Here you’ll find exciting news on our activities, members, friends and partners from all over the world.
Dance is a new branch of Crescendo international, coordinated by Ashley Latvala ( Crescendo St.Petersburg) and Claudia Michaelsen (Crescendo Germany/Leipzig). The first meeting took place online on October 26, 2020 and was an encouraging start with dancers from different continents.
Picture: Own fotos sent in by dancers in our new network
Crescendo Hungary had the blessing and the privilege to organise a Crescendo Camp in Tokaj. We all missed our friends and colleagues from all over the world, but we were blessed to see our Hungarian students and faculty inspiring and supporting each-other. We had the chance to celebrate Creative Church and a Gala Concert. Our students performed on a very high artistic level in a relaxed and joyful way. We received incredibly positive feed-backs about the positive atmosphere of the concert, many said that they were refreshed in their spirit.
For pictures please click here
We had to cancel the Crescendo Summer Institute.
But we have prepared a small studio version of this. Incomparable with the reality, but still VERY delightful. ENJOY!
A firework of concerts, Master Classes, interviews, lectures and jazz.
https://www.facebook.com/crescendosummerinstitute
Morning TUNE-INs
With various speakers, artistic contributions and worship. Just as you now it from CSI.
Please, register here NOW and we will send you the links to the videos.
https://forms.gle/dCH7UPUyY5iCa88aA
Instead of meeting at Wheaton College in Chicago we had a wonderful zoom gathering with more than 40 musicians from all over the States. Topic: The development of Crescendo. To be continued...
Crescendo organised a concert for the staff and patients of Basel University hospital
Crescendo in times of Corona: Today we organised a 50-minute concert in the garden of Basel University hospital
We had to cancel our Crescendo Leadership Conference in Vilnius, which was initially planned to take place between 16 and 19 April 2020. The meeting will now take place between the 11th and 14th of March 2021.
On the 18th of April we hosted a 90-minute conference call with 46 participants representing 18 countries. It was a very blessed time!
A Crescendo discussion group was started in March in Novosibisk. It was led by Olga Botschenka who has already organised several events in her city with Crescendo. She also publishes books and study material.
We recently met with the leaders of Crescendo International, Agape Greece and Crescendo Greece. Once more, we had the chance to witness how active our Greek branch is under the leadership of Marini Peikidou (photo) and her husband Kostis Papazoglou. A few programmes include: VIOLINKIDS (catering for children from different backgrounds), refugee projects, concerts, musician meetings and various other activities in Cyprus.
“On behalf of Presbyterian Church in Rwanda, Kiyovu Parish, we thank you for your inspiration and kind support. We had a wonderful Creative Service, everyone was happy. We will keep in touch. We are in need of your advice and support for the future success of Creative Church in Rwanda. Shalom – Pastor Deo”
This was the kind E-mail we received after the 1st Creative Church in Rwanda on January 5, 2020.
Important meetings regarding the future of Crescendo in South Africa took place at the end of November 2019 with the Crescendo International team.
Beat and Airi Rink met Anna-Marie and Sjoerd Alkema, in the Western Cape Cru office to discuss the possible cooperation with the Crescendo Institute.
In April 2020, we planned to have two short institutes in Durbanville/Cape Town and Pretoria. These had to be postponed.
Crescendo Hungary held its Advent Benefit Concert on the 8th of December with proceeds going to support the Christmas in a Shoe Box initiative.
Pictured here, Tamás Tarjányi (second from the right) receives an honorary diploma from Dávid Gál, director of the Shoe Box Operation, Baptist Love Ministry.
A concert for human rights featuring the Crescendo Handbell Choir was held on 10th of December. The performers of the beginners’ section are refugee children, aged 8-14, who receive weekly lessons and are enthusiastic about taking part in the concert. Kostis Papazoglou was the conductor of the choir of the Kalamaria municipality. He volunteers with Crescendo Hellas (Greece) and had the idea to integrate our ensemble into the artistic programme. This would lead to experiencing the meaning of Christmas together.
