Fourth annual Concertgebouworkest Young draws record number of applicants

Concertgebouworkest Young, the European youth orchestra for musicians aged fourteen to seventeen, is being held for the fourth time in August 2023. Never before have so many youngsters applied. From a pool of 412 applicants from thirty-five countries, eighty-three talented musicians have now been selected. 

  

A pressing need 

Launched to great acclaim in 2019 by the Roayl Concertgebouw Orchestra, Concertgebouworkest Young caters for young musicians from all over Europe who have lacked visibility and who could use a little extra support. The project, which is designed especially for young people not currently enrolled on a professional music course despite being very talented, clearly meets a pressing need. 

  

Concerts in Amsterdam and Berlin 

After completing the intensive summer programme, which kicks off at Akoesticum in the Dutch city of Ede on 8 August, the participants will be presenting themselves under the direction of Andrés Orozco-Estrada in Amsterdam and Berlin as a youth orchestra made up of numerous nationalities reflecting the diversity of Europe. Concertgebouworkest Young will be performing as part of the VriendenLoterij Summer Concerts Series at The Concertgebouw on 23 August, and at the Konzerthaus in Berlin on 25 August. The concerts open with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto featuring soloist María Dueñas. The young musicians will then perform a new work by the Dutch composer Carlijn Metselaar, followed by Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. 

  

Afterwards, the young people, like those who participated in previous years, will return to their home countries as active ambassadors for classical music. 

  

Musical and personal development 

The summer programme in Ede includes sectional and orchestral rehearsals, chamber music, coaching sessions and workshops overseen by professional workshop leaders, and lessons with Concertgebouw Orchestra musicians. Orchestral players will be providing the youngsters with instruction and introducing them to the orchestral performance tradition, with an emphasis on ensemble playing, balance and overall sound. There is also a great deal of focus on personal development. A special programme developed in partnership with United World Colleges Nederland uses music to promote a sense of community, democratic ideals and personal development among the young participants.   

 

Concertgebouworkest Young is made possible with the generous support of private individuals, funds and corporate partners.