Four Malta Youth Orchestra musicians are currently in Paris, to perform in a youth orchestra made up of members from 27 European countries. The concert will be part of the Presidency of the European Council 2022 programme, hosted by France.

The opportunity consists of a week-long activity revolving around an orchestra of around 120 young members. Made up of gifted musicians between the ages of 12-16, the selected musicians were chosen according to their musical excellence and experience with youth orchestras.

MYO (Malta Youth Orchestra) musicians Demetria Bugeja (oboe), Lucas García Conrad (violin), and Elena Gatt and Philip Zammit (trumpets) were selected by the organisers to participate in this prestigious event. They will be joined by MYO artistic director José García Gutiérrez who will also represent Malta in a series of seminars discussing orchestral education projects and possible collaborations for collective learning.

A highlight of the week of events will be the performance featuring a varied programme of symphonic music at the Paris Philharmonie as the musicians will work with two conductors, Corinna Niemeyer and Rebecca Tong, a laureate of the La Maestra 2022 competition. Such an experience will not only be a high-level one but will also showcase the respective social and cultural backgrounds which the different musicians will bring to this project. The event underlines a message of collaboration, unity and peace.

Set out by President Emmanuel Macron, the call was established through the Demos Project, a pedagogical music project which was created 10 years ago and consists of a team of more than 100 members across France.

The television channel ARTE and Philharmonie Live will air live broadcasts of the project up to February 27. It will also broadcast the concert taking place on the February 26. The event is presented by Orchestre Demos Europe (ODE) in collaboration with Philharmonie de Paris and Présidence Française du Conseil de L'Union Européenne.