On December 2nd, the first Crescendo prayer group meeting took place in St. Petersburg. We have had fantastic gatherings in this beautiful city already, but having a regular group there is very precious. Ashley Latvala (pictured left) is a ballet dancer, who leads Crescendo St. Petersburg.
The first Creative Church Service will take place on January 5th in Kigali. The organising committee just had its first meeting (pictured above). The Crescendo team from Europe will be present at the event.
This service will take place after a training period for local music teachers with seven European musicians at the Music Road Rwanda School, which is growing rapidly. Currently there are 250 children enrolled at the school.
The 170 students, 50 teachers, 50 staff and volunteers and 30 guests attending the 16th edition of the Crescendo Summer Institute found that it was an amazing experience. Our group was comprised of people from 34 different countries.
Go to https://www.facebook.com/crescendosummerinstitute for pictures and other entries.
A Crescendo team from Finland and Switzerland conducted a two-week „teachers’ training course” in Kigali – where we have established our own new music school. It was a very fruitful time with Letizia Walser (music theory, head of the school) Tiina Sinkkonen (voice teacher), Isa Halme (violin), Dominik Brühwiler (piano) and Beat Rink (spiritual lessons, team leader). Airi Rink had developed study materials on "7 Principles of a Christian Music School", which were discussed with the local faculty.
The Music School is growing – to date we have 45 students.
We are happy to announce that our local piano teacher has passed his piano exam. He and other local teachers will continue theirs studies via skype training.
(Photo – local violin teacher in class)
Singers Kurt and Nozomi Kempf, leaders of Crescendo Vienna, opened invitations to a Crescendo Forum on “Faith and Culture”.
Two actresses spoke about their experiences in the cultural world and the church: Magdalena Sutter (former actress, now a psychologist) and Krisztina Tarjányi (actress and Crescendo staff member).
Beat Rink held a lecture about interesting theological positions and perspectives in regard to culture.
Conference participants were able to contribute to the church service held in the Methodist church of Vienna on Sunday.
Crescendo International was the recipient of two diplomas from Moldovan authorities: The first from the national UNESCO secretary, Prof. Constatin Rusnac. The second from Nicolae Dandis (pictured here with Beat Rink), the mayor of Cahul city. Dandis emphasised the importance of Crescendo for his city, which has become a cultural hub in the region. This is credit to the work of Iljje Croitoru, who has organised eight Crescendo Festivals in Moldova so far.
At this year’s event, outstanding musicians gave concerts – amongst them was Stanislyv Izmaylov, the concert master of the Bolschoi orchestra in Moscow.
Carmen Zaharia-Danicov built a “Crescendo Studio” in her house in Iasi. She did this in memory of her beloved husband Gelu Zaharia. The opening of this beautiful facility, which is ideal for home concerts and Crescendo Forum events, took place on the 4th of May with piano music, played by Eugene Alcalay (USA) and speeches from Beat and Airi Rink.
Simultaneously, Master Courses began and Eugene Alcalay hosted concerts in this important cultural city of Romania.
The new image film and the Crescendo Summer Institute has appeared on the Strad website.
ARTS+ is a network of art ministries and artists, co-founded and co-led by Crescendo. It operates in different countries. ARTS+ Switzerland was the host of a symposium on the topic of “aesthetics and faith”, where artists and theologians had the opportunity of lecturing.
Roughly 100 participants from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and France were able to partake in think tanks and various panels.
Over 30 Crescendo leaders from 13 countries came together in Malaga, Spain. It was a time for sharing, planning and being inspired. Coach Miladin Matic spoke about “motivational gifts”. The conference was filled with joy and an overall success. It was rounded off with a wonderful church service on Sunday morning.
Crescendo has published a “New Testament” for musicians. The first 60 pages are filled with interviews and portraits of Christian musicians from different countries: Herbert Blomstedt, John Patitucchi, Martin Helmchen, Marie Elisabeth Hecker, Christian Studler, Sofia Gubaidulina, to name a few.
The book launch took place during a concert in Novosibirsk, which is the hometown of the book editor Olga Botschenka.
A Crescendo Festival took place in Cahul, Moldova. This included master classes and concerts for orchestras, chamber music and choirs.
