The Faculty of Music of the University of Debrecen and the Conservatory Foundation jointly organized the highly attended International Summer Academy for Young Musicians for secondary school students, students of music in higher education and and young music teachers. This year's event once again attracted a number of returning participants, demonstrating the high quality of the Summer Academy both at the national and the international level.
Each year, the primary goal of the workshops, in addition to enhancing professional skills, is the formation of the Zoltán Kodály World Youth Orchestra. Apart from those coming from Hungary, students from the United States, South Korea, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, China, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Ukraine and South Korea attended the courses, which were taught by master teachers from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Artistic Director of the International Summer Academy of Young Musicians Judit Váradi, highlighted that the special feature of this event is that the participating talents learn to pull together as a unified orchestra over the span of but a few days.
“Hungarian music education is well known and recognized abroad, but the Summer Academy has played a key part in putting the University of Debrecen on the international map of music education. It is a great pleasure for us that our Summer Academy offers an opportunity for developing relationships that are functional even in the long run. There are so many mechanisms within this cooperation and joint work that have triggered countless personal stories over the past twenty-two years. I believe that each and every summer academy has its own salient atmosphere, which is built around the fact that it brings together people who share a common purpose and interest. The professional feature of this event provides them with excellent guidance on how to organize their lives. For example, one of our former students is now a professor, yet still finding inspiration in what was experienced seven years ago at the summer academy and what all the students learned at that time from Tamás Vásáry,” added Judit Váradi.
The Summer Academy for Young Musicians also offered students a range of additional complementary sessions apart from master classes for soloists and symphonic orchestras and the rehearsals of the world orchestra. These include courses on the musicality of movement as well as training methodology, i.e., the complete training of musical attention for the development of performing skills.
“We change the program year by year in order to maintain the high added value of the professional meetings that complement the well-established masterclasses. Naturally, there will be some of these next year as well. The professional prestige and one of the main attractions and of this event is represented by the Kodály Zoltán World Youth Orchestra, which was originally the brainchild of Tamás Vásáry. It is an immense pleasure for us that he is still enthusiastic about his work and that his presence helps forge together young musicians who come to Debrecen from different cultures and with different skills,” said the artistic director.
The 23rd Summer Academy concludes with concerts performed by the Kodály Zoltán World Youth Orchestra. The first of these performances was held in Budapest, in Pesti Vigadó Díszterme [Ceremonial Hall of Pesti Vigadó] on July 17, followed by a very successful appearance in Debrecen’s Nagytemplom [Big Church Building] the next day. The last venue is Dinu Lipatti Állami Filharmónia / Filarmonica de Stat Dinu Lipatti [Dinu Lipatti State Philharmonic] in Szatmárnémeti [Satu Mare, Romania]. Tamás Vásáry says that it is always an invaluable experience for him to conduct the world orchestra in his hometown of Debrecen, which he was very proud of this time, too.
“It's a miracle how young people can play music together in such a way, even when they don't know each other, they are so talented that they can do it. It's a particular challenge for them, as they've never played together before, but they smoothly overcome these obstacles, take on the task and do it wonderfully, perfectly. Every year I conduct the orchestra and I see that they play with all their heart and soul, they have the knowledge to bring the pieces to life. They are in a particularly difficult position, as they have to play several Hungarian works, but this time they have again performed to the highest possible standard," said the Kossuth Prize-winning conductor, founder of the Kodály Zoltán Youth World Orchestra.
The ensemble performed Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi, an excerpt from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's classic Swan Lake and Zoltán Kodály's János Háry suite. Zoltán Bolyky conducted the former two pieces, Tamás Vásáry the latter.
Press Center - BZ
