The University for Continuing Education Krems and the European Union Youth Orchestra gladly announce the start of a collaborative research project. It will research the impact of orchestras in European societies in four main strands: artistic and skills development, cultural diplomacy, environmental and social values, and regional cultural policies. Except those, the project will also touch on issues of gender and intersectionality, mental health and well-being, and European values.
In 2022, the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) deepened its long-standing tradition of annual concerts and summer rehearsal residencies in Grafenegg by establishing its permanent home in this outstanding cultural location. Further broadening its work in Lower Austria, the Orchestra also accepted an offer from the University for Continuing Education, Krems (UWK) to establish a management office in the university campus. A formal cooperation was established.
Now, both parties are ready to take their cooperation one step further - with a three-year-long research project under the academic leadership of UWK‘s Center for Applied Music Research, funded by the Department of Science and Research of Lower Austria. The project is starting in March 2025 at the Centre for Applied Music Research at the University for Continuing Education Krems.
The collaboration between the University of Krems and the EUYO creates a unique opportunity to work on these questions and put them into practice together. The UWK’s expertise in professional development at the intersection of research and praxis makes it the ideal partner for one of the best youth orchestras in the world with half a century of success as Cultural Ambassador for the European Union.
“It’s about the relevance of classical music in today’s societies”, says Olga Kolokytha, the scientific leader of the project. “Using the example of the European Union Youth Orchestra, we will be able to examine the impact of orchestras as important cultural organizations in Europe.”
“Our mission is to nurture the artistic and professional skills of Europe’s brightest young musicians” says Marshall Marcus, Executive & Artistic Director of the EUYO, “equipping them not only as outstanding young artists who can engage with a broad range of audiences, but also as future champions of music’s wider powers: collaboration, creativity, cultural diplomacy, and social responsibility. And continuous learning is the lifeblood of this power.
At the EUYO, we therefore enthusiastically embrace this opportunity for collaboration with UWK. It will enable us to inform our work with the latest state of academic knowledge, whilst remaining rooted in our key areas of artistic, educational and cultural practice. Such an approach will strengthen our Music Hub Austria programme centred at our home in Grafenegg, as well as our ability and competence to address the evolving challenges of our time with creativity and purpose.”
Further Information: EUYO
The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) is one of the world’s pre-eminent symphony orchestras. Each year, the Orchestra is shaped afresh through rigorous auditions: around 3000 applicants aged 16-26 throughout all 27 EU Member States audition for approximately 120 places. Its current Music Director is Iván Fischer, the latest in a long line of the world’s great conductors leading the Orchestra: Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, and Vasily Petrenko. Since 2022, the EUYO has made its home in Grafenegg, Lower Austria.
Founded by a unanimous vote of the European Parliament in 1976, the EUYO has been Cultural Ambassador for the European Union for almost fifty years. As it nurtures the next generation of cultural leaders, it combines world-class tours and residencies with a focus on connection, community service, and sustainability.
