Indigenous Scandinavian joik singers and an award-winning beatboxer – music acts you might not usually picture playing amid the neoclassical columns and grand portico of Konzerthaus Berlin. But that’s just what you will be able to hear – along with classical orchestral performances – at the Young Euro Classic festival which kicks off tomorrow (01–17.08.2025). The series invites youth orchestras from across Europe to perform the likes of Mozart and Mahler, with a supporting line-up of concerts showcasing music from Bolivia, Gambia, India and beyond. Program highlights include the Ale, Ale! duo, who combine joik vocals from the Sámi people of northern Scandinavia with electronic and guitar textures. Their meditative soundscapes will fill the chamber-like Werner-Otto-Saal this Sunday (03.08.). It’s worth sticking around for the main concert that evening: a celebration of Andalusian culture as Spain’s national youth orchestra performs Isaac Albéniz’s “Iberia” suite in the Konzerthaus main hall. They’ll follow it up with one of the all-time classical treats: Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (03.08.).
Fast forward to 17.08 and you will be able to witness a genre-crossing blend of West African Griot storytelling and jazz from The Gambiana Trio – renowned for their infectious energy that will have you tapping your feet at the very least. Finally, the festival program will culminate in a performance by a group of musicians from a country where music is banned entirely: the Afghan Youth Orchestra, who will deliver a full symphonic concert mixing Afghan instruments with Western orchestration (17.08.). Silenced in their homeland in 2021, the young musicians are exiled in Portugal where – in a show of remarkable resilience – they continue to work. An ode to joy indeed…
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Kai Bienert, Tom Schweers
Konzerthaus Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt 2, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Young Euro Classic 01–17.08.2025. Tickets for the festival are available here.
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