AFAF News
AFAF 2010-2011 Season Guide Online
July 22, 2010: A complete guide to our 20010-201 Season is now online. Everything you ever wanted to know about this year's AFAF, including downloadable application forms, audition dates, venues and special events.
Golden Voices of America 2010 - Winners Announced
July 19, 2010: Auditions for Golden Voices of America 2010 have officially concluded and we're happy to announce the list of winners. Close to 80 vocalists from eleven countries competed in this year's Golden Voices of America. 1st place winners of this competition will perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, while 2nd place winners will perform at a concert at another venue in NYC in May-Jun 2011. more ››
AFAF Winners to Perform at Vladimir Spivakov's International Festival in June 2010
April 2, 2010: We’re happy to announce that recent winners of the AFAF Golden Voices 2009 Acia Gankin, Afanasy Prokhorov, and the Boston-based vocal group "Lucky Ten," were invited to represent the AFAF at Vladimir Spivakov's International Festival - "Moscow Meets Friends" in June of this year. We wish them the best of luck in Moscow!
Important date change and deadline extension for the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2010
February 24, 2010: Due to increased interest in our summer program, we have extended the application deadline for AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2010 to April 30, 2010. Also, to better accommodate our summer program participants, we have recently moved up the dates of our Germany-Austria Tour. See our complete guide for more information. more ››
Moscow Kremlin Male Choral Ensemble "Blagovest" to Perform at the AFAF in June 2010
April 15, 2010: The AFAF is proud to announce that the celebrated Moscow Kremlin Male Choral Ensemble "Blagovest" will be headlining one of our Winners' Concerts this year, to take place on June 13, 2010 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The word “blagovest” means the prolonged ringing of church bells or chimes – and literally translates to the announcement of something good. “Blagovest” was founded in 1991 for the purpose of singing services as a male choir at Annunciation Monastery [Blagoveshchneskii Monastir] in Nizhny Novgorod under the direction of L.G. Pankratov. The ensemble carries on the spiritual and missionary traditions of the St. John of Damascus [Ioanno-Damansky] church-singing brotherhood, which existed from 1912 to 1917.
"Blagovest" have toured extensively throughout Russia and Europe. The ensemble's beautiful tonal qualities and superior technical skills have earned them a number of First Place Diplomas from international music festivals in Russia, Spain, France and the Czech Republic, as well as a popular following in Russia and abroad.
American Fine Arts Festival — 2010-2011 Season Preview
April 13, 2010: The 2010-2011 Season of American Fine Arts Festival is some time away, but we wanted to give you a preview of what we have planned for next year.
Our regular festival is back, of course, as is our summer program -- the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe, but we'll be opening the season with a Fall Gala Concert, scheduled to take place at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City on October 23, 2010. A similar event, our Winter Gala Concert will take place on February 19, 2011, with both recitals requiring video/mail auditions.
We are also joining the world-wide musical community in celebrating the bicentennial of Frederic Chopin's birth with a special concert that will take place on November 13, 2010, also at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall-- details will be announced shortly.
In addition to our international vocal competition, Golden Voices of America, we are also announcing the establishment of a parallel competition for string players, the AFAF Golden Strings of America. This international competition will also require video/mail auditions and we are planning to feature 1st place winners in a special concert currently scheduled for December 11, 2010 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Finally, we're proud to announce the AFAF Piano, Strings & Winds International Concerto Competition 2011. Winners of this prestigious competition will perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City and have the opportunity to travel to Russia during the summer of 2011 to perform with the renowned Kostroma Symphony Orchestra. More information about this competition will be announced soon.
AFAF Winners to Perform at Vladimir Spivakov's International Festival in June 2010
April 2, 2010: We’re happy to announce that recent winners of the AFAF Golden Voices 2009 Acia Gankin, Afanasy Prokhorov, and the Boston-based vocal group "Lucky Ten," were invited to represent the AFAF at Vladimir Spivakov's International Festival - "Moscow Meets Friends" in June of this year. We wish them the best of luck in Moscow!
