The I&I Foundation supports the arts and in particular contemporary music by commissioning new works from talented up-and-coming composers.
The I&I Foundation was launched on the 12th of October 2020. Download the I&I mission statement by clicking the button below.
Time for A Change
Through a series of micro-commissions the I&I Foundation creates a rare chance for composers to dedicate themselves to writing music over an extended period of time while their maintenance costs are provided for by the fees paid directly upon placing the order.
Testimonials
Meet Our
Co-Artistic Directors and founders
Ilya Gringolts impresses with his charismatic musicality and captivating performances with orchestras such as Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and with conductors Vasily Petrenko, Klaus Mäkelä, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Ilya is passionate about performing rarely heard works. His concert programmes are adorned with virtuoso early repertoire by Tartini, Leclair, and Locatelli, as well as with world premieres by Heinz Holliger, Beat Furrer, Bernhard Lang, and Boris Filanovsky. With musical partners such as Peter Laul, Nicolas Altstaedt, Jörg Widmann, and Kris Bezuidenhout, as well as with his own Gringolts Quartet, he has brought numerous chamber music projects to fruition and is a regular artist in residence at widely acclaimed festivals. His recordings have been awarded the Echo Classic, Diapason d'Or, and the Gramophone Awards. Ilya is the youngest winner of the international violin competition "Premio Paganini" and was a BBC New Generation Artist since the establishment of the program. He studied with Itzhak Perlman at the renowned Juilliard School in New York. In addition to his work as a professor at the Zurich University of the Arts, Ilya Gringolts is a regular Violin International Fellow at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire in Glasgow.
Born in Israel in September 1976, Ilan Volkov began his conducting career at the age of nineteen. Following studies at London’s Royal Academy of Music, he secured positions as Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony. In 2003 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and subsequently became its Principal Guest Conductor in 2009. Between 2011 and 2014 he held the post of Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Volkov’s arrival coincided with the opening of Harpa, Reykjavík’s visually striking new concert hall. During his tenure in Iceland, he created the Tectonics Festival, which features programmes of classical modern music combined with other new music genres such as improvisation, electronics and rock. Since then, Tectonics has expanded around the world with residencies in cities including Glasgow, Adelaide, Oslo, New York and Tel Aviv.
Meet Our
Board
Tara has had a 17-year career in classical music, working in publishing (Boosey & Hawkes), orchestral tour management (Academy of St Martin in the Fields), artist management (IMG Artists and Solea Management), and recording (EMI Classics and Warner Classics), and was also chair of the UK ensemble Street Orchestra Live. She read Music and German at Royal Holloway, University of London before gaining a Master’s degree there in German culture. Tara is an active amateur violinist, both as a chamber musician and having led many of London’s best amateur orchestras, playing under conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner, and Sir Colin Davis. She is passionate believer in the I&I mission to empower contemporary composers and performers and to amplify their voices to reach audiences everywhere.
Davide has over 20 years’ experience in the financial industry and held leading positions in Asset Management & Banking with firms such as GAM, Blackrock, and Bank Julius Baer. His education includes a Master in Banking & Finance and a degree in Musicology from the University of Zurich. Davide has always been fascinated by classical music and the violin. His Professors Urs Walker and Ricardo Odnoposoff formed his understanding of music, while Urs Walker exerted a huge in influence on his appreciation of contemporary music. Since 2011, Davide has been an Ambassador of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. He is also President of the Regensdorf Chamber Orchestra. His network with global leaders in the music and nance industry will be driving the I&I Foundation as much as his support for the Artistic Directors in meeting their mission.
Anna-Naomi is a lawyer with 16 years of experience in corporate and capital markets law. She currently works in a securities trading team at UBS Investment Bank. In recent years, she has focused on block-chain-based capital market solutions, among other areas. Prior to this, she gained several years of experience in various legal departments in Zurich and London. After several visits abroad she completed her academic education in 2004 with a doctorate in law from the University of Basel. Anna-Naomi is a passionate violinist who participates in chamber music, solo, and orchestra projects (contemporary and classical). She is the president of the I&I Foundation and is responsible for the legal and regulatory affairs of the foundation.
