So as to keep alive the cultural legacy of Claudio Abbado in the social and educational field the Association Mozart 2014 has been founded, strongly supported by his family.

The intention is to invest all energy into the projects which were so close to Abbado’s heart during the last years of his life, i.e. those devoted to the social and educational aspect of music: art can improve the life of all of us and can show to its best advantage the ties between people and nations.

This is the spiritual testament never to be forgotten.

To achieve this the Association has obtained the ownership of two social projects which were previously initiated by the Orchestra Mozart within the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna: TAMINO, carried out in the paediatric unit of hospitals, social security organizations and schools – and PAPGENO, which aims at creating in the prison of Bologna a choir composed of inmates.

Both projects, TAMINO and PAPAGENO, are a good example of how to make music accessible to all.

This is the lesson Claudio Abbado taught us.

http://www.mozart14.org/associazione-mozart-2014/

Letter from Benedetta Scandola (from the office of the Orchestra Mozart):

Dear all,

We have been informed that the activities of the Orchestra Mozart and its staff will cease temporarily from 10^th January 2014 onwards.

After nine and a half years working for the Orchestra Mozart I am deeply distressed by this news and still fail to realize or understand it.

With these lines I would like to thank you all for the work we accomplished together. With some we shared many things, with others our paths only crossed, but I keep in my heart and in my mind many beautiful and precious memories of every project, every encounter and many faces.

Claudio teaches us that generosity makes us rich and he based his work with us on this principle, wishing that everyone gives his best in this direction. Looking back now on these years spent with La Mozart I see that I received a lot and if I acquired any skills in my work it was thanks to you all.

I would in particular like to thank very much Claudio for everything he teaches and gives me, all my colleagues for having shared together in a thorough and clever way the work and the tiredness, the musicians of the Orchestra Mozart for all the music they offered us and the adventures we experienced together.

I hope we will see one another again soon and will not lose contact.

Thanks to you all, with love from

Benedetta Scandola

We heard today that the activities of the ORCHESTRA MOZART have been temporarily suspended.

All the members of the CAI, all music lovers and all the admirers of Claudio Abbado have been deeply saddened by this news which has greatly overshadowed the beginning of this year.

We were present at the birth of the orchestra, we watched it grow and saw how it set standards, thanks to Claudio Abbado, who is very attached to it.

We can only hope that Claudio Abbado’s health will be restored quickly so that we can experience together again those magnificent moments.

We wait for a clever sponsor who will breathe life into the orchestra again. The arts are LIFE – and the Orchestra Mozart must live.