Important date change and deadline extension for the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2010
February 24, 2010: Due to increased interest in our summer program, we have extended the application deadline for AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2010 to April 30, 2010. Also, to better accommodate our summer program participants, we have recently moved up the dates of our Germany-Austria Tour. See our complete guide for more information. more ››
Application deadline for in-person auditions in MA, CT & CA extended
February 22, 2010: We've just extended the application deadline for in-person auditions in Massachusetts, Connecticut and California to March 16, 2010. The deadline for video audition applications is still March 16, 2010 and is a great opportunity for those who've missed their local in-person auditions. Please note that we are no longer accepting applications for in-person auditions New York, New Jersey and Washington, DC. more ››
Golden Voices of America is back in 2010
November 10, 2009: Our international competition for vocalists is back for a second straight year. Like last year's competition, Golden Voices 2010 is intended for vocalists who would like to challenge themselves by competing on a highly selective level. It will take place in New York City under the auspices of the American Fine Arts Festival and will offer 1st place winners the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in fall 2010 We invite all eligible vocalists, including participants of our regular festival, to take part in this exciting vocal competition! more ››
AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2010 Announced
November 10, 2009: Our summer series is back in 2010, and it now includes two interconnected programs - the Germany-Austria Tour and the Germany-France Tour, with the Liszt School of Music playing host to the music study portion of both summer programs for a second year in a row. see complete guide ››
AFAF Fall '09 Gala Concert takes place at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
October 24, 2009: More than 60 musicians and vocalists applied to be part of this first concert of our 2009-2010 Season, and Gala Concert winners appeared at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on October 24, 2009, with special guest Victor Maslov performing three pieces by Rachmaninoff.
Our 2009-2010 Season Festival Guide is Now Online
September 22, 2009: A complete guide to our 2009-2010 Season is now online. Everything you ever wanted to know about this year’s AFAF, including audition information, venues for Winners' Concerts and application forms. see complete guide ››
AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2009 concludes after week of study in Weimar and trip across Europe
August 14, 2009: Our summer music study program, the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2009, concludes today after ten exciting days split between music lessons in Weimar, Germany, where we were hosted by Weimar’s famous Liszt School of Music, and several days to explore Europe that included excursions to Halle, Zwickau, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Munich, Salzburg and Vienna. Here's a group of AFAF summer students visiting Salzburg, Austria. more photos from Summer '09 ››
AFAF Winners return from Vladimir Spivakov's 6th International Festival — "Moscow Meets Friends" in Moscow
June 17, 2009: Former AFAF winners, Seho Young (piano) and Stephen Waarts (violin), have recently returned from Moscow where they performed at Vladimir Spivakov's 6th International Festival - "Moscow Meets Friends." Below is a video recording of Stephen Waarts performing the Carmen Fantasy (Waxman) at the Moscow State University Concert Hall, on June 2, 2009.
The Regular Season of the American Fine Arts Festival Concludes today In New York, Summer Program to commence on August 4, 2009.
June 14, 2009: As you know, our regular festival program began with auditions in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Connecticut and Washington DC and culminated in a series of Winners' Concerts in New York City during the months of May and June, with concerts taking place at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Yamaha Piano Salon and the Dicapo Opera Theatre Concert Hall. We want to thank everyone who was part of our 2008-2009 season and wish everyone a great summer! more ››
AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe Scholarship Winners Announced
April 27, 2009: As you know, participants of the 2008-2009 AFAF were eligible to receive a scholarship to the AFAF Summer Music Courses in Europe 2009. We’re proud to announce this year’s scholarship recipients:
Avital Drucker
Austin Kim
Shiori Mochizuki
Joshua Park
Gala Concert scheduled for October 2009
April 23, 2009: The AFAF is happy to announce that a special Gala Concert will take place in New York City in October 2009. This concert will require DVD/VHS auditions and applicants chosen as winners will perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. We invite both our American and international fans to take part in this exciting new concert as well as our regular festival programs!
AFAF Winners Chosen to represent the AFAF at Vladimir Spivakov's 6th International Festival — "Moscow Meets Friends"
March 16, 2009: We’re proud to announce that two of the 1st Place Winners of our 5th Anniversary Celebration Concert, the first part of which took place on November 22, 2008 at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, have been chosen to represent the AFAF at the 6th International Festival - "Moscow Meets Friends." Seho Young (piano) and Stephen Waarts (violin) were chosen out of 6,500 applicants by an international judging panel and will be traveling to Moscow in spring 2009.
“Moscow Meets Friends” is organized by the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation with the participation of Moscow Government and the Department of Culture of Moscow with the support of: Administration of the President of Russia, Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation, State Duma of Russian Federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Culture of Russia, United Nations, UNESCO and other agencies and organizations. The Opening Ceremony will be held on the 25th of May in the Svetlanovsky Hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center.
Golden Voices of America 2009 Competition Guide Online
March 15, 2009: The complete guide to our international competition for vocalists - the AFAF Golden Voices of America 2009 - is now available online. The competition will require DVD/VHS auditions and applicants chosen as winners will perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in October 2009. The audition deadline for this new competition is June 12, 2009. more ››
