The Morgenland Festival Osnabrück is pleased to present the Roma and Sinti Philharmonic, an extraordinary transnational orchestra, which impresses with its passionate playing and technical professionality. The concert, which takes place on Monday, 8^th November at 8pm in the OS-Halle, also features two exceptional soloists. The singer and violinist Iva Bittová, who gave an extraordinarily impressive solo performance at the opening concert of this year’s festival, will play a world premiere. Commissioned by the Morgenland Festival Osnabrück the prize-winning Canadian composer André Ristic arranged for her the piece “Ne nehledej” for voice, violin and orchestra. In addition the audience will also be able to hear the talented violinist Roby Lakatos. Lakatos worked with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli and his playing was admired by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who often stopped off in Brussels to hear him play. In 2004 Lakos appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra in the “Genius of the Violin” Festival alongside Maxim Vengerov.

The Roma and Sinti Philharmonic was founded in 2002 in Frankfurt am Main by the conductor Riccardo M Sahiti. Under his leadership the professional musicians merge together with each project into an ensemble. They come from symphony and opera orchestras all over Europe – e.g. the MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera, the Opera Zürich, the Opera Frankfurt and the Opera Budapest – and regularly play together as the Roma and Sinti Philharmonic with a common conviction: They believe in the people-uniting power of music. They take their audience on a journey to discover the rich influence of Roma and Sinti culture on classical music. The Roma and Sinti Philharmonic has already performed at venues such as the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Berlin Cathedral, the Alte Oper Frankfurt and the Frankfurt Paulskirche, in the Frauenkirche Dresden, the Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam, the Rudolfinum Prague and the Palace of the Arts Budapest.

According to Festival Director Michael Dreyer the postponement of the concert until the autumn due to Corona, has proved to be advantageous: “We are pleased to have been able to engage two internationally acclaimed soloists to perform together with the Roma and Sinti Philharmonic. Iva Bittová is one of the most interesting musicians at the interface between classic, folk music and jazz. Roby Lakatos is an absolutely outstanding musician who combines a brilliant technique with improvisational creativity and compositional vitality. We hope that we can say goodbye to the Corona period with exuberant energy!”

The film director Peter Nestler and his camera team will accompany the concert making a documentary for ZDF/3sat.

Tickets are available online at www.eventim.de as well as from the usual ticket offices. Ticket prices: 26€; reduced: 19€; NDR Kultur Karte: 23€. Tickets will also be available at the box office on the evening of the concert, but we would prefer tickets to be purchased in advance. Ticket-holders must adhere to the 2G regulations. Admission from 7pm.

With the friendly support of: City of Osnabrück, Stiftung Niedersachsen, Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung, Stiftung der Sparkasse Osnabrück, Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, NDR Musikförderung in Niedersachsen, Landschaftsverband Osnabrücker Land e.V., Sievert SE, Gesellschaft der Freunde. Morgenland Festival Osnabrück e.V., Vienna House Osnabrück, Musikland Niedersachsen