Starting today, young musicians and teachers from Sistema and Sistema-inspired programmes in 16 different European countries will come together in Athens for a two-week residency with El Sistema Greece. One particularly special aspect of this year’s SEYO will be its culmination, with more than 250 young musicians between the ages of ten and twenty coming together on the stage of the mythical Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the evening of the 1st August.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, where SEYO will play in August
And, this joint performance of the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra (SEYO) will be made even more memorable by the fact that the young musicians will be closing the Hellenic Festival (a.k.a. the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, a major music event which has been held in Athens since 1955) and that they will be playing a piece called Taxidi (which translates as “a journey”), written by the French-Greek composer Alexandros Markeas and specially commissioned for them and the occasion.
Marshall Marcus, President and Founder of Sistema Europe and Trustee of Sistema England, said:
“The Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra [SEYO] annual summer residency is a unique opportunity for Europe’s young people to celebrate international friendship and solidarity through music. This summer, through the generous hosting of El Sistema Greece, we are delighted to bring the SEYO to Athens, cradle of European culture and also today a vital centre of endeavour to help young refugees from outside of Europe. The events of SEYO 2017 promise to have very special scope and significance.”
So, if you’re in Greece this summer, be sure not to miss this performance with the full Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra and renowned Sistema conductors, such as Bruno Campo and Samuel Matus (Guatemala / Austria / Turkey), Etienne Abelin (Switzerland), Juan Carlos Maggiorani, Félix Briceño and Ron Davis Álvarez (Venezuela, Portugal, Turkey / Sweden) and Faidra Giannelou (Greece).
For tickets to the evening and a list of the pieces being played, visit the Athens & Epidaurus Festival website at http://greekfestival.gr/en/events/view/el-sistema-greece-2017.
El Sistema Greece and Sistema Europe are grateful to the Hilti Foundation for its generous and essential support of SEYO 2017.
