The Odessa Classics International Music Festival was founded by Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov who serves as the art director and main organizer of the event. The inaugural edition of Odessa Classics was held from June 10–14, 2015 and featured 10 hours of live performances and over 20 works by classical and contemporary composers. The festival attracted about 4,500 attendees.
The line-up of the first Odessa Classics included operatic bass Paata Burchuladze, violinist Michael Guttman, pianist Alexey Botvinov, Artehatta Chamber Ensemble, Vlad Troitsky and DAKH Theater, Hortus Musicus and Art Jazz Quartet. Alongside main concerts, the program of the festival included the Music and Word program, special art exhibitions in local museums, conferences, meetings and discussions featuring artists and art journalists, literary meetings and poetry readings, workshops and other events.
Despite what its name suggests, Odessa Classics doesn’t focus solely on classical music. It also encompasses contemporary art, theater and jazz. Although a relatively new event, it is quickly becoming one of the most important music festivals in Ukraine.
The main venue of the Odessa Classics International Music festival is the Odessa Philharmonic Theater that has a capacity of 1,000. It hosts all the main concerts except for the gala concert. The festival gala is a grand open-air concert that is held in front of the Vorontsov Palace, a 19th-century palace and colonnade regarded as one of the city’s main landmarks. Other venues include the Odessa Museum of Western and Oriental Art, the Odessa Literature Museum and the Terminal 42 coworking and event space.
In 2022 and 2023, the festival was held in a number of European cities due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Photo: odessaclassics.com
