Members of the Malta Youth Orchestra were recently invited to join two foreign young orchestras.

In July, Veronica Said Pullicino flew to Aix-en Provence, France, for a week’s visit to play with the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Mediterraneé.

This orchestra was recruited from 16 countries from the Mediterranean basin and brought together 93 young musicians.

Students, in the various sections, were coached and given master classes by nine members of the London Symphony Orchestra, after which they merged under conductor Francois-Xavier Roth to prepare a programme that included the premiere performance of The Twittering Machine by Charlie Piper, Songs from Jewish Poetry by Dimitri Shostakovitch and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No 1.

The orchestra then toured in Aix, in Marseille and in Monaco. Pierre Louis Attard, Gabriel Gauci, and Augusto Quintano, spent 10 days in Linz, Austria, as guestsof the Upper Austria StringAssociation, and the Anton Bruckner Conservatory.

Members of the Bruckner Symphony Orchestra first trained the young musicians who then played in the Maarmor Halle in the town of St Florian (where Bruckner lived and played the organ) conducted by Philippe Entremont.

The 40-piece string orchestra played a programme that included the Divertimento in F major KV 138 by Mozart, the Kammersymphonie in C minor op 110 by Dimitri Shostakovitch, and the Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge by Benjamin Britten.

Maestro Joseph Vella, MYO composer-in-residence and conductor, organised and liased these visits. He said he has received very favourable feedback from both institutions about the performance and contribution of these young Maltese musicians.

Young musicians (of at least grade 7 standard) interested in forming part of the Malta Youth Orchestra may e-mail info@maltaorchestra.com for more information.