22 July 2025
Sharing Culture and Music Across the Globe
Since their ten-day residency at the Akoesticum Cultural Training Centre in Ede, Netherlands, the Australian Youth Orchestra have continued to inspire and impress. Our players started off at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in, Germany, presenting Australia’s own Christian Li in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade and Peter Sculthorpe’s ode to the central Australian landscape, Earth Cry. Our musicians were privileged to present this program also at the famed Musikverein in Vienna, proudly displaying a glimpse of Australian cultural identity to the famed European stage. Only a day after this momentous performance, they then performed at Stefaniensaal, Graz, switching to an entirely new program featuring Australian composer Alice Chance, as well as Ravel, Massanet, and Tchaikovsky’s formidable fourth symphony. Throughout the whole process, AYO have been delightfully supported by distinguished guest mentors, and we are thrilled to work again with William Barton as didgeridoo soloist, as well as conductors David Robertson and Carlo Antonioli.
Now approximately halfway through concerts, the AYO are gearing up to bring their music to yet another world-famous hall – the Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Still to come are also one more festival appearance at the Rheingau Music Fesitval in Wiesbaden and a final concert at the Großer Sendesaal, RBB, Berlin, before bringing it all back home to the Sydney Homecoming Concert on 31st July.
Consistent throughout the tour has been a commitment to artistic excellence and camaraderie. Our musicians recognise themselves as cultural ambassadors of Australia, and wear this privilege with pride. Coupled with music centered around place, stories and Country, our participants have proudly been wearing garments handmade and AYO-commissioned by Ikuntji Artists, a not-for-profit Indigenous arts centre renowned for their rich designs depicting stories from First Nations’ cultures. Much like the music and musicians themselves, these colourful designs have injected even more life and vitality into each performance’s musical storytelling. This collaboration is a first for AYO, and has been a wonderful opportunity for our musicians to personally connect with First Nations art and share this with our European colleagues and friends.
The mix of vibrant festivals, grand concert halls, scenic beauty and cultural immersion has been nothing short of profound for our young players. No doubt, the fun has extended beyond the stage, with many of our participants also eagerly sharing their journeys on social media for their friends, and our audiences, to see. AYO violinist and Media and
Communications Fellow, Julia Hill, has kept us up to date with on-the-ground reflections, (her most recent featuring in a heartwarming blog post), whilst rehearsal footage and candid photos have been streaming in from excited staff and musicians alike. It’s hard not to feel a twinge of envy for our AYO family’s European summer, but the joy is still palpable across continents, as we witness the power of music on exchange, and await the Orchestra’s return with thrilling anticipation.
- Elena Wittkuhn, Media and Communication Fellow 2025