Press Release, August 16, 2026
A Rousing Celebration of Music and Joy
With the concert of the AYSO – Accademia Youth Symphony Orchestra from Italy and the presentation of the European Composition Award, the 27th edition of Young Euro Classic has ended, with a total of 22,800 concertgoers and 90 percent of seats occupied. From July 31 to August 16, the Festival presented 14 orchestras, two jazz formations and a chorus, once again demonstrating its unique position within Berlin’s cultural summer offerings and the international cultural landscape. The festival-within-the-festival, FUTURE NOW, has developed into a trendsetting part of Young Euro Classic: the occupancy for the five weekend concerts proves the audience’s sustained interest in non-European music traditions and innovations. In addition to the NEXT GENERATION Children’s Day for the youngest listeners, the format “YEC im Kiez” (YEC in the Neighbourood) proved particularly popular: during the pop-up concerts at Klunkerkranich, C/O Berlin and on the grand Konzerthaus stairway, smaller ensembles from different orchestras created an informal, wonderful atmosphere.
“Young Euro Classic is an international platform, a vital and honest investment in young people who wish to take the future into their own hands. In times of great discouragement and perplexity, the world’s musical youth and the Festival audience lead the way, with curiosity and a fresh appetite for what culture can do: a spirit of departure and an enjoyment of life that earned frenetic applause every evening.” Thus Dr. Gabriele Minz, the Festival’s general manager, on the 2026 season.
Evening concerts full of optimism
The sold-out opening night with the Bundesjugendorchester (National Youth Orchestra of Germany) epitomized the festival motto “Tomorrow’s musicians today”. Under the baton of Aurel Dawidiuk, only 25 years old, and with pianist Giorgi Gigashvili, who is the same age, the orchestra delivered a euphoric start to the concert series. Afterwards, at the open-air Audience Party, the musicians joined members of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, sending a message of optimism. The Ukrainian youth orchestra performed the next evening under the baton of Oksana Lyniv, illustrating the uniting, integrating power of music. Altogether, this year’s Festival featured five female conductors: Elim Chan conducted the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), a regular guest since the Festival’s founding and celebrating its own 50-year anniversary this year. The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America was led by Carina Kanellakis, while Teresa Satalino performed works from her homeland “bella Italia” with her Accademia Youth Symphony Orchestra (AYSO). Under the baton of Živa Ploj Peršuh, the soloist Lauri Porra brought the electric bass as a solo instrument to the Young Euro Classic stage for the first time during the debut of the Slovenian Youth Orchestra. A clear statement for peace, democracy and European values was delivered by the Jovem Orquestra Portuguesa under the baton of its founder Pedro Carneiro. The two anti-war songs by Fernando Lopes-Graça offered as encores were particularly impressive. Festival debuts included youth orchestras from Slovenia, China, Turkmenistan and Luxembourg as well as a chorus from Estonia – a breadth of intriguing debuts which reflects the Festival’s importance for young musicians from all over the world.
International encounters and new perspectives
Once again, Young Euro Classic stood for international encounters, opening new perspectives on the musical repertoire of our time. Two evening concerts were dedicated to international cooperation in particular: the spirited performance by the Orchestra of the Americas & Penderecki Youth Orchestra, in which musicians from the American continents met musicians from Poland and further European countries, as well as the unique combination of jazz and Indian traditional music in The Jakob Manz-Karthik Mani Project.
YEC im Kiez (YEC in the Neighbourhood) brought together the Bundesjugendorchester and the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. In string and brass ensembles, they played works by Tchaikovsky, Bernstein and others in locations where classical music is rarely heard – for example at C/O Berlin and at the Klunkerkranich in Neukölln. The Orchestra of the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music also performed at the Klunkerkranich with a brass ensemble, winning the audience over, as did a band of members of the Jovem Orquestra Portuguesa.
During FUTURE NOW Musical Diaries, the fourth edition of the festival-within-the-festival, musical traditions met and evoked unique atmospheres. Especially the collaboration of the two Vietnamese artists Lương Huệ Trinh and Vũ Thị Thùy Linh featured a special symbiosis of traditional Vietnamese chanting and multi-layered electronic soundscapes. These were complemented at the end of the performance by an encounter with musicians of the Orchestre National des Jeunes du Luxembourg. The FUTURE NOW Ensemble &ñịoن, consisting of four Berlin-based musicians with different backgrounds, demonstrated the merging of everyday objects and urban sounds with contemporary music.
The NEXT GENERATION Children’s Day gave the youngest listeners numerous chances to encounter the world of music. Performances by Suli Puschban & die Kapelle der guten Hoffnung and Ravi Srinivasan gave the young audience reason to marvel. The offerings of the Klingende Museum and the Music Studio Blockbox allowed the young visitors to try out musical instruments and music production for the first time. And finally, the Vokalhelden, founded by the Berliner Philharmoniker, gave a passionate performance, singing on the Konzerthaus stairways for participants in the Children’s Day and passers-by.
European Composition Award for César Rafael
The 2026 European Composition Award goes to César Rafael from Portugal for the work „Saudades, só portugueses“, a world premiere performed by the Jovem Orquestra Portuguesa on August 7. The jury justified their decision thus: “Thanks to sonic inventiveness and a high density of strong contrasts and elements of surprise, the piece remained entertaining and never lost the tension, while the consequent treatment of the musical material and the masterly treatment of the orchestra left no doubt about the focus.”
This year, two world premieres and 13 German premieres were in the running for the prize, which is presented by the Mayor of Berlin and carries a cash value of 5,000 Euros. A ten-member lay jury of audience members attended 12 concerts before choosing the winner. The winner was announced by Falko Liecke, Secretary of State for Youth and Families in Berlin.
Streams and broadcasts
ARTE recorded the opening concert of the Bundesjugendorchester on July 31. Since August 3, 2026 the concert can be viewed on demand for 180 days in the media library: www.arte.tv.
Deutschlandfunk Kultur has recorded the following concerts, broadcasting them nationwide in the “Konzert“ feature – via the Dlf Audiothek App, via UKW, DAB+ and deutschlandfunkkultur.de. The broadcasts are still available on demand:
July 31, 2026: Bundesjugendorchester, this concert was broadcast live on the concert day and is available on demand through August 30.
Aug. 8: National Youth Orchestra of the USA (concert on Aug. 4), available online on demand for 30 days after the broadcast.
Aug. 28: Estonian National Opera Boys' Choir (concert on Aug. 15), available online on demand for 180 days after the broadcast.
Acknowledgments
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 Hauptstadtkulturfonds, the State of Berlin, 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 Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA), the audio company Burmester, the Festival’s media partners, its numerous donors and supporters and the wonderful Young Euro Classic audience. The festival-within-the-festival “FUTURE NOW Musical Diaries” is supported by the Lotto Foundation Berlin.
The presenter thanks the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Mayor of Berlin for taking on the patronage of Young Euro Classic.
For making NEXT GENERATION possible, the Festival thanks the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.
Perspective: Tomorrow’s musicians today!
Young Euro Classic · The Festival of the World’s Best Youth Orchestras
July 23 to August 8, 2027 at the Konzerthaus Berlin
Download the Press release here.