Press Release, July 28, 2026
The Festival Young Euro Classic as a Musical Map of the World
The 27th Season begins on July 31, 2026
This Friday, Young Euro Classic, the leading international youth orchestra festival, opens with a fantastic weekend of events at the Konzerthaus Berlin. The Bundesjugendorchester, or National Youth Orchestra of Germany, unites the best young orchestral players in Germany, conducted by the shooting star Aurel Dawidiuk and the equally young pianist Giorgi Gigashvili as the soloist. Afterwards, the audience is invited to party on Gendarmenmarkt and the Konzerthaus staircase, where live music, free drinks and the special festival atmosphere conclude a luminous opening night. On Saturday, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine follows, with Oksana Lyniv on the conductor’s podium and Illia Ovcharenko as soloist – both musically and politically, this is an important symbol. The festival-within-the-festival, FUTURE NOW Musical Diaries, offers two performances on the opening weekend by ensembles from Vietnam and Tajikistan.
“For the 27th time, for almost three weeks the Konzerthaus Berlin becomes a place where those curious about the worldwide development of classical music can find answers. The future is mobile, hybrid, multilingual and culturally permeable. Every year, young musicians from all over the world encounter one another here with an open-mindedness and passion that is impressive. 14 symphony orchestras, two jazz formations, a chorus and five ensembles create a special atmosphere: here, not only is the music-making on a wonderful level, but there is room for open conversations between generations, continents and traditions. This curiosity, energy and joy never fail to impress me.” Thus cellist Alban Gerhardt, who took on the artistic directorship of Young Euro Classic together with Mathias Hinke in 2024.
Mathis Hinke adds: “The focus on diversity extends to our special formats. The festival-within-the-festival, FUTURE NOW, broadens the sonic landscape, with chamber ensembles combining traditional music with contemporary takes, beyond culture and genre boundaries. ‘YEC im Kiez’ (YEC in the Neighbourhood) takes the festival away from the concert podium and out into the city, to people who might not find their way to us otherwise. And the NEXT GENERATION Children’s Day focuses on active participation, enabling the youngest visitors to experience the sheer joy that is making music together.”
Familiar Highlights, Exciting Novelties, Award-Winning Works
In addition to familiar guests such as the Bundesjugendorchester (July 31) and the Ukrainian Youth Orchestra (Aug. 1), the audience can look forward to further favourites such as the European Union Youth Orchestra (Aug. 3), the Jovem Orquestra Portuguesa (Aug. 7) or the National Youth Philharmonic of Turkey (Aug. 8). Concertgoers will also enjoy Festival debuts and infrequent guests. The orchestras performing at Young Euro Classic for the first time include the Orchestre National des Jeunes du Luxembourg (Aug. 2), the Orchestra of the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music (Aug. 5), the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Turkmenistan (Aug. 9), and the Slovenian Youth Orchestra (Aug. 13). The performance of the Estonian National Opera Boys' Choir marks the first time that a chorus has given a full-length evening performance on its own at Festival (Aug. 15), and the closing concert will be given by the AYSO – Accademia Youth Symphony Orchestra from Italy (Aug. 16). After a short hiatus, the National Youth Orchestra of the USA (Aug. 4) and the Angelika Prokopp Summer Academy of the Vienna Philharmonic return for further high-class performances (Aug. 12); after a long absence, the Ulster Youth Orchestra (Aug. 12) is another welcome guest.
On selected evenings, Alban Gerhardt, Frederik Hanssen and Anne Kussmaul will offer pre-concert talks on the programme of the evening at the Werner-Otto-Saal at 6 pm (in German).
The European Composition Award will be presented during the final concert on Aug. 16 to the composer of the best of the 15 world and German premieres presented at the Festival, chosen by an audience jury. The Mayor of Berlin offers this prize, which carries a cash value of 5,000 Euros, annually.
Renowned Names, Rising Talents
Works for piano and orchestra play a prominent role in the 2026 programme at Young Euro Classic. Accomplished soloists from different generations, including Kirill Gerstein, Giorgi Gigashvili, Illia Ovcharenko and Joseph Moog, perform with the young orchestras. Further star soloists include the 23-year-old violinist María Dueñas and the soprano Rebecca Murphy. Anneleen Lenaerts, principal harpist of the Vienna Philharmonic, and Lauri Porra, multi-instrumentalist and soloist on electric guitar, represent rarely heard solo instruments.
On the conductor’s podium, prominent names demonstrate their passion for working with the youngest generation of musicians. The Festival is proud to present five female conductors, Karina Canellakis, Elim Chan, Živa Ploj Peršuh, Teresa Satalino and Oksana Lyniv.
