PMF News 2023.11.1

PMF News - Autumn 2023

After record breaking heat throughout September, a cool, crisp Autumn has finally arrived in Sapporo. While reflecting on Summer, preparations are well underway for the 34th PMF in 2024.

“PMF 2023 Aftermovie” and much more
on the PMF YouTube Channel

PMF 2023 featured a renewed sense of the joy of live music; with all restrictions lifted, attendance was high and Academy comradery developed with ease. The process of the Academy’s transformation was a wonder to observe, with intensive once-in-a-lifetime educational experiences provided by world-class conductors and a faculty from top orchestras around the world, honing both their individual skills and their ability to come together as a unified orchestra, and all in a short span of time.

The newly released “PMF 2023 Aftermovie” gives you a glimpse into all of this and more. Enjoy scenes of the Academy at work and at play, and watch for many more 2023 performance videos to be released throughout the coming season, with a kaleidoscopic lineup of works from Classical to contemporary, featuring both the Academy and artists!

PMF 2024 Academy Auditions - Apply Now!

Auditions for the PMF 2024 Orchestra Academy have now begun! All relevant information is on the PMF website and Acceptd.

Selected Academy members will be required to arrive in Sapporo on July 5 and depart from Tokyo on July 31.

At PMF 2024, Manfred Honeck, internationally renowned conductor and Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will lead the PMF Orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, and Elias Grandy, PMF alumnus and soon-to-be Chief Conductor of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra will lead programs including Strauss’ Don Juan, Stravinsky’s Firebird suite, and much more. Look forward to more news soon, on world-class soloists and a faculty of musicians from the Wiener Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, and principal players from the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, LA Philharmonic, and other major orchestras of the United States.

We look forward to receiving applications from around the globe!

PMF FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION / Nick Deutsch, oboe / PMF 1997, 1999 International Orchestra

Nick Deutsch currently holds a teaching position at the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig - Fernando José Martínez Zavala (oboe, Pacific Quintet), featured in the previous issue, is among Deutsch’s many distinguished students.

Deutsch took part in PMF in 1997 as an Academy member, and in 1999 as a member of the PMF International Orchestra, an all-alumni orchestra celebrating PMF’s 10th anniversary. He has served as principal oboe of major orchestras in Europe and performed often as a soloist.

We are grateful for his generosity in sharing his thoughts with us here.

Is there a difference in how you saw PMF while you were a student vs. how you see it now that you are a teacher at various institutions and a performer with many leading orchestras?

I think Youth Orchestras, especially in a festival atmosphere, are in many ways the Utopia of music making. The energy and passion found in youth orchestras are rarely found on a similar level in Professional orchestras. Nobody is there because they have to be. Everyone is there because they want to be.
I very much encourage my students to participate in such Youth Orchestra Projects as I think that level of inspiration recieved is paramount for their careers.

You have produced quite a few oboe students from your studio. Do you ever speak with them about your own education, or specifically about your time at PMF?

My greatest job is to inspire my students. Plant the seed of curiosity so that it grows beyond the lesson and throughout their careers as they grow as artists. Part of that is sharing the things that inspire me. Many experiences that shaped me as a musician and PMF is certainly one of those life changing experiences.
PMF was not only inspirational on a music level, it introduced me to the Japanese culture which has remained very significant in our family lives in Europe. My wife was also a member of PMF in 1997 and 1999 and we return to Japan regularly.

Considering your 2 summers at PMF - one as a student and one as a professional alumnus in the PMF 10th anniversary International Orchestra - what do you hope your students will learn during their own PMF experiences?

Many of the musicians I met at PMF pursued professional careers in orchestras across the world and we have kept in touch with so many. Often on international tours I am constantly running into many of them. Just last year when I was playing with the Israel Philharmonic, Christoph Eschenbach was conducting Mahler 5th Symphony and I reminded him that my very first performance of the work was with him conducting at PMF in 1997. The fact that so many memories were so vivid for both of us 25 years later, is a testament to the profound effect it had on us both. I know that many of my students who have attended PMF have had similar experiences.

Fernando Martinez studied both his Bachelor and Master with me in Leipzig. He arrived in Leipzig at the age of 18 and its been a privilege for me to watch him grow as a person and as an artist. PMF was also a life changing experience for Fernando. Together with four of his colleagues that he met at PMF, they formed the "Pacific Quintet" and have now become one of the leading wind quintets of their generation. Another remarkable example of what a wonderful platform PMF is in establishing careers for future musical leaders.

PMF in their own words

PMF is a non-profit organization, sustained by the generosity of individuals like you. It provides a uniquely multicultural learning environment for young musicians from all over the world, increasing international mutual understanding alongside musicianship.
In this series we share messages from PMF faculty members and more, as they address what PMF means to them. We hope that their messages will resonate, and that you will consider making a donation to help sustain the work of the festival.

In this issue, PMF alumnus and faculty member Denis Bouriakov, currently principal flute of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, kindly shares his thoughts with us.

Alumni activities

The Sapporo Symphony Orchestra (PMF Host City Orchestra) recently announced Elias Grandy’s appointment as their Chief Conductor, starting in April 2025, and Kentaro Kawase, PMF Assistant Conductor from 2007 to 2009, is currently serving as the Sapporo SO’s Resident Conductor. Alongside these developments, 12 of the orchestra’s current 76 members are PMF alumni. PMF and SSO collaboration continues to strengthen!
We wish the SSO all the best for their prosperous years to come.

PMF alumni ensembles continued to perform in Sapporo and Tokyo. As ambassadors of the festival, they contribute to the promotion of our educational and artistic mission, and their performances are enjoyed by a wide range of audiences.

photo: Peace Declaration / Akatera / JR Tower / Hokkaido Club / Gakko-DE

PMF events for Sapporo City and supporting companies will be presented throughout the Autumn-Winter season as well.

This email is delivered to those who have registered for this service and to PMF supporters.

Pacific Music Festival Organizing Committee
https://www.pmf.or.jp/en/
Sumitomo Seimei Sapporo Chuo Bldg.
1F 1-14, Minami 2 jo, Higashi 1 chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0052
TEL: +81-11-242-2211　FAX: +81-11-242-1687

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