Dear Friends,

I am incredibly proud to welcome you all to the beautiful city of Salzburg for a very special 10th Anniversary edition of the International ClaviCologne Festival.

When we first launched this festival ten years ago, we little imagined the prospect of celebrating a tenth anniversary, and yet, such has been the outstanding response and reaction that each edition has received, that we have continued to return, year after year, with each subsequent iteration adding something to those that have come before. 

Now, to mark this occasion, the International ClaviCologne Festival will be returning to Salzburg once again, in a fitting collaboration with one of the most important and historic music capitals of the world, where the names and music of famous composers echo around every street corner. This city, of course, is already famous in its own right as a hub of music education, and this year we will be working to add to that in our own small way with a run of masterclasses taking place between the 3rd and 8th of April which will be specialising in the schools of piano, organ and hammerklavier.

With these courses being led by some of the most acclaimed professors and pedagogues in the contemporary music world, the 2023 International ClaviCologne Festival will offer young musicians from all around the globe the opportunity to participate in what we hope will prove to be an illuminating and potentially life-changing experience for them as they continue advancing on their musical journey.

For my part, I would like to extend my gratitude to the people and institutions who have helped bring this project to fruition, in particular to Salzburg’s own Mozarteum, who have been our dedicated partners in this endeavour, and to our Artistic Director Pavel Gililov, whose wisdom and experience has been invaluable, and who has been, and is still, providing a very steady hand at the tiller. I hope everyone will enjoy what we have prepared for you, and wish you all a very pleasant and profitable time here in Salzburg.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

It is my deepest pleasure to welcome you to this 10th edition of the International ClaviCologne Festival which this year shall be held right here in Salzburg. Over the past few years this festival has managed to move from strength to strength, and I am truly eager for you to experience all that we have prepared for you for this special anniversary edition of this event.

Ever since its inception, the ClaviCologne Festival has always had at its heart the goal of promoting and celebrating the piano, offering hundreds of piano students over the years the opportunity to enrol in countless courses and masterclasses with celebrated musicians and professors. It is then, in my eyes, very fitting to see this festival land in Salzburg to celebrate the ten years since its inception. Salzburg is a city that lives and breathes all things related to tile instruments, including not just the piano itself but also instruments like the hammerklavier and the organ, which are woven into the very fabric of our lives, and it is very exciting for us to collaborate with such a festival, as we look to bring the energy and passion that vibrates through this wonderful city to this magnificent event.

For centuries, people from all over the globe have travelled to Salzburg to study and learn this wonderful instrument with the best pedagogues in the world, and the ClaviCologne Festival shall now be continuing in this illustrious tradition. It is no mean feat, but it is a challenge to which we as the organisers have happily risen and, as I am sure you will agree after your time with us, one which we have successfully managed to confront.

In all this, I would like to thank my partner in this great venture -the Mozarteum here in Salzburg – without whose vision, dedication, and support this event would not have been at all possible. For my part, I humbly invite you to join us for this celebration of music, and trust that you all will find it a most rewarding and engaging experience.