NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA & NATIONAL JAZZ ORCHESTRA OF GERMANY TOURS SOUTH AFRICA

After their huge success at the young.euro.classic in Berlin, the MIAGI Youth Orchestra and Youth Big Band will welcome the National Youth Orchestra and National Jazz Orchestra of Germany who will tour the country from the 30th of August till the 6th of September under the motto ‘Jazz and Classical Music for Fairness, Unity and Democracy’. Concerts will be held in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.


Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and 60 years after the establishment of the German Constitution have prompted the German National Jazz Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra to co-operate and tour South Africa together with a form of music that merges jazz and classical music - the so-called “Third Stream”. The two orchestras’ celebration of the birth of a third stream is linked quite consciously to the growing together of the two halves of Germany and symbolises the power of music to transcend borders.

This symbolism will find special expression by the fact that the tour is supported by both the South African and the German governments. The main German funders of the tour are the German Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, the Daimler AG, the German Music Foundation and the German broadcasting corporation Deutsche Welle. The main funders of MIAGI from South African side are the Department of Arts and Culture, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Pretoria, the Southern African – German Cultural Fund of the Southern African - German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Goethe-Institut Südafrika


There are original compositions for classical and jazz orchestra on the musical schedule. Over 120 young German musicians will appear together on the stage for George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”, probably the best known example of the strong influence of jazz on classical music. Young German and South African musicians will perform together in Gideon Nxumalo´s “Jazz Fantasia” in an arrangement for symphony orchestra and big band by Denzil Weale, commissioned by MIAGI and funded by the Goethe-Institut Südafrika.

Conductor of the concerts is Bernd Ruf, one of the leading musical personalities in the field of classical crossover. He has worked with renowned orchestras and soloists of classical, jazz, rock, pop, and world music such as Christian Lindbergh, Gwyneth Jones, Kim Kashkashian and Paul McCartney. The soloist for “Rhapsody in Blue” is Caspar Frantz, born 1980, one of Germany’s most exciting and promising pianists of the younger generation and recipient of the German Music Foundation of Music Life award.

The German Music Council, responsible Body for both of the National Orchestras, has been supporting music for over 50 years as they see it as an indispensable, integrating element in society. Through sponsorships to individuals, youth projects, amateur music and promotion of contemporary music the council keeps supporting the growth of musicians. As a member of the UNESCO international music committee the German Music Council has taken it upon themselves to unite young musicians from across the globe in the concept of music as a “moving force.”


Founded in 1969, the National Youth Orchestra of Germany brings together the best young musicians from all over Germany. The Orchestra has embarked on many national and international concert tours under the direction of celebrated conductors such as Kurt Masur, Gerd Albrecht, Yakov Kreizberg or Andrey Boreyko.With the continuous support of the German Music Council it has become on of the world’s leading youth orchestras and many of the former orchestra members have gone on to become well known soloists as well as members of top professional orchestras.


Founded in 1988, the National Jazz Orchestra of Germany (BuJazzO) winner of the 1997 German Music Prize, sponsors qualified and talented young jazz musicians in Germany. As an institution involved in the musical training of young people, it is unique of its kind worldwide. Peter Herbolzheimer has been in charge of the orchestra for 18 years and is the force behind its international success.

Dates of the tour:
30 Aug, 15h00 – performance together with the Black Tie Ensemble within the Capital Arts Festival (CAF) – State Theatre, Pretoria
31 Aug, 20h00 – performance - Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg
2 Sept, 19h30 – performance - Sand du Plessis Theatre, Bloemfontein – in collaboration with the Free State Youth Orchestra
4 Sept, 19h30 – performance – Feather Market Centre, Port Elizabeth
6 Sept, 15h30 – performance - City Hall, Cape Town – in collaboration with the Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

(tickets from R75 to 110, with discounts for pensioners and students are available at Computicket)

miagi

Posted in: BJO, BuJazzO, miagi