National Youth Orchestra of Germany Tours India: January 18 – 25, 2018

Germany’s finest young musicians play concerts in Mumbai, Panaji, Margao, and Chennai.

From January 18th to 25th, for the first time in history, the National Youth Orchestra of Germany is touring India. The National Youth Orchestra of Germany is Germany’s youngest major orchestra and is made up of the country’s finest young musicians between the ages of 14 and 19.

The India tour under the direction of German maestro Hermann Bäumer starts in the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. Further on, the highly gifted young musicians will play in Panaji, Margao and Chennai. The concert programme is inspired by nature: Robert Schumann’s Symphony No.3, “Rhenish”, Peter Tchaikovsky’s orchestral fantasy The Storm and Jón Leifs’ Geysir fit into the musical image of nature and humankind. In an additional concert in Mumbai (January 19th) as well as in Margao (January 24th), the young musicians will present themselves as Soloists of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany with challenging Solo Works for Violin, Clarinet, Flute, Oboe and many more. In Chennai, the young talents will give, on the eve of Republic Day, an extraordinary concert in Chennai’s centre of musical excellency, The Music Academy Madras. The young musicians and their conductor Hermann Bäumer dedicate this remarkable music event to the Festival Embrace our rivers, a project of Goethe-Institut Chennai.

During their India tour, the orchestra will also work and perform with musicians from India. Later in the year, in September, these musicians will come to Germany in order to perform together with the National Youth Orchestra of Germany at the Beethovenfest Bonn.

The National Youth Orchestra of Germany – Play, Promote, Inspire!

The National Youth Orchestra of Germany was founded by the German Music Council in 1969. In addition to Sir Simon Rattle, distinguished conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Kurt Masur, Gustavo Dudamel, and Kirill Petrenko have led the orchestra; soloists have included Christian Tetzlaff, Tabea Zimmermann, and Fazil Say, as well as the rock musicians Sting and Peter Maffay. In 2016, the orchestra – together with the conductor Alexander Shelley and Campino from the group “Die Toten Hosen” – was awarded an Echo Klassik prize in the category “Classic for Children”. In 2013, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra assumed an official mentoring role for the youth orchestra, which is invited each year to the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden for concerts under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, who wrote:

“What an enormous pleasure to meet this wonderful next generation of colleagues! I think the future of orchestras is safe in your hands…”

The young musicians qualify by auditioning for a jury of professionals. During intensive work phases, they prepare significant orchestral works from all periods; contemporary music and premieres of new compositions are an integral part of the repertoire. Tours have taken the group throughout Europe, as well as to Asia, Africa, and North and South America. The orchestra has participated in numerous projects of historical significance, including a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift with Kurt Masur in New York and concerts in Johannesburg and Cape Town as part the cultural activities preceding the World Cup football games in 2010. The orchestra opened the German Year in Mexico City in 2016, and in 2017 toured for the second time with the German National Youth Ballet, this time with a program called “Summit Meeting – Reformation”. The orchestra’s work is generously supported by the German Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Daimler AG, the City of Bonn, GVL (German Collecting Society for Performing Rights), DOV (Union of German Orchestra Musicians), the German National Youth Orchestra Foundation, and numerous private donors.

Concerts Schedule

January 18th, Mumbai, National Centre for the Performing Arts | Programme: Leifs, Tschaikowsky, Schumann

January 19th Mumbai, National Centre for the Performing Arts | Programme: Soloists of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany

January 23rd, Panaji, Kala Academy | Programme: Leifs, Tschaikowsky, Schumann

January 24th Margao, Ravindra Bhavan (Theatre) | Programme: Soloists of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany

January 25th, Chennai, Music Academy Madras | Programme – Leifs, Tschaikowsky, Schumann