The 4th edition of the MIDEM Classical Awards, which takes place in Cannes on 30 January, will recognise the best classical recordings and artists of 2007.

The ceremony will include a special tribute to celebrated German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, guest of honour at the Midem Classique 2008. She will receive the MIDEM Lifetime Achievement Award. The American conductor David Zinman, whose outstanding recording career notably includes the complete symphonies of Beethoven, will receive the Artist of the Year Award. The Swedish independent label BIS, founded by Robert von Bahr, and renowned for its catalogue of Scandinavian and contemporary music, will be presented with the Label of the Year Award.

The tribute to Christa Ludwig will also include a public audience during which the mezzo-soprano will relive some of the great moments in her career with the help of archive footage from her opera and concert performances.

One of MIDEM’s primary missions is to reveal new talent, and this is the driving-force behind the inaugural MIDEM Talent Only, dedicated to the discovery and development of artists. The programme of classical discoveries includes the Swedish pianists Peter and Patrik Jablonski, the Czech Trio Janacek, the Slovenian pianist Bojan Gorisek, and the young French soprano Olivia Doray, and violinist Diego Tosi.

A highlight of the Midem 2008 lyrical evening will be the young American soprano Takesha Meshé Kizart who will open this edition of MIDEM Classique accompanied by the Orchestre Régional de Cannes Provence Alpes Côtes d'Azur conducted by Philippe Bender. Takesha Meshé Kizart has won some prestigious competitions, including the Concours International des Voix Verdiennes and the Grand Prix at the Concours International Montserrat Caballé. This concert will be her debut on the international stage. The programme comprises some of the great opera arias and overtures from Bellini, Verdi and Charpentier among others.

To mark its presidency of the European Union for the first six months of 2008, Slovenia will be the country of honour in Cannes, notably with the presence of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by George Pehlivanian. Among works they will perform is the 5th Symphony by Gustav Mahler, himself an honorary member of the orchestra in his day.

On the jazz front, MIDEM Talent Only will offer a chance to discover several artists who recently emerged on the international scene: from France, saxophonist Géraldine Laurent; Laurent Assoulen on the piano; and Ibrahim Maalouf on trumpet; plus pianists Giovanni Mirabassi, Paddy Milner and Jean-François Maljean Italian, English and Belgian respectively.

Also on the programme, three Jazz Club sessions put on by the International Jazz Festivals Organisation (IJFO) will provide a chance to hear some of the artists supported by European festivals: the Molde International Jazz Festival, the Vitoria Jazz Festival, the Umbria Jazz Festival and Jazz à Vienne.

Lastly, the “I Feel Slovenia” day will conclude with a closing night concert of 100% Slovenian jazz.

Note to Editors

Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organizer of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV featuring MILIA, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, and MIPCOM JUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, AMAZIA devoted to the creation and distribution of entertainment content, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MIPIM HORIZONS and MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sectors.

Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading organiser of exhibitions and conferences delivering over 460 events in 34 countries and serving 52 industries worldwide. For further information about Reed MIDEM visit www.reedmidem.com.

For more information please contact:
Reed MIDEM
Jane GARTON, Press Manager
Tel: +33 (0)1 41 90 44 39, Email: jane.garton@reedmidem.com
Mélanie AIGLE, Press Officer
Tel : +33 (0)1 41 90 49 95, Email : melanie.aigle@reedmidem.com
Fax: +33 (0)1 41 90 67 24

Sequenza, MIDEM Classique & Jazz Press Service
Marianne GAUSSIAT, mgaussiat@sequenza-comprod.com
Julie NEVEU, jneveu@sequenza-comprod.com
Agathe BLONDEL, contact@sequenza-comprod.com
10 avenue Jean Moulin, 75014 Paris
Tel/Fax + 33 (0)1 45 43 77 58

www.midem.com