Visegrad Music Youth Academy

Considering that music academies in Western Europe are widely unaffordable for V4 students, in addition to the lack of such high quality opportunities in the V4 region, the goal of the Visegrad Music Youth Academy was to address this disparity by providing talented young musicians with top quality education that will enable them to develop and flourish as musicians. Thanks to this initiative, socially disadvantaged students were able to participate. In total, 51 students took part in the music academy held in a hotel complex in the town of Pezinok, Slovakia – a venue for resting, learning, and devoting themselves to music.

The orchestra classes not only amazed the students, but also the professors – as they were fascinated by the orchestra concert given by the students under the baton of Pawel Przytocki. This experience was similar to that of professional orchestral players, in which the students had to master the demanding program within limited time. Such an experience is precious and of great benefit to them as most of these young musicians will pursue careers as orchestra musicians.

The most outstanding participants were awarded the possibility to continue acquiring experience. The two best cellists were invited by Prof. Petr Nouzovsky to study in the Prague Conservatory for a month. Similarly, the best violinist was invited to take part in the master class in Rzeszow in Poland free of charge, while six participants had the unforgettable experience of taking part as orchestra members in a one-month concert tour of the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra in China in 2023.

The balanced representation of the V4 countries: twelve participants from Czechia, sixteen from Slovakia, eleven from Hungary, and twelve from Poland; created a special environment for students to expand their cultural horizons.

The Visegrad Music Youth Academy 2023 was organized by Ergon Art in Slovakia, in partnership with Forum mladých, o.s., from Czechia; Stowarzyszenie Baltic Neopolis Orchestra from Poland; and Spinoza Szinhaz (Theater) from Hungary.