16 April - Tenth Day of MECMA
Taking place from the 6th to the 21st of April in the vibrant surroundings of Dubai, UAE, The Middle East Classical Music Academy (MECMA) is an intensive and dynamic program designed to significantly enhance participants’ music-making skills, focusing on areas such as technique, interpretation, collaboration, ensemble cohesion, performance, and audience engagement. The world-renowned faculty, featuring some of the world’s finest performers, teachers and creatives, works with students daily in a series of individual and orchestral masterclasses, rehearsals and world-class concerts to provide high-level performance training.
As MECMA moves into its final days, students are showing increased confidence in classes and on stage, evidence of the program’s growing impact. On day ten, participants continued to immerse themselves in a packed schedule of masterclasses, rehearsals, and seminars.
Up on the 40th floor in the Sky Zayed Room, MECMA’s orchestral program was in full swing, featuring esteemed professors Raisa Musahadzhaeva, Ekaterina Zaboronok and Batirdzhan Smakov, who taught ensembles the art of cohesion from 9 am to 4 pm. This was followed by a lesson from Luisa Sello, an acclaimed Flute Miyazawa Artist and an Ambassador of Music and Italian Culture, supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture in the Emerald Room on the 5th floor. Afterwards, participants swiftly transferred to Zabeel Hall at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray for an exciting rehearsal and concert with the MECMA Symphony.
Individual masterclasses remained a central part of the day, with professors like Alexander Ramm (Lithuania), Giuseppe Gibboni (Italy), Sergei Dogadin (Austria), Cordelia Höfer-Teutsch (Austria), Luisa Sello (Italy) and Riccardo Zamuner (Italy) leading illuminating lectures in the instruments of strings, winds and piano in Room 1 Dalia, Room 2 Dania, Room 3 Sapphire and Room 6 Emerald, respectively, located on the 5th and 6th floor. These renowned pedagogues worked extensively with students to fine-tune their performance techniques and skills, offering thorough feedback in one-on-one sessions and encouraging them to improve their musical expression and confidence.
After a compelling lesson on cello techniques and positioning, Alexander Ramm, one of the most sought-after cellists of his generation, expressed his thoughts about MECMA, saying, ''I think it's very important and useful for young talented musicians. I had a very interesting time communicating with such great talents.''
Riccardo Zamuner, a Neapolitan violinist and winner of several music competitions, after conducting a class focusing on bow techniques and discussing interpretations of different music styles, shared, ''This project is fantastic because it offers two weeks full of exceptional music, concerts and masterclasses. The organisation of this cultural event in Dubai is very important for the city. And for me, it's a pleasure to be here as just two months ago, I came for the first time to perform for the summit event group at the Dubai Opera Studio. Now, I have returned, not only as an artist but also as a professor, and it has been a fantastic experience.''
Sergey Doganin, First Prize and Golden Medal winner at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, added, ''I think MECMA is a really fantastic project. It provides a wonderful opportunity for many young and fantastic musicians to learn from some of the best professors in the world. What we are doing here is very important because we need to pass our knowledge on to the younger generation. By doing so, I believe our profession will continue to thrive. I have this hope. When I see projects like this, I feel hopeful that these young musicians will carry on the work we are doing for years to come.''
Adding to the day’s momentum was another standout daytime concert featuring the acclaimed Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra, MECMA’s Orchestra-in-Residence and one of Kazakhstan’s most celebrated ensembles. Under the baton of Mikhail Kirchhoff, principal conductor of the Kaliningrad Music Theatre, Eurasian Stars festival and Ak Ertis festival, the performance featured special guest soloist Nikita Boriso-Glebsky, an acclaimed violinist who became the I prize laureate of the Fritz Kreisler International Competition in Vienna in 2010 and an artist of the "Moscow Soloists” chamber ensemble, Andrey Usov, along with select academy students.
The young talents in attendance responded well to the day's events, with one in particular sharing what he learned best at MECMA, saying, ''This academy is very good for young musicians like me because we can develop ourselves and learn new things from our teachers, who are very supportive. We participate in orchestras and make new friends, which helps us explore new musical ideas and is a perfect opportunity for us. Every class has a unique approach to teaching, and each one offers valuable insights. All of these experiences contribute positively to our growth in music, and I have already learned so many musical concepts."
Looking ahead, many attendees are already thinking about how MECMA is shaping their future. As students and faculty continue to build toward the final stretch of the program, another exciting day lies ahead tomorrow.
