Other events in Baltic States

The MIDEM Classical Awards jury yesterday announced the first Special Awards for the 2010 edition; Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca is among the winners of the prestigious prize, reports LETA/Reuters.

The jury selected four musicians, Garanca, Italian soprano Mirella Freni, Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt, German baritone Christian Gerhaher as well as the label "Naive", to receive the MIDEM Classical Awards. The award ceremony will take place on January 26 next year at "Palais des Festivals" in Cannes, France.

Garanca and Gerhaher were each recognized by the jury as "Singer of the Year"; Hewitt was named the "Instrumentalist of the Year", Freni will receive the "Lifetime Achievement" award.

By electing "Naive" as "Label of the year", the jury has acknowledged the energy deployed by the label in the music industry and its capacity to explore a large and rare catalogue including a range of first choice artists.