The Brussels Cello Festival is a biennial festival bringing together the world’s top cellists and young talents to Belgium for a week of concerts and masterclasses. This year’s festival edition will honor the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven with a 3-day journey through his complete cycle of eight works for cello and piano. The other festival highlight is the Closing Concert which will celebrate various anniversaries this October – the 2nd edition of the Brussels Cello Festival, the 100th anniversary of the Pau Casals Orchestra, and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

In this major collaboration, the Belgium Cello Society, the Pau Casals Foundation (Spain), and the United Nations aim to promote social awareness and responsibility within the European cultural sector. Through the legacy of the humanitarian Spanish cellist Pau Casals and the inspiring work of the United Nations, the Belgium Cello Society dedicates the Closing Concert to the theme of “peace” by programming works closely tied to Pau Casals (e.g. “Song of the Birds” and “Hymn to the United Nations”) as well as classical repertoire which invoke deep human compassion and understanding (Beethoven Symphony No. 5, Mahler Adagietto, Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasilieras, etc.).

Candidates from the 2020 BCS Cello Competition have also been invited to participate in the Closing Concert on 11 October. These candidates represent some of the brightest talents across the top conservatories of Europe. Come hear the future of cello playing today!