For three years now, Crescendo Greece has been active in refugee camps. On September 20, 2018 several musicians brought beautiful music contributions to a camp in Thessaloniki - amongst them, jazz musician Andy Vance from Australia (picture).
More than 30 leaders and Crescendo staff members (including leaders from AGAPE Europe) came to Athens to join the conversation about goals and strategies for the future. The reports from many countries and the shared fellowship were a blessing for all.
The 15th Crescendo Summer Institute took place in Tokai, Hungary. 300 people from 33 countries (including 250 students, teachers and participants of the youth programme) took part. It was a wonderful experience to all, even life changing to some.
Here is some feedback:
"I have grown as a musician and enjoyed working with the amazing faculty. The environment is so warm and welcoming, I feel at home with the students and teachers here, there are no strangers." (Madison Babovec, French horn, USA)
"The Crescendo Summer Institute is not only a place for gaining knowledge every day. It is also a place for community. As a bass player I have a chance to experience professionalism and being competent in multiple styles. Playing either Jazz or Beethoven it is my ongoing experience how colourful this programme is. I warmly recommend it to everyone!" (Simon János Tóth, double bass, HUNGARY)
"For me Crescendo began to be a summer tradition that I’m waiting the whole year for. It’s my 4th time. I was so excited to be back this year and see all of my friends, play in the symphony orchestra and have fantastic lessons.
I love Crescendo because besides music I can focus on really important things in life and I always have someone to talk about it. At Crescendo, I can continue learning how to combine being a musician and growing in faith." (Dorota Kolinek, viola / Warsaw)
Crescendo was actively involved in organising the SCHØN conference in Augsburg, Germany, with over 1000 participants.
Our activities besides helping with the main programme included coordinating the stages used for music and literature as well as organising a special meeting with musicians. We co-organised the stage for “performing artists” with ARTS+. Many contributions were outstanding. It was a blessed time for meeting dear friends.
Wonderful 2nd Teacher's Conference with participants from 9 countries and interesting lectures, "Sound portraits" with Epiphany, discussions and fellowship times.
1st meeting with musicians and other artists in Vilnius. Beat Rink spoke about the “Joys and challenges of Christian artists”. It was a good start for AGAPE ARTS (leader: Judita Kriukaite) in cooperation with Crescendo.
Cape Town, 1.-8. April 2018: About 45 young musicians attended the 2nd Crescendo Summer Institute South Africa. It was an excellent project led by Sjoerd and Anna-Marie Alkema. The programme included master classes, individual lessons, lectures, concerts, small groups and more.
A young flautist, who had been through traumatic experiences herself, had the following to say: “You would not believe what it means to us to be here together in great unity as musicians with different skin colours and without mutual reservations! This is something unique!”
She is right: The fellowship was wonderful!
A joint venture project with Music Road Rwanda took place in Kigali in March/April. Around 80 young singers, pianists and violinists were involved in classes and individual lessons provided by our Finnish/Swiss team.
Our project Music Road Rwanda is also indebted to the excellent cooperation with the Reformed Church in Rwanda.
On January the 20th there was a Crescendo meeting in St. Petersburg. It took place during a big festival for spiritual music, organised by Rotila Ilje Croitoru. 60 musicians came from all over Russia and other countries.
Crescendo Russia is growing. Kath Snelling started Crescendo Russia almost 20 years ago.
Picture: Lecture by Beat Rink about the “Joys and challenges in the life of a professional musician".
Prof. Christoph Adt, member of the international Crescendo advisory board, is the new director of the Music Academy in Nürnberg, Germany. The inauguration ceremony took place on November 17. (picture: Crescendo)
Franz Mohr celebrated his 90th birthday in September. Crescendo owes so much to him. He is the former chief concert technician of Steinway & Sons, NY – and the tuner of Horowitz, Rubinstein, Glenn Gould and numerous other great pianists of the last decades.
Picture: Franz Mohr’s 80th birthday party Steinway-piano-shaped cake at the annual Crescendo conference in Malmö (2007).
Under the leadership of Lehari Kaustel, the Finnish Crescendo ministry organised a big “oratorio concert” with elements of old folk music. It took place on the steps of the Helsinki cathedral.