Meet Our
Team members
Pilvax Films is a cinematic film production company working exclusively with classical musicians.
Founded by Hungarian photographer and cinematographer Balázs Böröcz, Pilvax Films produces documentaries, image films, and concert films for orchestras and artists mainly in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France working with clients such as the Quatuor Ébène, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Chaarts Chamber Artists, Lockenhaus Kammermusikfest, Oxford Chamber Music Festival, and artists such as Simone Rubino, Nicolas Altstaedt, Vilde Frang, Kirill Troussov, Ilya Gringolts, István Várdai, Hyung-ki Joo among others...
With a decade long experience in film production for performing artists, Pilvax Films provides a holistic understanding and a musical approach in film making.
Combined with Pilvax Studio - our sister brand, we can cover all audiovisual communication activities for classical musicians.
On completing his studies in English and Russian at the Universities of Zurich and Aberdeen Markus became a member of Zurich Opera, where he worked as a dramaturg for 12 years. The next 10 years of his professional career he spent as general manager of Cecilia Bartoli. Today, he benefits from his unique experience in conceiving, organizing and propagating comprehensive projects in the field of music as a free-lance dramaturg, author, artistic advisor and organizer of concerts for the Moscow State Philharmonic Society, the Trans-Siberian Art Festival, the Salzburg Festival, Philharmonie de Paris, Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, Zurich Opera, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Decca Classics, amongst others. Moreover, he acts as concert manager of conductor Diego Matheuz. The I&I Foundation will benefit from his editorial know-how in various languages.
Nvard is an independent graphic designer and illustrator based in Florence, Italy.
She is co-founder and curator of WHY Graphic Design Festival in Florence and co-founder of AJZ space and curatorial art collective. Studied Architecture (BA), Graphic Design (MA) and Cultural Criticism (MA), in her artistic practices, Nvard tries to combine all the disciplines and skills, and in artistic projects she mainly focuses on topics of public spaces, urban transformations, and cultural heritage.
She is the author of Illustration series Soviet Modernist Architecture in Armenia which was nominated for the World Illustration Awards 2019 and widely published by leading architectural and design magazines.
She is co-founder and curator of WHY Graphic Design Festival in Florence and co-founder of AJZ space and curatorial art collective. Studied Architecture (BA), Graphic Design (MA) and Cultural Criticism (MA), in her artistic practices, Nvard tries to combine all the disciplines and skills, and in artistic projects she mainly focuses on topics of public spaces, urban transformations, and cultural heritage.
She is the author of Illustration series Soviet Modernist Architecture in Armenia which was nominated for the World Illustration Awards 2019 and widely published by leading architectural and design magazines.
Meet Our
Former founding members
Dorothy is an executive global cultural manager with 20 years' experience working for IMG Artists, Universal Music, medici.tv, Verbier Festival, non-profit organisations and leading projects for Maxim Vengerov, Cecilia Bartoli and Anne-Sophie Mutter. She is the President of the Young Professionals Group of the British Swiss Chamber of Commerce. Dorothy is a strong figure in the classical music business and well-known for her work ethic and leadership. Her mission and passion is not only to promote the incredible centuries of tradition in classical music but to strongly look to the future by innovating her industry in performance, education and technical developments that become game changers. She graduated Master in Piano from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and has financial and business certifications from Harvard Business School and CISI. Her high-level expertise in cultural business development and her extensive network are valuable assets for the I&I Foundation.
Consultancy
In addition to direct commissioning and co-commissioning, we work with artistic partners in an advisory capacity to promote the commissioning and performance of new music, doing so in a way which is in line with the I&I Foundation’s aims. We recognise that every project is different, and working on a consultancy basis allows us to facilitate stakeholders to realise their commissioning projects, enabling them to tap into a wealth of international experience, expertise and contacts in a number of areas.