Capital Sounds is a major pan-European initiative marking the 40th anniversary of the EUYO.  The project will include concerts in every capital city of the European Union over the coming few years.  The idea behind the project is to champion unity through diversity – celebrating individual national cultures within a pan-European orchestral tradition.  The events will include keynote speeches by national leading cultural figures and joint performances with local youth ensembles, reflecting the local musical traditions of that country.

Capital Sounds will begin on the 7th August 2016 in Bratislava, for a joint celebration of Slovakia assuming the EU Presidency on the 1st July, and of EUYO’s 40^th anniversary. The orchestra will then continue on to Slovenia, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko and EUYO Conductor Laureate Bernard Haitink will lead the orchestra, with repertoire to include Mozart, Haydn, Mahler and Bruckner.

One of the European Union’s great cultural institutions, the EUYO was founded as the European Community Youth Orchestra in 1976 by Joy and Lionel Bryer.  Since then it has been the leading orchestra for young musicians in the EU, providing an exceptional bridge between music colleges and the professional music world. Auditioning the best young musicians from every EU Member State is a rigorous process, taking several months every year to complete, but it means the EUYO can claim to be the only entity in Europe that represents and presents young cultural performers at a high level of excellence from all 28 EU countries.

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