Context: “100 years Finland” Jubilee. The Finnish First Lady came and held a wonderful speech, including quotes from Psalm 91.
The 14th edition of the Crescendo Summer Institute was a wonderful experience. We welcomed 300 participants from 36 countries. The artistic itinerary showcased master classes and courses for instrumentalists of all sections, for example, singers, chamber music, orchestra, opera, jazz for classic musicians, a baroque course, choral conducting, youth orchestra and so on.
The so-called Sostenuto-programme featured daily TUNE-IN plenaries, lectures, teacher interviews, small groups, Creative Church, late night candle-lit worship and much more.
The fellowship was absolutely enjoyable!
Guntars Pranis (who has been the leader of Crescendo Latvia for more than 15 years) was elected as the new director of Music at the Latvian Music Academy on June 21st.
Crescendo has imported the concept from our Finnish Logos Ministries and the Finnish Crescendo branch.
250 artists performed at 25 events held at 10 different locations around the Basel cathedral.
30 leading staff members, representing 14 different countries, met to discuss the topic Crescendo on the move.
Wonderful meetings and planning sessions were held with 40 musicians in the two Russian cities.
The Crescendo Summer Institute took place in Tokaj, Hungary from July 25th to August 8th. It was a wonderful experience with 300 participants from 43 countries.
Entries such as videos, photos and comments can be found on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/crescendosummerinstitute).
Ning Kam (viola teacher, London), wrote:
"The "Crescendo Summer Institute" was a real revelation and a refreshing experience for me. It isn't every day that one can say that one went to a music festival and came away refreshed in the Spirit! I enjoyed the small group meetings the most and I know that I'm certainly not alone in saying this, having spoken to a few of my new friends there. I was telling everyone that Crescendo is so refreshingly different from the usual music festival in that the usual "secular" music festival involves shameless name-dropping and posturing for the advancement of one's career while at Crescendo, you can have meaningful conversations with others right from Day 1, conversations in which you are enough just as a human being (in Christ or not, as the case may be!). That is rare. And so precious."
Enescu’s Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1 – transcribed for clarinet and piano, played by Noemi Sallai, Fekete Fanni and Bethany Brooks.
Purcell’s The Fairy Queen – starring Kalafszky Adriána, Drahos Evelin, Aleksandra Bilanović and others, directed by Krisztina Tarjányi.
From March 27th to April 4th the first Crescendo Summer Institute South Africa took place in Cape Town. It was a wonderful project with students taking part from different parts of the country.
The classes held by teachers from South Africa, Europe, the United States and even Australia were very well received.
The Crescendo Summer Institute South Africa also held concerts in churches, jazz clubs, homeless shelters, children’s projects and townships.
You can find more information on our website and on Facebook (http://www.crescendosouthafrica.org/en
https://www.facebook.com/crescendosouthafrica/?fref=ts).
VIDEO: Outreach to children in South Africa
From February 18th to 21st Crescendo held the first international conference for music teachers. The topic was Teaching Music – a Gift and a Calling. Helena Maffli, president of the EMU (European Music School Union) wrote in a greeting note: “The Crescendo conference is a wonderful initiative. It goes beyond conventional teachers' meetings as it invites everyone to ‘drink from the source’”.
Participants from 10 countries took part. Lectures and reports were held by Carmen Zaharia-Danovic (Romania), Tim Baptiste (Birmingham), Letizia Walser (Director of a Music School in Switzerland), Christian Studler (Professor Music Academy Bern), Verena Dietrich (Paris-Levallois), Eszter Dudas (Budapest), Trang Trinh (Vietnam) and Airi und Beat Rink (psychologist and theologian from Switzerland).
From 21-24 January 2016, leading Crescendo staff gathered in Riga for the annual staff conference. They came from 15 countries. The theme of the conference was Inspiring Leadership – it was indeed very inspiring to listen to lectures, e.g. by the guest speaker Edgars Mazis from Riga. The country reports given by those present and those sent in prior to the conference were an invaluable contribution. Other items on the agenda were planning sessions, meeting with Latvian musicians, Play & Pray workshops, sight-seeing tours and enjoying the special fellowship with one another.
