Jean-Michel Jarre announces an exceptional one-off live concert, Bridge from the Future, the opening event of this year’s STARMUS Festival. In association with ESET, a global leader in digital security, the electronic music pioneer will perform live at Incheba Bratislava, Slovakia on May 12 – against the stunning backdrop of the SNP (UFO) Bridge.
He will be joined on stage by special guest Sir Brian May. The concert is held in cooperation with the City of Bratislava and is free to attend. It will be televised on Slovakian National RTVS as well as globally via the EBU network and live-streamed on Jean-Michel Jarre’s YouTube channel.
Bridge from the Future, specially conceived and designed for this occasion by Jarre, will inaugurate the seventh edition of STARMUS Festival, the globe’s preeminent gathering uniting science, art, and music. This year, with the theme of ‘STARMUS Earth: the future of our home planet’, powered by ESET Digital Security, the festival convenes Nobel laureates, distinguished scientists and researchers, astronauts, intellectuals, and artists to exchange knowledge and insights as we explore profound and urgent existential questions.
It was founded by astrophysicist Garik Israelian, PhD, and Queen guitarist and PhD in astrophysics Sir Brian May, under the auspices of the late Stephen Hawking. Science, often referred to as the bridge to tomorrow, holds the promise of transformative advancements – if we embrace its discoveries and predictions without hesitation.
STARMUS aims to inspire the next generation of explorers and regenerate the spirit of discovery, engaging humanity with the biggest issues of our time. As the world faces challenges that threaten to narrow our vision, STARMUS’ opening concert Bridge from the Future invites us to expand our horizons and embrace a future powered by curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.
These values are shared by ESET who, hosting the concert and STARMUS Festival in their hometown of Bratislava, demonstrate their dedication and ambition to promote the power of science, culture, and education among local and global audiences.
With Bridge from the Future, Jean-Michel Jarre stands at the forefront of this movement, not only as an iconic musician and futurist, but also as a United Nations Ambassador for Education, Science and Culture at UNESCO now for over three decades.
Joined by Sir Brian May, who is not only a founding member of Queen, world-renowned guitarist, songwriter, producer, and performer, but also a brilliant Doctor of Astrophysics. He joins Jarre on stage not only as the legendary musician but also as a founding partner of STARMUS.
Performing in Bratislava, Jarre takes center stage in the heart of Europe, the continent which has been the focal point of so many revolutionary movements in arts, culture and technology throughout history.
Drawing inspiration from the visionary thinkers of the Renaissance era and spanning the centuries, Bridge from the Future and STARMUS Earth Festival heralds the dawn of a modern renaissance, with our planet’s most brilliant minds calling upon the next generation of thinkers and explorers to contribute to regenerate the spirit of discovery and to engage humanity with the biggest issues of our time.
“As we continue to learn from the past, we should today listen to the future, being receptive and attentive to the incoming signals,” says Jean-Michel Jarre. “Breakthroughs, discoveries, and solutions, in all fields exist already there ahead, in the future, waiting for us to find them.
It is our vocation as artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and citizens, to engage and activate progress, in creating a bridge from the future: this is the spirit of STARMUS.”
This 2024 edition of STARMUS Festival champions the theme of ‘The Future of our Home Planet,’ accentuating the vital role that both science and art play in ensuring a sustainable future for Earth. While science illuminates the truths of our universe, art and music inspire us to seek out further revelations.
The five-day event (May 13-17) comprises lectures and discussions on topics such as Environment, AI and Cybersecurity, and Space; as well as the annual presentation of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, for which Jean-Michel Jarre was a recipient in 2017. This year, Jean-Michel has been announced as the latest STARMUS Advisory Board member.
Sir Brian May said: “We’re thrilled that STARMUS VII will kick off with such a unique and spectacular show. And in this concert, Jean-Michel Jarre will set the tone for the spirit of this conference, specifically aimed towards addressing our planet’s current problems.”
Sir Brian May Photo © Miracle Productions LLP. Photographer: Bohan Hohnjec
Richard Marko, ESET CEO said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Jean-Michel Jarre is set to ignite the STARMUS Festival with his captivating performance. The location with its backdrop of the SNP Bridge serves as a metaphorical bridge between the past and the future. It encapsulates the contrast of eras. On one end stands the historic centre of Bratislava, and on the other, the retro-futuristic UFO monument. A similar contrast is seen in the story of ESET.
In the beginning, few businesses and individuals used the antivirus we developed 30 years ago. Now, that stands in striking juxtaposition to the multi-layered, AI-powered technology combined with human expertise, used by hundreds of millions of people all around the world for their protection. In both cases, such progress was only made possible thanks to science.”
