The European Union Youth Orchestra is responding to the health pandemic with a major Digital Summer Residency and a new European Music Gallery Festival 2020 involving 300 musicians from all 27 EU Member States and the UK, supporting the German EU Presidency motto, ‘Together for Europe’s Recovery’
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The EUYO’s planned Summer Tour for 2020, including performances in Amsterdam, Berlin, Bolzano, Stresa, Moscow, the Orchestra’s Summer Home and Main Partner of Grafenegg and its headquarters in Ferrara, was to have included a world premiere, performances for the German EU Presidency and the 70th anniversary of the European Broadcasting Union.
Since the Coronavirus pandemic has led to the entire cancellation of this major tour, the EUYO resolved to respond by creating a far larger project, embracing both members and alumni of the Orchestra with a digital as well a physical project. Thus, the EUYO is enabling Europe’s finest young musicians to perform across Europe, and to reach increased audiences by broadcasting all the Festival concerts.
The EUYO’s Digital Summer Residency 2020 will run for three weeks between 19 July and 7 August for the Orchestra’s Summer Tour 2020 Orchestra. Using the EUYO’s newly launched EUYOdigital platform, musicians will take part in activities including sectional masterclasses with world-class EUYO tutors and EUYO Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko, numerous well-being sessions, special workshops with the EUYO Digital Gallery Orchestra, and debate with artists in live hangouts. Composer in Residence Hannah Kendall will work with the Orchestra in a number of events. Selected events will also be available for the public, including meetings with guests such as Norman Lebrecht, novelist and commentator on music and cultural affairs, and acclaimed conductors Marin Alsop and Antonio Pappano, discussing the future of orchestras.
European Music Gallery Festival 2020
The European Music Gallery Festival 2020 is a new Festival of physically-distanced chamber and ensemble music, performed live and recorded, that the Orchestra is launching with performances throughout August. Following current health rules in force in all EU countries and the UK, the conceptual aim of the Festival is for EUYO members and alumni to remain as much as possible in their own countries of residency to perform in those countries.
As a result, more than twice the number of musicians normally involved in EUYO summer projects will take part, with training to programme their own concerts in local venues, led by the Orchestra’s management team. The Festival will include performances with conductors Gianandrea Noseda and Pablo Heras-Casado, and pianist Beatrice Rana. With musicians from all 27 EU Member States and the United Kingdom, each performance will represent that country, or group of countries, in the wider European music scene.
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Highlights
- Three-week Summer Digital Residency 19 July – 7 August with online rehearsals, workshops, digital performance, hangouts and well-being sessions as well as Digital Residency sessions open to the public for the first time;
- Digital Residency artists including EUYO Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko, composer in residence Hannah Kendall, conductors Marin Alsop and Antonio Pappano, novelist and music commentator Norman Lebrecht, Music Fund founder Lukas Pairon, Rehearsal Director Peter Stark and a team of twelve world-class tutors;
- The launch of the European Music Gallery Festival 2020 with 24 socially distanced physical concerts in 19 countries across the EU and the UK, including at the EUYO’s home in Ferrara, the Bolzano Festival Bozen and Stresa Festival, and in major European cities and capitals including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Ljubljana, Lisbon, London, Tallinn and Zagreb;
- The European Music Gallery Festival 2020 will involve around 300 musicians from all 27 EU Member States and the UK, including 141 EUYO members and 151 EUYO alumni, and guest artists conductors Gianandrea Noseda and Pablo Heras-Casado, pianist Beatrice Rana;
- More than 90 pieces of music will be performed in the European Music Gallery Festival 2020 with living composers including Andy Akiho, Valerie Coleman, Jessie Montgomery, Natasa Paulberg, Joan Tower, Pēteris Vasks and Roland Szentpáli, amongst others, and music from composers of the 17th to the 21st centuries;
- All European Music Gallery Festival 2020 performances will be broadcast online and will be available on EUYO social media.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON
THE SUMMER DIGITAL RESIDENCY 2020
THE EUROPEAN MUSIC GALLERY FESTIVAL 2020