GRAFENEGG ACADEMY ORCHESTRA: GENERAL PHILOSOPHY
Each summer the Grafenegg Academy forms a closely-knit community of exceptionally talented young professional musicians, tutors and staff who come together in an environment that is highly encouraging to intensive learning. The unique ambiance of castle, park and nature and the famous Lower Austrian hospitality offer a summer home to young musicians and invite concert-goers, internationally renowned soloists and musicians from renowned international orchestras alike. Grafenegg Academy is part of Campus Grafenegg the educational programme of Grafenegg Festival.
The approach of the Grafenegg Academy is a radically new, creative and ambitious one: it focuses on the exchange of artistic ideas, advanced artistic development, self-responsibility and freedom in playing together and the intensive, collaborative exploration of music. Free from the limitations of typical professional concert life, musicians at Grafenegg Academy have extensive time to rehearse in great depth — under the guidance of outstanding master artists —, to share ideas and experiences, to explore a rich diversity of musical works.
The Grafenegg Academy 2020 is led by Artistic Curators Håkan Hardenberger and Colin Currie joined by a group of fellow artists and tutors. Together they aim to give young professional musicians the opportunity to discover a new kind of music making and expression where the musical interpretation is the responsibility of each individual within the Orchestra. The participants will be led very far into a new level of motivation, contribution and leadership and jointly explore a rich diversity of repertoire and pieces they most likely did not have the chance to play before. Therefore, for most of the concert programmes the Orchestra will perform on its own without conductor to foster self-responsibility within the Orchestra and to allow for all musical ideas and approaches to come directly from its musicians. Together with a dynamic, wide-reaching programming that explores the links between old and new repertoire the Grafenegg Academy aims to allow a freedom in playing and go beyond the traditional concert formats and experiences.
The Grafenegg Academy will result in two concert days where concerts are played with the Orchestra as well as in ensembles with performances of chamber music works to show the work that has been done during the programme.