INTERNATIONAL AFFIRMATION OF YOUNG TALENTS
The world today is really united and indivisible.
Although burdened with constant wars, hunger and violence, divided in
rich and poor, harassed by mutual conflicts and animosities, manifold
ties connect the people of this planet. Culture and art are one of
those noble and unbreakable ties. The role of the young people in
establishing and sustaining such connections is immense. They are not
in the last burdened by race, national or confessional divisions. They
are connected by a different tie-the love towards art, in this case,
towards music.
This connections and contacts are particularly
important and significant for those young people who have chosen music
as their vocation. It is a generally known fact that music does not
recognize borders and it is a universal language which those who are
in it professionally, use to communicate and understand each other.
Thence the interest and the desire among the young musicians from
various countries to come closer meet and associate with each other.
However, these contacts have another, even more important dimension.
Young musicians come from different upbringing, from a larger or
modest musical tradition, belong to different schools, get education
guided by different principles and differ in their professional
standards and talent. That is why the desire of the young musicians
for performances and visits to other countries, beside being a result
of the need to get recognition and presentation of their musical
achievements, also leads to possibilities to learn about the
achievements of their colleagues, to interest to learn something new
and more and to measure their own values with other, perhaps even
stricter criteria. That is why the society, the professional musical
associations and the other factors which are obliged and authorized to
decide upon this issue should not regret their efforts and financial
support to help the young musicians perform in other countries-have
concerts, participate in seminars, musical camps, international
competitions, attend specialization courses and other events. The
usefulness of such policy, which consists of support and material aid
in the formation of the young musical artist-the future represent of
our musical culture-would soon have its results and justify the
financial investments.
In the short article I would like to pay more
attention to a different type of musical companionship, not
individual, but collective, through joint participation and playing in
larger ensembles-chamber and philharmonic orchestras. I would like to
point to several examples and experiences. Above all, i would like to
conclude that the participation in such orchestra ensembles of young
musicians from different countries has a large number of positive
aspects:
- the musical activity and practicing on the instrument continues
over the summer (usually, this musical camps and gatherings happen
in the summer during the summer vacations), thus there is no
interruption in the continuity of work;
- young musicians, when playing in larger orchestra ensembles get
acquainted with more difficult and complicated works in the
orchestra literature which, in most cases, they have no
opportunity to perform and their schools colleges or universities;
- While preparing a certain program, they work under the artistic
guidance of experienced teachers, pedagogues and famous conductors
and thus acquiring various approaches to the interpretation and
characteristics of style of certain compositions. This experience
will be very useful in their future work, regardless of the way
they are going to perform after the completion of their education,
as soloists on the stage or as orchestra musicians;
- by participating in a larger number of performances (often one
prepared program is performed in several towns or countries before
various audience), young orchestra members gain orchestra
experience, routine and stage concentration;
- while visiting various towns or countries, the young musicians
have the opportunity to visit many cultural and historical
monuments, to learn about the history and the cultural values of
various nations, to attend to opera performances or concerts of
distinguished artists from throughout the world and all that
contributes to the enrichment and broadening of their intellectual
and spiritual horizons;
- Finally, through these joint projects, the young people
socialize among themselves, exchange experiences, make friends,
agree on mutual exchange and visits and establish connections that
are sustained and last long.
All this shows the extent to which this kind of
joint projects helps young musicians from throughout the world gain
recognition.
I would also like to list several examples of such
cooperation in this area in the activities of the Faculty of Musical
Art and the activities of the Jeunesses Musicales Macedonia.
In the summer of 1995, a group of students from the
Faculty for Musical Art was invited by Musical Academy in Altenburg,
Germany to take part in the rehearsing and performing of the
international philharmonic orchestra. The initiators of this project
were pleased with the quality and the work of our students, so this
cooperation continued in the following years and the number of the
participants invited was extended.
In the last several years, the Faculty for Musical
Art and its orchestra realized several significant projects and for
that, purpose invited many young musicians from the European countries
and the USA. Due to the join efforts of all participants, several
capital works from the world symphony literature such as
Stravinsky’s ‘Le sacre du printemps’, Hindemith’s ‘Matisse,
the painter’, Wagner’s evening etc. were performed at a high
professional level. All participants and guests left with the best
impressions and memories of this stay and spread in their environs
their newly acquired knowledge about Macedonia, its people, history
and culture.
The musical youth of Macedonia has undoubtedly had
a great and significant role in helping our young musicians get
international recognition through participation in various European
and world orchestras. In the last 25 years, more than 40 musicians
from our country, via the Musical Youth of Macedonia, took part in
several international youth orchestras and musical camps in Poland,
USA, Canada, Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Hungary and
Croatia. Their qualities and knowledge secured them high places in the
grouping of the orchestras. Their work with famous and experienced
conductors enriched experience and knowledge in the area of orchestral
playing. They have leading positions in the orchestras of the
Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera and Macedonian Radio and
Television, where they have transferred their experience and
knowledge. Many of them perform as soloists in our country and abroad.
The Chamber Orchestra of the Musical Youth of Macedonia has a
significant place in the musical life of our country. This ensemble is
celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Its activities
were mostly concentrated in the summer period as a part of the Summer
Musical Camp organized by the Musical Youth of Macedonia. This
orchestra has grown into a serious artistic body, able to perform
successfully harder and more complicated works from baroque,
classical, romantic and contemporary musical literature as well as
works for Macedonian composers. Their performances on Ohrid Summer
Festival, Skopje Summer Festival, in several towns in Macedonia and
abroad (Hungary) brought them renown and respect as an ensemble whose
artistic results make them competitive with similar professional
performing bodies. In the last several years, young conductors lead
the orchestra and it worked with famous soloists from our country and
abroad. This resulted with concerts highs praised by the professional
critics. The current thing in the work of this ensemble is its
transformation into an international orchestra. Large number of
musicians, mostly from the neighboring countries-Albania, Bulgaria,
the former Yugoslav republics and Russia-have gladly accepted the
invitation to participate in the work of the orchestra. In this case
also, they have an opportunity to get recognition of their artistic
results and the achievements of their countries in the musical field.
This, in the best possible way, the Musical Youth of Macedonia
fulfills its motto-to create and nurse firm and permanent links among
the youth of the world through musical teamwork.
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