Interview with Ludovic Armin Cora, Founder&Executive Manager of Academy of Music Sinaia.
Academy of Music Sinaia is launching in September. Could you give some details on the project? How have you come up with this idea?
First of all, allow me to thank Mr. Silviu Turuga, who created www.academyofmusic.eu, the starting point of this project.
And now, to get back to the question.
The Academy of Music Sinaia is a cultural project, aiming to promote, develop and enrich the Romanian and international cultural patrimony through musical education. The structure of the Academy’s classes consists in the following instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet and trombone.
The attendees will perform recitals at the end of the class and will be promoted across the national and international media.
The idea is not mine. Conductor Leonard Boga, who resides in the gorgeous town of Sinaia, proposed me in January this year to come in the country and perform an oboe masterclass in Sinaia. Then, step by step, we came up here. It was a team work of ideas, but the start belongs to Leonard, not to me.
The core idea has begun to develop inside myself many years ago, from the need to transmit, give, impel and motivate Romanian young musicians, and not only them. If I succeeded or not, I will be able to say only at the end of this first edition of the oboe masterclass.
To whom the project is addressed?
The classes of the Academy of Music Sinaia eye to initiate professional encounters between young persons attending music high schools, universities or post-university studies and internationally renowned musicians.
A special focus will be on the direction of the chamber music classes, a subject well defined within the Academy. Young instrumentalist musicians will learn and perfect in knowing the significance of the general parts, which is an important aspect of knowing the general context that the musical act is relating to. At the same time, the Academy will create the possibility of a dialogue at the same worth between various generations of musicians who are attending the class.
Why did you choose Sinaia as name brand and venue?
We chose Sinaia as it is one of the most peaceful mountain towns in the country, a town with an emblematic history.
George Enescu lived, composed and evolved as an artist in this town, under the direct protection of Queen Carmen Sylva, an art lover.
Nationwide, through the partnership with the Carmen Sylva Cultural Centre, Peles National Museum and Sinaia Casino, it’s fair that this Academy should identify itself with Sinaia.
I wish to convey my thanks to Mrs. Emilia Duport, the manager of Carmen Sylva Cultural Centre, for her major contribution to the success of this first edition.
An oboe masterclass is held in Sinaia September 9-13. Who is attending and what concerts will be performed?
The invited professors of this masterclass are:
Sir Gordon Hunt, first oboist of London Philharmonia, ranked in the world top five, teacher and world-class conductor, will join the teacher staff at this first oboe masterclass.
Myself, Ludovic Armin Cora, Marigaux Paris artist and Howarth of London artist, will also teach oboe, chamber music and orchestra solos.
Docent doctor professor Florenel Ionoaia, professor at the oboe chair at the National Music University of Bucharest will honor us with his tremendous educational experience.
Accompanying pianist Cristina Popescu Stenesti will also join the new professors and the students of the Academy.
An exhibition of oboes and English horns, brands of Howarth of London, will be on display during the masterclass, which is an absolute first in Romania.
In only 4 months of our existence as Academy worldwide, we managed to have 14 students from Japan, China, Great Britain, Belgium and Romania.
This was due to the strategic partnership that we agreed with the manager of Howarth of London, Sir Michael Britton. Sir Michael Britton himself will honor us with his presence at this oboe masterclass.
We are represented and promoted worldwide in the most possible professional way.
The concerts are as following:
- The opening concert of the Academy of Music Sinaia will take place at the Peles Castle on September 11, at 17:00.
- A reverential recital Howarth of London performed by myself is due at the same venue on September 12, 17:00.
- The concert closing the masterclass is scheduled at Sinaia Casino on September 13, at 18:00.
We are looking forward to welcome the music fans at these performances.
How do you assess the current classic music market in Romania? How would you characterize the target audience? Could classic music, instrumental classes be a cultural brand for our country?
Romania has been enjoying a concertgoer audience since the monarchy times. Fortunately, this tradition was preserved without interruption even during communism, in extremely poor conditions.
The current lovers of music are young, highly educated, beauty and innovation lovers. Which is extraordinary!
As a precise example, the largest festival dedicated to classic music worldwide is running in Romania for a whole month, George Enescu Festival, where famous orchestras from all over the world are invited. This is already a tradition and it would be nice these traditions to go on.
Here we are, the Academy of Music Sinaia, addressing to an already formed educated melomaniac audience, proposing new types of concerts.
Through the TV, radio broadcasts that I hope to make, we’ll offer an alternative regarding the concept of symphonic orchestra, by performing solo and chamber recitals where our students will perform together with the mentor professors.
Through the international support that we enjoy, through the quality of performing this project worldwide, the Academy of Music Sinaia settled a precedence on the segment of genre masterclasses in Romania and not only. We want that, as time goes by, this masterclass concept to become a country brand.
I have new ideas for the next edition, so stay tuned, you won’t regret it.
Allow me in the end to thank the persons who helped to the birth of this Academy: to Mrs. Marina Milz, the president of Raum Fur Kultur Foundation from Switzerland, to Mr. Michael Britton, manager of Howarth of London, to Mr. Docent doctor professor Florenel Ionoaia, oboe professor within the National Music University of Bucharest, to Mrs. Docent doctor professor Cristina Popescu Stanesti, accompanying pianist of the above mentioned university, to Mr. Ferenc Janos, first oboist at the State Orchestra in Targu Mures, to Mrs. Emilia Duport, manager of the Carmen Sylva Cultural Centre in Sinaia, to Mr. Mihail Ion Gorgoi, manager of the Peles National Museum, to Mr. Marius Savu, to Mr. Tibi Dogaru, executive manager of Ambient Hotel in Brasov, to Mrs. Oana Craciun, to Ms. Kinga Tomos, an outstanding web designer, to Mr. Valsan George, a complete internationally renowned artist of photo and video editing, and not the last, to Mrs. Oana Boca Stanescu.
We are looking forward to seeing you to our concerts.