Madrid, June 22, 2021.- This afternoon, the closing ceremony of the 2020-2021 academic year of the Reina Sofía School of Music and the presentation of awards from the institution took place in Auditorium 400 of the Reina Sofía National Art Centre Museum, under the presidency of Her Majesty Queen Sofía.
The event began with the intervention of Paloma O’Shea, Founding President of the School, in which she took stock of the important activity of this center for advanced training throughout the last year under strict security protocol measures against Covid-19.
“The academic year that we are closing today has tested our collective temperament and I can say that the response has been exemplary. Faced with the obstacles of the coronavirus, students, teachers, staff, managers, patrons and friends of the School have put their determination first, which has allowed us to complete the course successfully.
As soon as travel was possible, we brought, as in other years, teachers capable of inspiring our students. They have been directed by Pablo Heras-Casado, Giovanni Guzzo, Baldur Brönnimann and, in this last orchestral project, David Afkham. Very prominent and numerous have been the masterclass teachers, who have left a deep mark,” explained Paloma O’Shea.
“Likewise, in a year in which so many competitions and auditions have been canceled, our students and former students have continued to reap awards and in international competitions of the highest level, such as the Arthur Rubinstein, the Jascha Heifetz or the International Classical Music Awards. Our students have accessed positions in orchestras as important as the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Tonkünstler in Vienna, Bavarian Radio in Munich or the symphonies of Euskadi, Castilla y León and ORCAM of Madrid,” highlighted the founding president of the School.
Under the memory of the beloved deceased professor Dmitri Bashkirov, Paloma O’Shea wanted to advance that in November, when the teacher would have turned 90 years old, “we will convene a great tribute with the participation of his fellow teachers and his disciples”.
Next, Her Majesty Queen Sofía presented the Diplomas to the most outstanding students in the following professorships: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, piano, singing, composition and chamber music (string quartets, wind quartets and groups with piano).
Subsequently, Doña Sofía presented the Medal of Emeritus Professor to Professor Zakhar Bron, holder of the Telefónica Violin Chair; the Medals of Honor of the School to the full professors Hansjörg Schellenberger (Oboe Chair), Radovan Vlatković (Horn Chair Fundación “la Caixa”), to the adjunct professors Yuri Volguin (Telefónica Violin Chair), Víctor M. Ánchel Estebas (Oboe Chair) and Rodolfo Epelde (Horn Chair Fundación “la Caixa”); and the Plaque of the School to the full professor Pascal Moraguès (Clarinet Chair).
In the Patrons section, the Medal of Honor of the School was awarded to Mr. D. Antonio Llardén, President of Enagás and member of the Board of Trustees for ten years; and to Madame Aline Foriel-Destezet, patron of the Cello Chair.
The ceremony concluded with a concert by the Freixenet Symphony Orchestra of the Reina Sofía School under the baton of maestro David Afkham, Principal Director of the National Orchestra and Choir of Spain.
Program: Concerto for cello and orchestra no.1 in C major Hob.VIIB:1 by Joseph Haydn, with Alejandro Viana (cello) as soloist.
