Think global, act local: side-by-side with...

In collaboration with the Lower Austria Schools Management (MKM), EUYO is developing #MusicHubAustria: a platform for school-age musicians combining the accessibility of digital resources with the intensity of face-to-face contact with classical music. One of the Hub's most important aspects is creating opportunities for music school students to work with EUYO musicians; as part of this, we were able to hold an extensive side-by-side on July 30, 2023 during our summer tour.

The above reel ??? gives a whistle-stop overview of the day, which began with rehearsals and workshops for an MKM string quartet, brass ensemble, percussionists and harpist with EUYO Rehearsal Director Peter Stark, MKM's Jürgen Sklenar of the Eggenburg Music School, and EUYO musicians.

The support of Grafenegg meant we could make use of a large number of excellent and creative spaces - a vital contribution. Without time and space, music is a collection of silent markings on a page, but in the right locations it can not only exist, but grow into new and excellent ways of being. The afternoon's Music Gallery drew new inspiration from Grafenegg Castle: the audience streamed from salon to salon, dining hall to knights' hall, and from the library into the garden room, taking in chamber music by Holborne, Brahms, Marlett, de Arriaga, Tomasi, de Falla, Schubert, Hudson, Malando and Ibert.

"I love doing side-by-sides", a beaming Peter Stark announced to the assembled MKM / EUYO symphony orchestra, gathered in the Grafenegg Auditorium to rehearse Dvo?ák 8, Skoryk's Melody and EUYO's all-time favourite encore, Jaime Texidor's Amparito Roca. Side-by-side indeed, it bore all the hallmarks of EUYO rehearsals, including a physical warm-up with pilates coach Alex Evans and no small amount of dancing. Above all, the focus was on doing: music exists in time and space, and also by being performed, breathed and sung together. Naturally, the day culminated in a grand finale performance to assembled parents and friends.

MKM's network encompasses around 60.000 school-age music students and no fewer than 126 music schools. More than 500 of the 573 municipalities in Lower Austria house a branch of one of these schools. 2.200 teachers give approximately 35,000 weekly lessons - before the orchestras, jazz bands, choirs, composition and music theory classes, scholarships, competitions and more.?And: with this exceptional provision, Austria illustrates a critical point of cultural governance. Music, a universal language of hearts and minds, is global. It expands individuals’ horizons in myriad ways, and it can transport you to Spain, Italy, France or Germany without ever leaving your seat. But if people are too regularly experience its wide and beautiful horizons, it must act local, it has to happen close to home.?Clearly, that's also one reason why great orchestras go on tour!

Digitisation is further evolving the definition of "close to home". Music Hub Austria is therefore hybrid, with one online project being the “Showing Europe” video series. We're taking advantage of the current summer tour to prepare video snapshots of EUYO members, describing for MKM pupils what being a young musician is like in their 27 home countries. The idea is to open windows on many different lives in music - and show how the range of opportunity open to young Europeans need not be contained by borders.?Below is one example from the series, with Martin Pajumaa (trumpet, Estonia).

Thinking global, acting local, leveraging digital transformation, and combining forces and resources where music school pupils can reach them: together with MKM and Grafenegg, our vision is to build a state-of-the art, future-capable music education model for Europe. If you would like to keep up with developments, please sign up to our newsletter, or contact Helen Leitner indicating your interest in Music Hub Austria.