With 87 events at 58 places the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern now comes into its 15th season. Up until 5th September 2004 famous solists and renowned musicians such as the conductor Herbert Blomstedt, the pianist Arcadi Volodos or the English Chamber Orchestra will transform barns, castles, manor houses and churches in the state into concert halls of the first order. The Festival attracted 40,000 visitors last year, about half of them came from other federal states or from abroad.

The art director Sebastian Nordmann will put the focus on appearances by musicians who have been awarded prices by the Festival since 1995 in the series "Junge Elite". At these "prize-winner concerts" the audience can meanwhile enjoy worldwide celebrated musicians. Thus the Allianz prize-winners of 2002, the string trio Echnaton will be playing on 14th August. Also performing at these concerts will be the well-known violinist Julia Fischer who in 1997 was awarded the solist prize of the Music Festival.

A highlight of the prize-winner concerts is the Chamber Music Festival to be held on 14th and 15th August in Ulrichshusen Castle, where for the first time almost all the Festival prizewinners will take part in a musical weekend following joint rehearsals. Among the musicians at the Chamber Music Festival are also the current prize-winners of the Allianz Award, the Danish-Korean piano trio - Trio con Brio. Exquisite chamber music is on the programme, including Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's octet for strings.

In addition to this the Allianz prize-winners of 2000, 2001 and 2003 will get together for a joint concert: the Kungsbacka Piano Trio, the Fauré Quartett and the Trio con Brio will strike up their bows from Haydn via Schubert and Mahler on to Ravel. This year too the Music Festival will make three awards during the 31 concerts of the "Junge Elite" International Chamber Music series. The highest award, which has been presented annually since 1997, is the Allianz Prize amounting to ¤10,000 for the most promising ensemble.

The top-flight programme of the Mecklenburg-West Pommeranian Music Festival will also be financed this year to over 50 percent by the long-term support of numerous private companies from all over Germany. Besides the Allianz Kulturstiftung the Berlin branch of the Allianz Versicherungs-AG is also among the sponsors.

Project partner: Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Musikfeste GmbH, Schwerin/Berlin / http://www.festspiele-mv.de