big names including András Schiff, Marc-André Hamelin, Radu Lupu, Grigory Sokolov, Khatia Buniatishvili, Jordi Savall, Mischa Maisky, Matthias Goerne and more. Renowned ensembles such as Hagen Quartet, Stile Antico, Emerson String Quartet, The Hilliard Ensemble will also be on stage. Roy Goodman will conduct Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR whilst Freiburger Barockorchesters will perform under Kristian Bezuidenhout’s baton.

Website: http://www.ravennafestival.org

Date: April 27 to November 18, 2012
Country: Italy

Founded in 1990 by Maria Cristina Mazzavilani, the wife of conductor Riccardo Muti, it is a summer festival of opera and classical music which also features dance, jazz, ethnic music, drama, film, conventions and exhibitions. Held in the historical city of Ravenna in Italy, most performances take place in the grandeur of ninteenth-century architectures such as Teatro Alighieri, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare and more. Ravenna’s opera programmes is famous for covering lesser known pieces by Bellini and Donizetti, though it also features more popular works.

In the 2012 edition, Riccardi Muti will conduct Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.47. Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna will be presented by Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cheribini under Muti’s baton. Steve Reich’s Tehillim will be featured by PMCE Parco della Musica Contemporanea Ensemble. The spotlight will also be on Ensemble Heinavanker from Estonia, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and more. The “European Youth Music Festival” project will also be held in Emilia-Romagna for the first time this year, initiated in 1985, the project gathers musicians aged 12 to 25 in selected countries in Europe every year for the creation of a musically united continent.

Website: http://www.maggiofiorentino.com

Date: May 4 to June 10, 2012
Country: Italy

Founded in 1933 by conductor and composer Vittorio Gui, the festival is one of the most prestigious musical event in Europe. Held in Florence, where the very first opera took place in the sixteenth century, Maggio Musicale Florentino covers programmes of theatre, opera, concert and ballet. The grandeur of the main concert venue, The Teatro Comunale, is the highlight of the festival.

In the 2012 edition, Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier will be performed under Zubin Mehta’s baton; Marco Angius will conduct Colasanti’s La Metamorfosi; Bartók’s Il Mandarino Meraviglioso will be conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Schönberg’s Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5 will be featured by Orchestra della Toscana. Radu Lupu will play Franck’s Preludio, Corale e Fuga. Händel’s Israel in Egypt HWV 54 Oratorio for solo, chorus and orchestra will be presented by the festival orchestra under Fabio Biondi’s baton. The spotlight will also be on Piero Monti, Quartetto Bennewitz and more prominent artists.

Website: http://www.schumannfest-duesseldorf.de/english/

Date: May 24 to June 4, 2012
Country: Germany

Named after Robert Schumann, the festival features unconventional repertoires from the Romantic period. Every year, renowned musicians and orchestras from all over the world come to Düsseldorf to perform Schumann’s work together with contemporary pieces in classical venues such as the Opera House, the Concert Hall, the College of Music, and various churches. Located in the city of Düsseldorf where Schumann had once resided, guests can experience the convergence of a rich historical culture and modern development.

In the 2012 edition, Baltic Youth Philharmonic will collaborate with Vadim Gluzman to perform Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra Op.35 under Kristian Järvi’s baton. Emerson String Quartet will team up with pianist Tzimon Barto to perform Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op.44 . Erlenbusch Quartet will perform Sibelius’ String Quartet in D minor, Op.56 “Voces Intimae”. Elena Bashkirova will perform Webern’s Six Bagatelles, Op. 9. Music comedian duo Igudesman & Joo will also appear on the festival stage. The spotlight will also be on Camerata Salzburg, Owen Pallett, The Twelve Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker and many more artists.

Website: http://www.croisirama.fr/

Date: May 24 to June 1, 2012
Countries: France (Paris), Norway (Oslo, Stavanger, Flaam, Bergen), United Kingdom (Southampton)

Established in 1994 by renowned cellist Dominique de Williencourt with the help of cruise specialist Antonio Donsanti, La Musicale aims to enhance travelling experience with live music performance on board. Apart from concerts showcasing world acclaimed artists, lectures and masterclasses held by reputable musicologists will also highlight the journey. As guests discuss face-to-face with musical experts, the cruise gently advances, offering breath-taking panoramic sceneries along the various routes.

Via “Fjords Norvégiens et Mer du Nord”, guests will travel through Paris- Oslo- Stravanger- Flaam- Bergen- Southampton. Accompanying musicians Dominique de Williencourt, Nathalie Chabot, Daniel Wayenberg, Michel Michalakakos, Pascal Devoyon and musical comedian Le Quatuor will bring guests a unqiue cruise experience. Besides concerts, Frédéric Gaussin and Geneviève Petit will present lectures on music issues.

Website: http://www.prague-spring.net

Date: May 12 to June 3, 2012
Country: Czech Republic

First initiated by Rafael Kubelík in 1946, then chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the festival has evolved throughout history to become a permanent showcase for world acclaimed performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles. Most of the concerts take place in the Rudolfinum concert hall, a venerable Neo-renaissance building with an excellent auditorium, situated on the bank of the Vltava River. Apart from the legends such as Sviatoslav Richter, Lorin Maazel, Herbert von Karajan, Mstislav Rostropovich and many more great names who have previously performed in the event, the annual Prague Spring International Music Competition is also one of the great highlights.

The 2012 edition opens with Smetana’s My Country played by Czech Philharmonic under Vasilij Petrenko’s baton. Daniel Barenboim will conduct Wiener Philharmoniker to perform Beethoven’s Symphony Cycle. Julia Fischer will join St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra on Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Overture under Jurij Těmirkanov’s conducting. The spotlight will also be on BBC Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Magdalena Kožená, Mitsuko Uchida, Natalia Gutman and many more prominent artists.