The EUYO has today announced that it is moving its administrative home to Grafenegg, Lower Austria, and Vienna, from the beginning of 2023.
The move is the culminating development of a 13-year relationship with Grafenegg, during which the Orchestra has become a resident orchestra, and partner of Campus Grafenegg. In turn, Grafenegg has become the Orchestra’s principal venue partner and summer home. Building on these already strong ties, the EUYO and Grafenegg, with support from Lower Austria and the Federal Republic, will now develop their relationship further in a new Music Hub Austria project as well as through the relocation of the Orchestra’s administrative base.
Music Hub Austria develops the work the EUYO has already begun with the Lower Austria Music Schools in a series of joint projects, a shared online learning programme and “side by side” opportunities which will see the EUYO’s talented young players from all 27 EU member states working directly alongside musicians from Lower Austria’s enviable young musicians’ programme. It is planned to develop this work throughout Austria in the coming years with new Austrian partners, providing a model for how young people from different cultures working together at a high level of excellence can be the key to a peaceful and successful future in Europe.
The move allows the Orchestra to continue its current work in Grafenegg, not only rehearsing and performing, but also acting as a joint laboratory for the development of new ways of performing, and reaching new audiences, with the musical and administrative functions of the organisation now united in one place for a substantial portion of the year.
The move builds upon the Orchestra’s 5 years in Ferrara, Italy, a crucial period for the organisation as it transitioned away from its long-term UK base. The EUYO will maintain its highly valuable creative links in Italy, including its annual residency at the Bolzano Festival Bozen, which remains a key part of the Orchestra’s summer schedule, as well as its position as ensemble in residence at the Stauffer Academy in Cremona and partnership with the Italian national broadcaster Rai.
Commenting upon the move, EUYO Co-Chairs Martijn Sanders and Ewa Bogusz-Moore said:
“We are delighted to be moving to Austria and strengthening our ties with one of the most important and interesting festivals in Europe, a festival that is renowned not only for artistic excellence, but also a sense of entrepreneurship and creative imagination. As well as our partners in Austria, we would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in Italy who has helped our development in recent years, particularly Minister Dario Franceschini, who has given us unwavering support, and our friends in Ferrara, at Bolzano Festival Bozen, Rai, and the Stauffer Academy in Cremona”.
EUYO Secretary General Marshall Marcus commented on the new relationships announced today: “Thanks to the support of Grafenegg, Lower Austria and the Federal Republic of Austria, the new relationships announced today will drive the next phase of the Orchestra’s development, continuing the vision of the Orchestra’s founders, but also enabling it to continue adding innovation to tradition, creating an inspiring programme for 21st century Europe that responds to changes in our society, and continuing our 45-year role as EU Cultural Ambassadors. I am sure that Music Hub Austria will be a great success in Austria, and provide a model for Europe and beyond”.
Martin Eichtinger of the Provincial Council for International Relations of Lower Austria, stressed the symbolic importance of the EUYO decision to move to Austria:
“We are bringing a piece of history to Lower Austria: the EUYO has British roots, the founders Joy and Lionel Bryer and founding music director Claudio Abbado put the visionary idea of a youth orchestra into practice in 1976 and founded this institution, which is so important for the whole of Europe. Today, the EUYO is still a landmark of the European idea and, at the same time, a unique cultural project, and will become the first EU institution based in Austria”.
Grafenegg Managing Director Philipp Stein underlined the creative opportunities the relocation will enable: “This new chapter in the shared history of EUYO and Grafenegg opens new possibilities for fruitful exchange and collective growth – both musical and personal. With their energy, curiosity, and eagerness to experiment, the young musicians of the EUYO are the ideal ambassadors for positive European integration; for listening, engaging, and cooperation, qualities that will carry Europe into the future. In this spirit, I wish the EUYO every success with their relocation and look forward to seeing them again soon in Grafenegg!”
