About Us

Founded in St. Petersburg, the Art-Modern Foundation is a center of musical and cultural exchange in Russia, Spain, Latin America and the United States.

An institution dedicated to contemporary music, in 2008, AM launched with the music festival Sovremennoe Proshle (Contemporary Past) with the goal of promoting Russian composers who have otherwise been denied exposure because of political reasons. In June of 2010, AM celebrated 20th century American music with Nils Vigeland, head of composition at the Manhattan School of Music in New York city.

As well as this, AM staged The Letters of Van Gogh with Opera Incognita St. Petersburg, a chamber opera at the Hermitage Theatre. AM also plays a prominent role in the production of CD and DVD recordings in Russia with several major orchestras and performers.

In addition, AM plays a crucial role inThe International Festival Tardes de España (Spanish Evenings) founded by the conductor Alexis Soriano, who has been bringing Spanish music to St. Petersburg for 13 years. The festival typically includes a large number of premier world performers, in particular, each year, supporting  a culturally varied diffusion of contemporary composers from Spain. Initially based at the Hermitage Theatre, the festival takes place throughout the city’s major halls and theaters with both Symphonic and Opera productions. Composers from Spain who attend each year often take the opportunity to teach master classes at St. Petersburg Conservatory.

In 2012 the Foundation will open a new festival in Russia: Festival Pau Casals a St. Petersburg that, each year, will feature a new resident Catalan composer around the historical catalan composers from the past. The festival kicks off this year with the composer national prize of culture Jordi Cervelló.

Albert Barbeta, Artistic Director