Varaždin School of Music – Varaždin / Kroatia:

Varaždin School of Music regularly organizes or participates in projects with the aim to offer its students the possibility to perform as a part of larger ensemble (orchestra, symphonic orchestra and choirs). International project are often the ones that give the School the opportunity to organize such music projects. In organization of this type of projects, we usually include our wind and string orchestras as well as the students that participate in the choirs of the school and Big Band/Jazz orchestra. Key people that are involved in the project, besides the principal and project coordinator are as follows – the conductor of our mixed choir, conductor of the woodwind & brass orchestra and the teachers that lead the string and wind section. In case of production, Varaždin School of Music usually cooperates with Varaždin Concert Office.

Since 2015 the School organizes International Piano Competition „Memorijal Jurica Murai & Murai Grand Prix“and International „Varaždin Woodwind & Brass“ Competition. The Varaždin School of Music has established this competition with the aim of developing the artistic talent of students, young professional musicians, to contribute to the promotion of piano and woodwind and brass music and instruments, the development of artistic activity of young gifted musicians, international cultural cooperation and exchange of experiences, and the tourism promotion of Varaždin. The extraordinary number of candidates each year is just a further confirmation of the prestige of this competition, which serves to young and talented as a starting point to their careers. The number of participating countries is growing every year, confirming the importance and the international status of the Competition. Contestants from United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Poland, Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia are regular applicants in the Competitions.

In addition to the now traditional projects such as concerts with the Varaždin Chamber Orchestra, Spanish – Croatian Christmas in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain, Carnival Concert and Christmas Concert, Varaždin School of Music offers its students the opportunity to participate in many international projects. Long-term cooperation with the Musikschule Ravensburg, which began with the Classic Camp, organized in Ravensburg for several years, and in which students of the Varaždin School of Music now regularly participate, has spawned a joint music project, Genesis Suite by British composer Tolga Kashif. The Genesis Suite was first presented on April 7, 2018 at the Evangelical Church in Ravensburg and a week later, on April 14th, at the main town square, Varaždin’s Korzo. The cooperation of these two music schools has yet again resulted in a new music project which, with the support and cooperation of the Varaždin Concert Office, was presented to the audience last year in Ravensburg to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ravensburg Music School, and then it was presented to the Varaždin audience at an open-air concert on June 18th 2022. After “The Genesis Suite” by British composer Tolga Kashif, this year students from two music schools performed “The Queen Symphony” by the same composer in two joint concerts. Also, the performance in Varaždin was broadcasted at the Croatian National Television. Performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana was created as part of the international project “Drava connects us” in collaboration with the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Maribor. The monumental work of Carl Orff, a world-famous cantata for orchestra, choir and solo singers, was performed by talented students of the Varaždin School of Music at an open-air concert in Varaždin and two days later at the Slovenian National Theater in Maribor together with students from the Maribor Conservatory and singers from Chorus Angelicus. Three mixed choirs, the children’s choir of the Music School in Varaždin, the choir Chorus Angelicus and the symphonic orchestra participated in this large international project.

Also, the management of the London Händel Festival decided to give students, more precisely members of the choir of the Music School, the opportunity to participate as members of the virtual choir in the performance of Händel’s oratorio “Messiah” in the church of St. George in London on Easter

Monday, April 5, 2021. With this project continues the cooperation that began at the time when the International Summer School of Baroque Music and Dance “Aestas musica” (1999-2015) was held in Varaždin.

“This is a real musical refreshment with which the students of the Varaždin School of Music have enriched our cultural scene.” With these words, the musical of the Varaždin School of Music was announced on national television, and thus once again confirmed the words of an eminent theatre critic who was delighted by the performance of the students of the

School. Even though it is not an international cooperation, we believe that it is important to emphasize the significance of the musical. For its 190 anniversaries in the year 2018, the Music School commissioned a musical by one of the best Croatian composers of the younger generation, Ivan Josip Skender. Performances of the musical “Music of My Heart” were realized in collaboration with the Croatian National Theater in Varaždin and were performed in Varaždin and the Zagreb City Theatre Komedija. In this way, the School enabled its students to experience life and work “on boards that mean life” and thus gain a unique life experience.

After Spain was a partner country of the Varaždin Baroque Evenings, the successful cooperation of the Embassy of Spain in Croatia with the Music School in Varaždin began, which this year brought a presentation of the Christmas CD. A la Media Noche, the Christmas CD that has been presented, has been the work of the past five years and shows a musical journey through time and space. The tracks on the CD are carefully selected and include traditional Christmas carols from around Spain, as well as works by composers from the Americas, whose Christmas music is imbued with local music or African rhythms, while retaining classical forms of European music.

Varaždin School of Music offers its students the opportunity to participate in many international projects. Through last few years Varaždin School of Music has been expanding its international cooperation with festivals and cultural institutions abroad, to mention some, Music School in Ravensburg, Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet, Sorbonne University, Music School in Zalaegerseg, Hungary, School for Young Talent in The Hague, Oriol Martorell in Barcelona and Baratt Due from Norway, Conservatoire IANNIS-XENAKIS d’Evry-Courcouronnes, Paris. For that reason, we think that international and multicultural cooperation with other countries and institutions are the best for them. With the experience gained during the mobility our students will receive an insight into the music education system in other countries and try to take over these qualities to implement them in our teaching system. (Sanja Buhin)

Musikgymnasium Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Berlin / Germany:
This year we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our school. To mark the occasion, we have invited students from our partner schools in Europe of YMTE to perform Sheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov and Marian Lux Dreamworks in a joint orchestral project under the direction of Sebastian Weigle. This gala concert will take place on July 1st at 7 p.m. in the main hall of the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Many guests have been invited, including former students, former colleagues and all representatives of the Young Music Talents of Europe, who are holding a conference in Berlin at this time. (Ron Lepinat)

Barratt Due Institue of Music – Oslo / Norway:

SATS 2025 with the Oslo Philharmonic

Four of Barratt Due’s students from Music at Majorstuen School and Young Talents Barratt Due delivered impressive orchestral works during this year’s project SATS. SATS is a collaboration between the Oslo Philharmonic and Barratt Due Institute of Music. The project aims to inspire young composors to write for orchestra, strengthening the link between theoretical knowledge and practical experience in music education.

