The Mediterranean Youth Orchestra
was created in 1984 by the Provence-Alpes-Côte
d'Azur Regional Council and the Ministry
of Culture. Following the example of the great European
Youth Orchestras in the eighties, the aim of the Mediterranean
Youth Orchestra is to develop the orchestral practice of young
musicians in order to prepare them for a musical career.
The specificity of the orchestra
consists in developing cultural and artistic exchanges throughout
the Mediterranean Basin. It opens prospects for permanent collaboration
aimed at stimulating musical pedagogy, training and professional
insertion of young artists between the countries involved. After
the training session, an international tour of concerts in several
countries of the Mediterranean allows them to meet with their
different publics.
Since 1984, exchanges with 21
countries of the Mediterranean Basin have been developed and
more than 1700 musicians have taken part in the sessions under
the direction of conductors such as Jean-Louis Forestier, Andrea
Giorgi, Dominique My, Michel Tabachnik, Arturo Tamayo... and
under the pedagogic responsibility of professors and soloists
of international fame such as Pierre Barbizet, Luis Claret,
Jacques Di Donato, Kudsi Ergüner, Sylvio Gualda...
Since 2001, under the impulse
of a new general manager, Pierre Jacques, the Mediterranean
Youth Orchestra has been pursuing its goals of cooperation,
training and diffusion, while giving a more consistent attention
to creation and to musical openmindedness as initiated by Henri
Fourès, artistic manager from 1995 to 1998.
The orchestra will be under the
musical direction of Roland
Hayrabedian since 2002. Compositions are commissioned every
year and the choir has been introduced as an essential element
of the musical landscape of the Mediterranean Basin. The musical
programme integrates a piece of the 20th century repertory as
well as traditional songs of the Mediterranean, to remind us
that all music finds its roots in the depths of the memory of
mankind.
20 SEASONS
FROM 1984 TO 2004
MUSICIANS
Over 1,700 musicians
from 20 countries
in the Mediterranean Basin have participated in the seasons
of the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra since it was founded.
Over 500 French musicians,
approximately 100 musicians
per country from Albania, Egypt, Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey
and
tens of musicians
from Algeria, Cyprus, Croatia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta,
Morocco, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria and Tunisia.
Some of the musicians have gone on to become international soloists
such as the violinists Gabriel Croitoru, Leonidas Kavakos, Stefan
Milenkovich, cellist Robert Cohen, trumpeter player David Guerrier,
organist Michael Matthes, etc. and many others have joined orchestras
or teach in conservatoires.
TEACHERS
58 teachers have
succeeded each other over the 20 seasons, including Pierre Amoyal,
Pierre Barbizet, Hermann Baumann, Maurice Bourgue, Luis Claret,
Jacques di Donato, Kudsi Ergüner, Sylvio Gualda, Christian
Lardé, Gilles Millière, Theo Olof, Bruno Pasquier
and Pierre Perlot.
CONDUCTORS
13 conductors
including Jean-Louis Forestier, Andrea Giorgi, Dominique My,
Michel Tabachnik and Arturo Tamayo have prepared and conducted
the orchestra.
CONCERTS
165 concerts have
been given, including 114 in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region
and 47 in 15 countries of the
Mediterranean Basin.
FIRST PERFORMANCES
Since 2001, 10 works by 7 composers
have been given first performances over the last four seasons:
Jean-Louis Agobet, Abed Azrié, Lucas Antignani, Edith
Canat de Chizy, Philippe Gouttenoire, Caroline Marçot
and Jean-Christophe Marti.
COOPERATION
Since 2001, the orchestra has set up its training residences
in Tanger-Tétouan (Morocco) in 2002, Tuscany (Italy)
in 2003 and Corsica in 2004. The French musicians in the 2002
and 2003 seasons were invited to perform in concerts when the
Morocco Philharmonic Orchestra went on tour and to take part
in the International Festival of Music of Alexandria.
PARTNERSHIPS
For 20 years, the orchestra has enjoyed permanent partnerships
with all the countries in the Mediterranean Basin, particularly
with approximately one hundred
conservatories and higher academies of music,
ministries of the arts and education and French embassies in
approximately twenty countries.
