I am now attending a very special event, which is hard to describe: The STARMUS Festival, this time in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 2011, it brings together people and topics from stars and music in a unique way. Every edition of the festival is organized around a particular theme related to space exploration and includes talks, debates, panel discussions, concerts, film screenings, and other activities. Each festival is followed by the publication of a beautifully-designed book containing the lectures of all the speakers accompanied by excellent pictures. Every edition of the festival has granted the attendees a unique experience, each in its own way, a symbiosis between exclusive talks and once-in-a-lifetime concerts. I have attended the 2014 event in Tenerife, Spain, have the book and am now here. The Official Opening of the Festival at the Samsung Hall was a Big Bang from A to Z: Buzz Aldrin, the 2nd man on the moon; Brian May, PhD in astrophysics and lead guitarist from the former QUEEN; Elon Musk, (life from Kennedy Space Center in Florida); Carlos Moedas, Commissioner of the European Commission for Research, Science and Innovation; Peter Gabriel, ex Genesis; Brian Eno, founder of Roxy-Music; Chris Austin Hatfield, a singing Canadian astronaut… Much more to come:
The German-born (12 September 1957) Hollywood composer Hans Florian Zimmer (on my original photo left) was also attending at STARMUS V in 2019, to cover the MUS in the name.
Hans is a very famous film score composer and record producer. Zimmer’s works are notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements.
Since the 1980s, he has composed music for over 150 films. His works include the soundtrack for the movies Rainman and The Lion King, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1995.
The Pirates of the Caribbean series, Interstellar, Gladiator, Inception, Dunkirk, and The Dark Knight Trilogy are also composed by Hans.
He has received four Grammy Awards, three Classical BRIT Awards, two Golden Globes, and an Academy Award.
He was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by The Daily Telegraph.
At STARMUS 2016, Zimmer was one of the inaugural winners of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication.
More on the Opening ceremony at STARMUS:
…they were all there, following from above:
“…Armenian`s President Armen Sarkissjan; Steve Vai from Frank Zappa`s band, and Hans Zimmer, the Oscar-winner for his music on the movie: Rainman, a German composer from Hollywood, they were all there. I enjoined the show and am looking forward to the week-long conference now. More to come…
19:30-23:00
The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication Ceremony
Once Upon a time on the Moon
A homage to the Apollo Missions and those who made them possible. Hans Zimmer’s concert with special guests Brian May, Rick Wakeman, Steve Vai, Kip Thorne, Paul Franklin and other stars.
Official Opening: Garik Israelian, Carlos Moedas, Armen Sarkissian and Tony Fadell…
