A training orchestra promoting intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Youth Orchestra
well known as OJM, which was founded in 1984 by the Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) and the French Ministère de la Culture, is pursuing its aim to provide musical training promoting intercultural dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean. Exchange and cooperation relationships have been developed with twenty or so countries in the Mediterranean and over 2,500 musicians have participated since the orchestra was founded.
The OJM organises one or several sessions throughout the year in order to offer young future professional musicians from the PACA area and Mediterranean countries some «professional» experience of orchestral playing, both in rehearsals and concerts. The OJM recruits his musicians by auditions in collaboration with national youth orchestras and conservatories of music.
In 2010 the Aix Festival and the OJM got together with the Festival's resident orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), to create an Orchestral Academy. This is how the OJM's summer training sessions will be held in the future, led by a conductor internationally renowned and a pedagogical team from LSO.
For over twenty years this training orchestra has contributed to intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean by combining training, professional integration and enjoying playing all together.
History
The Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, which was founded on the initiative by the Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) and the French Ministère de la Culture, has been on the Mediterranean music scene since 1984. Following the examples of the national and international youth orchestras founded in Europe in the 1980s, the OJM aims to develop the orchestral practice of future young professional musicians while promoting intercultural dialogue in the Mediterranean. Exchange and cooperation relationships have been developed with twenty or so countries in the Mediterranean and over 2,500 musicians have participated in different sessions since the orchestra has been founded.
Musicians
Over 2,500 musicians from 20 Mediterranean countries have participated in the training orchestra’s sessions since it was founded: Albania, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, Cyprus, Croatia, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey.
Some of the orchestra's members have gone on to become renowned soloists or conductors and many others have joined orchestras or teach or run schools of music.
Teachers
Approximately 90 teachers have succeeded one another in supervising the young musicians in the training sessions, including: Pierre Amoyal, Pierre Barbizet, Hermann Baumann, Maurice Bourgue, Olivier Charlier, Luis Claret, Carlo Colombo, Jacques Di Donato, Kudsi Ergüner, Sylvio Gualda, Christian Lardé, Jacques Mauger, Gilles Millière, Sarah Nemtanu, Theo Olof, Bruno Pasquier, Pierre Perlot, Bujar Sykja, Georges Van Gucht, Mark Withers and musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra, etc.
Conductors
17 conductors have prepared and directed the orchestra, such as Philippe Bender, Jean-Louis Forestier, Andrea Giorgi, Kristjan Järvi, Roland Hayrabedian, Jean-François Heisser, Alain Joutard, Dominique My, François-Xavier Roth, Michel Tabachnik, Arturo Tamayo, etc.
Concerts
Almost 250 concerts have been given in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region and in 15 Mediterranean countries. Some of the highlight venues in recent years include the Marseille, Nice and Damascus opera houses, Grand Théâtre de Provence d’Aix-en-Provence, La Roque d'Anthéron International Piano Festival, Festival Messiaen au pays de La Meije, Festival de Marseille, Festival Les Musiques du GMEM, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, «C'est Pas Classique» and the Nice Festival Académie, Festival des Nuits de la Méditerranée de Tanger, Fez Festival of World Sacred Music as well as venues in Andalusia and Tuscany.
New works
Since 2001 12 works by 9 composers have been premiered: Jean-Louis Agobet, Abed Azrié, Luca Antignani, Nicolas Bacri, Edith Canat de Chizy, Miguel Galvez-Taroncher, Philippe Gouttenoire, Caroline Marçot and Jean-Christophe Marti.
Cooperations and partnerships
For over 20 years the orchestra has developed permanent partnerships with musical organisations in the PACA area and Mediterranean countries and, above all, with a hundred or so conservatories of music, ministries of art and education and embassies in around twenty countries.
Since 2001 the orchestra has established training residences in Tangier-Tétouan (Morocco – 2002), Tuscany (Italy – 2003), Damascus (Syria) and Fez (Morocco – 2009).
The 2009 session was dedicated to a new version of The Gospel According to John by Abed Azrié, which was a coproduction with the Ministry of the Arts of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Damascus Opera House and High Institute of Music and the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music.
In 2010 the OJM associated with the Aix Festival and its resident orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, to create an Orchestral Academy.
The Mediterranean Youth Orchestra is subsidised by:
Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, main partner
Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, DRAC PACA
Conseil général des Bouches-du-Rhône
The Mediterranean Youth Orchestra (OJM) is an associate member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras (EFNYO) and an associate orchestra of the Association Française des Orchestres (AFO – French Association of Orchestras).
The OJM has developed permanent collaborations with musical organisations in the PACA area and Mediterranean countries and, above all, with a hundred or so conservatories of music, ministries of art and education and embassies in around twenty countries.
Depending on the seasons and sessions, the OJM enjoys the generous support of : the European Union – UNESCO - Cultures France - SACEM - Musique nouvelle en liberté - SPEDIDAM - Fondation Hippocrène – Deposit and Consignment Office - Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Cultural Authority - FNAC - France 3 Méditerranée - France Musique - France Bleu – Télérama, etc.