Garik Israelian said: “It’s been 16 years since Brian and I met Jean-Michel in London and proposed to him a collaboration. We knew that Jean-Michel’s concert involves an ambitious production and never had an opportunity for this.
It seems to me that we have been waiting for the Starmus Earth to make it happen.This is the first time STARMUS puts the spotlight on our planet and we want the general public to be more receptive than ever to the big questions of our time, of our planet.
There is no doubt that kicking off this special edition with a performance as spectacular as “Bridge from the Future” will achieve that goal. Jean-Michel Jarre has always brought us music from the future to make us vibrate with the present, and that is the spirit of STARMUS.”
Bridge from the Future Live Concert takes place at Incheba, Bratislava on May 12. It is free to attend.
STARMUS Earth Festival runs from 13-17 May in venues throughout the city, tickets are available from www.ticketportal.sk
ABOUT STARMUS
Since the very first homo sapiens looked up at a star-filled sky, we have been awestruck by the vastness of the cosmos. Even today, we remain humbled by the sheer immensity of space, especially as progress in physics and astronomy has made us aware of the tremendous distances involved – even to our closest neighbouring stars.
Created by Garik Israelian PhD, astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) and Sir Brian May PhD, astrophysicist, and the lead guitarist of the iconic rock band Queen, STARMUS is a festival of science, art and music that has featured presentations from astronauts, cosmonauts, Nobel Prize winners and prominent figures from various scientific disciplines and musical backgrounds.
STARMUS brings Nobel laureates, eminent researchers, astronauts, thinkers, and artists together to share their knowledge and experiences, as we search for answers to the great questions.
Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication
Stephen Hawking and Alexei Leonov, together with STARMUS co-founders Sir Brian May and Garik Israelian, worked to create the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2015, awarded to individuals and teams who have made significant contributions to science communication.
Previous Stephen Hawking Medal winners include Dr. Jane Goodall, Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jean-Michel Jarre, Brian Eno, Hans Zimmer, and the Apollo 11 documentary.
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ABOUT ESET
ESET provides cutting-edge digital security to prevent attacks before they happen. By combining the power of AI and human expertise, we stay ahead of known and emerging cyber threats—all to effectively secure businesses, critical infrastructure, and individuals. Whether it’s endpoint, cloud or mobile protection, our AI-native, cloud-first solutions and services remain highly effective and easy to use. ESET technology includes robust detection and response, ultra-secure encryption, and multi-factor authentication.
With 24/7 real-time defense and strong local support, we keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. An ever-evolving digital landscape demands a progressive approach to security: ESET is committed to world-class research and powerful threat intelligence, backed by our R&D centers and a strong global Partner Network. For more information, visit www.eset.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
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Photo credit: Jean-Michel Jarre
ABOUT JEAN-MICHEL JARRE
Jean-Michel Jarre has always been a futurist in his field. Throughout his illustrious career, the composer, performer, producer, and cultural ambassador has continued to break new ground with his music and his mastery of creative innovation.
From his early pioneering role in electronic music, his use of multi-channel audio technology and production, to his recent explorations into the realms of VR performance and the metaverse, technology is at the forefront of everything he does.
He is quoted as claiming that “today is the most exciting time to create, to make music, and to share across so many mediums.” Jarre is UNESCO ambassador for education, science and culture, an unconditional defender of the planet and the environment and Laureate of the Stephen Hawking Medal for scientific communication.
Jarre’s current catalog, which now includes 22 studio albums, has generated sales of more than 85 million worldwide to date, and earned him countless awards and nominations. Throughout his career, Jarre has taken as canvas, some of the most iconic landmarks and UNESCO World Heritage sites around the globe for his creative, cultural, and environmental message.
He has also set new Guinness World Records for live audience attendance at concerts in several emblematic locations. He was the first western musician to be invited to perform in China and has also created and performed concert-events at the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the Sahara Desert, the Forbidden City & Tiananmen Square, the Eiffel Tower, the Dead Sea, Al Ula and more.
He has consistently sold-out arena and stadium tours across the continents, as well as performing at major festivals including Coachella. In 2021, he rang in the new year with Welcome To The Other Side, a groundbreaking livestream broadcast worldwide from a virtual Notre Dame in Paris.
Entertainment trade publication US Pollstar states that the livestream attracted record breaking audiences of over 75 million viewers worldwide across various platforms, television channels and VR. On 25th December 2023, Jarre performed Versailles 400: a unique hybrid artistic creation conceived specifically to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Château de Versailles and performed in real life live from the Hall of Mirrors and in virtual reality. Versailles 400 mixed-reality Live Concert.
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Alexandra Greenberg / agreenberg@falconpublicity.com
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