The KlaraFestival 2009 will soon be flooding Brussels with compelling, classical, fresh sounds for the sixth year in a row. From 28 August to 11 September, it will release the Power of Music to audiences in the concert halls of Bozar, Flagey and the public spaces of Brussels: Forza Musica! This year, the KlaraFestival takes you on a musical journey with the Far East and Sweden as its main stops. The first part of the programme consists of Asian concerts. Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan are represented by some of their most important classical orchestras, conductors and musicians. The audience can discover both the traditional sounds of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the modern sounds of Noriko Tujiko. However, the programme also includes musical dialogues between Eastern and Belgian orchestras enabling you to discover the different and complementary sounds of the Korean Ensemble TIMF and the Belgian Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. The KlaraFestival is also joining the Swedish embassy in celebrating their EU presidency by welcoming a selection of the successful Swedish Baltic Sea Festival to Brussels: the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra or the Swedish Radio Choir are coming to Belgium to give their all with iconic conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Valery Gergiev and Daniel Harding. The late night programme will also present some of the best Swedish jazz artists, including the Jan Lundgren Trio and Bobo Stenson. The most creative festival in Belgium is launched on 28 August with the First Night. To share the beauty of classical music with as many people as possible, the public spaces of Brussels are again filled with the most beautiful sounds. 15 concerts will take place in underground and train stations and on two Brussels squares between 4 and 7.30 p.m. Artists such as pianists Severin von Eckardstein and Katia Skanavi and the Taiwanese dance and music group U Theatre will be performing at the big train stations. The Flagey concert hall will also be graced by the presence of Gavriel Lipkind and Roman Zaslavsky at 8 p.m. and the Swedish jazz ensemble Tolvan Big Band at 10 p.m. 28 August marks the official start of this edition of the KlaraFestival, which will run until 11 September with almost three concerts daily. At the lunch concerts, you can discover new talent and established names in an intimate atmosphere. The evening concerts present top acts in classical music with big orchestras, ensembles, choirs and soloists. Late night concerts are for the more adventurous souls not afraid to be surprised by jazz and more experimental music. Because KlaraFestival likes to unlink music from its normal “concert hall” setting, this year’s programme also includes the Living Room Music project. On 5 and 6 September between 2 and 6 p.m., you can enjoy concerts in a homely atmosphere in 20 (living) rooms in Kraainem and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. KlaraFestival also returns to Ravenstein Gallery: on 8 September the gallery will be filled with the heavenly voices of the Swedish Radio Choir. On 9 September the KlaraFestival also presents an absolute Belgian first together with the National Orchestra of Belgium! On that day, one of the best conductors in the world will drop by Ravenstein Gallery. Again, this edition allows the audience to play an active part! On Sunday 30 August, U Theatre is organising a workshop teaching the basic principles of Kodo, Kung Fu and drumming techniques. The Lexus Hybrid Live concert on 2 September at 8 p.m. in Flagey can truly be called democratic: the audience puts together duos itself from a list of musicians and votes on who will eventually be performing the open air concert on Flagey square. Experiencing music in every possible and creative way is what matters at the KlaraFestival. In other words, an edition with a very strong international programme that you simply can’t miss! For more information, www.klarafestival.be