John Gilhooly RPS chairman issued the following statement in support of EUYO:
The Royal Philharmonic Society has been at the heart of music in the UK for over 200 years, collaborating with composers and performers from across Europe from the outset, including commissioning Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, with its Ode to Joy (now the European Union ‘anthem’). The society believes that the European Union Youth Orchestra is one the greatest Cultural Ambassadors of the European Union, and that for 40 years it has been a beacon for the EU's highest values and ideals. The Society believes that without direct core funding from the EU this unique organisation will cease to exist after 1 September 2016.
In the week that the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards - the UK’s most prestigious awards for live classical music – celebrated the high octane energy and creative talents of the younger generation (including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, named RPS Ensemble of the year) it is ironic, and deeply concerning, that the EUYO should encounter this threat. We therefore call upon President Juncker, President Schulz and Commissioner Navracsics with urgency, to agree a level of core funding directly for the Orchestra that will enable its survival.