In the academy of the Vienna Philharmonic “we aim for excellence”
The Vienna Philharmonic has a great history behind it, but also an outlook towards the future. The academy, which forms with a unique and versatile program every two years twelve students from all over the world, it is the place where a tradition and style that have reigned for 180 years are handed down and renewed. Here young people learn from the experience of professional orchestra musicians and discover what it means to play at a high level.
But what does it mean to be a student of the Vienna Philharmonic Academy?
We asked Lucas from New York. For him, who has often felt the risk of choosing to pursue an artistic career, there is now the certainty that music can guarantee him a future. “I had my doubts between the ages of 14 and 15, I felt incapable, I was insecure, I saw a lot of competition in the world of classical music even if I got carried away “, Lucas tells us.
Like him, other young students have the opportunity to work with high-level directors, meet them in person, spend time with other colleagues so there is always the pleasure of helping each other in the test sessions and spending time together in the evening. “This experience not only enriched me musically, but also gave me wonderful friends who lifted me up and were inspirational,” the young man tells us.
Entering the Academy was exciting for all of them. The mixture of emotion and disbelief of the first day never runs out. It did not do so especially when the young people were called to play on a historic occasion such as the performance of a world premiere at the Sagrada Familia to Barcelona. “An incredible experience,” defines Lucas, who arrived in Vienna just two weeks earlier. It was a baptism of fire for him.
Together with the other students they immersed themselves in the atmosphere of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna for one of the most impressive concerts of their young career, the summer night concert. She did it together with Katharina, who in her drawer keeps the dream of playing the oboe in an orchestra, perhaps in the Philharmonic itself. There was also Daniel, who considers the experience of playing with the entire Philharmonic orchestra a time of great learning.
Aim for excellence
Growing up in the academy means above all aim for excellence. “That’s what matters: tradition, elegance, are important, but at the base of everything there is excellence, we must always play at the highest level”, explains Michael Bladerer, founder of the Academy.
It is the spirit to be maintained on every occasion in the academy. “The most important activity remains playing in the orchestra, because that is where tradition and style are handed down, but the weekly chamber music lessons are also central, which allows students to understand how important it is to take responsibility. Leave it to others and listen to each other, “continues Bladerer.
Lucas has also aimed at excellence, who tells how his passion for music has been reinvigorated by looking at how the Philharmonic is committed to preserving the beauty of music and art. Excellence and inspiration guided him until being rewarded. He has now been hired in the second soloist section of the Vienna Philharmonic.