Justus Frantz (Musical Director)
Justus Frantz - A life in music Justus Frantz - a name
which is immediately associated with great orchestras and absolute dedication to
music. For thirty years, Justus Frantz has been internationally successful as a
pianist and conductor. He has rendered outstanding services to classical music
on many occasions. Time and again, he has discovered and supported young musical
talent. Therefore, in many countries on the Philharmonia of the Nations tour,
auditions are a fixed item on his agenda - an excellent opportunity for young
musicians worldwide to start a career in music.
A young talent is discovered Justus Frantz began his
extraordinary musical career in 1967, when he won an international music
competition on a famous German television station. He began playing the piano at
the age of four. Early on, Professor Eliza Hansen recognized and fostered his
talent. Studies of conducting in the master class held by Wilhelm Kempff
contributed to his state of the art musical education. At the age of 23, Justus
Frantz was one of the youngest artists ever to be granted a scholarship by the
Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (German National Scholarship
Foundation).
Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein prepared the way for his
further musical career In 1970, Justus Frantz rose into the group of
first-class pianists with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert
von Karajan. He celebrated his US debut five years later with the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein, whose musical ideals he
continues to adhere to. Bernstein's dream of an international, young and
professional orchestra inspired Justus Frantz to found the Philharmonia of the
Nations in 1995.
Many awards distinguish his excellent work Justus Frantz
always succeeds in getting his music across to a broad audience in an
unconventional manner. In 1986, he founded the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival
and was its director for nine years turning it into one of the world's greatest
music festivals. He has been awarded several television prizes of high
prestige for the highly successful TV programmes that he has produced. Since
1989, Justus Frantz has been a special ambassador for the UN High Commission for
Refugees and in the same year he received the German equivalent to the OBE, the
Grosse Bundesverdienstkreuz. Justus Frantz is the chief conductor of the
Philharmonia of the Nations and works on a regular basis with renowned
orchestras all over the world, such as the Orchestra of the Mariinsky-Kirov
Theatre in St. Petersburg, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Great Symphony
Orchestra Moscow, the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra Durban, the Georgian Chamber
Orchestra and the Sinfonia Varsovia
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