Each year, four candidates aged 15 to 19 get the opportunity to compose a piece of music, five to six minutes in length, for the Oslo Philharmonic. Throughout the year, the candidates meet up with their own mentor and also take part in a joint workshop with the conductor. The project culminates in a daylong session with the orchestra in the spring, where each candidate gets to rehearse their piece.

Under the guidance of their Music Theory teacher at Music at Majorstuen, Alexander Nickelsen, 50 students closely follow the process with their own scores, observing the interaction between musician, conductor, and composer on stage. At the end of the day, there is a Q&A session with the four student composers where they discuss their experiences in the course of the project.

At the Music at Majorstuen School, students begin building a strong foundation in composition from the 5th grade through their work in secondary instrument, music theory, and choir—subjects that are fully integrated into the MITOP program (Music in Theory and Practice).

The SATS project offers a unique and valuable opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in composition. Now in its fifth year, the project has been a great success thanks to the musicians of the Oslo Philharmonic, mentor Therese Ulvo, conductor Christian Eggen, and producer Liv Marie Skaare Baden. Their support throughout the entire process has been invaluable. We’re already looking forward to next year! (Liv Andersen)

School for Young Talent – the Hague/ the Netherlands:

Graz and The Hague
In September, a group of harpists from the School for Young Talent in The Hague will participate in workshops, master classes, concerts and a competition organized by the KUG and the JJ Fux Konservatorium under the name Arpa GRAZiosa 2025. In addition to teachers from the organizing schools, there are also a whole number of guest teachers from conservatories in Vienna, Nice and Frankfurt, among others. For some of the students it will be a reunion with the students of the JJ Fox Konservatorium who were our guests in The Hague in 2024. For others it is a first international experience. Specifically at this festival, many young harpists attend between the ages of 10 and 19. This is special because most events focus exclusively on undergraduate and graduate students or professional harpists. The other side to this trip is that we as Jong KC harp teachers have also been invited to come and give workshops and lectures in the festival. In these workshops we will share two very specific Jong KC elements with colleagues from Austria, Germany and France. “PI music for preschoolers” will be presented in the form of a lecture and workshop around practical and aural instrumental learning. The experiences gained in our LearningLab will be turned into a workshop especially for middle school age students. This workshop will revolve around encouraging autonomy, self-awareness and self-insight in their study process. (Jan van Bilsen/Marieke Schoenmakers)
Activities organized by schools and the opportunities and possibilities they offer to partners.

Varaždin School of Music – Varaždin / Kroatia

1. International Piano Competition that will be held next spring – more information on the website www.natjecanje.hr/en
2. Annual concerts at the Varaždin Baroque Evenings where the students perform with the Varaždin Chamber Orchestra and we can offer to a School that would be interested to join and participate at the concert
3. Festival of Woodwind and Brass ensembles
4. Every year we have traditional Christmas, carnival concerts and can offer partners to participate in the concert.

Status of Erasmus programs of individual schools or other similar national support programs.

Varaždin School of Music is an accredited Erasmus institution and for the year 2025/2026 we have 5 Erasmus+ projects planned, the projects where the School is the Organizing institution – 2 will be mobilities for the students (one mobility is planned for music theory students and the other for old music students), 1 mobility will be job shadowing for teachers and 2 will be seminars. School has already accepted to be a partner in 4 Erasmus+ projects. (Sanja Buhin)
In the year 2026, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague will exist no less than 200 years and the School for Young Talent (SvJT) 70 years. The SvJT is currently preparing an Erasmus application to stimulate the mobility of young musicians in Europe. We want to offer students from our school the opportunity to gain experience abroad. In doing so, we will make a conscious decision to choose only partners within YMTE. We will keep everyone informed about the progress of this application and should it be granted: we know where to find you! (Jan van Bilsen)

Concrete calls to participate in projects in the future.

We have proposed a project for all YMTE members, it was presented at the MB meeting last week and it will be presented in Berlin.
The project is following:
The Varaždin Baroque Evenings Festival always supports young talented musicians and after the great success the students had the last year, it is the wish of the organizers that this successful cooperation continues in 2026.
What organizers suggest is the performance of the students at the Festival in the year 2026, similar as it was last year, but this time they would suggest a production of an opera, something like La Serva Padrona or similar, but it would of course be the piece the students could perform and that it wouldn’t be too hard for them. It is the wish of the Festival to support the talented young musicians and to give them also the opportunity to perform at renowned venues like Varaždin Baroque Evenings. Last year’s concert was very well accepted in diplomatic circles as well, so they believe that they will have the support of the Ministry of Culture and diplomacy for this project. This could become a long-term project for the institutions that are a part of the YMTE and then we wouldn’t put the burden on the host institution of the annual conference to organize a concert, we would have one already planned in advance.
As the Make things happen is the main theme this year at the conference, we thought to make a short presentation of it in one of the planned sessions. (Sanja Buhin)