Together with Ekaterina Zhemaitis, our friend and Crescendo member Polina Kulikova won the 1st prize if the VI International Piano Duo Competition. Congratulations Polina!
Josef Hussek, former opera director of the Hamburg State Opera and former artistic director of the Salzburg Festspiele, vocal coach:
Your Crescendo Institute is truly something special. Over the course of the last years, an unparalleled music festival has developed in the atmosphere of a magical landscape and a picturesque small town. This festival boasts with its interaction of music, teaching, reflection and joy of living. Young people meet each other for several weeks, form contacts, work on their musical talents, and interact with experienced artists. Coming from all over the world, young artists not only work with experienced teachers, share the experience of high-quality musical events, but also search for and find the inner balance needed for their profession in their faith. There are many masterclasses, summer courses, competitions and festivals. The Crescendo Institute offers all of these. Yet the whole is more than the sum of its parts. For it includes an inner reflection on artistic work in a concept for learning and teaching in which the participants take with them not only new experiences, but also an enriches knowledge of the holistic nature of their profession as artists. I wish the "Crescendo Summer Institute" many more good and successful years.
Concerts with students and teachers
The CSI 2015 with 350 participants from 38 nations was just wonderful! Enjoy some concert sequences by following the LINK below.
In 2015, over 300 participants from 35 countries will take part in the Crescendo Summer Institute. Countries include: Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
We anticipate a fantastic meeting! You are welcome to join us as our guest.
This month our friend Martin Helmchen will be featured on the KLM in-flight programme. Martin will display personal touches on his most recent recordings of Mozart, Schubert and D’Indy for PentaTone Classics.
Book your flight and tune in.
Dániel Bögös and Bálint Bress are participants of the Crescendo Summer Institute 2015. They currently study at the Liszt Academy located in Budapest. Dániel Bögös and Bálint Bress won first and second place, respectively, in the guitar category at the Ivan Ballu International Music Festival. This festival took place for the 20th time in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia. The festival took place between the 19th and 33nd of May 2015.
ARTS+ Switzerland has awarded Miriam Feuersinger with the 2015 issue of the PRIX PLUS. Miriam is a dear friend of Crescendo. This is the third award that Miriam received after having already been awarded the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and the ECHO Award.
Photo: Beat Rink, president of ARTS+, hands Miriam Feuersinger her award. read more
Congratulations to the director of Crescendo Latvia on his excellent dissertation on Medieval music. He is now officially the bearer of a doctors’ title.
Amazing Pentecost event in the Basel "Münster" and chapels, organized by "Crescendo Jazz Basel" (Simon Wunderlin) and sponsored by the Reformed Church of Basel.
Joyful and intense weekend with 9 "Crescendo Young Leaders" from Latvia, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, etc. in Basel
For the first time, Olivier Robe will appear as the guest conductor of the Bangkok symphony. Olivier is a member of Crescendo.
Meetings of the international Crescendo leaders Beat and Airi Rink with Christian music leaders in London - from All Souls Church (Noel Tredinnick, David Hatch), HTB Church (Jenny Axwell und Mark Underwood) and others.
Dr. Marcel Zwister, member of the Dutch Crescendo Leadership team published an interesting interview with Herbert Blomstedt. It appeared in the Nederlands Dagblad. Crescendo has interviewed Herbert Blomstedt on numerous occasions. He once was a guest speaker at a Crescendo conference held in Dresden in 2005.
Several important meetings took place with the Crescendo International team at the end of November regarding the future of Crescendo in South Africa. Beat and Airi Rink met with Anna-Marie and Sjoerd Alkema in the Western Cape Cru office to discuss a possible cooperation with the Crescendo Institute. We plan to host two short institutes in Durbanville, Cape Town and in Pretoria in April 2020.
On the 28th of January 2015, the Japanese church musician and conductor Professor Masaaki Suzuki, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands. Masaaki Suzuki invited Crescendo to the ceremony. The doctorate was presented by Marcel S. Zwister, who is a member of the Leadership team of Crescendo Netherlands.