Special Encounters in Neighbourhoods and on Stage
Special and unexpected encounters on the main stage take place during the Latin American and Polish evening, when the Orchestra of the Americas joins forces with the Penderecki Youth Orchestra (Aug. 10), and as part of the Jakob Manz – Karthik Mani Project (Aug. 11), an initiative of Young Euro Classic that brings about a meeting between Southern Indian music and contemporary jazz. International jazz is also part of the programme: Jong Metropole, a symphonic jazz orchestra, performs on Aug. 6.
The outreach format “YEC im Kiez” (“YEC in the Neighbourhood”) stands for the core mission of Young Euro Classic: music as a space for encounters, open to as many people as possible. Chamber ensembles from some of the participating orchestras play in places in the city that rarely feature classical music: a chamber formation of the European Union Youth Orchestra will perform at Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann on Aug. 3 (11 am). On the same day, an ensemble assembled for the Festival comprising members of the Bundesjugendorchester and the National Youth Orchestra of the USA will perform at the photography gallery C/O Berlin, located in the former Amerika Haus on Hardenbergstraße (4 pm), and at the rooftop venue Klunkerkranich in Neukölln (7 pm). That venue will also welcome a brass ensemble from the Orchestra of the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music on Aug. 4, which will perform again on the grand staircase at Konzerthaus on Aug. 5 at 2 pm. On Aug. 6, musicians from the Jovem Orquestra Portuguesa play the last of the summery “YEC im Kiez” concerts at Klunkerkranich at 7 pm.
For the fourth time, Young Euro Classic presents its festival-within-the-festival, “FUTURE NOW Musical Diaries”, demonstrating the many different ways in which the musical future is being shaped in different cultural regions of the world. This year, ensembles from Argentina, Morocco, Vietnam, Tajikistan and the FUTURE NOW Ensemble &ñịoن perform as part of the series, demonstrating how international musicians combine traditional and contemporary musical approaches. The concerts take place on the Festival weekends at 4:30 pm at the Werner-Otto-Saal of the Konzerthaus Berlin, preceding the concerts on the main stage.
NEXT GENERATION Children’s Day
The programme of this year’s Children’s Day on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, caters to the spirit of experimentation and adventure. Suli Puschban & die Kapelle der guten Hoffnung rock the main stage for children aged 5 and up. “Mice on the Moon” is a musical space journey by the singer and percussionist Ravi Srinivasan for children aged 3 and up. The Music Studio Blockbox enables curious children aged 5 and up to experience playing in a band. And the Resounding Museum offers workshops inviting children aged 3 and up to try out various musical instruments. Two open-air performances by Vokalhelden – founded at the initiative of the Berliner Philharmoniker – round out the Children’s Day, inviting all those interested and passers-by to sing along.
Acknowledgments
The presenter thanks the Mayor of Berlin, the European Parliament and the European Commission for taking on the patronage of Young Euro Classic. Without the support and trust of the festival’s major and long-standing partners, Young Euro Classic could not take place. The presenter thanks the Federal Government, the State of Berlin, the Hauptstadtkulturfonds, the KfW as well as the Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken, the GVL, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Ströer corporation, the Stiftung am Grunewald, the Karl Schlecht Stiftung, the audio company Burmester, the Festival’s media partners, its numerous donors and supporters and its wonderful audience. The festival-within-the-festival “FUTURE NOW Musical Diaries” is supported by the Lotto Foundation Berlin.
For making NEXT GENERATION possible, the Festival thanks the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
Tomorrow’s Musicians Today!
Young Euro Classic · The Festival of the World’s Best Youth Orchestras
July 31 to August 16, 2026 at the Konzerthaus Berlin
All evening concerts begin at 7 pm, all “FUTURE NOW” concerts at 4:30 pm. Selected evening concerts are preceded by pre-concert talks at the Werner-Otto-Saal at 6 pm.
The detailed Festival programme is available at: https://young-euro-classic.de/en/
Ticket price categories 39 € / 27 € / 16 € (plus advance ticketing fees).
Eligible persons may receive a 30% discount; please consult the “Service” page of our website.
Tickets can be purchased via the Young Euro Classic website, the Ticket Hotline
(+49 / (0)30 / 8410 8909, Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm) and at all regular ticket sales points.
Festival within the Festival “FUTURE NOW”: all tickets 18 €
Festival Pass for all six FUTURE NOW concerts: 70 €
Festival Pass for a selection of three FUTURE NOW concerts: 45 €
Tickets for the NEXT GENERATION Children’s Day: 8 € for children, 10 € for adults
Download the Press release here.