After preparing to perform at the top five concert halls in Europe, June 15-25, the six high-school members of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) from Newton have returned, and four have shared their thoughts on the trip with Fig City News.
Claire Lee, a violinist in the BPYO, feels like this year’s experience was very different than her other performances in Europe. Unlike the performances the BPYO had earlier in Greece, all the top five concert halls were indoors with giant halls. Out of all the halls, Claire says her favorite was Vienna because she felt so much “energy” and “enthusiasm” from the audience. Compared with performing at Symphony Hall in Boston, the atmosphere in the European concert halls was unique and new to Claire. She enjoys sharing music that the orchestra has rehearsed with audiences all over the world even though they do not speak the same language.
“Performing globally reminded me that music is a universal language and that it breaks [down] language barriers,” she says, “As a music major, I realized that I want to share the music I play not only for those that I’m close with, but for enthusiastic audiences many miles away.”
Claire overall enjoyed performing in the concert halls and spending the trip with the friends she has made in the orchestra.
Isabella Lai, a violinist in the BPYO, enjoyed most performing at the Berlin Philharmonie concert hall, and said that the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg was “incredible.” As soon as the orchestra walked onto the stage for the pre-concert rehearsal there, Isabella recalls the stunned looks of all of her friends and orchestra members when looking at the four stories of empty rows waiting to be filled. She also admitted that while she never really got nervous during performances, during the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, she felt her nerves “kick in” for the first time, since it was different from performing at the Symphony Hall in Boston. Seeing people seated high above her and countless audience members seated 360 degrees around her was nerve-racking, but once she got into the musical performance, she forgot all about her nerves.
“To be able to travel and perform in, quite literally, some of the best, most historic classical music halls in this world for free is a gift beyond words,” she says, “I wish every kid in this world could get the chance to experience something like this as well.”
Hayden Ren, a cellist in the BPYO says that the best part about performing in the European halls was collaborating with amazing people and friends, playing unique music, and hearing the sounds that the concert halls produced. She also loved the elegance of each hall and how so many famous composers had repeatedly performed in these halls. Although she admits that she was a bit anxious, the overall experience was amazing to her.
“The way the view was so expansive, like the lights and how everything was designed, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before in person,” she says.
Steven Hu, a cellist in the BPYO, says that his favorite concert hall is the Berlin Philharmonie from an aesthetic and acoustic point of view. He finds it fitting that the BPYO ended its tour there. He says that the best part about performing at the concert halls was the physical and acoustic power the halls provided for their music.
“The sheer acoustic power of making music in Europe’s greatest halls is simply not something that may be matched by practicing alone in my bedroom,” he says.
Chloe Yu is a Fig City News intern and a rising sophomore at Emerson College.
