European Union Youth Orchestra

The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) is a training orchestra for young people in the European Union. It is funded centrally by the European Union and by a number of EU member states. It brings together young and talented musicians from the EU and internationally proclaimed professors to form an internationally renowned orchestra [cite web |last=Breckenfield |first=Nick |title=European Union Youth Orchestra |publisher=classicalsource.com |url=http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=3651 |accessdate = 2008-01-15] [cite web |last=Van Gelder |first=Lawrence |title=Footlights |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E3D91639F931A2575BC0A96F958260
publisher= The New York Times | accessdate = 2008-01-15] [cite web |title=UPS announces sponsorship of EU Youth Orchestra in time for the Proms! 2001 Press Release |url=http://www.ups.com/content/gb/en/about/news/2001_news/20010802engeuyosponsorship_n.html
accessdate=2008-01-15] .

History

The European Community Youth Orchestra, as it was originally called, was created in 1978 in the spirit of the European ideal of working together to achieve peace and social understanding and to produce one of the finest amateur orchestras in the world. Created by the youth arts promoters Lionel and Joy Bryer with the full support of the European Parliament and the European Commission it was also designed to provide an invaluable professional development experience for young orchestral musicians.

Funding

The European Union Youth Orchestra is supported by the European Union budget line "Support to organisations which promote European Culture", and by twenty-seven member states' governments of the European Union.

Members

The 140 young musicians are selected by rigorous auditions attracting more than 4,000 of the most gifted young musicians in Europe. Applicants must be aged between 14 and 24 years and are recruited for a period of 12 months after which they must re-audition if they wish to continue in the orchestra. Over 90% of the players go on to find positions in professional orchestra afterwards.

The musical director is Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Concerts and tours

The EUYO performs regularly in the European Capital of Culture programmes and the annual BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall in London [cite web |last=Cowan |first=Rob |title= PROMS European Union Youth Orchestra / Haitink Royal Albert Hall |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19970911/ai_n14132277 |publisher=The Independent (London) | accessdate = 2008-01-15] . It tours regularly throughout Europe and further a field including China, Hong Kong, Japan, India and North and South America. In April 2007 it was invited to perform two concerts in Kazakhstan.

References

ee also

* European Union Baroque Orchestra
* European Union Chamber Orchestra
* European Union Orchestra and Chorus
* Salzburg Easter Festival
* Lucerne Festival Orchestra

External links

* [http://www.euyo.org.uk/ EUYO website]