Meet Ukraine’s new National Youth Orchestra

Young musicians are coming together from across the country to form the new Ukrainian National Youth Orchestra.

Earlier this month, nearly 100 talented performers gathered at Lviv’s Potocki Palace for two days of auditions, also attended by an international jury that included members of the German classical music scene — the project is supported by both the National Youth Orchestra of Germany and the Beethovenfest classical music festival in Bonn.

As well as making music, the new initiative aims also to build bridges between youth living in different parts of Ukraine.

Among the members of the orchestra is flautist Kateryna Movchan, originally from Luhansk in the east of Ukraine but now living in Kiev.

“The tragic events in the eastern part of our country are a heavy burden on me. [...] I was four years old when my parents gave me my first flute. Very soon, I noticed that once you start playing, everything else becomes less important,” she explained.

“The founding of the orchestra is a great idea,” agreed horn player Bogdan Shaynyuk from Odessa, expressing excitement that young people from the entire country are coming together.

The Ukrainian National Youth Orchestra’s first major performance is planned for September 2017, which will see the musicians work on a programme together with Germany’s National Youth Orchestra for Beethovenfest.

Source: Deutsche Welle