65 youth orchestras from all over the world meet and compete in Zurich
Published: Friday, Jul 12th 2024, 11:20
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65 orchestras with over 2500 young people will be performing in the city of Zurich this weekend: As part of the Zurich World Youth Music Festival, they will compete in competitions, parade through the Bahnhofstrasse and celebrate in the Hallenstadion and Münsterhof.
One of the highlights of the World Youth Music Festival (WYMF) will be the official opening ceremony in the Hallenstadion on Friday evening, which will be streamed live on the internet for those not in attendance. There will also be a parade of youth orchestras through Bahnhofstrasse on Saturday morning and a "drum battle" of eight drum and percussion show groups in the Münsterhof in the afternoon.
The Münsterhof is also the "pulsating center" of the WJMF on the other days. Numerous performances will take place there from Friday. Further open-air concerts are planned for Hirschenplatz and Rathausbrücke.
The members of the youth orchestras also compete in concert halls, festival halls and on Fraumünsterstrasse in five categories: concert competition, parade music, indoor show, percussion and big band. According to the current regulations, young people up to the age of 25 are eligible to play. However, a maximum of three "jokers" are also permitted per formation, for whom no age limit applies.
Guests from El Salvador and Ireland
Most of the 65 announced youth orchestras come from Switzerland. However, formations from El Salvador, Ireland, Sweden, Bulgaria and six other countries have also arrived. Many young people spend the night in sports halls; these overnight stays are included in the festival pass for 80 francs, as are streetcar tickets.
Officially, this is the eighth World Youth Music Festival, but - due to coronavirus - it is only being held for the seventh time. It was launched in 1985, when Jugendmusik Zürich 11 invited young wind musicians from all over the world to a meeting to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
©Keystone/SDA
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