Baltic Youth Philharmonic Performs Music without Borders

The Baltic Youth Philharmonic will perform a Concert at the first day of the Summit. The orchestra unites 70 music academy students from all of the Baltic Sea States. Internationally renowned instrumentalists have been brought on board to coach these talented musicians as they perform music without borders – “A New Voice in the North”.


The orchestra brings together the most promising young music students from the ten nations surrounding the Baltic Sea. Almost two hundred musicians auditioned to be a part of this unique orchestra, and about 70 were chosen.

The project was initiated in 2008 by Nord Stream, the company which will build a natural gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea, and the Usedom Music Festival to bring young people from around the Baltic Sea together to transcend geographical and artistic boundaries. Both partners behind the Baltic Youth Philharmonic want to promote the advancement of future generations, while supporting the cultural diversity of the Baltic Sea region.

The project provides musicians at the start of their careers with a unique opportunity to develop their talents and musical repertoire, and to gain valuable experience in orchestral playing while emphasising their shared cultural heritage. Under the baton of Kristjan Järvi (photo below), a committed advocate of music education and the Founding Conductor & Music Director, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic will perform concerts in six countries in 2009.

“I thrive from the learning experience of working closely with so many active and imaginative minds still in the making,” says Järvi of the experience. “Youth orchestras are able to play as all orchestras should: without borders, boundaries and judgment. The Baltic Youth Philharmonic was initiated with this spirit and is the perfect breeding ground for combining great music and great fun.”

The BDF Summit concert programme consists of Felix Mendelssohn's overture The Legend of the Fair Melusina and Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 1, completed on the Baltic island of Rügen.

Find out more about the orchestra: Baltic Youth Philharmonic Website.

Photo of the Orchestra by Peter Adamik
Photo of Director Kristjan Järvi by Peter Rigaud