The 2024 SEYO Summer Residency

 
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The 2024 SEYO Summer Residency

Etienne Abelin, Co-founder, Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra; Music Director, Empire State Youth Orchestra, U.S.A.

09-04-2024

Jazz ensemble concert with conductor Eduardo Lala. Photo: Marco Bargnesi.

The Seventh Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra Residency was hosted this July by Urbino and Pesaro, Italy; the residency was held within the celebrations of Pesaro Italian Capital of Culture 2024. This event continued a bi-annual tradition that began in 2013: previous summer camps have taken place in Vienna/Salzburg, Austria; Istanbul, Turkey; Milan, Italy; Athens, Greece; Birmingham, U.K.; and Madrid, Spain.

This year’s gathering was more than a musical event; it was also a chance for young musicians to explore the connections between music and nature, guided by the theme “Song of the Earth,” which put a focus on questions of sustainability. The residency brought together 189 young musicians from 22 Sistema-inspired programs across 17 countries, all united by a shared commitment to music and environmental awareness.

The week culminated in a final concert at Pesaro’s historic Cantiere Rossini shipyard. This venue, with its mix of industrial history and natural surroundings, perfectly reflected the residency’s theme, underscoring the relationship between human activity and the environment.

The woodwind section taking a bow after the final concert, with sinking boat backdrop. Photo: Tomas Hernandez.

Students from local secondary schools collaborated with a European climate activism organization, Climate-KIC, to design and create a stage set for the concert. A tremendous pile of thousands of used plastic bottles, collected by the school students, rose behind the student orchestra to create the impression of sea waves; in the middle of the waves was a half-sinking boat scavenged from an old stage set, symbolizing the need to intervene before it is too late for a rescue.

The rehearsal schedule was intense, with participants working under the direction of conductors Roberto Abbado, Charlotte Politi, Kyriaki Kountouri, Juan Carlos Maggiorani, Ron Davis Álvarez, and myself. Conductor José Angel Salazar oversaw the planning to ensure that the young musicians had the best possible learning experiences and preparations for the final concerts.

In addition to rehearsals, the residency included early-morning yoga sessions, afternoon workshops, and panel discussions for teachers and heads of programs; the workshops and discussions were led by Ron Davis Álvarez, Francesca Canali, and others. These sessions provided tailored opportunities for professional development and exchange of ideas, enriching the overall experience for everyone involved.

Conductor Ron Davis Álvarez leading a workshop. Photo: Marco Bargnesi.

A dedicated team of coaches, including Sistema program teachers, expert sectional coaches, and alumni of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), supported the participants throughout the residency. These mentors helped the young musicians navigate the demanding schedule of the week, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.

The orchestra repertoire was diverse, featuring Bedřich Smetana’s The Moldau, a song by Gustav Mahler, some lively Latin American and Portuguese pieces, and an excerpt from Joyce DiDonato’s EDEN Project. The SEYO orchestra also performed two pieces composed for B-Me, a collaborative project that pairs local composers with musicians from refugee or migrant backgrounds. One of these pieces incorporated nature sounds created by the instruments and choir and was linked to another piece using Soundpainting, a language for live composition.

Another important feature of the residency was the chamber music program, which concluded with a beautiful outdoor concert at the Palazzo Ducale of Urbino.

The residency did not come without challenges. The heat was a constant factor! And the acoustics of the rehearsal space and concert venue turned out to be unusual, requiring the student musicians to be especially flexible and to rely on visual cues to connect and anticipate each other’s musical intentions. 

For many of the young musicians, SEYO 2024 was a significant experience—a time for forming new connections, gaining new insights, and creating lasting memories. One participant said, “I met kids with incredible energy and passion for what they do. They inspired me, as did the coaches and conductors. Playing in such a big orchestra and being with kids who expressed their happiness while playing was just beautiful. I hope my friends and I will be able to bring all this energy back to the orchestras we belong to.”

Another participant reflected on the final concert, saying, “It was a great concert, the best one I’ve ever played in.” These reflections capture the essence of SEYO 2024: a week of music, growth, and a deepened appreciation for the world around us.

B-Me Collaborative Project, Challenges: Heat and Acoustics, Chamber Music Concert, Charlotte Politi, Climate-KIC, EDEN Project, Etienne Abelin, Final Concert Cantiere Rossini, International Music Collaboration, Italian Capital of Culture 2024, José Angel Salazar, Joyce DiDonato, Juan Carlos Maggiorani, Kyriaki Kountouri, Music and Nature, Palazzo Ducale Urbino, Professional Development Workshops, Rehearsal Highlights, Roberto Abbado, Ron Davis Álvarez, September 2024, SEYO, SEYO 2024, Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra, Song of the Earth, Soundpainting, Sustainability in Music, Urbino, Youth Music Residency

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