Classical music & Iron Chef America

The Grammy Award-winning pianist Yefim “Fima” Bronfman continues his juggernaut tour of American and European music festivals at the opening of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2009 season at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on August 5. In Saratoga, Bronfman joins maestro Charles Dutoit for Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Fima’s appearance at Saratoga follows a whirlwind tour of American music festivals, which included performances at the openings of Ravinia and Tanglewood, a recital, and orchestral concerts at the Aspen Festival.
Following his concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Fima makes a return to the Tanglewood Music Festival (Aug 14) before moving on to Europe for the Edinburgh and Helsinki Festivals, and to the Lucerne Festival, where he is in residence as this year’s Artiste Étoile. “This is a summer that I have been planning and looking forward to for a long time,” the pianist comments. “I will be visiting top festivals around the world and collaborating with many of my favorite conductors and orchestras. It’s a summer I will remember for many years to come.”
On Sunday, August 9, Fima makes his Food Network debut as the first classical music celebrity to judge the popular cooking competition Iron Chef America on the Food Network. A connoisseur of food and wine, Fima enjoyed the opportunity to witness two great chefs battle for the winning spot using the show’s top-secret ingredient. “I have always been an enormous fan of Iron Chef America as well as many other Food Network shows, so it was a great thrill for me to sit at the judge’s table for an Iron Chef battle,” said Bronfman during another great meal at this summer’s Aspen Music Festival. “Great food and wine has become a hobby of mine as I travel around the world playing concerts. It was a great honor to be invited to experience meals created by an Iron Chef and challenger in Kitchen Stadium.”