Gerbrich Francine Meijer
2018 Co-Recipient of the Lionel Bryer Memorial Fund Award
"I'm deeply honoured by the gesture of the EUYO-organisation to give me the 'Lionel Bryer Memorial Fund Award 2018'. My summer of 2018 could not have ended in a better way, the whole tour and experience was one of the best summers I have had and this award was a big unexpected honour and gift to receive.
Being part of such a lovely clarinet section, playing in an amazing orchestra lead by great conductors and having an incredible team behind the stage, is an absolute unique experience. In times where it is hard to keep all parties of the world united, EUYO is an organisation that does nothing better than bringing people and their cultures together. It is truly unique how we all can speak the same language by playing music and how united and connected we can feel with each other, no matter where we are from. In the orchestra there is space for taking risks, development and showing your own voice. This is something incredible and something that I gained so much experience from that I will take with me the rest of my playing career. EUYO stands for more than just playing in a great orchestra, it makes people unite and do what they love most with their hearts. It makes you dedicated to what you are doing, it makes you open your ears and listen to what other people have to share, on and off stage.
Since I am currently studying my Masters degree at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, the award will be used on travel expenses for auditions and masterclasses in Europe. The award will help me enormously to be able to travel back and forth to Europe and come back home to where my heart, my family, my friends and the EUYO are! Once again: thank you, I feel touched and humbled by all the love and support this orchestra, its people and the staff have given me".
Christoph Haaß
2018 Co-Recipient of the Lionel Bryer Memorial Fund Award
"When I received my first invitation for EUYO I was hyper for the rest of the week. I couldn’t believe it. And when finally the first tour came close, I got really excited, but also nervous, because at this point I didn’t know anyone from the orchestra, neither did I know someone who had been there before.
When I arrived, I was astonished by the open welcome and incredibly warm and loving atmosphere. This, combined with such a great level of playing in rehearsal and performance and amazing teaching by our tutors, is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. In all the following tours and projects I’ve done, this feeling has always stayed and encouraged me to work on myself, both musically and personally, to become a better person and a better musician.
EUYO has given me all the joy and energy I invest every day as a working musician and made me fall in love with music and orchestra playing over and over again. I really can’t imagine how my life would have gone without EUYO, because nearly everything I do in music every day has been influenced if not entirely created by my EUYO experiences.
But apart from the music, EUYO has also widened my view about other people and cultures all over Europe. You get to see so many places and meet so many different people, all in such an open minded atmosphere. You make so many friends in so many different countries. You learn about so many different systems of music teaching and professional work. It’s just a joy. A joy you really don’t want to miss and which you want to pass on to other people, inside and outside the orchestra.
I’m struggling to put my feelings into words. The Lionel Bryer Memorial Fund Award given to me is a greater honour than I could ever express. Part of the money will help me to pay for my bass and part of it I will spend on visiting EUYO friends. I’m incredibly thankful to Lionel and Joy Bryer who came up with this great idea. I’m incredibly thankful to Chairman, CEO and Staff who make all this happen. And I’m incredibly thankful to all my EUYO friends who make this such a joy."
Jonathan Borksand Hanke
2018 Recipient of the Aleksandar Pavlović Award
"I never imagined, how much the European Union Youth Orchestra would shape my future as a musician. I have been playing in this orchestra since 2014, and in this long journey, I have made tons of lifelong friends, played the most memorable concerts in my life and learned what making music together is all about.
The spirit of the EUYO, is what makes the orchestra stand out from other orchestras. You will never find an orchestra, with more passion, joy and energy on and off stage, than the EUYO. and it is our responsibility as young musicians, to bring that further in to the music world!
EUYO has the incredible ability, to mold the young players that join the orchestra, in to professional musicians, but without it feeling like a chore. You want to perform, and do your best, every single day on tour, and suddenly you realize after many years how much you really have improved, both as a musician and as a colleague.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the board, who decided to give me the Alexander Pavlović award. I plan to include this money in my savings for a new instrument.
I also want to thank all my friends throughout my years in the EUYO. Whether it be fellow musicians, staff members, tutors or conductors; without you, I would have never been the person I am today."Hanna Guirten
2018 Recipient of the Sir Ian Stoutzker Award
"Every European conservatory student knows of the existence of the EUYO and the exception to this rule should know it! I, for one, had known about it for years through the stories of my fellow students, social media posts and great recordings. Thus, when I got notified in January 2018 that I had gained a place in this orchestra I was really happy and proud that I was going to be a part of it!
Now, in hindsight, I can only testify that the EUYO’s influence on my personality, career and friendships can hardly be overrated. Everyone in this orchestra greatly prefers playing music during six weeks in summer to going on holiday and that can clearly be heard. Especially now that ‘Europe’ has become such a dominant political item I realise how important it is to cooperate, respect one another and how much we can learn from each other despite our cultural differences.
The whole experience created magical moments and that is a message - as I felt even stronger playing in this exceptional orchestra – that also reached audiences across Europe. The EUYO offered me the opportunity to play beautiful horn parts in the most wonderful concert halls with fantastic conductors and the most amazing and sweet (horn)colleagues imaginable. It was an honour to be there and taught me a lot of things that have enriched my music-making and will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Last but certainly not least I want to thank Sir Ian Stoutzker for presenting me with this most generous award. It will be a great support in my musical future and allow me amongst other things to invest in a new instrument for which I am very, very grateful."