Show One Productions proudly presents Young Stars of the Young Century: The International Gala Concert, starring the award-winning young virtuoso performers of the Vladimir Spivakov International Foundation. The event, presented for the first time in Canada, takes place on Sunday, February 27 at 3PM in the beautiful acoustics of the George Weston Recital Hall. The concert highlights the exceptional talent of seven soloists – whose ages rank from 15 to 25. These young musicians were hand picked from all parts of the world and supported in their musical education by the world-renowned violinist Vladimir Spivakov. A remarkable musician with a multifaceted career, Mr. Spivakov is also conductor of the celebrated Moscow Virtuosi and the recently inaugurated National Philharmonic of Russia, both award winning ensembles. The program includes works by Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Schedrin. All proceeds from this presentation will support the Vladimir Spivakov International Foundation, to help more talented young artists.

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To celebrate young Canadian talent, three of the country’s most promising young musicians take centre stage: violinist Zubaida Azezi; pianist Mikhail Man; and cellist Eric Han. And the Toronto Children’s Opera Chorus (Ann Cooper Gay, Artistic Director/Conductor) makes a special appearance. With this exciting project, the newly established Show One Productions continues its effort to provide an ongoing season of world-class classical music concerts.

In their short but exciting careers, these young players have already enjoyed international recognition, extensive radio play and appearances with the best orchestras of the world. Since its inception in 1994, the Vladimir Spivakov International Foundation has granted scholarships to 800 young talents among which 350 became laureates of prestigious international contests and festivals in Paris, New York, London, Boston, Geneva, Madrid, Bucharest, Warsaw, Prague, Sofia and other cities. The Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation is a participant of the UNESCO project in support of the culture and peace and non-violence.

“The evening organized by the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation made a deep impression not only by the variety and the original composition of the program but even more by the level of mastery performance.” – The Washington Post

The February 27 concert provides Canadian children and adults alike a rare opportunity to hear the finest of these prodigies. As the Foundation was set up with the purpose of supporting young people gifted for music, painting and choreography, paintings by young talented artists will be displayed in the lobby of the George Weston Recital Hall.

Additional Events
Prior to the main stage performance, the young performers will spend a week in Ontario, visiting schools and universities to offer workshops and mini-concerts, followed by question and answer periods in the format of a cultural exchange:
· Brampton: February 23, 2005 – student concert under the Mayor of Brampton patronage
· Toronto: February 24, 2005 at Earl Haig Secondary School – student concert
· Ottawa: February 26, 2005 at Carleton University, Alumni Theater

As part of the school program, the students will be invited to visit the main recital’s rehearsal. More importantly, this tour provides a link to the Moscow International Youth Week, a travel and education program for secondary school students, slated for May 2005. This program, organized by the Foundation and the Moscow authorities, attracts hundreds of young artists of all disciplines from all over the world.
Schools and organizations that would like to host a full main stage recital or a mini-concert are invited to contact Show One Productions at info@showoneproductions.com or 416-737-6785.

Charity Concert
As helping children with disabilities is also one of the Vladimir Spivakov Charity Foundation’s goals, the Young Stars of the Young Century will offer a free afternoon charity concert for the children at Variety Village on February 22, 2005 at 1 p.m. For almost 60 years, Variety – The Children’s Charity, together with its flagship, Variety Village, a one-of-a-kind fully integrated sports and fitness facility, has been assisting children with special needs to hope, dream, learn and grow. Focused on integration and ability, not disability, Variety’s innovative facilities, programs and services provide the opportunity for children with special needs to achieve their goals.
Variety Village: 3701 Danforth Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario. Admission is FREE.

For tickets visit Toronto Centre for the Arts box office, call 416-870-8000
or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.