Website: http://www.festivaldecanarias.com/en

Date: January 10 to February 19, 2012
Country: Spain

The opening year of the Festival de Música de Canarias declared the ‘European year of music’ and commemorated the tercentenary of Bach, Haendel and Scarlatti. The festival was a personal initiative of the then president, Jerónimo Saavedra in 1985 and the tradition began with European opera companies making good use of their stopovers at the Canary Islands on the way to South America by offering their recitals and performances. Although the Canary Islands, which are a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean located off at the northwestern coast of Mainland Africa, Morocco and the Western Sahara, are known for the picturesque archipelago beaches, pleasant climate and natural attractions such as Mount Teide (the third largest volcano in the world), the Festival de Música de Canarias takes pride in the talent it showcases instead. Enriching the cultural environment of the region that has a long tradition in contemporary music has been one of the primary goals of the festival since the beginning, and guarantees to keep improving on it. Every year classical music lovers are invited to unite with performances by internationally known orchestras and artists in Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

2012 marks the 28th anniversary of the festival once again premiering prominent artists’ works. The orchestras lined up for this year’s festival include; Philharmonia Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg under Ivor Bolton, Orquesta de la Generalitat de Valencia under Zubin Mehta and Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Monteverdi Choir under Sir John Eliot Gardiner. This year guests can also enjoy the skills of a wide variety of soloists. Starting at the age of four, Murray Perahia has mastered playing the piano and has performed in many international events. Known for his interpretations of the classical repertoire, Paul Lewis will be performing along with South Korean pianist, Jinsang Lee, Viennese clarinettist, Daniel Ottensamer and many more.