SEYO Athens, 2017
In July 2017, young musicians and teachers from Sistema and Sistema-inspired programmes in 16 different European countries came together in Athens for a two-week residency with El Sistema Greece.
The ingredients for success
The orchestra at the summer camp in Athens consisted of 250 young musicians from all over Europe, the El Sistema Greece children’s choir and youngsters at the Skaramagas refugee camp. From the 20th of July until the 1st of August, they all rehearsed pieces by Handel, Beethoven, Brahms and Bizet as well as a selection of Greek and Arabic traditional music at the Athens Conservatoire.
One extra special piece of music that featured was Taxidi (meaning 'journey') by the French-Greek composer Alexandros Markeas. This piece was composed especially for SEYO's multi-cultural orchestra, which also had the honour of premiering it in their concluding concert.
An action-packed schedule with a few surprises
The programme of the SEYO Summer Camp 2017 included, in addition to workshops, sectionals, master classes and orchestra rehearsals, a visit to the Skaramagas refugee camp, where the musicians performed for and together with the camp's young inhabitants.
Another special highlight was the visit of the prizewinning conductor, Elim Chan. In 2014, Chan became the first female conductor to win the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition. She has also worked as an assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and, in 2016/2017, she participated in the Dudamel Fellowship Programme with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.
Chan’s visit was a big surprise for the young musicians who were attending the concert rehearsal. And, Chan herself, who conducted the SEYO orchestra in Tschaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, was visibly impressed by the multicultural orchestra and full of praise for the musicians' performances:
This big-wave-movement of the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra is really inspiring. The energy is amazing. They are open, they are willing to change and they are fast.
An extraordinary concert
The final concert of the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra was the culmination of the 4th summer residency and took place on stage at the mythical Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre under the Acropolis. More than 4,400 people enjoyed the performance of the multicultural orchestra conducted by renowned personalities associated with the El Sistema movement: 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).
The Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano and patron of El Sistema Greece, Joyce DiDonato, also made a special guest appearance by performing the Syrian song Lamma Bada with El Sistema Greece‘s choir, consisting of young Greek singers and children from local refugee camps.
Greek Conductor, Faidra Giannelou, said:
Greece is honoured to have hosted SEYO, which represents the highest level of Sistema work in Europe. We are confident that this international group of young musicians will have inspired and encouraged the children of El Sistema Greece, ensuring a significant impact on their musical development.
Watch the teaser for Reconnecting Symphonies, a documentary which traces the children performing at SEYO17 from summer 2016 through to the grand finale in August 2017