"It was literally like a dream come true; I worked those kids so hard, they had to learn so much so quickly. We had to work out a rota system for using different people as principle players, assess what they might do best, what they needed to learn and endless other onside
rations. Three weeks later there was a concert. It was astounding."
James Levine
The UBS Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra has achieved an outstanding international reputation for quality, vitality and commitment. Thanks to the exceptional continuing support of UBS in this unique sponsorship, the Orchestra of over 100 musicians aged 17 to 29 from some 35 countries is now in its fourth year. Its Music Director is James Levine, Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Opera, New York and Music Director designate of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 2000, the Orchestra is resident orchestra at the annual Verbier Festival & Academy and tours internationally every autumn. It has distinguished itself in performance both in Verbier and abroad under leading conductors Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Kent Nagano, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Paavo J?rvi, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Temirkanov and Bobby McFerrin and has performed with some of the world's finest soloists.
International tours each year have taken the Orchestra to major concert halls: in 2000, Europe with Paavo J?rvi and soloist Vadim Repin (violin), in 2001, North and Latin America with James Levine, Paavo J?rvi and Barbara Hendricks (soprano) and in 2002, Europe with James Levine and Mstislav Rostropovich. The Orchestra performed at Expo. 02, the Swiss National Exhibition in Morat, and in January 2003 was invited to play for delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Each year, Principals from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York, coach the Orchestra in the weeks preceding the Festival. The valuable experience gained from such orchestral training and working with great conductors and artists has produced outstanding results. Recent success stories include exciting appointments to the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. Auditions for new members for 2003 attracted a record number of applicants and took place in nine cities worldwide.
UBS, the global financial services firm with headquarters in Switzerland, created the UBS Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra in a project which reflects its commitment worldwide to originality, progress, reliability and trust. Its global advertising campaign in all media has adopted creative images of the Orchestra at work carrying these potent messages. The Orchestra is managed by the Fondation de l'Orchestre de Verbier, which endeavours to promote cultural, artistic and musical excellence through its support of young musicians.
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| Read the Orchestra's latest news in the Autumn 2003 Newsletter |
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