Eighteen-year-old Gozitan violinist Jean Noël Attard was the only Maltese in the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) during its 2009 summer concert-tour. Mr Attard also formed part of the EUYO in 2008, while in 2006 attended the orchestra's summer school.

This year, the orchestra held its rehearsal period in Graffenegg, Austria. The first concert was held at the Wolkenturm at Schloss Grafenegg in Haitzendorf. The orchestra then moved to Italy for two concerts, one as part of the Salò Festival at Lake Garda, and the other as part of the Bolzano Summer Festival.

The EUYO then travelled to the Netherlands for two concerts at Amsterdam's highly prestigious Concertgebouw. One of these concerts was attended by Queen Beatrix. The orchestra then held concerts in Germany and the tour ended with two concerts in the Czech Republic, one in Brno and another at the famous Rudolfinum in Prague as part of the Dvorák Festival.

The orchestra's initial concerts were directed by American conductor Andrew Litton, with world-renowned Russian conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy eventually taking over for the second part of the concert-tour. Mr Attard has since returned to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he is currently reading for an undergraduate music degree at Napier University as an Ian Tomlin scholar.

Majoring in violin under the tutorship of Philip Burrin of Edinburgh Quartet fame, he has just started his second year.

Mr Attard was awarded the university's Alan Tait Memorial Prize for the most promising first-year music student.

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