International Youth Music Festival: A celebration of talent in Arolsen

International Youth Music Festival: A celebration of talent in Arolsen

The 11th International Youth Music Festival in Arolsen began with a festive opening concert in the community center. Around 200 visitors were enthusiastic about the performances of young talents and brought a lively atmosphere into the room. Organized by BARock-AG, the city of Bad Arolsen and the Christian Rauch School, this festival brings together over 150 young musicians aged 10 to 24 from Indonesia, Austria and Germany.

Particularly noteworthy are the ensembles from Graz, Jakarta and local students who embark on an unforgettable musical journey. At the opening, city councilor Reiner Freudenstein spoke about the unifying importance of the festival and emphasized how music brings different cultures together.

A diverse musical program

The opening concert offered a varied musical program. The chamber choir of the Christian Rauch School, under the direction of Steffen Hause and Jonas Imhof, impressed with pieces such as “Kyrie from Missa4youth” and “Go forth into the world”. The big band from the Christian Rauch School, led by Susanne Sezi, also created the right feeling with melodies like “Hawaii Five-O”, “Don’t Know Why” (solo vocals: Emily Kuhaupt) and “Jungle Boogie”.

The Graz Kapellknaben under the direction of Mathias Unterkofler amazed the audience with their repertoire from “Ave Maria” to traditional Styrian sounds. In addition, the German School Jakarta Orchestra, led by Indra Putra Yudha, performed songs such as “Blue Moon”, “Never on Sunday” and “Beggin”, which touched the audience. Numerous solo singing performances rounded off the program and showed the versatility of the participants.

A look into the future of the festival

As festival director Horst Behle noted in his speech, this kick-off was just the beginning. There were plenty of thanks to all the ensembles, host families, supervisors and sponsors. In the coming days, visitors can look forward to further concerts:

• Mittwoch: Kapellknaben Graz, Oberstufenchor der Walter-Lübcke-Schule Wolfhagen, Kammerchor und Workshopchor der CRS in der katholischen Kirche um 19 Uhr.
• Donnerstag: Big-Band-Konzert im Bürgerhaus um 19 Uhr.

The festival promises top-class music and stands for exchange and friendship between cultures. Further information is available on the organizers' websites, for example at Kapellknaben.at.

Visit the Youth Music Festival and be inspired by the sounds and passion of young musicians! [WZ Online] reports that….