The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra has just presented its Young Mannheim Symphonists program, now for the second time in Brisbane, providing young Queensland musicians with the opportunity to be part of its unique youth orchestra initiative.

The 2022 QLD Intensive at St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly from 10–14 April was directed by orchestra co-artistic directors, Rachael Beesley from Melbourne, and Nicole van Bruggen from Brisbane. Participants plunged into masterpieces by Emilie Mayer, Mozart and Beethoven and – after four days of workshops, tutorials and orchestral rehearsals –  performed a public concert showcasing the incredibly ambitious repertoire they had prepared throughout the week.

Students aged 12-20 attended from all over Greater Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Plus one lucky emerging artist from Adelaide!

Their directors and tutors were principal musicians of the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra – professionals who specialise in historically informed performance (HIP) on period instruments. They are passionate about understanding our musical heritage in the context in which it was created, and they are even more passionate about inspiring and enlightening others.

Rachael Beesley said, “It’s amazing to see the growth of our Young Mannheim Symphonists, providing young Queensland musicians once again the opportunity to be part of this unique youth orchestra program. The students have the practical experience of playing on period instruments, learning about the nuances of the sounds and textures of these instruments, as well as benefitting from the excitement of playing side-by-side with our professional tutors. Seminars about the history and context of each work provide insights into historically informed performance, while the harmonic, rhythmic and rhetorical language of Classical and Romantic music is brought alive during the rehearsals, culminating in a public performance.”

Participants have said, The information on historical style and interpretation is what makes [YMS] unique and it was very inspiring to learn about this creative and more interactive style of playing …” and “I loved the choice of repertoire. It was challenging but manageable to learn. [YMS] went in depth about understanding the context of the pieces and also connecting and playing with everyone across the orchestra.”

More information www.arco.org.au/yms-2022