15th Gabala International Music Festival opens

The 15th Gabala International Music Festival opened on 29 July. The festival is organised at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, and Gilan.

The opening concert featured the Student Symphony Orchestra of the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, conducted by the People's Artist of Azerbaijan Ramiz-Malik Aslanov, AzerNEWS reports.

Addressing the audience, the Rector of the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, People's Artist Farhad Badalbeyli, said the festival has been held successfully for the past 15 years. During this time, renowned soloists, symphony orchestras, choirs, conductors and other performers from around the world have taken to the stage in Gabala.

Badalbeyli noted that the festival presents a rich and varied programme of concerts each year, spanning a wide range of musical genres. Over the years, the Gabala International Music Festival has become one of the world's leading international cultural events, bringing together distinguished musicians from across the globe.

The opening evening featured performances by Honoured Artist Elvin Hoca Ganiyev (violin), Aysun Mahmudzade (soprano), Shamistan Aliyev (clarinet) and Vagif Gurbanov (cello), who performed works by Azerbaijani and European composers.

Running until 3 August, the festival will once again transform the city of Gabala into an important platform for intercultural dialogue. In keeping with the festival's mission, leading representatives of different countries and cultures will gather in one of Azerbaijan's most historic regions.

Alongside Azerbaijan, musicians and dancers from Germany, Russia, Austria, Kazakhstan, Moldova, the Netherlands, Uzbekistan and Vietnam will take part in this year's celebration of music.