The Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, Europa Nostra, and the European Union Youth Orchestra invite you to attend the solidarity concert of the European Union Youth Orchestra “Better together – the Youth of the EU with the youth of Serbia”, on Thursday, 18th May 2023, at 20.30h in Kolarac Endowment, Studentski trg 5
The European Union Youth Orchestra was founded by the unanimous vote of the European Parliament in 1976. European Cultural Brand of the Year 2020, the Orchestra will perform in Belgrade as part of its 2023 spring tour. The concert will be jointly hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, and Europa Nostra: the European voice of civil society committed to cultural heritage.
In view of the recent tragic events in Serbia, this concert will also symbolise the solidarity the youth of the EU shares with the youth of Serbia. The EU Delegation has taken the decision to offer tickets to the concert free of charge, primarily to young Serbian audiences. There will also be a change to the planned tour programme, with the addition of Isidora Žebeljan’s Dark Velvet (in Memory of Gustav Mahler). The performance of this work, proposed personally by our soloist and conductor Daniel Rowland, will be preceded by a minute’s silence in homage to those who lost their lives. The hearts of every musician and every colleague in the Orchestra, all members of the Europa Nostra family and especially the ones who will gather in Belgrade on 17-19 May, and the EU Delegation go out to the people of Serbia as they grieve.
The programme as a whole is about topics that are key challenges for the future. The Orchestra and the internationally acclaimed violinist Daniel Rowland will perform a ground-breaking musical project: Carmen Fizzarotti’s [uncertain] Four Seasons. Fizzarotti’s rewriting of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons shows audiences what Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter might sound like in 2050, if biodiversity loss is not reversed. Works by J S Bach, Birtwistle and Terry Riley further explore concepts of shared leadership and participation: both democratic foundation stones.
In the hands of Europe’s finest young musicians, the programme is also a powerful reminder that this future should belong to them. EUYO members will be joined by 29 young Serbian musicians for the performance of Riley’s iconic In C, and Isidora Žebeljan’s Dark Velvet.